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  3. Step-by-step procedure to connect the NRF24L01+ to the GPIO pins and use the Raspberry as a Serial Gateway (MySensors 1.x)
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Step-by-step procedure to connect the NRF24L01+ to the GPIO pins and use the Raspberry as a Serial Gateway (MySensors 1.x)

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  • Tore André RosanderT Tore André Rosander

    @jpbabou That is the Message of the day (motd) and you can edit it to fit your needs.
    This guide should work on debian weezy and jessie
    https://oitibs.com/debian-wheezy-dynamic-motd/

    J Offline
    J Offline
    jpbabou
    wrote on last edited by
    #121

    @Tore-André-Rosander
    Tks a lot for your answer.. It seems to look like what i want at logon..Iwill test it.
    I keep you in touch!

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • Tore André RosanderT Tore André Rosander

      @jpbabou That is the Message of the day (motd) and you can edit it to fit your needs.
      This guide should work on debian weezy and jessie
      https://oitibs.com/debian-wheezy-dynamic-motd/

      J Offline
      J Offline
      jpbabou
      wrote on last edited by
      #122

      @Tore-André-Rosander
      Tks a lot
      It works's fine!!
      pi@JpPi2 ~ $ ssh JpPi3
      _ ____ _ _____
      | |_ __ | _ ()__ /
      _ | | '_ | |) | | |
      | || | |) | /| |) |
      _
      /| ._/|| ||___/
      |
      |

      Welcome to Raspbian GNU/Linux 8.0 (jessie) (4.4.7-v7+).

      System information as of: Wed Jun 1 09:10:09 CEST 2016

      System load: 0.01 IP Address:
      Memory usage: 17.9% System uptime: 1 day
      Usage on /: 27% Swap usage: 0.0%
      Local Users: 1 Processes: 126

      Last login: Wed Jun 1 09:03:53 2016 from raspberryjp

      1 Reply Last reply
      1
      • A Offline
        A Offline
        Atman
        wrote on last edited by
        #123

        I have been struggeling with this for some time now. It seems my compiler is not the standard for raspberry pi? (I have a pi 2). I have used the domoticz sdcard as ground for my system and it works (a bit sketchy with random freezes and I cannot access the domotics webserver from chrome) but still. Anyway, I get stuck on making the RF24 package. Any ideas?

        pi@raspberrypi ~/RF24 $ make all && sudo make install
        arm-linux-gnueabihf-g++ -fPIC -march=armv7-a -mtune=cortex-a7 -mfpu=neon-vfpv4 -mfloat-abi=hard -Ofast -Wall -pthread  -c RF24.cpp
        cc1plus: error: bad value (cortex-a7) for -mtune switch
        Makefile:40: recipe for target 'RF24.o' failed
        make: *** [RF24.o] Error 1
        
        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • alexsh1A Offline
          alexsh1A Offline
          alexsh1
          wrote on last edited by
          #124

          Did anyone setup rfm69 successfully on the raspberry pi

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • GertSandersG Offline
            GertSandersG Offline
            GertSanders
            Hardware Contributor
            wrote on last edited by
            #125

            Has anyone used the Raspberry GW software in combination with nodes that run the new 2.0.0 MySensors code ?

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • tbowmoT Offline
              tbowmoT Offline
              tbowmo
              Admin
              wrote on last edited by
              #126

              @GertSanders

              It's not supported, 2.0.0 nodes require a 2.0.0 GW. And the raspberry pi port is not updated to 2.0.0 (and unfortunately there is currently no one in the core group that uses the rpi gw.. We all use serial / ethernet gw's of some sort)

              GertSandersG W 2 Replies Last reply
              0
              • tbowmoT tbowmo

                @GertSanders

                It's not supported, 2.0.0 nodes require a 2.0.0 GW. And the raspberry pi port is not updated to 2.0.0 (and unfortunately there is currently no one in the core group that uses the rpi gw.. We all use serial / ethernet gw's of some sort)

                GertSandersG Offline
                GertSandersG Offline
                GertSanders
                Hardware Contributor
                wrote on last edited by
                #127

                @tbowmo
                I was afraid of that. In my enthusiasm I updated to 2.0.0, but now my new nodes play dead.
                At least I know why.
                Time to make that old ethernet gateway functional again.
                Since Breda meetup is this weekend, I will have no more time to figure this out (if I could ever, this is UNIX). Maybe after I can try something.

