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

Sander Stolk

@mfalkvidd
Tnx that worked but this is not in the tutorial I'm I right?

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```

mfalkvidd

Yes it is. See the section under
COMPILING THE GATEWAY

also, you ran sudo ./PiGatewaySerial instead of sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial described in the instructions.

mfalkvidd

I have added a
TROUBLESHOOTING
section in the original post to cover for this error. Hopefully it can help if someone else makes the same mistake.

micah

Any thoughts on making a version for the 2.0 dev branch?

I recently switched my in-progress builds to 2.0 and am in the process of "trying" to get my Raspberry Pi2 setup with OpenHab and Mosquito. And the idea of not having to have an ethernet gateway arduino in the mix is appealing to me.

I would do it myself but I probably only have 3.275% of the required knowledge at this point

mfalkvidd

I'm unfortunately at about the same level as you. I can compile stuff and do basic troubleshooting, but merging the dev branch with the gateway code is way out of my league.

micah

@mfalkvidd said:

I'm unfortunately at about the same level as you. I can compile stuff and do basic troubleshooting, but merging the dev branch with the gateway code is way out of my league.

There is no way you are at 3.275% knowledge like me... I've seen many of your posts on here and you are at least a 4.532%... lol.... no honestly I've liked your posts and you seem very knowledgeable. You've got to be at least a 84.5% ;)

Sander Stolk

Can somebody tell me how to change the channel after compiling and using the Gateway for a couple of days?
Changing the channel in MyConfig.h in the dir Raspberry doesnt bother even after a reboot.
Still 0x4c channel / 76 when I run the PiSerialGateway program.

alexsh1

@Sander-Stolk said:

Can somebody tell me how to change the channel after compiling and using the Gateway for a couple of days?
Changing the channel in MyConfig.h in the dir Raspberry doesnt bother even after a reboot.
Still 0x4c channel / 76 when I run the PiSerialGateway program.

Did you recompile the code after changing the channel?

Sander Stolk

@alexsh1 I did this after changeing the channel in MyConfig.h: make all && sudo make install
Rebooted after that but no luck

mfalkvidd

That should be sufficient but you could see if running make clean before make all helps.

Sander Stolk

@mfalkvidd I did the make clean and the make install and rebooted.
Still 0x4c eq. 76

Using username "pi".
Server refused our key
pi@192.168.1.14's password:
______                      _   _
|  _  \                    | | (_)
| | | |___  _ __ ___   ___ | |_ _  ___ ____
| | | / _ \| '_ ` _ \ / _ \| __| |/ __|_  /
| |/ / (_) | | | | | | (_) | |_| | (__ / /
|___/ \___/|_| |_| |_|\___/ \__|_|\___/___|


Last login: Sat Apr  9 18:41:17 2016 from 192.168.1.34

Monday, 11 April 2016, 12:10:24 pm CEST
Linux 4.1.18-v7+ armv7l GNU/Linux
Uptime.............: 1 days, 17h29m13s
Memory.............: 520336kB (Free) / 948056kB (Total)
Load Averages......: 0.00, 0.01, 0.05 (1, 5, 15 min)
Running Processes..: 97
IP Addresses.......: 192.168.1.14

pi@Domoticz3:~$ cd Raspberry/
pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$ cat MyConfig.h
/*
 The MySensors library adds a new layer on top of the RF24 library.
 It handles radio network routing, relaying and ids.

 Created by Henrik Ekblad <henrik.ekblad@gmail.com>
 12/10/14 - Ported to Raspberry Pi by OUJABER Mohamed <m.oujaber@gmail.com>

 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
 version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
*/

#ifndef MyConfig_h
#define MyConfig_h

/***
 * Configure Sensor Network
 */
#define RF24_CHANNEL       111             //RF channel for the sensor net, 0-127
#define RF24_DATARATE      RF24_250KBPS   //RF24_250KBPS for 250kbs, RF24_1MBPS for 1Mbps, or RF24_2MBPS for 2Mbps
#define RF24_PA_LEVEL      RF24_PA_MAX    //Sensor PA Level == RF24_PA_MIN=-18dBm, RF24_PA_LOW=-12dBm, RF24_PA_HIGH=-6dBM, and RF24_PA_MAX=0dBm
#define RF24_PA_LEVEL_GW   RF24_PA_MAX  //Gateway PA Level, defaults to Sensor net PA Level.  Tune here if using an amplified nRF2401+ in your gateway.
#define BASE_RADIO_ID      ((uint64_t)0xA8A8E1FC00LL) // This is also act as base value for sensor nodeId addresses. Change this (or channel) if you have more than one sensor network.

