Dr2mod, a Ukrainian maker whose Raspberry Pi work we’ve covered in the past, has developed an air raid siren monitor using a Raspberry Pi Zero W. This simple Pi project provides critical data regarding Ukrainian air raid sirens in real-time using the SBC along with an e-Ink display for visual output.
This isn’t Dr2mod’s first foray into Pi-powered monitoring systems. He recently created a Raspberry Pi Pico-powered sun tracker that predicts the location of the sun based on the user’s physical location and outputs the data to an e-Ink display. He also created a Pi-powered SDR airplane monitor that could relay flight data in real-time to a Waveshare LCD. But this is arguably one of the most crucial Raspberry Pi monitoring systems he’s ever developed.
The air raid siren monitor works by displaying a map of Ukraine on the e-Ink display. A key is shown to the side, indicating what the different coloring patterns signify and how many territories are estimated to be affected alongside each. For example, if an area is reportedly sounding its air raid siren, the display will update with the location darkened and increase the number next to the darkened key block by 1.
The monitor is built around a Raspberry Pi Zero W, which uses less power than a full-sized Pi and offers wireless support. However, a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ or Pi 4 would work just as well. The display is a 2.13-inch e-Ink HAT from Waveshare designed specifically to attach to the Raspberry Pi.
According to Dr2mod, the data used to determine whether or not an air raid siren is activated is retrieved from Telegram. The e-Ink display updates automatically when an air raid siren confirmation message is submitted through a predetermined Telegram channel.
This Raspberry Pi project is totally open source for anyone who wants to recreate it for themselves. The best way to get started is to check out the project over at GitHub to get a closer look at how to set it up and get started. Be sure to follow Dr2mod for future Pi projects and any updates on this one.