                GertSandersG 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • tbowmoT tbowmo

                  @GertSanders

                  It's not supported, 2.0.0 nodes require a 2.0.0 GW. And the raspberry pi port is not updated to 2.0.0 (and unfortunately there is currently no one in the core group that uses the rpi gw.. We all use serial / ethernet gw's of some sort)

                  W Offline
                  W Offline
                  wergeld
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #128

                  @tbowmo

                  What would be required to get the RPi gateway up and running? Having single controller/gateway is great.

                  GertSandersG 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • GertSandersG Offline
                    GertSandersG Offline
                    GertSanders
                    Hardware Contributor
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #129

                    @tbowmo
                    Is a 2.0.0 based gateway backward compatible with nodes in an older version ?

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • W wergeld

                      @tbowmo

                      What would be required to get the RPi gateway up and running? Having single controller/gateway is great.

                      GertSandersG Offline
                      GertSandersG Offline
                      GertSanders
                      Hardware Contributor
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #130

                      @wergeld
                      Probably porting the Arduino lib to Raspberry and compiling again ?

                      W 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • GertSandersG GertSanders

                        @tbowmo
                        I was afraid of that. In my enthusiasm I updated to 2.0.0, but now my new nodes play dead.
                        At least I know why.
                        Time to make that old ethernet gateway functional again.
                        Since Breda meetup is this weekend, I will have no more time to figure this out (if I could ever, this is UNIX). Maybe after I can try something.

                        GertSandersG Offline
                        GertSandersG Offline
                        GertSanders
                        Hardware Contributor
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #131

                        @tbowmo
                        Is the last 2.0.0-dev version (before the new 2.0.0 official release) still available somewhere ?
                        That DEV version seemed to still work with my Raspi GW.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • GertSandersG GertSanders

                          @wergeld
                          Probably porting the Arduino lib to Raspberry and compiling again ?

                          W Offline
                          W Offline
                          wergeld
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #132

                          @GertSanders

                          Time to start reading up on converting the lib! Might have a go at it in week or so. Work is holding me hostage at the moment.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • GertSandersG Offline
                            GertSandersG Offline
                            GertSanders
                            Hardware Contributor
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #133

                            Praise Apple for making TimeMachine. I was able to set back the last version of MySensors lib I know was working with my gateway in a bout 1 minute.

                            Back in business now. Upgrading the gateway and nodes to full 2.0.0 is for later.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • tbowmoT Offline
                              tbowmoT Offline
                              tbowmo
                              Admin
                              wrote on last edited by tbowmo
                              #134

                              @wergeld

                              you need to port the mysensors core library.. It is however filled with arduino specifics at the moment (we have had some talks about removing arduino dependencies, but it's not made yet).

                              Ideally someone should make a raspberry pi port, that we can merge into the main repository, so the same codebase can be build for both raspberryPi and arduino based hardware.

                              @GertSanders

                              A 2.0.0 GW should be compatible with 1.5.x nodes, but 2.0.0 nodes require a 2.0.0 GW.. (I can't remember the specifics in what the changes are, @tekka is the brain behind that stuff). That said, we do recommend that both nodes and GW will be updated to same mysensors versions, as to avoid any problems.

                              mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • tbowmoT tbowmo

                                @wergeld

                                you need to port the mysensors core library.. It is however filled with arduino specifics at the moment (we have had some talks about removing arduino dependencies, but it's not made yet).

                                Ideally someone should make a raspberry pi port, that we can merge into the main repository, so the same codebase can be build for both raspberryPi and arduino based hardware.

                                @GertSanders

                                A 2.0.0 GW should be compatible with 1.5.x nodes, but 2.0.0 nodes require a 2.0.0 GW.. (I can't remember the specifics in what the changes are, @tekka is the brain behind that stuff). That said, we do recommend that both nodes and GW will be updated to same mysensors versions, as to avoid any problems.

                                mfalkviddM Online
                                mfalkviddM Online
                                mfalkvidd
                                Mod
                                wrote on last edited by mfalkvidd
                                #135

                                @tbowmo @wergeld @GertSanders a port is already available, see https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/2759/mysensors-raspberry-port-suggestions/11 (and github)

                                It would be awesome if someone could merge that great work with the MySensors repo.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • tbowmoT Offline
                                  tbowmoT Offline
                                  tbowmo
                                  Admin
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #136

                                  @mfalkvidd

                                  Ok, didn't know that it was updated to 2.0.0 "final", thanks for the hint :+1:

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                    Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                    Sander Teunissen
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #137

                                    Would it be safe to say a RPI gateway 2.0 is not available yet for beginners ? (like the instructions @mfalkvidd made are not usable for this ?)