// MySensors online examples defaults
#define DEFAULT_CE_PIN 9
#define DEFAULT_CS_PIN 10


/***
 * Enable/Disable debug logging
 */
#define DEBUG


#ifdef __Raspberry_Pi
        #define vsnprintf_P vsnprintf
        #define snprintf_P snprintf
        #define PSTR(x) (x)
        #define printf_P printf
        #define strlen_P strlen
#endif

#endif
pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$ make clean
rm -rf MyGateway MySensor MyMessage PiEEPROM PiGateway PiGatewaySerial MyGateway.o MySensor.o MyMessage.o PiEEPROM.o PiGateway.o PiGatewaySerial.o
pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$ make all
g++ -c -o MyGateway.o MyGateway.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -c -o MySensor.o MySensor.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -c -o MyMessage.o MyMessage.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -c -o PiEEPROM.o PiEEPROM.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -c -o PiGateway.o PiGateway.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -o PiGateway MyGateway.o MySensor.o MyMessage.o PiEEPROM.o PiGateway.o -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24 -lrf24-bcm
g++ -c -o PiGatewaySerial.o PiGatewaySerial.cpp -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24
g++ -o PiGatewaySerial MyGateway.o MySensor.o MyMessage.o PiEEPROM.o PiGatewaySerial.o -Wall -Ofast -mfpu=vfp -lpthread -g -D__Raspberry_Pi -mfloat-abi=hard -mtune=arm1176jzf-s -D_TTY_NAME=\"/dev/ttyMySensorsGateway\" -D_TTY_GROUPNAME=\"tty\" -march=armv6zk -I. -I/usr/local/include/RF24 -lrf24-bcm -lutil
pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$ sudo reboot

Broadcast message from pi@Domoticz3 on pts/1 (Mon 2016-04-11 12:12:17 CEST):

The system is going down for reboot NOW!

pi@Domoticz3:~/Raspberry$
Using username "pi".
Server refused our key
pi@192.168.1.14's password:
______                      _   _
|  _  \                    | | (_)
| | | |___  _ __ ___   ___ | |_ _  ___ ____
| | | / _ \| '_ ` _ \ / _ \| __| |/ __|_  /
| |/ / (_) | | | | | | (_) | |_| | (__ / /
|___/ \___/|_| |_| |_|\___/ \__|_|\___/___|


Last login: Mon Apr 11 12:10:24 2016 from 192.168.1.34

Monday, 11 April 2016, 12:12:45 pm CEST
Linux 4.1.18-v7+ armv7l GNU/Linux
Uptime.............: 0 days, 00h00m25s
Memory.............: 770952kB (Free) / 948056kB (Total)
Load Averages......: 0.59, 0.16, 0.05 (1, 5, 15 min)
Running Processes..: 100
IP Addresses.......: 192.168.1.14

pi@Domoticz3:~$ ls
bash_scripts  domoticz  Dropbox-Uploader  Raspberry  RF24
pi@Domoticz3:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
[ ok ] Starting PiGatewaySerial (via systemctl): PiGatewaySerial.service.
pi@Domoticz3:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/PiGatewaySerial start
[ ok ] Starting PiGatewaySerial (via systemctl): PiGatewaySerial.service.
pi@Domoticz3:~$ sudo ln -s /dev/ttyMySensorsGateway /dev/ttyUSB20
ln: failed to create symbolic link ‘/dev/ttyUSB20’: File exists
pi@Domoticz3:~$ sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGatewaySerial
Starting PiGatewaySerial...
Protocol version - 1.4
Created PTY '/dev/pts/2'
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     = 0xa8a8e
RX_ADDR_P2-5     = 0xff 0xc4 
TX_ADDR          = 0xa8a8e1fc07
RX_PW_P0-6       = 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00
EN_AA            = 0x3b
EN_RXADDR        = 0x06
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
read: 5-5-5 s=5,c=5,t=5,pt=0,l=0:
version mismatch
^CReceived SIGINT
Exiting...
pi@Domoticz3:~$

mfalkvidd

@Sander-Stolk I don't see a new make install in your output. Did you miss that or is the output just not included?

make all compiles the code. The result is a binary file in the Raspberry folder
make install copies the binary (and some scripts I think) from the Raspberry folder to the system folders.

