Help Debug st=fail

[tomkxy]

I think you have a problem with your radio. The st=fail means that the message could not be delivered.

[mfalkvidd]

Is your gateway working?
st=fail often means power issues. How are you powering the radio and are you using a capacitor?

https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/666/debug-faq-and-how-ask-for-help contains more information about troubleshooting and how to read the debug output.

[tcontrada]

@mfalkvidd The gateway works fine as other sensors are being received.

Since I am using battery power on the Sensebender Micro, there is no capacitor as that would drain the battery.

What else could be the issue?

[sundberg84]

A working capacitor does not drain batterypower once charged. Is there one built in the sensebender? If not you should use one.

It's a range or power issue. Try moving it closer or further away from the gw. If it's the range you might need a repeater.

[tcontrada]

@sundberg84 The Sensebender does not have a capacitor, other than bypass.
Not a range issue either, close or further away does not make a difference.

It's pretty consistent with the st=fail debug output.

[mfalkvidd]

What was the result when you added a capacitor?

[tomkxy]

@tcontrada Do you use signing? What is the range of distances you tried. A couple of weeks ago I had to realize that if put my nodes to near to each other I received transmission failures.

[tcontrada]

@mfalkvidd The bypass caps are already installed on the PCB.
The SenseBender Micro runs off 2 AA batteries and there is no extra cap on it (that was the design).

[tcontrada]

@tomkxy No signing on my modules...

Distance from a few feet to 20, 50, 100 ft. All yield the same result.

[tomkxy]

Did you try different radios? Anyway, I would try to solder a cap on the radio.

[mfalkvidd]

Yes, the built-in capacitor on the sensebender should be sufficient. Sorry.

Have you tried switching the radio with one you know works?

[martinhjelmare]

I had a lot of fails on the Sensebender I've installed, and I noticed that I got better transmission when holding the pcb. I then tested to put some aluminium foil with plastic wrap for insulation between the backside of the pcb radio antenna and the Sensbender pcb. This was a winner.

There's been a lot of discussion about possible interference from the FTDI 6 pin metal header. I haven't tested my setup without the header or with the header positioned differently, but that's one suspect on my list of culprits.

[tcontrada]

@martinhjelmare I think you might be on to something, as I have noticed that other microcontroller modules point the antenna away from the PCB, where as the Sensebender and RF module are overlapping.

I will investigate by adding jumper wires from the SenseBender and the RF module to add some separation.

Thanks...