PiDome Domotica/Home Automation

[John]

@Thomas-Bowman-Mørch It wil be included in the next build (411, current is 410). This one will be build tomorrow, let me know how the device handles.

[tbowmo]

I patched the database in my install, by taking the sql update file you created for my device, and changing the db schema.

I can now add mysensors to pidome! Yahoo! :)

Next step is to get something usefull done with it

/ Thomas

[John]

Good! Did you do this manual or just stopped, overwritten and restarted the server? The latter would have precedence ;). Updating happens automatically.

If you did this manual make sure to execute

PRAGMA user_version=4;

in the SQL editor to make sure the DB is consistent with the configuration file otherwise the server will keep on trying update the database. To check the version you can run "PRAGMA user_version;" without the "=4" to see which version it currently is.

Report any findings you have so i can make the plugin better!

[tbowmo]

I shutdown the server, put the file 4.sql in the Database/private/update directory, also updated mysensors.default.config to reflect latest db version, and then restarted the server.

In the meantime while trying to add sensors, I have replaced the entire pidome with the latest snapshot build. But it still gives me grey hairs trying to trying to figure out how to add the first temperature sensor node (based on the dalas ds18s20 demo sketch comming with mysensors code). It has two dalas chips, so reporting two temperatures, gw.present(0, S_TEMP); gw.present(1, S_TEMP);

In PiDome, I have created a custom sensor, with two groups (0 and 1), each having a datafield configured as:
Control ID: 0
Control name: Temperature
Datatype : Float
Graph : timeseries (average)
Suffix : C
Floormap type: Temperature

After adding the mysensor node, with this custom sensor description, I then go to "Control/Views" and "Devices" clicking on my new sensor, it repports 0C for both sensors, The timestamp is updated to the time that the node last send in it's temperature.

I can't seem to figure out why it repports 0 as temperature. Looking at the data from the gateway with minicom (while server is shutdown), it does repport correct temperatures for both sensors attached to the remote node.

Am I doing things wrong here, or have I found a unknown "feature"?

/ Thomas

[John]

@tbowmo The control id should be the V_VAR naming and the control id you have used as group id.

More info can be found at: http://pidome.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/added-partly-mysensors-org-wireless-devices-support-api-1-4-beta/

[tbowmo]

That did it.. Changed the control id, to V_TEMP on both temperature data fields

And now I am able to get temperature measurements..
:)

[John]

Good to hear! :+1:

Uhmm.. read...

[John]

@tbowmo

Regarding the update method you did

"I shutdown the server, put the file 4.sql in the Database/private/update directory, also updated mysensors.default.config to reflect latest db version, and then restarted the server."

Could possibly mess things up.

This method:
"I have replaced the entire pidome with the latest snapshot build" can also be "I have overwritten the entire pidome with the latest snapshot build". The last method will auto-update.

With a database update there also is an high possibility of changes in code. Fortunate DB structure update version 4 only adds data ;)

[tbowmo]

@John
Well i'm still testing things out, so if something goes wrong, I delete everything (including databases), and start all over again.. That was what I meant by "I have replaced the entire pidome with the latest snapshot build" :)

Still experimenting with adding sensor nodes. Think I have to solder up a couple of extra nodes, just to have something to generate input, and to send some output to (Have the parts ready for 4 more nodes)

/ Thomas

[tbowmo]

One thing that is a bit unclear to me..

If I have a node with 3 temperature sensors on. They are made with gw.present(0, S_TEMP); gw.present(1,S_TEMP)...

This node also functions as a thermostat, using sensor 0, so when temperature is below setpoint make output go high

Now in pidome, I have made a sensor node with 3 groups (1 for each S_TEM), each one of them defines one datafield with V_TEMP as ID.

I also want to be able to set the target temperature for sensor 0 on the node (that is, the node itself turns on the heater until desired temperature is reached)

How should I define this in pidome? Should I make a new group, and attach a slider to that one, in order to set a value in the node? Because I can't see any option to send a datafield value to the node.

/ Thomas

[John]

@tbowmo Sorry for the late response, was at a conference yesterday.

