💬 Sensebender Micro

[nldroid]

Re: 💬 Sensebender Micro
I'm trying to flash the sketch to the sensebender micro using the Arduio IDE.

I bought the sensebender micro with the suggested FTDI programmer.

I connected the programmer to the sensebender and plugged in the USB cable.

My windows 7 installation finds the device and installs the driver as USB Serial Port (COM3). The driver is from FTDI. The hardware device id is: FTDIBUS\COMPORT&VID_0403&PID_6001

In the Arduino IDE, i've selected Board: Sensebender Micro, Processor: Atmega 328 8Mhz, Port: COM3.

I tried using USBasp, made a clone with the right hardware id's and tried that. I tried AVRIsp Mk II.

Whatever i try, avrdude.exe tells me it can't find the device:

C:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/bin/avrdude -CC:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -cRF232RL -Pusb -Uflash:w:C:\Users\rob\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_955073/SensebenderMicro.ino.hex:i 

avrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Dec 16 2016 at 13:33:19
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

         Using Port                    : usb
         Using Programmer              : RF232RL
avrdude: Warning: cannot open USB device: Function not implemented
avrdude: error: could not find USB device with vid=0x403 pid=0x6001

avrdude done.  Thank you.

the selected serial port 
 does not exist or your board is not connected

Anyone knows what's wrong?

[meddie]

Hey together,

i have an problem, i had some troubles with the space on the sb micro, i have removed the #define my_debug that solved my space problem, but now i have observed that the node is starting and sends few times the temp and humidity but after the few times nothing happens anymore.
i observed, when i hold the sensor in the fingers so that it will be worm, and start the node then it sends all minute the temp, but when the temp goes down to the room temperature then the node should send only when the humidity or temp changes over the threshhold, so in the room i dont have much changes and i think that when the node does not send about a longer time, that the the problem comes up.
I tested it in some different distances, on another floor but in very short distance too. I dont think that is a radio problem.
What do you think about?
The Problem is, that i cant debug the node because i disabled it because of space problems.
Thank you

[meddie]

i have just tried it again, it worked for 20 minutes. After them i get this output:

Sensebender Micro FW 1.4 - Online!
isMetric: 1
TempDiff :122.28
HumDiff  :154.00
T: 22.28
H: 54
TempDiff :0.00
HumDiff  :0.00
TempDiff :0.10
HumDiff  :0.50
TempDiff :0.11
HumDiff  :0.50
TempDiff :0.12
HumDiff  :0.00
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ok one more thing i found, when i close the serial monitor and start it again, i get the correctly output again, and i see in fhem the new readings.

but i cant understand what happens why stop the node to transmit the correct readings

[qqlapraline]

@meddie, do you use the default sketch for sensebender ?
If this is the case, please notice that after 5 measures, the clock speed is lowered to 1 Mhz. It means that the serial output won't work anymore using the default baud speed.
And, when you restart the serial monitor, it starts all over again from measure number 1.
Hope this helps.

QQ.

[meddie]

@qqlapraline
oh yes it does! It explains why i get the € signs in the serial monitor. But why does the node not send to my FHEM Controller? Depends it also on it, that the node switch to 1 Mhz and cant send anymore?
Thank you very much for your answer, its very helpfull.
Greets Eddie

[tbowmo]

Hmm I actually thought that this feature with switching to 1mhz was removed, as my calculations show that it (in theory) will use more current, than running at 8mhz (due to the fact that it sleeps most of the time)

[Michiel van der Wulp]

@tbowmo : The code to switch the frequency back to 1MHz is still there at https://www.mysensors.org/view/1/Sensebender-Micro.
Should it be removed?

[Wavemaker]

Is it possible to directly connect a RFM69* module to the Sensebender Micro? Or do I need the (rather costly) NRF2RFM69 to do that?

[mfalkvidd]

@Wavemaker welcome to the community!
You can spend your time instead of your money to do exactly what the adapter does, no need to buy it.

[tbowmo]

@Wavemaker

What is costly? If you grab the gerbers for the nrf2rfm69, send them to dirtypcbs (or use the link provided in the thread and order the pre uploaded gerbers at dirtypcbs) you'll get around 30 modules for 12$..

[Wavemaker]

@tbowmo Aha, yes, well I was looking at the cost of just one adapter to test. But you're right, in larger quantities it's not costly.

[meddie]

@Michiel-van-der-Wulp
Can you tell me where in the code is the switch to 1 MHz? I still have the problems that my node dosnt send anymore. It works for several hours but after then it dont send anything.

In programming i am not good, and so i cant find the switch.
Thank you very much.
Greets Eddie

[Michiel van der Wulp]

@meddie : Sure, I can:

The following is an extract from the code shown at https://www.mysensors.org/view/1/Sensebender-Micro, from the "loop()" function:

#ifndef MY_OTA_FIRMWARE_FEATURE
  if ((measureCount == 5) && highfreq) 
  {
    clock_prescale_set(clock_div_8); // Switch to 1Mhz for the reminder of the sketch, save power.
    highfreq = false;
  } 
#endif

If you remove these lines, it will stay on 8MHz.
(I did not test this but I am quite sure)

[meddie]

@Michiel-van-der-Wulp
thank you i will test it the next few days

[Dominic Amann]

I assume there is no exposure to the SPI bus on this board?

[sundberg84]

@Dominic-Amann from the hardware site:

MYSx 2.6 with
Dedicated UART
Dedicated SPI
Dedicated Interrupts
I2C bus (shared with onboard eeprom)

[Dominic Amann]

Ah - right, the radio connector uses SPI.

[tbowmo]

@Dominic-Amann

There are multiple SPI ports in use, one of them is dedicated to the expansion header (which follows MYSx 2.6 standard)

[RWoerz]

Can somebody please post what this boards current draw is at 8Mz w/wo a radio. Because it will live in a crawl space It's going to be plugged in. I've also added a very simple water detector.

[tbowmo]

@RWoerz

normal operating frequency is 48Mhz (if I remember right).. If I remember right, then there is no options in arduino to switch the frequency to 8Mhz..