Sensebender Gateway and Node not talking !TSM:FPAR:NO REPLY

[magpern]

I have the Sensebender Gateway with a NRF24 long range. No signing, no encryption, just the SerialGateway sketch uploaded.

I have a node (IKEA Molgan) with the sketch uploaded (NRF24 and also no signing/encryption).

There is only one gateway and one node. No other NRF24 devices in range.

The GW and node doesn't communicate, but when one sends the other response (the log files grow and leds blink). This is what I get, and question is how do I fix it?

GW

0;255;3;0;9;12390 MCO:BGN:INIT GW,CP=RNNGS---,REL=1,VER=2.3.2-alpha
0;255;3;0;9;12420 TSF:LRT:OK
0;255;3;0;9;12420 TSM:INIT
0;255;3;0;9;12421 TSF:WUR:MS=0
0;255;3;0;9;12427 TSM:INIT:TSP OK
0;255;3;0;9;12427 TSM:INIT:GW MODE
0;255;3;0;9;12428 TSM:READY:ID=0,PAR=0,DIS=0
0;255;3;0;9;12428 MCO:REG:NOT NEEDED
0;255;3;0;14;Gateway startup complete.
0;255;0;0;18;2.3.2-alpha
0;255;3;0;9;12429 MCO:BGN:STP
0;255;3;0;9;12429 MCO:BGN:INIT OK,TSP=1
0;255;3;0;9;12429 TSM:READY:NWD REQ
0;255;3;0;9;12465 TSF:MSG:SEND,0-0-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=20,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
0;255;3;0;9;23256 TSF:MSG:READ,255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0:
0;255;3;0;9;23257 TSF:MSG:BC
0;255;3;0;9;23257 TSF:MSG:FPAR REQ,ID=255
0;255;3;0;9;23258 TSF:PNG:SEND,TO=0
0;255;3;0;9;23258 TSF:CKU:OK
0;255;3;0;9;23258 TSF:MSG:GWL OK
0;255;3;0;9;24023 TSF:MSG:SEND,0-0-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=8,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0
0;255;3;0;9;25252 TSF:MSG:READ,255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0:
0;255;3;0;9;25253 TSF:MSG:BC
0;255;3;0;9;25253 TSF:MSG:FPAR REQ,ID=255
0;255;3;0;9;25254 TSF:CKU:OK,FCTRL
0;255;3;0;9;25254 TSF:MSG:GWL OK
0;255;3;0;9;25967 TSF:MSG:SEND,0-0-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=8,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0
0;255;3;0;9;27252 TSF:MSG:READ,255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0:
0;255;3;0;9;27252 TSF:MSG:BC
0;255;3;0;9;27253 TSF:MSG:FPAR REQ,ID=255
0;255;3;0;9;27253 TSF:CKU:OK,FCTRL
0;255;3;0;9;27253 TSF:MSG:GWL OK
0;255;3;0;9;27919 TSF:MSG:SEND,0-0-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=8,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0
0;255;3;0;9;29249 TSF:MSG:READ,255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0:
0;255;3;0;9;29250 TSF:MSG:BC
0;255;3;0;9;29250 TSF:MSG:FPAR REQ,ID=255
0;255;3;0;9;29251 TSF:CKU:OK,FCTRL
0;255;3;0;9;29251 TSF:MSG:GWL OK
0;255;3;0;9;29867 TSF:MSG:SEND,0-0-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=8,pt=1,l=1,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:0

and node

 __  __       ____
|  \/  |_   _/ ___|  ___ _ __  ___  ___  _ __ ___
| |\/| | | | \___ \ / _ \ `_ \/ __|/ _ \| `__/ __|
| |  | | |_| |___| |  __/ | | \__ \  _  | |  \__ \
|_|  |_|\__, |____/ \___|_| |_|___/\___/|_|  |___/
        |___/                      2.3.2-alpha

34 MCO:BGN:INIT NODE,CP=RNNNA---,REL=1,VER=2.3.2-alpha
55 TSM:INIT
57 TSF:WUR:MS=0
65 TSM:INIT:TSP OK
67 TSM:FPAR
71 TSF:MSG:SEND,255-255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
2088 !TSM:FPAR:NO REPLY
2093 TSM:FPAR
2097 TSF:MSG:SEND,255-255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
4110 !TSM:FPAR:NO REPLY
4114 TSM:FPAR
4118 TSF:MSG:SEND,255-255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
6131 !TSM:FPAR:NO REPLY
6135 TSM:FPAR
6139 TSF:MSG:SEND,255-255-255-255,s=255,c=3,t=7,pt=0,l=0,sg=0,ft=0,st=OK:
8153 !TSM:FPAR:FAIL
8155 TSM:FAIL:CNT=1
8159 TSM:FAIL:DIS
8163 TSF:TDI:TSL

[therik]

@magpern
Yep, I'm just setting up a new MySensors network and I'm having the exact same problem. Did you manage to fix it?

Maybe some setting the GW? I'm using a VeraPlus for a controller.

[therik]

Reporting back.

I previously had working a REV1 PCB of a battery powered sensor node; powering the nRF radio directly from the battery. No capacitor on the radio needed.

I built up the REV2 of the sensor PCB which included nice things like a power switch and and a reset button, etc. Radio was powered directly from the battery just as before, but the was not receiving signals from the gateway. Put the pro-mini back on the REV1 PCB and it was working. Only difference was the switch in the path between the radio and the battery. I measured the resistance between the battery input and the radio Vcc with a 121GW multimeter.

REV1 board (no switch): 0.03 ohm
REV2 board (with switch): 0.5 ohm

The switch had added a tiny bit of resistance. I shorted out the switch on the REV2 board and radio was working. I added a 10 µF cap to the radio just for good measure, also added a 220 µF polymer cap near the battery, again for good measure. and things have been stable ever since.

Lesson learned; extra resistance in the power path can add enough voltage drop to destabilize the radio (when the radio wakes up/switches between Tx and Rx, etc). A capacitor can help with the problem. And another best practice, I believe, is to make the Vcc path as low resistance as possible.

[magpern]

@therik No, I haven't solved it. But I haven't tried much either. The IKEA Molgan piggy-back-pcb is a openhardware device used by many people. One would think it either works as designed or does not work. If the radio is broken, that is one thing, but I have tried two radios. And the sensor can send data, the gateway responds, but the sensor does not recieve.

I have also tried to changed the radio to a RFM69H... that works. I get no errors. The RFM69H is a Rasperry Pi gateway, the NRF24 is the Sensbender Gateway designed my the MySensors people.

I will try on the NRF24 to add a capacitor, but again, if it is not there on original design and original design works for others, why would I need one?