It depends on how to interpret the value to be send. If you want to let the node control the heater, you should on the node create for example a threshold vairable let's say "int trigger value". If you would create a VAR_1 control which can be a slider in the node 0 group of type int and set a minimal value of 0 and max value of for example 50, you will be able to send a value to the node between 0-50.

On the node you should listen for incoming data for sensor 0, with variable VAR_1. and store it in the var on the node.

When you change the slider values the value is immediately send.

[John]

I know it has should been added earlier, but you can now add battery level to a device added to the server.

When you are creating your own device in the visual device editor do the following to show the battery level:

• Drag an drop a group to the device declaration field. You can give it any name you want, but the group id must be named "INTERNAL"(capital letters without the " (quotes)).
• Drag and drop a data field control to this group. You can give it any name. but the id must be "I_BATTERY_LEVEL" (also without the quotes).
• Set the datatype to "FLOAT". All battery levels in the server are handled this way.
• If you want, you can select "Battery (0-100%)" as a visual type. This is for future references when the server is able to report low battery levels to users and visualize this in clients.

That's it.

Cheers,
John.

P.S. We are on a level where we can start defining an online servers for users to share custom devices. We hope to have this available in a month or 2/3. So if you then create a MySensors node and added a custom device on the server. You can share this custom device setup with others also creating your MySensors node.

[tortoisedoc]

Hey;
can someone pinpoint what the "Waiting for gateway" means?

Thanks!

[John]

Sorry for the late response!

The server waits for a message from the gateway which tells the server it is ready to serve data. When you attach the gateway to your pc, and watch it in the terminal, do you see a "Gateway ready" message?

John.

[tortoisedoc]

@John said:

Sorry for the late response!

No problem :)

The server waits for a message from the gateway which tells the server it is ready to serve data. When you attach the gateway to your pc, and watch it in the terminal, do you see a "Gateway ready" message?

John.

Yes, as a matter of fact i do (via ssh -> miniterm.py on RPi)

EDIT : I Just now realized this is not necessarily the "Gateway ready signal" :dancers:
Btw is there support for mysensors from the RPi SIO pins? It would be great to not need to use the FTDI :)

[John]

Well, this IS the gateway ready message. It is an internal message the "3". And it is saying "14" which is the ready message (i should have said startup complete). I will take a look into it. Your sure using the same settings as with miniterm?

The second remark you gave. I will soon start with the driver which will support mysensors using the rpi pins. Highly possible this will start somewhere next. Already are in contact with an user who also wants to use mysensors this way

[tortoisedoc]

About the GW : Yes, same settings than the pidome server (no parity, 1 stop bit, 115200 bauds, 8 data bits); you can see it from the screenshot.

About the SPI : Great to hear! I can imagine switching from the USB driver to the SPI's should not be too much of a hassle; I wanted to have a look at the code myself (out of curiousity), but did not get to it yet.
One question, I noticed the tty used is exclusively locked by the server once it is started;
I believe it would be of great help to be able to access it at the same time as the pidome server, from the shell (say with miniterm.py), for debugging purpouses.

[John]

Yes, i will also be using mysensors that way, I will then have an USB port free for RFXCom and another one for my IR transceiver (my hub died). When available i will tweet it and put a notification here.

I will take a look into using JSSC_NO_TIOCEXCL when connecting to prevent the exclusive lock.

[John]

@tortoisedoc I have updated the serial driver not to do an exclusive lock. It is available on the build server. Currently not tested, i have no (usb) serial devices running earlier then the day after tomorrow. You should be able to debug the channel.

Anyway, data flow should be as following:
<- Wait for the gateway to receive the ready message
-> send out a request for the version
<- receive version
*remove the waiting for gateway message with the gateway version number in the web interface.

[tortoisedoc]

@John Sorry for the late reply;
I just managed to fry two arduino's today thanks to my stubborness to try to get them powered with a 9V on RAW. So, I am stuck until I can find more arduinos :/
It appears the regulator can only take so much incoming current if the output current is very low (3.3V in my case). Otherwise, it will overheat and bang, that's it.