Sander Stolk

Ok here's the deal to change the channel or other settings:

cd Raspberry
make clean
make all
sudo make install
Done!

Tore André Rosander

Does anyone know what this error is about?
RPi2, NRF24l01, OSMC (Debian jessie), Domoticz v3.5051.

osmc@osmc:~/Raspberry$ sudo make install
Installing PiGatewaySerial to /usr/local/sbin
Installing PiGateway to /usr/local/sbin
Installing initscripts to /etc/init.d
Installing syslog config to /etc/rsyslog.d
Failed to restart rsyslog.service: Unit rsyslog.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
Makefile:79: recipe for target 'install-initscripts' failed
make: *** [install-initscripts] Error 6

I can run the gateway even with the error, i can also add it to Domoticz and send/receive data.
But after a few minutes i get a massive error in domoticz saying "(24) Too many files open" on every logentry and my domoticz loose connection to the Logitech mediaserver, remote Kodi hardware, mqtt server etc.

osmc@osmc:~/Raspberry$ sudo ./PiGatewaySerial
Starting PiGatewaySerial...
Protocol version - 1.4
Created PTY '/dev/pts/2'
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     = 0xa8a8e1fc00 0xa8a8e1fc00
RX_ADDR_P2-5     = 0xff 0xc4 0xc5 0xc6
TX_ADDR          = 0xa8a8e1fc02
RX_PW_P0-6       = 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00
EN_AA            = 0x3b
EN_RXADDR        = 0x06
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

cingolanifede

Hi, is signing supported using this library? thanks.

mfalkvidd

@cingolanifede the Raspberry Pi gateway does not support signing.

BikeDan

I'm looking for some help in getting "PiGatewaySerial" running properly. I am having no issue running "PiGateway" and receiving all data from a counter node I'm using for testing. When I try to run "PiGatewaySerial", only intermittent data appears. For this example, I have my counter sending increasing integers at 1 second intervals, and receives fewer than 1 in 25 through the "PiGatewaySerial" script. I previously had this working reliably on a RPi2, reading in the tty output and logging it to a file. Now, I cannot repeat that on either that device, nor the current RPi B+ I'm working with. I'm sure there's some basic setting that I'm missing, but I can't seem to figure it out. Thanks!

An example of "PiGateway" correctly receiving all messages:

pi@raspberrypi:/dev/pts $ sudo /usr/local/sbin/PiGateway
Starting Gateway...
================ 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	 = 0xa8a8e1fc00 0xa8a8e1fc00
RX_ADDR_P2-5	 = 0xff 0xc4 0xc5 0xc6
TX_ADDR		 = 0xe7e7e7e7e7
RX_PW_P0-6	 = 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00
EN_AA		 = 0x3b
EN_RXADDR	 = 0x06
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
[CALLBACK]0;0;3;0;14;Gateway startup complete.
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:906
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;906
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:907
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;907
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:908
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;908
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:909
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;909
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:910
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;910
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:911
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;911
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:912
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;912
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:913
[CALLBACK]0;33;1;0;38;913

an example of "PiGatewaySerial" missing most messages:

pi@raspberrypi:/dev/pts $ 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	 = 0xa8a8e1fc00 0xa8a8e1fc00
RX_ADDR_P2-5	 = 0xff 0xc4 0xc5 0xc6
TX_ADDR		 = 0xe7e7e7e7e7
RX_PW_P0-6	 = 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00
EN_AA		 = 0x3b
EN_RXADDR	 = 0x06
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
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:301
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:302
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:303
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:328
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:353
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:378
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:403
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:428
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:454
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:479
read: 0-0-0 s=33,c=1,t=38,pt=2,l=2:504

I'm running a RPi B+, NRF24l01+, on a clean install of Jessie, and using only a few percent of the CPU power.

rmtucker

I have been thinking about giving this a try But:-
The Raspberry port is using protocol version 1.4.
Do the sensors also have to use version 1.4?

GertSanders

@rmtucker
No, the sensors can be running 1.5 or 2.0-beta, the PI will run a 1.4 version.
The only thing not supported by the PiGateway is message signing.
But I have a mix of sensors in 1.5, 1.6-beta and 2.0-beta in my home network, so it certainly works.

rmtucker

@GertSanders

Is it best to start with a blank jessie image and manually install/compile domoticz or just use the domoticz sd image?
The latter would be the easiest for me because i am useless with the CLI but if the first method is best??

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

7

11.7k

11.2k

113.0k