FlightTracker for Interstate 75 W

A real-time flight tracking display for HUB75 LED matrices, running on the Pimoroni Interstate 75 W with RP2350/RP2040.

Credits

This project is a MicroPython port of the original FlightTracker by Colin Waddell, designed for Raspberry Pi with RGB LED matrices.

Ported for Pimoroni Interstate 75 W by Richard Burford.

Hardware Requirements

• Pimoroni Interstate 75 W (RP2350 or RP2040 version)
• HUB75 LED Matrix Panel (64x32 recommended, other sizes supported)
• USB-C cable for power and programming
• Optional: Speaker/buzzer on GP20 for audio notifications
• Optional: 3D printed enclosure (see below)

3D Printed Enclosure

A 3D printable enclosure is available for the FlightTracker:

• Model file: FlightTracker-box.3mf

The enclosure is designed to house the Interstate 75 W and a 64x32 LED matrix panel.

Features

• Real-time flight tracking using FlightRadar24 API (with airplanes.live fallback)
• Displays flight number, origin/destination airports
• Aircraft type lookup with friendly names (e.g., "Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner")
• Scrolling weather information with colour-coded values
• Clock and date display when no flights overhead
• Bing-bong audio notification for new flights
• Button A triggers audio notification
• Fallback WiFi network support
• Onboard RGB LED status indicator

Installation

1. Flash Pimoroni MicroPython Firmware

Download the latest Pimoroni MicroPython firmware for Interstate 75 W from: https://github.com/pimoroni/pimoroni-pico/releases

Flash the firmware:

1. Hold the BOOT button and press RST on the Interstate 75 W
2. The board appears as a USB drive
3. Copy the .uf2 firmware file to the drive
4. The board will reboot automatically

2. Copy Files to the Board

Copy all project files to your Interstate 75 W using Thonny, rshell, or mpremote:

# Using mpremote
mpremote cp -r . :

# Or using rshell
rshell -p /dev/ttyACM0 rsync . /pyboard/

3. Configure WiFi

Create secrets.py with your WiFi credentials:

# Primary WiFi
WIFI_SSID = "YourNetworkName"
WIFI_PASSWORD = "YourPassword"

# Fallback WiFi (optional)
WIFI_SSID_FALLBACK = "BackupNetwork"
WIFI_PASSWORD_FALLBACK = "BackupPassword"

4. Configure Location

Create or edit config.py with your location settings:

# Geographic zone for tracking (lat/lon bounds)
ZONE_HOME = {
    "tl_y": 56.5,   # North boundary
    "tl_x": -5.0,   # West boundary
    "br_y": 55.5,   # South boundary
    "br_x": -3.5    # East boundary
}

# Your home location [lat, lon, altitude_km]
LOCATION_HOME = [55.8642, -4.2518, 6371]

# Weather location (lat, lon)
WEATHER_LAT = 55.8642
WEATHER_LON = -4.2518

# Your local airport code to highlight
JOURNEY_CODE_SELECTED = "GLA"

# Temperature units: "metric" or "imperial"
TEMPERATURE_UNITS = "metric"

# Display brightness (0-100)
BRIGHTNESS = 50

# Altitude filter (feet)
MIN_ALTITUDE = 0
MAX_ALTITUDE = 45000

# Audio pin (optional)
AUDIO_PIN = 20

5. Run

The tracker starts automatically when the board powers on.

Or run manually via Thonny/REPL:

import main
main.main()

Display Layout (64x32)

When flights are overhead:

┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ GLA  ────>  LHR         12°C   │  Route + Temperature
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ BA1234 ──────────────── 1/3    │  Flight number + Counter
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ Airbus A320  450kts  ↑32000ft  │  Scrolling aircraft info
└────────────────────────────────┘

When no flights are overhead:

┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ 14:35                   12°C   │  Clock + Temperature
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ Partly Cloudy  15km/h SW  65%  │  Scrolling weather
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ Thu 5 Dec                      │  Date
└────────────────────────────────┘

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
ZONE_HOME	Geographic bounds for flight tracking	Glasgow area
LOCATION_HOME	Your location for distance calculation	Glasgow
WEATHER_LAT/LON	Coordinates for weather API	Glasgow
TEMPERATURE_UNITS	"metric" or "imperial"	metric
MIN_ALTITUDE	Ignore flights below this (feet)	0
MAX_ALTITUDE	Ignore flights above this (feet)	45000
BRIGHTNESS	Display brightness (0-100)	50
JOURNEY_CODE_SELECTED	Airport code to highlight	GLA
AUDIO_PIN	GPIO pin for speaker	2

Supported Display Sizes

Set DRIVER_TYPE in setup/screen.py:

• 32x32
• 64x32 (recommended)
• 64x64
• 128x64

LED Status Indicator

The onboard RGB LED indicates system status:

Colour	Meaning
Blue	No flights / Idle
Green	Flights detected
Yellow	Fetching data

Button Controls

Button	Action
A (GP14)	Play bing-bong notification

Data Sources

• FlightRadar24 - Primary source for flight data (includes origin/destination)
• airplanes.live - Fallback ADS-B data (used only if FR24 fails)
• Open-Meteo - Weather data (free, no API key required)

Differences from Original Raspberry Pi Version

This MicroPython port has some differences:

1. Synchronous operation - No background threads; data fetched between display updates
2. Built-in fonts - Uses PicoGraphics bitmap fonts instead of BDF files
3. Direct HTTPS - Custom TLS implementation for MicroPython
4. Simplified audio - PWM tone generation instead of WAV playback
5. No external dependencies - All code runs standalone on the microcontroller

Troubleshooting

WiFi Connection Issues

• Check SSID and password in secrets.py
• Ensure 2.4GHz network (5GHz not supported by Pico W)
• Try adding a fallback network

No Flights Showing

• Verify your ZONE_HOME coordinates are correct
• Check flights in your area using FlightRadar24
• Ensure MIN_ALTITUDE isn't filtering out all flights

Display Issues

• Check panel is connected correctly to HUB75 header
• Verify DRIVER_TYPE in setup/screen.py matches your panel
• Try reducing BRIGHTNESS if display looks washed out

Audio Issues

• Check speaker is connected to correct GPIO pin (default GP2)
• Verify AUDIO_PIN in config.py matches your wiring

License

GPL v3.0 - Same as original project.

Links

• Original FlightTracker by Colin Waddell
• Pimoroni Interstate 75 W
• Pimoroni MicroPython Releases