little-backup-box-Bram/README.md

Little Backup Box

Bash shell scripts that transform a Raspberry Pi (or any single-board computer running a Debian-based Linux distribution) into an inexpensive, fully-automatic, pocketable photo backup and streaming device.

Installation

First of all, make sure that your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet.

Run the following command on the Raspberry Pi:

curl -sSL https://goo.gl/btmpKd | bash

When prompted, reboot the Raspberry Pi.

By default, Little Backup Box is configured to back up storage cards. To make the script transfer files directly from the connected camera, run the crontab -e command on Raspberry Pi. Comment the following line by prepending # to it:

@reboot sudo /home/pi/little-backup-box/backup.sh > /home/pi/little-backup-box.log

Uncomment then the line below by removing #:

#@reboot sudo /home/pi/little-backup-box/gphoto-backup.sh > /home/pi/gphoto-backup.log

Save the changes.

Keep in mind that in this case, the transferred files are saved in the /home/pi/[CAMERA MODEL] directory on the system storage card. Make sure that the card you use with Raspberry Pi has adequate storage capacity.

Important Make sure that the camera is set to the MTP USB connection mode.

Alternative Direct File Transfer Script

Some cameras (notably Sony Alpha models) may not work with the default direct file transfer script. In this case, try the gphoto-backup-alt.sh script instead by enabling the following cron job as described above:

#@reboot sudo /home/pi/little-backup-box/gphoto-backup-alt.sh > /home/pi/gphoto-backup-alt.log

This script saves transferred files in the /home/pi/BACKUP directory.

Usage

1. Boot the Raspberry Pi
2. Plug in the backup storage device (or camera, if you configured Little Backup Box as described above)
3. Plug in the card reader and wait till the Raspberry Pi shuts down

To geocorrelate the backed up photos, place a GPX file in the root of the storage device before plugging it into the Raspberry Pi.

Note: To differentiate between different storage cards, the backup script creates a datetime-based .id file in the root of each storage card. The name of the .id file is also used as the destination backup folder on the storage device.

With the direct camera transfer script enabled, follow this steps:

1. Boot the Raspberry Pi
2. Connect the camera and turn it on and wait till the Raspberry Pi shuts down

Note that the direct camera file transfer script doesn't support geocorrelation.

Problems?

Please report bugs and issues in the Issues section.

Contribute

If you've found a bug or have a suggestion for improvement, open an issue in the Issues section.

To add a new feature or fix issues yourself, follow the following steps.

1. Fork the project's repository repository
2. Create a feature branch using the git checkout -b new-feature command
3. Add your new feature or fix bugs and run the git commit -am 'Add a new feature' command to commit changes
4. Push changes using the git push origin new-feature command
5. Submit a pull request

Author

Dmitri Popov dmpop@linux.com

License

The GNU General Public License version 3

Linux Photography

Little Backup Box is a part of a streamlined and automated Linux-based photographic workflow described in the Linux Photography book. The book provides step-by-step instructions on building a Raspberry Pi-based photo backup device running the Little Backup Box script. Get your copy at Google Play Store or Gumroad.