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SD Card Installation Guide for C64AI

Write Image

This document provides a step-by-step guide for writing the Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy, 64-bit) Lite image to an SD card for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2, and for configuring SSH, Wi-Fi, username, and hostname settings prior to the first boot. It is a visual, practical installation guide designed for headless setup scenarios.

At the first step, the Raspberry Pi Imager application must be downloaded from https://www.raspberrypi.com/software according to the operating system being used.

The preparation of this image will be explained using the Windows operating system.

For ease of use throughout the guide, it is recommended to use c64user as the default username and c64ai as the default hostname.

Select your Rpi device

Choose OS

Select your storage device

Choose hostname

Localisation

Choose username

Choose Wi-Fi

SSH authentication

Write image

Prerequisite: Ensure SSH is installed

After writing the RPi image to the SD card, access the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 system using PowerShell with the following command:

ssh c64user@c64ai.local

Installing SSH on Windows 11 (if not already installed):

  1. Open the Start Menu and search for “Turn Windows features on or off”.
  2. In the window that appears, locate OpenSSH Client.
  3. Check the box next to OpenSSH Client and click OK.
  4. Wait for Windows to apply the changes, then restart PowerShell.
  5. Verify the installation by running:
ssh -V

This should display the installed SSH version.

If the following command returns an error:

ssh c64user@c64ai.local

it is recommended to remove the existing SSH host key using the command below and then retry the connection:

ssh-keygen -R c64ai.local

System Update, Deno Installation

After a successful connection, enter the following commands in the console to update the system, install Deno, and restart the device.

sudo apt update -y

Updates the package list from the repositories.

sudo apt upgrade -y

Upgrades all installed packages to their latest available versions.

curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh

Downloads and installs Deno using the official installation script.

sudo apt install mc

Installs Midnight Commander (mc), a text-based file manager that allows easy file and directory management directly from the terminal.

sudo reboot

Restarts the system to apply the changes.

File Transfer to Raspberry Pi Zero 2

For transferring files to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2, it is recommended to use WinSCP or FileZilla. Both applications communicate with the device using the SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol).

To establish a connection, use the following settings:

  • Protocol: SFTP
  • Server / Host name: c64ai.local
  • Username: c64user
  • Port: 22
  • Password: The password defined during image preparation

After entering these details, connect to the device and transfer files between your Windows system and the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 as needed.

Download links:

WinSCP

Configuring AP (Access Point) Mode

AP (Access Point) mode allows the device to create its own wireless network without connecting to an external network. This mode is mainly used for initial setup, configuration, and scenarios where no network access is available, enabling direct access to the device.

When AP mode is enabled, the Raspberry Pi broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network. Users can connect to this network using a computer or mobile device to access the system. This allows SSH access, basic configuration, and secure completion of network settings.

If the Wi-Fi SSID configured for the C64AI project is not accessible, the device will automatically enable AP mode and broadcast a wireless network named C64AI-Setup.

Enabling and Persisting AP Mode

If AP mode is active and C64AI-Setup appears in the Wi-Fi scan list, the operation is complete. NetworkManager automatically saves the connection.

Enable the AP using the following command:

sudo nmcli dev wifi hotspot ifname wlan0 ssid C64AI-Setup password 12345678

Making AP Mode Persistent

To make the AP start automatically at boot, list the available connections:

nmcli con show

You will most likely see a connection named:

Hotspot

Configure the connection to start at boot:

sudo nmcli con modify "preconfigured" connection.autoconnect yes
sudo nmcli con modify "preconfigured" connection.autoconnect-priority -9
sudo nmcli con modify Hotspot connection.autoconnect yes
sudo nmcli con modify Hotspot connection.autoconnect-priority -10
sudo nmcli radio wifi on

Deploying the setup.service File

Using WinSCP, copy the setup.service file from the C64AI project directory:

\services\etc\systemd\system\setup.service

to the following directory on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2:

/etc/systemd/system

Activating the Service

Run the following commands to activate the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable setup.service
sudo systemctl start setup.service

Copying Setup Files

Copy the files from the setup directory of the C64AI project to the following location on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2:

/home/c64user/setup

Files to be copied:

  • server.ts
  • public/index.html

Uploading Project Files Using WinSCP

Using WinSCP, create a directory named build under the following path on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2:

/home/c64user

Upload the following directories from the project folder to:

/home/c64user/build

Directories to upload:

  • ask2ai
  • shutdownled
  • server

Building and Configuring the C64AI Applications

Reconnect to the Raspberry Pi using SSH and access the terminal. Navigate to the ask2ai build directory:

cd build/ask2ai/

Make the build script executable:

chmod a+x build.sh

Run the build script:

./build.sh

Wait for the build process to complete and for the generated binary file to be copied into the server directory. Next, navigate to the server directory:

cd ../server/

Compile the c64aiserver application:

make

Configuring the Gemini API Key

In the same directory, open the .env file using the nano editor:

nano .env

Locate the <your_api_key> placeholder, delete it, and paste your Gemini API key using right-click.

Save the file and exit nano by pressing the following keys in order:

  • CTRL + O
  • ENTER
  • CTRL + X

You will now return to the terminal.

Copying Files to the Home Directory

Launch Midnight Commander:

mc

Using Midnight Commander, copy the following files and directories to:

/home/c64user

Items to copy:

  • ask2ai
  • c64aiserver
  • .env

Building the Shutdown LED Application

After the copy operation is completed in Midnight Commander, press F10 to exit and return to the terminal. From the terminal, navigate back to the build directory:

cd /home/c64user/build

Enter the shutdownled directory:

cd shutdownled

Before compiling the application, install the required GPIO libraries:

sudo apt install -y libgpiod-dev gpiod

Compile the application:

make

After the build process is complete, use Midnight Commander (mc) to copy the generated binary file:

gpio_shutdown_led

to the following directory:

/home/c64user

Uploading systemd Service Files

From the project directory:

\services\etc\systemd\system\

upload the following service files to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 directory:

/etc/systemd/system

Service files to upload:

  • c64aiserver.service
  • gpio-shutdown.service

These files will be used to manage and control the related services on the system.

Enabling and Starting Services

Run the following commands to activate the services:

# Reload systemd to recognize the new service files
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Start the services immediately:

sudo systemctl start c64aiserver
sudo systemctl start gpio-shutdown

Enable the services to start automatically at boot:

sudo systemctl enable c64aiserver
sudo systemctl enable gpio-shutdown

READY.

Your SD card image has been configured for the C64AI project. To safely power off the Raspberry Pi Zero 2, run the following command in the terminal:

sudo shutdown -h now