💬 MySensors Gateway for Raspberry PI

[openhardware.io]

https://www.openhardware.io/view/470/MySensors-Gateway-for-Raspberry-PI

[scalz]

Hi.

Looks nice :simple_smile:
If i can give some advices.. :

• have you tested it when both radio modules are soldered ? I think you may have some issues then, because you have missing pullups for radio modules.
• i would add some decoupling capacitors + some filtering. Because RPI has not the best noise-free power supply. that could decrease sensitivity and range. but maybe still enough for the range you need.
• your RF transmission line is a bit "funky".. I don't know how long it is, but you may need to impedance match this route to your SMA connector (else some detuning, and worse rf).
  And i wouldn't have put the pin hole for a wire antenna like that (after drills in the mismatched transmission..). Also i think it's useless, for a wire antenna you already can use the drill of your sma connector.

My 2cents

[gohan]

I'd add a place for a voltage regulator from 5v to 3.3 for the more powerful radio versions, since being the gateway it could be worth using them

[llegoff]

Hello,

• It's for NRL24L01 only, or RFM69HW only, we can't solder both module.
• It would probably be better to add a 3.3v regulator and capacitors
• i find a impedance calculator, the width of the transmission line should be 2.41mm
  

thanks for the comments.

for you what is the better connertor, SMA or U.FL ?

I will modify the pcb

[gohan]

I'd vote for sma as many projects are also using it.

[NeverDie]

@scalz said in MySensors Gateway for Raspberry PI:

i would add some decoupling capacitors + some filtering. Because RPI has not the best noise-free power supply. that could decrease sensitivity and range. but maybe still enough for the range you need.

Especially this. +1

I've read of others grappling with this issue on a Pi, and reportedly its a huge problem. So, heads up. Not sure if all the Pi's are the same in this respect, though, or whether some models have less of a problem with it than others. Maybe you can side-step the brunt of the noise by just picking the right model of Pi in the first place? Anyone happen to know how the different Pi models compare to one another with respect to noise?

Sounds like a good project!

[llegoff]

The U.FL connector is smaller and will reduce the length of the track. The U.FL SMA cords are not very expensive, and so you can place the SMA connector where you want on the case of the Raspberry Pi.

On the pcb v1, R4 is a resistance of 0ohm, which in the case where no SMA connector is used, to connect the track to the wire antenna connector J3

[llegoff]

change to V2

[luizrrocha]

Hi, great project. I want one as soon as possible !

Quick silly question: it supports the PA+LNA version of the NRF24L01, right ?

[gohan]

@luizrrocha yes, just don't use the unshielded ones

[Andrea_J]

Hello, I'm new to this forum.
Is it possible to have both radio active at the same time on a RPi gateway? Why did you choose to have just one at a time?
Thank you,
Andrea

[mfalkvidd]

@Andrea_J welcome!

So far, nobody has spent the time necessary to figure out how to support multiple radios. There have been some attempts, but no successes. You are very welcome to try.

[gohan]

@Andrea_J In theory you could have 2 instances of mysensor gateway running from separate directories, but given that adding an arduino as gateway is very cheap I don't know if it is worth the effort, but if you are willing to try, let us know the results

[sundberg84]

Or just two arduino gateways with different radios on two usb ports on the raspberry controller... works like a charm and as @gohan said quite cheap.

[Andrea_J]

Thank you all for your answers!
I'm not a programmer, the best I can do is to try to implement the software others created, sorry.
But it would be very nice to have a controller and both radio on a single Rpi.
If I'm not wrong, the RPi having 2 SPI chip enable, has the possibility to control those two radio. So it shold be just a software question, not a hardware one, isn't it?

[mfalkvidd]

@Andrea_J correct.

But as @sundberg84 already said, running multiple radios on the same rpi is already supported by using usb. Build a serial gateway, plug it in and you're done.

[TriXwooD]

I tried two radios and 2 instances of mysensor gateway running from separate directories... not really succesfull... on spi0 (spi0.0 and spi0.1) using the select line.

going to try spi0 and spi1 next...

https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/7702/double-spi-radio-raspberry-pi

[TriXwooD]

Got two radios working using spi0.0 and spi1.0, no luck with running both radio's on spi0 (spi0.0 and spi0.1) probably has to do with the cs/ce lines...

see link above...

qr code and logo is a large enough space that could hold a second radio (lora/nrf24 choice combi?

[llegoff]

@TriXwooD
Hello, I route the v3, with a connector for an NRF on the spi1, and maybe a button for inclusion.
available soon ...

[llegoff]

Hello V3 is online

[TriXwooD]

Way cool!

I definitely have to learn this skill in next couple of months.

