First node: nothing work

[A Former User]

Hi everybody;

This is my first post, and my first attempt to build some mysensors gateway and temperature node.

First of all, this is what I use:

• arduino nano
• NRF24L01 with antenna
• 1.4 library

I have successfully created the serial usb gateway. When I start it, I can see on the debug output that the controller is online and ready to receive some date.

Unfortunately, the sensor never works. I have the "feeling" he can't correctly initialize: nothing on the debug output. The "bad" seems to be : gw.begin(). I follow the source code and it seems he can't send the first broadcast message and it seems to "wait" indefinitely.
To give more information, I can successfully load and start the controller sketch on the second device: so it seems not broken. I can successfully read a temperature from a one wire device. But, even the first exemple from mysensors.org don't work. What is really wired too is I can upload a new sketch to this arduino: the serial ouput seems always "full": I can only upload it when the arduino start.

Do you have some idea please ?

[hek]

What does the debug output say in the Serial Monitor of the sensor?

[A Former User]

Nothing....

[hek]

What baudrate did you set?

http://www.mysensors.org/build/debug

[A Former User]

115200

It seems to work nicely using gateway sketchup with correctly debug information...

[hek]

Weird, try switching power supply/usb cable. You should get some output even if radio init fails.

[A Former User]

I already try that without success.

Using same cable with same arduino works like a charm for the gateway.

[rvendrame]

Do you get any output on serial monitor on node side?

[A Former User]

No, nothing.

[msamy.earth]

Try to clear the EEPROM first, then re-upload your sketch.

[A Former User]

I have already clear the EEPROM many times. No changes.

I have activate the DEBUG mode on the RF24_config.h file:

  #define FAILURE_HANDLING
  #define SERIAL_DEBUG

I can now see some debug informations:

send: 255-255-255-255 s=255,c=3,

And nothing more. Some kind of "failed broadcast" ?
Maybe, the gateway seems to never respond to this first broadcast; the gateway never receive it anyway.

[hek]

Looks like it is dying in the middle of serial log output.

What happens if you try the same sketch on the working "serial-gateway"-Arduino you were talking about in the first post? You might have some faulty hardware there..

[kalle]

Is the NRF24 connected to externel 3.3V power or to the 3.3V from the Nano? The NRF24 antenna version has a higher power consumption as the version without antenna.

[A Former User]

Same thing append if I try the serial sketch on the working "serial-gateway". If I try the gateway sktech on the "bad" arduino, the gateway seems to start.

The NRF24 is connected to the 3.3V out from the Arduino nano. I will try to use and external power supply; or maybe, I will buy the NRF24 without antena. Thanks for that suggestion.

[Harrdy]

• The NRF24 antenna version is:
  -- working current in transmit mode is 115mA
  -- working current in receiver mode is 45mA

For the NRF24 non antenna version i did'nt find any details of power consum. (only 1uA on Power down mode)

Arduino Nano:

• The total current from all the IO pins together is 200 mA max.
• The 3.3V output is capable of supplying 150 mA.
  -- Note - Any power drawn from the 3.3V rail has to go through the 5V rail. Therefore, if you have a 100 mA device on the 3.3V output, you need to also count it against the 5V total current.

The 5V output is much powerful on the Arduino nano. U can try to use a 5V to 3.3V stepdown regulator like AMS1117

[kalle]

Here are the specifications from the NRF24 without antenna

http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/2.4GHz-RF/nRF24L01#Specification