🐝
Bombus vosnesenskii Tracking
AprilTag Detection Dashboard · University of Portland · PI: Dr. Tara Prestholdt · Summer 2026

Project Documentation

Hardware & Software Parts List

8-station AprilTag tracking build · Bombus vosnesenskii pollinator research · University of Portland

📡
8
Detection stations
💰
$110
Estimated cost per station
🏷️
~$950
Total estimated build cost
Actual spent
Core electronics per station × 8
Component Qty Unit cost Est. total Actual Variance Vendor Notes
Raspberry Pi 5 1GB
BCM2712 quad-core 2.4GHz · 1GB LPDDR4X RAM · Pi 5 required for full-resolution OpenCV
1$45.00$360.00 PiShop pishop.us
Waveshare IMX219 120° FOV Camera
8MP Sony IMX219 · MIPI-CSI · 120° wide angle · includes 200mm Pi 5 cable
1$18.95$151.60 PiShop Pi5-IMX219-120
Pi 5 camera cable 500mm
22-pin to 15-pin FPC · required for gooseneck reach from enclosure to camera
1$3.95$31.60 PiShop 300mm also available
Raspberry Pi Active Cooler
PWM-controlled fan + heatsink · clip-on Pi 5 mount · required in sealed enclosure
1$5.00$40.00 Amazon B0CZLPX2HC
Samsung PRO Endurance 64GB MicroSD
100MB/s U1 · rated for continuous video write · endurance-rated essential
1$14.99$119.92 NWCA nwca.com
Core electronics subtotal $703.12
Power per station × 8
Component Qty Unit cost Est. total Actual Variance Vendor Notes
Anker PowerCore 10K owned
10,000mAh · 5V/3A USB-A output · ~6hr runtime at Pi 5 load
1$0$0 On hand Model A1229
USB LED keep-alive
0.1W · 20mA constant draw · prevents power bank auto-shutoff
1$1.75$14.00 Amazon $6.99 / 4-pack
USB-A to USB-C cable (30cm)
Power bank to Pi 5 inside enclosure
1$1.00$8.00 Amazon 10-pack ~$8
Power subtotal $22.00
Enclosure & mounting per station × 8
Component Qty Unit cost Est. total Actual Variance Vendor Notes
IP65 hinged weatherproof box
Easy-open hinged lid for daily SD card access · includes cable glands & wall brackets
1$15.00$120.00 Amazon B0CNQMSMD3
PATIKIL gooseneck arm 15.7"
1/4"-20 male base screws into lid insert · camera mounts at top · metal construction
1$3.50$28.00 Amazon B0FJRJ6ZRC · 4-pack
Ruthex 1/4"-20 brass heat-set insert
6.4mm OD × 8mm · camera thread standard · press into box lid with soldering iron
1$0.50$4.00 Amazon B0F2ZBN1K9 · 20-pack
PVC pipe stake on hand
3/4" or 1" schedule 40 · cut to ~4ft · angled point for ground insertion
1$0$0 On hand From existing stock
Self-amalgamating silicone tape
Wraps ribbon cable at cable gland for watertight seal
$0.63$5.00 Amazon 1 roll shared across 8
Enclosure & mounting subtotal $157.00
3D printed parts Creality K2 Pro · PETG black · 0.15mm
Part Qty Filament Est. total Actual Variance File Notes
Camera housing — back shell free
PCB mount bosses · 1/4"-20 insert socket · ribbon cable exit slot
1~4g$0 camera_housing_back.stl 40% infill · no supports
Camera housing — front cover free
Snap-fit over back shell · lens aperture · rain-shedding overlap lip
1~3g$0 camera_housing_front.stl 40% infill · no supports
IR cut filter holder free
Friction-fit cap over lens · holds 6.5mm 650nm IR cut filter disc
1~1g$0 ir_filter_holder.stl 0.1mm · spare for color tracking
3D printed subtotal $0
Field consumables one-time purchase
Item Qty Unit cost Est. total Actual Variance Vendor Purpose
Superglue gel (Loctite)
4 tubes$4.00$16.00 Hardware store AprilTag attachment to thorax
Posca paint pens (4-color set)
2 sets$12.00$24.00 Art store / Amazon Backup visual ID system
6.5mm 650nm IR cut filter glass (2-pack)
4 packs$7.00$28.00 Amazon Future color tracking upgrade
Consumables subtotal $68.00
Software stack all free / open source
Package Version Purpose Est. Actual Variance
Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit
Bookworm · Apr 2026Headless base OS for all 8 stationsfree
OpenCV-contrib-python
4.13.0AprilTag 36h11 detection · ArUco3 mode for small tagsfree
picamera2
latestPi 5 camera interface · 3280×2464 full resolutionfree
gspread + google-auth
latestDaily automated sync to shared Google Sheetfree
numpy · pandas
latestDetection data processing and analysisfree
beetracking (custom)
github.com/bedell-updetect.py · sync_to_sheets.py · analyze.pyfree
Google Sheets API v4
Shared research data dashboard for teamfree
Pi Connect (rpi-connect)
$0.50/station/month · 8 stations × 2 months
latestRemote station terminal access via browser$8.00
Estimated total build cost · 8 stations
Excludes owned power banks (~$160 retail) · PVC pipe (on hand) · 3D printed parts (filament only)
~$950
Tag specifications: AprilTag 36h11 dictionary · 10–12mm printed size · detected at ~60px in 3280×2464 frame using ArUco3 mode · attached to dorsal thorax with superglue gel · individual bee IDs tracked across all 8 stations.

Network: All 8 stations registered on UP IoT network (UPIoT) by MAC address · no credentials required · remote access via Pi Connect · automated CSV sync to shared Google Sheet at 8:00pm daily via cron.