Lynx-30-Camera-Trap

Lynx-30: Simulation-Driven Low-Power Long-Range Camera Trap System

Overview

Lynx-30 is a low-power wireless camera trap system designed around the ESP32-CAM module. The system combines motion detection, infrared illumination, and efficient power management to provide battery-powered image capture for wildlife monitoring and remote sensing applications.

The project was developed using a modular hierarchical design approach and includes complete schematic capture, PCB layout, BOM generation, and manufacturing-ready Gerber files.

Features

• Low-power battery-powered operation
• ESP32-CAM image capture and wireless connectivity
• PIR-based motion detection
• Infrared illumination for night operation
• High-efficiency TPS63060 power architecture
• 5V and 3.3V regulated power rails
• PMOS-based power gating for IR LEDs
• Hierarchical schematic design
• Manufacturing-ready PCB design
• Support for 2-layer and 4-layer PCB stackups

System Architecture

Battery ↓ TPS63060 Buck-Boost Converter ↓ V_SYS_5V ├── ESP32-CAM ├── IR Illumination └── LDO Regulator ↓ V_SYS_3V3 ├── PIR Sensor └── Control Logic

Hardware Components

Main Controller

• ESP32-CAM AI Thinker Module

Power Management

• TPS63060 Buck-Boost Converter
• 3.3V LDO Regulator

Motion Detection

• PIR Sensor Module

Illumination

• IR LEDs
• PMOS High-Side Switching Circuit

Interfaces

• UART Programming Header
• MicroSD Storage

Power Architecture

The system uses a TPS63060 high-efficiency buck-boost converter to generate a regulated 5V rail from battery input.

The 5V rail supplies:

• ESP32-CAM
• IR illumination circuit

A secondary LDO regulator generates a 3.3V rail for:

• PIR sensor
• Control logic
• MOSFET gate drive circuitry

PCB Stackup

2-Layer Version

• Top Layer: Components and signal routing
• Bottom Layer: Ground plane

4-Layer Version

• Layer 1: Signal routing
• Layer 2: Ground plane
• Layer 3: Power plane
• Layer 4: Signal routing

Design Tools

• KiCad

Project Structure

Lynx-30-Camera-Trap │ ├── Documentation │ ├── Project_Report.pdf │ ├── System_Architecture.pdf │ └── Design_Notes.pdf │ ├── KiCad │ ├── Schematics │ ├── PCB │ └── Libraries │ ├── Gerbers │ ├── BOM │ └── BOM.csv │ ├── Images │ ├── PCB_Top.png │ ├── PCB_Bottom.png │ ├── PCB_3D.png │ └── System_Block_Diagram.png │ └── README.md

Deliverables

* Complete hierarchical schematic
* PCB layout
* BOM (Bill of Materials)
* Gerber files
* Pick-and-place files
* PCB 3D render images
* Engineering documentation

Future Improvements

* Deep sleep optimization
* Solar charging capability
* Machine learning-based object detection
* Cloud connectivity
* LoRa communication support
* Environmental sensors integration

Applications

* Wildlife monitoring
* Security surveillance
* Remote sensing
* Smart agriculture
* IoT edge devices

Author

Engr Umer Mohammed**

Electrical and Computer Engineer

Specialization: Power Engineering

Designed using professional PCB design practices with a focus on low-power embedded systems and manufacturable hardware.