                                    GertSandersG 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • Sander TeunissenS Sander Teunissen

                                      Would it be safe to say a RPI gateway 2.0 is not available yet for beginners ? (like the instructions @mfalkvidd made are not usable for this ?)

                                      GertSandersG Offline
                                      GertSandersG Offline
                                      GertSanders
                                      Hardware Contributor
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #138

                                      @Sander-Teunissen
                                      At the moment I would advise beginners to use a separate GW for the official 2.0.0 (ethernet or serial based). I found the ethernet based gateway the easiest to use in various setups, espcially since Domoticz (my controller of choice) supported this.

                                      Sander TeunissenS 1 Reply Last reply
                                      1
                                      • GertSandersG GertSanders

                                        @Sander-Teunissen
                                        At the moment I would advise beginners to use a separate GW for the official 2.0.0 (ethernet or serial based). I found the ethernet based gateway the easiest to use in various setups, espcially since Domoticz (my controller of choice) supported this.

                                        Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                        Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                        Sander Teunissen
                                        wrote on last edited by Sander Teunissen
                                        #139

                                        @GertSanders Thanks Gert !
                                        I did a quick build of the serial gateway using an arduino which I connect to my RPI. Pretty easy. I'll be watching this when I can switch back to the RPI built gateway...

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        1
                                        • mfalkviddM mfalkvidd

                                          Note: This guide is only applicable to MySensors 1.x. For MySensors 2, use this guide.

                                          I noticed that a step-by-step procedure to connect the NRF24L01 to the GPIO pins and use the Raspberry as a Serial Gateway was listed in the document for MySensors 1.6.

                                          Since I have three gateways configured this way, and I need to set up 3 more for covering different offices around the world, and I had already written the instructions in Swedish for Datormagazin, I thought I'd help out.

                                          This is the first draft. Any feedback is welcome.


                                          INTRODUCTION
                                          The radio module NRF24L01+ is cheap and power efficient, but it is unable to communicate with regular wifi. The bridge between NRF24L01+ nodes and the "computer world" is called a Gateway. You can use other types of gateways, but connecting the NRF24L01+ module directly to the Raspberry Pi is a simple and cheap alternative.

                                          Wiring Things Up
                                          Connect the NRF20L01+ radio module to the Raspberry Pi like this:
                                          raspi_mysensors[1].png

                                          Raspberry Pi NRF24L01+ Color
                                          6 / GND GND Black
                                          1 / 3.3V DC VCC Red
                                          22 / GPIO25 CE Orange
                                          24 / GPIO 8 CSN/CS Yellow
                                          23 / GPIO11 / SPI_CLK SCK Green
                                          19 / GPIO10 / SPI_MOSI MOSI Blue
                                          21 / GPIO9 / SPI_MISO MISO Violet

                                          The IRQ pin on NRF24L01 is not currently used.

                                          For a comprehensive view of the Raspberry Pi pins, see http://pinout.xyz/

                                          You should also connect a decoupling capacitor to the radio. See this guide.

                                          COMPILING THE GATEWAY
                                          Login to your Raspberry Pi (using SSH or open a terminal on the graphical console) and run these commands:

                                          git clone https://github.com/TMRh20/RF24.git
                                          cd RF24
                                          make all && sudo make install
                                          cd ..
                                          
                                          git clone https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry.git
                                          cd Raspberry
                                          make all && sudo make install
                                          

                                          If you get the following error:

                                          pi@raspberrypi ~/RF24 $ make all && sudo make install
                                          g++ -Wall -fPIC -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -march=armv7-a -D BCM2835_PERI_BASE=0x -c RF24.cpp
                                          gcc -Wall -fPIC -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -march=armv7-a -D BCM2835_PERI_BASE=0x -c bcm2835.c
                                          bcm2835.c: In function ‘bcm2835_init’:
                                          bcm2835.c:1207:28: error: invalid suffix "x" on integer constant
                                          
                                          

                                          You've probably run into the problem discussed in this thread. People have had luck with different solutions. The simplest is to make the following change to ~/Raspberry/librf24-bcm/Makefile

                                          #IOBASE := $(shell cat /proc/iomem | grep bcm2708_vcio | cut -f 1 -d "-")
                                          IOBASE := 3F000000
                                          

                                          VERIFY THE GATEWAY
                                          Run sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial. The output should look like this:

