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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)

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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nrf24raspberry piraspberryraspberry nrf24l01 gpiogateway
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  • D den2k

    Hi all,
    I'm following this thread and have upgraded to MySensors v1.5 and get the following error. Version mismatch.

    It looks like the Protocol version is 1.4.

    Does the Raspberry MySensors Gateway support v1.5 or only v1.4? Any ideas on how to fix?

    upload-27647566-60ff-4341-97aa-4d1186e5e670

    alexsh1A Offline
    alexsh1A Offline
    alexsh1
    wrote on last edited by
    #37

    @den2k said:

    Hi all,
    I'm following this thread and have upgraded to MySensors v1.5 and get the following error. Version mismatch.

    It looks like the Protocol version is 1.4.

    Does the Raspberry MySensors Gateway support v1.5 or only v1.4? Any ideas on how to fix?

    Up until now, MySensors v1.4 only for nrf24l01+ direct connection.
    Did you upgrade the GW or the sensors or both ?

    D 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • hekH Offline
      hekH Offline
      hek
      Admin
      wrote on last edited by
      #38

      Protocol version hasn't changed since 1.4
      https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry/blob/master/MyMessage.h#L41

      So you must have some other problem.. As you can see you only get zeroes in the log...

      D 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • GertSandersG Offline
        GertSandersG Offline
        GertSanders
        Hardware Contributor
        wrote on last edited by GertSanders
        #39

        You can "fake" a later version (e.g, 1.5) on the Raspberry by changing the version code in the version.h file and recompiling the Gateway software.

        As far as I understand, the gateway will still pass the messages to the controller, even is there is a version mismatch message on the console.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • alexsh1A alexsh1

          @den2k said:

          Hi all,
          I'm following this thread and have upgraded to MySensors v1.5 and get the following error. Version mismatch.

          It looks like the Protocol version is 1.4.

          Does the Raspberry MySensors Gateway support v1.5 or only v1.4? Any ideas on how to fix?

          Up until now, MySensors v1.4 only for nrf24l01+ direct connection.
          Did you upgrade the GW or the sensors or both ?

          D Offline
          D Offline
          den2k
          wrote on last edited by
          #40

          @alexsh1 I know the sensors are on v1.5. As for the Raspberry Gateway, it looks like based on the info here, that is running v1.4.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • hekH hek

            Protocol version hasn't changed since 1.4
            https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry/blob/master/MyMessage.h#L41

            So you must have some other problem.. As you can see you only get zeroes in the log...

            D Offline
            D Offline
            den2k
            wrote on last edited by
            #41

            @hek I'm running a custom 1Mhz build bootloader on a Pro Mini for the Sensor side. This was paired with the standard Serial Gateway running on another Pro Mini with v1.5 on both gateway and sensor. That setup was working. But I moved over to using the Pi gatway+nRF24+ radio and have this issue. I don't believe the hookup is the problem. I've seen the 0 readings before, and that usually meant node side issue or uninitiated Gateway. I have not changed the Node, so it must be the Pi gateway that is the problem. Any thoughts on what to test?

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • D Offline
              D Offline
              den2k
              wrote on last edited by
              #42

              Noob question. Any one have an idea on solving the "Permission denied" error.

              upload-a7ed9c85-5b6b-4198-af00-909e1861374e

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • D Offline
                D Offline
                den2k
                wrote on last edited by
                #43

                Solved my own problem. Using the following command did the trick.

                sudo chown -h pi:pi ttyUSB20

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • D Offline
                  D Offline
                  den2k
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #44

                  weird. Permission Denied problem again.

                  What is the USER : GROUP that is needed for this to work?

                  martinhjelmareM 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • mfalkviddM Offline
                    mfalkviddM Offline
                    mfalkvidd
                    Mod
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #45

                    @den2k I think your best chance is to post in the Home Assistant category. I don't have any experience with Home Assistant unfortunately.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • J jpbabou

                      Hi
                      something is missing..

                      Is there a problem with the repository
                      Tks a lot for your job!

                      pi@domoticjp ~ $ sudo git clone https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry.git
                      Cloning into 'Raspberry'...
                      remote: Counting objects: 273, done.
                      remote: Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
                      remote: Total 273 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 270
                      Receiving objects: 100% (273/273), 215.00 KiB | 0 bytes/s, done.
                      Resolving deltas: 100% (114/114), done.
                      Checking connectivity... done.
                      pi@domoticjp ~ $ cd Raspberry/librf24-bcm
                      -bash: cd: Raspberry/librf24-bcm: No such file or directory
                      mfalkviddM Offline
                      mfalkviddM Offline
                      mfalkvidd
                      Mod
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #46

                      @jpbabou said:

                      Hi
                      something is missing..

                      Is there a problem with the repository
                      Tks a lot for your job!

                      pi@domoticjp ~ $ sudo git clone https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry.git
                      Cloning into 'Raspberry'...
                      remote: Counting objects: 273, done.
                      remote: Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
                      remote: Total 273 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 270
                      Receiving objects: 100% (273/273), 215.00 KiB | 0 bytes/s, done.
                      Resolving deltas: 100% (114/114), done.
                      Checking connectivity... done.
                      pi@domoticjp ~ $ cd Raspberry/librf24-bcm
                      -bash: cd: Raspberry/librf24-bcm: No such file or directory
                      

                      The guide has been updated to reflect the updated in the MySensors Raspberry repository now. Thanks @jpbabou !

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • D den2k

                        weird. Permission Denied problem again.

                        What is the USER : GROUP that is needed for this to work?

