Revised structure - dbsandis/MyUTProject GitHub Wiki

The Raspberry Pi 5 is significantly faster than previous models, with a quad-core Cortex-A76 CPU running at 2.4 GHz. However, whether you need a separate microcontroller depends on your ultrasonic testing application requirements.

Factors to Consider: 1. Real-time Processing Requirements: • If your ultrasonic sensors require precise timing in the microsecond range (e.g., pulse-echo measurements), a microcontroller (like an Arduino, STM32, or ESP32) may be needed to handle the time-sensitive signal generation and acquisition. • The Raspberry Pi 5, running a full OS (Linux), has inherent latencies that could interfere with precise timing. 2. Sensor Interface & Compatibility: • Many ultrasonic transducers operate at frequencies requiring specialized drivers or high-speed ADCs. • If your sensor uses analog signals, the Pi lacks a built-in ADC, so you’d need an external ADC (like the MCP3008 or ADS1115). • If your ultrasonic system operates via SPI/I2C, the Pi 5 can handle it directly. 3. Data Processing & AI Integration: • If you plan to apply machine learning or advanced signal processing to analyze reflections for defect detection, the Pi 5 is powerful enough to handle FFTs and filtering. • If you’re dealing with high-frequency sampling (above 1 MHz), a dedicated FPGA or DSP might be required. 4. Power Consumption & Deployment: • If the system must be low-power and standalone, a microcontroller is a better choice. • If you’re designing a portable field device, a Raspberry Pi 5 with proper power management may suffice.

Potential Setup Options: • Option 1: Use Raspberry Pi 5 Alone • Suitable for simple ultrasonic sensors with digital interfaces (e.g., HC-SR04). • Use external ADCs for analog sensors. • Python/C++ for signal processing. • Option 2: Raspberry Pi 5 + Microcontroller • Microcontroller (Arduino/ESP32/STM32) handles precise timing and sends data to Pi via UART/SPI. • Pi 5 processes data, logs results, and performs AI-based analysis. • Option 3: Raspberry Pi 5 + FPGA • Required for ultra-fast sampling rates (MHz range) and real-time defect detection. • FPGA captures data, and Pi 5 processes it.

Conclusion:

For basic ultrasonic testing (e.g., distance measurement, low-frequency pulse-echo testing), the Raspberry Pi 5 alone can work with the right peripherals. If precise microsecond timing is needed (e.g., for flaw detection in pipes at high frequencies), pairing it with a microcontroller or FPGA is recommended.

What kind of ultrasonic testing are you planning—basic measurements, thickness testing, or defect detection?