                                          pi@raspberrypi ~/Raspberry $ sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial
                                          Starting PiGatewaySerial...
                                          Protocol version - 1.4
                                          Created PTY '/dev/pts/1'
                                          Gateway tty: /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway
                                          ================ SPI Configuration ================
                                          CSN Pin          = CE0 (PI Hardware Driven)
                                          CE Pin           = Custom GPIO25
                                          Clock Speed      = 8 Mhz
                                          ================ NRF Configuration ================
                                          STATUS           = 0x0e RX_DR=0 TX_DS=0 MAX_RT=0 RX_P_NO=7 TX_FULL=0
                                          RX_ADDR_P0-1     = 0xe7e7e7e7e7 0xc2c2c2c2c2
                                          RX_ADDR_P2-5     = 0xff 0xc4 0xc5 0xc6
                                          TX_ADDR          = 0xe7e7e7e7e7
                                          RX_PW_P0-6       = 0x00 0x00 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00
                                          EN_AA            = 0x3b
                                          EN_RXADDR        = 0x07
                                          RF_CH            = 0x4c
                                          RF_SETUP         = 0x23
                                          CONFIG           = 0x0e
                                          DYNPD/FEATURE    = 0x3f 0x06
                                          Data Rate        = 250KBPS
                                          Model            = nRF24L01+
                                          CRC Length       = 16 bits
                                          PA Power         = PA_LOW
                                          

                                          If the NRF24L01+ isn't correctly wired, the following error will be shown

                                          pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial
                                          Starting PiGatewaySerial...
                                          Protocol version - 1.4
                                          Created PTY '/dev/pts/2'
                                          Gateway tty: /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway
                                          check wires
                                          

                                          If this happens, double-check your wiring and correct any problems. Press Ctrl+Z and type

                                          sudo killall PiGatewaySerial
                                          

                                          to get rid of the non-functioning Gateway. Then run sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial again

                                          If all is well, exit PiGatewaySerial by pressing Ctrl+C. Then run

                                          sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
                                          

                                          to start the gateway as a background process. Verify that it started correctly by running

                                          sudo cat /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway
                                          

                                          You should see the message "Gateway startup complete". Exit by typing Ctrl+C.

                                          MAKE THE GATEWAY AUTOSTART
                                          To make sure the Gateway is started when your Raspberry Pi boots up, run the following command:

                                          sudo make enable-gwserial
                                          

                                          Enable the gateway for use with Domoticz
                                          Domoticz (and maybe other home automation systems) has trouble reading from the default path created by PiGatewaySerial. You might need to run the following command:

                                          sudo ln -s /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway /dev/ttyUSB20
                                          

                                          And change /etc/rc.local from this

                                          exit 0
                                          
                                          

                                          to this

                                          ln -s /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway /dev/ttyUSB20
                                          exit 0
                                          
                                          

                                          OTHER NOTES

                                          • The 3.3V power on the Raspberry Pi is rated for a maximum of 50mA. A regular NRF24L01+ only needs 15mA, but if you are using a power amplified version you might exceed what the Raspberry Pi can output. In that case, an external power supply might be required. If you use an external power source gnd must be connected to the Raspberry Pi's gnd.

                                          • Connecting the NRF24L01+ directly to your Raspberry Pi will prevent you from using the Raspberry Pi's gpio ports for other things, like a Z-wave board.

                                          • A user experienced slow data transfer compared to USB-to-Serial(ttl)<-->MySensors Gateway connection, especially on OTA firmware update. If you think this will cause a problem for you, an ethernet gateway might be a better alternative.

                                          As always, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Related posts:

                                          • http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1151/tutorial-raspberry-pi-nrf24l01-direct-connection
                                          • http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1974/domoticz-as-controller-and-a-gateway-for-mysensor-nodes-running-on-a-raspberry-pi-2

                                          TROUBLESHOOTING
                                          If you get this error

                                          pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$ sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
                                          [....] Starting PiGatewaySerial (via systemctl): PiGatewaySerial.serviceFailed to start PiGatewaySerial.service: Unit PiGatewaySerial.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
                                           failed!
                                          

                                          or this error

                                          pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial
                                          sudo: /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial: command not found
                                          

                                          you have probably forgotten to run sudo make install. Read the instructions again, and follow them this time :-) User @sineverba reported that a reboot of the Pi after running make install helped.

                                          F Offline
                                          F Offline
                                          flopp
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #140

                                          @mfalkvidd said:

                                          OTHER NOTES

                                          • The 3.3V power on the Raspberry Pi is rated for a maximum of 50mA. A regular NRF24L01+ only needs 15mA, but if you are using a power amplified version you might exceed what the Raspberry Pi can output. In that case, an external power supply might be required.

                                          Nice guide thanks.
                                          when using external power supply i think it is best to connect Ground from Rpi and ext power supply. Maybe write that in the guide?

                                          alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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