My Slim 2AA Battery Node

[Matt Pitts]

Hi

I've just ordered a set of the PCB boards and looking forward to putting these together mainly into reed switches and motion sensors

I have scanned the whole thread and there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive list of exactly which components are required anywhere here, well not all in one place at least.

Can I just confirm exactly what is required to build a senor node.

1 x PDB board
1 x ATMega328p 28pin PDIP
1 x NRF24L01+ radio module
1 x 4.7uF Decoupling-Capacitor for radio (I assume these are still required??)
1 x right angle pin header for connecting to program and connect batteries
1 x Length of cable ducting for housing
2 x AA batteries
Cables for connecting batteries
Battery connector
1 x senor of choice
I notice there seem to be an assortment of capacitors/regulators in most of the photos on this thread, but no definitive list of which are needed. (I am very new to all this so please excuse my ignorance)

Extras needed
1 x FTDI USB to TTL Serial Adapter

Have I missed anything of my list? Also I would be really grateful for links to some of the above components.

Sorry these are very basic noob questions, but I feel it would really helpful for people such as myself to have everything clearly listed in one place, as the main mysensors build pages do. So people know exactly what is needed.

[GertSanders]

@Matt-Pitts You can find a BOM for the board here:

https://www.openhardware.io/view/10/My-Slim-2AA-Battery-Node

[Soloam]

A nice additions would be a place to solder a ATSHA204A on board like the Sensebender! I'll try to make the change in KiCad!

[meddie]

@Soloam
and a flash module for OTA Sketch Uploads :-)

[Matt Pitts]

Thanks @GertSanders for showing me the BOM I hadn't realised it was there, but do I need everything listed there to get it working properly?

[GertSanders]

@Matt-Pitts
I'm assuming that if a designer goes through the trouble of listing items on a bom, they are needed.

But you are right, that is not always the case. I'm not at my Mac (using a miniscreen now), so i can not multitask.

[Tom71]

Hello,
I have problems to upload the scatch to the bare Amtel. I use an USB-TTL FTL Adaper and connect, RX/TX and Reset Pin with 100n->DTR. But I got always errors on uploading.

The bootloader I have successfull burned with an raspberry pi and gpio (http://www.lxccu.com/hb-raspberry-bootloader-update):

sudo bin/avrdude -Cbin/avrdude.conf -p m328p -P gpio -c gpio -U lfuse:w:0x62:m -U hfuse:w:0xde:m -U efuse:w:0x07:m -U lock:w:0x2F:m -e -Uflash:w:1443392692398-atmega328_1a.hex:i
avrdude: safemode: Fuses OK

How can I got it working?
Thank you

Thomas

[bjacobse]

Have you tried to upload a standard arduino bootloader?, are you using correct baud settings for uploading?

[Tom71]

@bjacobse No, used the bootloader from here (http://forum.mysensors.org/uploads/files/1443392692398-atmega328_1a.hex). This is an bootloader for the internal clock.
Baud settings to upload the sketch or the bootloader?

[m26872]

@Tom71 I think the question was if you have been successful with programming a standard bootloader to a standard Arduino board and then uploading and running a sketch?

[Tom71]

@m26872 Sure, but not with an bootloader (optiboot with intenal clock) on an bare Atmega. Later I will try this: http://forum.mysensors.org/uploads/files/1454449901412-7.png
I build some MySensors with an Arduino Micro, but not with only an Atmega.

Update: I don't know what's different, but this works. Perhaps I forget to connect Reset from FDL -> Pin 1.
Now I can upload simple sketches.

[bjacobse]

I have not had success to upload a sketch via FTDI on an Arduino ProMini using Optiboot. When I flash an ordinary bootloader (Taken from the Arduino IDE), I can easily upload a sketch via FTDI.
so that's why I recommend to flash a standard bootloader and check if you then can upload a sketch afterwards.

[Tom71]

@bjacobse Witch bootloader you have taken?

[Matt Pitts]

Hi I'm just about to start ording parts of the slim node. Looking through the thread I'm thinking based on my limited knowledge of arduino, I might be better off buying chips which already have a bootloader installed?

Can people advise, how difficult is it to upload the boot loader? Thanks

[sundberg84]

@Matt-Pitts - Not that hard if you read about it. Here are some good links:

• https://www.arduino.cc/en/Hacking/Bootloader?from=Tutorial.Bootloader
• https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ArduinoISP
• https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ArduinoToBreadboard

[bjacobse]

@Tom71
well I have not yet started to use the Mysensor specific bootloader. When I use the optiboot, I upload sketch with my USBtiny (so no FTDI), and when I use FTDI for uploading sketch I used the "Arduino Pro or pro mini (3,3V, 8MHz) w/ATmega328"

[Tom71]

@bjacobse I thought the USBtiny is only to upload the bootloader, not the mysensors software.
I did two things:

1. Burn the bootloader atmega328_1a.hex to an bare Atmega328p with an Arduino as ISP
2. Upload an simple scetch to the Atmega with an RX/TX uploader (I used an USB to TTL with an FTDI and also an Ardunino Uno without the Atmega chip, like here http://forum.mysensors.org/uploads/files/1454449901412-7.png) Both are working.

I'm still waiting for the PCB. After receiving I want to build the motion sensor.

[bjacobse]

@Tom71
USBtiny is a programmer, and can both burn (upload) sketch + burn bootloader

[sundberg84]

Difference is that if you use a ISP programmer you will use the complete memory. You can use ISP to upload a bootloader which is required to burn a sketch with ftdi into remaining memory but its possible to use a ISP to flash a sketch without bootloader as well.

[bjacobse]

@Matt-Pitts
Depending of your Arduino, the USBtiny is easy to use. Maybe your Aeduino have the pinheader so then only click the cable and burn bootloader. I use Arduino Pro Mini and have an adapter ZIF socket that fits my Arduino ProMini
https://learn.adafruit.com/usbtinyisp