GERTIE-DEV - 8-Camera Scientific Imaging Platform

Development Repository for GERTIE Camera System

This is the active development repository for GERTIE (Giant Eight-camera Rig for Taxon Image Extraction).

Current Status

• Branch: master (baseline)
• Active Fix: WYSIWYG aspect ratio correction (16:9 preview/capture matching)
• Deployment Method: USB transfer → control1 → sync_to_slaves.sh → 8 cameras

Repository Links

• Development Repo: https://github.com/andrc91/GERTIE-DEV (this repo)
• Reference System: https://github.com/andrc1/GERTIE (GOLDEN_REFERENCE)

Quick Start

1. Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/andrc91/GERTIE-DEV.git
cd GERTIE-DEV

2. Deploy to Hardware

# Copy to USB, then on control1:
cd /home/andrc1/camera_system_integrated_final
./sync_to_slaves.sh
./run_gui_with_logging.sh

3. Collect Logs

# After testing, copy log from control1:
cp /home/andrc1/Desktop/updatelog.txt /media/usb/

Priority P0 Fixes (Critical Blockers)

1. WYSIWYG Aspect Ratio ✅ Fix applied, needs testing

   • Preview: 640x360 (16:9)
   • Capture: 4608x2592 (16:9)

2. Time Synchronization 🔄 Next priority

   • Auto-sync from control1 on GUI launch

3. Telemetry Logging 🔄 Planned

   • Comprehensive event logging

4. System Lag Reduction 🔄 Planned

   • Target: <2 second response

5. Camera Capture Reliability 🔄 Planned

   • Auto-recovery on failure

Project Structure

GERTIE-DEV/
├── master/             # GUI controller (runs on control1)
├── slave/              # Camera services (runs on rep1-rep8)
├── sync_to_slaves.sh   # Deployment script
├── run_gui_with_logging.sh  # Testing script
└── DEPLOYMENT_WORKFLOW.md   # Full deployment guide

System Architecture

• control1: Master node (Raspberry Pi) - GUI and orchestration
• rep1-rep8: Camera nodes (Raspberry Pi) - Image capture services
• Network: 192.168.0.x subnet
• Ports: 6000 (capture), 5000-5007 (preview)

Testing Workflow

1. Make changes on MacBook
2. Copy to USB: cp -r GERTIE-DEV /Volumes/USB/
3. Deploy on control1: Run sync_to_slaves.sh
4. Test: Run GUI with logging
5. Analyze: Review updatelog.txt

Development Guidelines

• Always maintain 16:9 aspect ratio (preview and capture)
• Port 6000 for still capture (DO NOT CHANGE)
• All camera settings must sync between video_stream.py and still_capture.py
• Commit after each fix with descriptive message
• Test on hardware before merging

Contact

• Repository: andrc91 (acranephoto@gmail.com)
• System: GERTIE scientific imaging platform

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Last Updated: October 6, 2025