Stratux Project
IT Manager, pilot, scuba diver, firefighter, paramedic, and fire investigator
Summary
I mainly fly in a plane that has a built-in Stratus 3 but there is another plane that I fly that does not. So, I found the Stratux project (located here) and built my own ADS-B receiver. This project only took about 10 minutes from start to finish.
Materials List
● Raspberry Pi 3B, 3B+, or 4
● UAT Radio Adapter
● 1090ES Radio Adapter
● Low Power Antenna
● High Power Antenna
● AHRS 2.0
● SD Card (can be pre-programmed)
● Case
● GPS (internal or external)
● Slim battery pack
● Suction mount
These Raspberry Pi's can be cheap if you can find them. They have 1GB of RAM and have a 1.2GHz processor. With the introduction of the Raspberry Pi 4B, the 3B/3B+'s are getting harder to find. Below are a list of a few vendors that I know of that sell the Raspberry Pi 3B/3B+.
Raspberry Pi 4B
I'm not sure if the Raspberry Pi 4B fits in the case but it does have more RAM (2GB, 4GB, or 6GB versions) and a faster processor (1.5GHz). Check the vendor list for the Raspberry Pi 3B/3B+ to find a 4B.
Pi Version | Processor | RAM | Wireless | Ethernet |
---|---|---|---|---|
Raspberry Pi 3B/3B+ | 1.2GHz/1.4GHz, 4-core | 512MB/1GB | 802.11ac | Ethernet |
Raspberry Pi 4B | 1.5GHz, 4-core | 2GB/4GB/8GB | 802.11ac | Gigabit Ethernet |
Figure 1. Raspberry Pi 3B+
These can be bought seperate or together on Amazon or eBay. Some even include the antennas so shop around and look at the prices, ratings, and reviews. I recommend purchasing these in a bundle and getting high gain antennas.
Figure 2. 1090ES & UAT Bundle
This type of GPS has the sensor is inside of a case, so the satellite reception may not be good at times.
Figure 3. Internal GPS
I use an external GPS so that I can position it for the best satellite signals.
Figure 4. External GPS
AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) allows you to get the synthetic vision on Foreflight (based on subscription). There a a couple of sensors that feed data to Foreflight so I would install this even if you do not have the synthetic vision on Foreflight.
Figure 5. AHRS
Slim Battery
One of the many battery options to power the Stratux but this one has a built-in AC wall plug and micro USB to plug into the Raspberry Pi.
Figure 6. Slim Battery (10,000mAh)
Make sure the case fits your Raspberry Pi. Most cases only fit the Raspberry Pi 3B/3B+.
Suction Mount
This is used to mount the case to a window.
Figure 7. Suction Mount
Created by Robert Keith · © 2024