brianbruff/rotctlweb repository overview

⁠RotCtl Web Interface

A web-based control interface for remote antenna rotor control via rotctld daemon, featuring an interactive 3D globe visualization with real-time beam heading display.

⁠Features

• 🌍 3D Interactive Globe - Visual beam heading from your QTH location
• 🎯 Click-to-Point - Simply click anywhere on the globe to set azimuth
• 📡 Real-time Tracking - Live rotor position updates
• 🎛️ Manual Controls - Precise azimuth input and quick bearing buttons
• 🛑 Emergency Stop - Instant rotor stop with dedicated button or ESC key
• 🔒 Secure Access - Basic authentication protection
• 🔄 Auto-reconnect - Automatic connection recovery to rotctld

⁠Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher) OR Docker
• rotctld daemon running on your network
• Modern web browser

⁠Quick Start

⁠Option 1: Docker Hub (Easiest)

Pull and run the pre-built image from Docker Hub:

# Pull the latest image
docker pull brianbruff/rotctlweb:latest

# Run with environment variables
docker run -d \
  --name rotctl-web \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e AUTH_USERNAME=admin \
  -e AUTH_PASSWORD=your_secure_password \
  -e ROTCTLD_HOST=192.168.100.3 \
  -e ROTCTLD_PORT=4533 \
  brianbruff/rotctlweb:latest

⁠Option 2: Docker Compose (Recommended)

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/brianbruff/RotatorControlWeb.git
cd RotatorControlWeb

1. Create your .env file:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

1. Run with Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

1. Access the interface at http://localhost:3000

⁠Option 3: Build from Source

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/brianbruff/RotatorControlWeb.git
cd RotatorControlWeb
docker build -t rotctl-web .

# Run the container
docker run -d \
  --name rotctl-web \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e AUTH_USERNAME=admin \
  -e AUTH_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e ROTCTLD_HOST=192.168.100.3 \
  -e ROTCTLD_PORT=4533 \
  rotctl-web

⁠Option 4: Node.js

1. Clone and install:

git clone https://github.com/brianbruff/RotatorControlWeb.git
cd RotatorControlWeb
npm install

1. Configure:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

1. Run:

npm start

⁠Configuration

Edit the .env file with your settings:

# Authentication (CHANGE THESE!)
AUTH_USERNAME=admin
AUTH_PASSWORD=your_secure_password_here

# Rotctld Connection
ROTCTLD_HOST=192.168.100.3
ROTCTLD_PORT=4533

# QTH Location
QTH_LATITUDE=52.6667
QTH_LONGITUDE=-8.6333
QTH_GRID_SQUARE=IO52RN
QTH_LOCATION_NAME=Limerick, Ireland

Important: Never commit the .env file to version control!

⁠Usage

⁠Interface Overview

The interface consists of:

• 3D Globe (right): Interactive earth visualization with beam heading
• Control Panel (left): Status, position display, and manual controls
• Compass (top-right): Visual azimuth indicator

⁠Controls

⁠Globe Interaction

• Click: Set antenna azimuth to clicked location
• Scroll: Zoom in/out
• Drag: Rotate globe view

⁠Manual Controls

• Azimuth Input: Enter precise azimuth (0-360°)
• Quick Bearings: N (0°), E (90°), S (180°), W (270°)
• Emergency Stop: Red button stops rotor immediately

⁠Keyboard Shortcuts

• ESC - Emergency stop
• Ctrl+S - Emergency stop
• Enter - Submit manual azimuth (when input focused)

⁠Docker Deployment

⁠Docker Compose (Recommended)

The included docker-compose.yml provides easy deployment:

version: '3.8'
services:
  rotctl-web:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - AUTH_USERNAME=${AUTH_USERNAME:-admin}
      - AUTH_PASSWORD=${AUTH_PASSWORD:-changeme}
      - ROTCTLD_HOST=${ROTCTLD_HOST:-192.168.100.3}
      - ROTCTLD_PORT=${ROTCTLD_PORT:-4533}
    restart: unless-stopped

⁠Building for Production

# Build image
docker build -t rotctl-web:latest .

# Tag for registry
docker tag rotctl-web:latest your-registry/rotctl-web:latest

# Push to registry
docker push your-registry/rotctl-web:latest

⁠Rotctld Integration

This interface communicates with rotctld using these commands:

• p - Get current rotor position
• P <azimuth> 0 - Set rotor position
• S - Stop rotor movement

Ensure your rotctld daemon is:

1. Running and accessible on the network
2. Configured to accept connections from this application
3. Not blocked by firewall rules

⁠Status Indicators

• 🟢 Green (pulsing) - Connected to rotctld
• 🔴 Red - Disconnected from rotctld
• 🟡 Yellow (blinking) - Connection error

⁠Troubleshooting

⁠Cannot connect to rotctld

• Verify rotctld is running: ps aux | grep rotctld
• Test connection: telnet 192.168.100.3 4533
• Check firewall rules
• For Docker: Ensure network connectivity between containers

⁠Authentication fails

• Verify credentials in .env file
• Clear browser cache/cookies
• Check for special characters in password

⁠Globe not displaying

• Enable JavaScript in browser
• Check browser console (F12) for errors
• Try different browser
• Ensure WebGL is supported

⁠Docker issues

• Check logs: docker logs rotctl-web
• Verify environment variables: docker exec rotctl-web env
• Ensure port 3000 is not in use

⁠Technologies Used

• Backend: Node.js, Express
• 3D Globe: Globe.GL (Three.js based)
• UI Framework: Tailwind CSS
• Icons: Font Awesome
• Geospatial: Turf.js
• Containerization: Docker

⁠Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests.

⁠License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

⁠Support

For issues or questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub⁠
• Check rotctld documentation
• Visit ham radio forums for rotor control setup help

⁠Acknowledgments

• Built for the amateur radio community
• Inspired by the need for modern, visual rotor control
• Thanks to all contributors and testers

73 de [EI6LF]

More reading here: Blog Post⁠