                        martinhjelmareM Offline
                        martinhjelmareM Offline
                        martinhjelmare
                        Plugin Developer
                        wrote on last edited by martinhjelmare
                        #47

                        @den2k

                        Hi!

                        Have you added the user that runs homeassistant to the dialout group? This group is usually owner of serial ports.

                        Check default group of serial port (change for your port below) after connecting it:

                        pi@martin-pi:~ $ ls -l /dev/ttyUSB0 
                        crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 188, 0 dec 18 03:21 /dev/ttyUSB0
                        

                        Check groups that user pi is in:

                        pi@martin-pi:~ $ groups pi
                        pi : pi adm dialout cdrom sudo audio video plugdev games users input netdev spi i2c gpio
                        

                        If pi runs homeassistant, which should be the case, and is not in dialout, add pi to dialout:

                        sudo adduser pi dialout
                        

                        Changing owner of a port will only work until you disconnect it. Default owner will be restored upon reconnect, if you haven't written a special udev rule.

                        Edit:
                        According to the readme in the mysensors raspberry repo (https://github.com/mysensors/Raspberry), the group of the device is tty. So you should probably use that, and not dialout. But you will know, when you check with ls -l.

                        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.

                          S Offline
                          S Offline
                          Scala
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #48

                          @mfalkvidd Hi there and thanks for a great and super detailed step-by-step tutorial.

                          I've got mine running in no time with your instructions, but after a couple of minutes I've got the following error:

                          2015-12-30 20:51:30.356 Error: MySensors: Unhandled sensor (sub-type=32), please report with log!
                          2015-12-30 20:52:01.390 Error: Serial Port closed!... Error: End of file
                          2015-12-30 20:52:02.315 MySensors: retrying in 30 seconds...
                          2015-12-30 20:52:31.319 MySensors: Using serial port: /dev/ttyUSB20
                          2015-12-30 20:52:31.320 Error: MySensors: Error opening serial port!
                          2015-12-30 20:52:32.321 MySensors: retrying in 30 seconds...
                          2015-12-30 20:53:01.324 MySensors: Using serial port: /dev/ttyUSB20

                          I also attached a partial screen capture showing that it was working before 8-)

                          2015-12-30 21_18_13-Domoticz - Opera.png

                          Any idea on why is this happening and how to solve it?

                          Southern regards and happy new year to all!

                          ronnyandreR 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • mfalkviddM Offline
                            mfalkviddM Offline
                            mfalkvidd
                            Mod
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #49

                            You are using a sensor type that your version of Domoticz doesn't support. What type os sensor is it? Which version of Domoticz are you using? Upgrading Domoticz might solve the problem (if the newer version supports this sub-type).

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • Sander TeunissenS Offline
                              Sander TeunissenS Offline
                              Sander Teunissen
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #50

                              When I try to run the init.d script:

                              sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
                              

                              I get the following error:

                              [....] Starting PiGatewaySerial (via systemctl): PiGatewaySerial.serviceFailed to start PiGatewaySerial.service: Unit PiGatewaySerial.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
                               failed!
                              

                              No such file or directory.... Obviously a missing folder or file, but I am not savvy enough to debug this.... Any help appreciated..

                              mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • Sander TeunissenS Sander Teunissen

                                When I try to run the init.d script:

                                sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
                                

                                I get the following error:

                                [....] Starting PiGatewaySerial (via systemctl): PiGatewaySerial.serviceFailed to start PiGatewaySerial.service: Unit PiGatewaySerial.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
                                 failed!
                                

                                No such file or directory.... Obviously a missing folder or file, but I am not savvy enough to debug this.... Any help appreciated..

                                mfalkviddM Offline
                                mfalkviddM Offline
                                mfalkvidd
                                Mod
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #51

                                @Sander-Teunissen my guess is that you forgot the sudo make install part of the installation instructions.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                  Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                  Sander Teunissen
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #52

                                  @mfalkvidd Yesterday I stopped trying and shutdown the Pi. This morning I tried the same again and it works !!
                                  Pretty sure I haven't done anything else.
                                  Thanks anyway.

                                  Sander

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • MrRikkieM Offline
                                    MrRikkieM Offline
                                    MrRikkie
                                    wrote on last edited by MrRikkie
                                    #53

                                    Hello, If followed the instruction and everything seemed to work without any problem.
                                    However when I enter the command : sudo cat /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway
                                    I get the message : cat: /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway: No such file or directory
                                    Does anybody have any idea how to solve this ?

                                    mfalkviddM ronnyandreR 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • MrRikkieM MrRikkie

                                      Hello, If followed the instruction and everything seemed to work without any problem.
                                      However when I enter the command : sudo cat /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway
                                      I get the message : cat: /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway: No such file or directory
                                      Does anybody have any idea how to solve this ?

                                      mfalkviddM Offline
                                      mfalkviddM Offline
                                      mfalkvidd
                                      Mod
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #54

                                      @MrRikkie what output did you get when you ran sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start ?

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • MrRikkieM Offline
                                        MrRikkieM Offline
                                        MrRikkie
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #55

                                        @mfalkvidd said:

                                        sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start

                                        No output and no error message. Just a new command line.
                                        pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
                                        pi@raspberrypi ~ $

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                          Sander TeunissenS Offline
                                          Sander Teunissen
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #56

                                          When I

                                          ls -l ttyMySensorsGateway
                                          

                                          I get

                                          lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Jan  3 20:21 ttyMySensorsGateway -> /dev/pts/0
                                          

                                          It's all root. This results in all kinds of acessability issues. I followed all instructions exactly. Anyone any ideas how to change this ?

                                          Sander.

                                          martinhjelmareM mfalkviddM 2 Replies Last reply
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