[gohan]

have you tried both rfm69 and nrf24 working on the same time?

[TriXwooD]

@gohan the spi0 and spi1 busses are two separate devices from the pi's perspective and the two MySensors gateways running*. So if v2 worked with a rfm69, and the v3 extra! wiring is good. (didn't check but 99.9999...%, even the logo is there :-).
Yes it will work. There is no conflict there.

• Is it possible to make it one gateway running on the pi for both chips?**

** How do I build a mysensor bridge between 433 and nrf24l01 nodes anyway? I can run domoticz on a pi to be the intermediate. But if I am not running a pi but an arduino gateway?

[TriXwooD]

But if someone could enlighten me why I could not use two nrf24l01 devices working on the same bus using the select... (spi0.0 and spi0.1 and using CS?/CE?) (it really seems that data from the two radio's got mangled together somehow, I notice that cuz sometimes it did work... probably when only one radio was sending)
I would me most gratefull

[llegoff]

Hello,
The v1 (without regulator) works for me with an rfm69, so the v2 must work, because is the same wiring. (I have to receive the pcb v2 these days)

TriXwood tested the operation of a second module nrf24l01 on the spi1
see https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/7702/double-spi-radio-raspberry-pi

when I have time, I will test the rfm69 with nrf24l01.

[gohan]

I am hoping for the good test results as it would save me quite some wiring/mess for my dual network setup. Will it be able to run both NRF24 PA LNA and RFM69HW both at max power?

[qqlapraline]

Very nice design ! I will buy a bunch of these.
I'm using a BMP180 on my raspberry now, that would be great to add an I2C port somewhere in a potential v5

[qqlapraline]

I did a quick update of the PCB.
It's not perfect but it does fullfill my (selfish) needs
0_1509659115842_MySensorsPiGw.kicad_pcb

QQ.

[hiddenuser]

@llegoff nice board!!! I think I am going to build this. However just wondering if this will support rfm69hcw?
Thanks

[gohan]

Why do you need to have it compatible with the C version?

[hiddenuser]

@gohan I have a lot c version with me

[gohan]

Are there any news on this project?

[pepson]

Hi
Can i replace AP1117 to AMS1117 ?

[pepson]

And we can use in one gateway radio RFM69HW and NRF24L01 ? And use node with radio 2,4GHz and node with RFM69HW ?

[gohan]

I have both radio modules working on my raspberry

[pepson]

Can you give me more info how configure it and build ?

[gohan]

Look on the link on the opening post

[pepson]

@gohan
You mean this
https://www.openhardware.io/view/470/MySensors-Gateway-for-Raspberry-PI

Install RFM69HW and then create the same for NRF24L01 on SPI1 ?

[llegoff]

hello,
i have update the description page (it is not automaticaly syncronize with my github page)

OK for AMS1117-3.3

[pepson]

What you update info ?

[llegoff]

edit file Makefile : replace the string mysgw by mysgwSecond (in nano use Ctrl + \ )

copy file initscripts/mysgw.systemd and initscripts/mysgwSecond.sysvinit to initscripts/mysgwSecond.systemd and initscripts/mysgwSecond.sysvinit

cp initscripts/mysgw.systemd initscripts/mysgwSecond.systemd
cp initscripts/mysgwSecond.sysvinit initscripts/mysgwSecond.sysvinit
edit file initscripts/mysgwSecond.systemd and initscripts/mysgwSecond.sysvinit : replace the string mysgw by mysgwSecond (in nano use Ctrl + \ ) and replace the string MySensors Gateway by MySensors Gateway 2

[sineverba]

Wonderful project... I did re-create on Eagle. First radio (RFM) works very well. Second instance, I got a wonderful... "Can't open SPI device: /dev/spidev1.0". After editing the boot/config.txt, need to reboot? Thank you very much

[sineverba]

Oh, also, need to re-write the instructions. In --development branch nowadays there is no option "-d" default start in debug mode... Just to help you wuth mantain instructions aligned

[gohan]

You need reboot

[mfalkvidd]

@sineverba instructions are aligned with the current stable version. We would confuse people mightily if the instructions did not work with stable.

[sineverba]

@mfalkvidd said in MySensors Gateway for Raspberry PI:

@sineverba instructions are aligned with the current stable version. We would confuse people mightily if the instructions did not work with stable.

You write use development. ATM development doen't have anymore the -d flag ... But not a big problem at the end

[mfalkvidd]

@sineverba oh. I didn't know that. Sorry. where do we write to use development?

[sineverba]

@mfalkvidd I'm Sorry. For error I did confuse "official" page with OpenHardware project for double gateway. Sorry

[mfalkvidd]

@sineverba I see Thanks for clarifying.