💬 Sensebender Micro

[Michiel van der Wulp]

To reprogram the sketch in a sensbender micro, wich processor frequency do I choose?

After choosing Board "Sensebender Micro", the menu in Arduino 1.6.12 has choice Processor "Atmega328 8MHz" and "Atmega328 1MHz".
My code seems to be executed equally fine with both settings.
But the Arduino Serial Monitor not:

If I choose the 1MHz version, the Serial monitor only produces garbage, whatever setting I choose for baud (in the sketch and in the serial monitor UI).

If I choose the 8MHz version, the serial monitor works fine.

I am confused. The Sensebender is a 1MHz device, isn't it? Is it able to run on 8MHz too?

[tbowmo]

@Michiel-van-der-Wulp

No, it runs at 8Mhz. It is asleep most of the time, so running at 8Mhz is actually more battery conserving, than running at 1Mhz (in theory), as shown in calculations over in this post. This is due to the shorter time powered on, when running at 8Mhz, compared to running at 1Mhz.

[Michiel van der Wulp]

OK, I understand.
My confusion was caused by the second sentence at https://www.mysensors.org/hardware/micro : "... it operates at 1Mhz ..."
That's a mistake then?

[tbowmo]

@Michiel-van-der-Wulp

Yes, sorry that was a false statement. I have modified the description, so that it now states that the Micro is running at 8Mhz.

[marceltrapman]

I am thinking of expanding the Sensebender Micro and learn Kicad in the process.

Unfortunately every attempt to convert from Eagle to Kicad failed.

Is there a Kicad version available or did any of you manage to convert the project?

[tbowmo]

@marceltrapman

There is no kicad project available for the Sensebender Micro, I tried to convert it myself, but didn't succeed with it either.

[blacey]

@tbowmo said in 💬 Sensebender Micro:

@marceltrapman

There is no kicad project available for the Sensebender Micro, I tried to convert it myself, but didn't succeed with it either.

I haven't tried this Eagle->KiCAD convertor myself but it might do the trick or at least reduce a lot of the manual labor to convert...

There's even a tutorial video.

[tbowmo]

@blacey

thanks for finding that tutorial.. Might give it a spin, and see if I can convert the sensebender micro to kicad

[marceltrapman]

@blacey I tried that one but for some reason a dialog pops up that I can not click away anymore :(
Complaining about files in a wrong place without giving more info.

[blacey]

@marceltrapman The author updated his repo within the past few days so you could open an issue on his GitHub repo to see if he can help...

[tbowmo]

@marceltrapman

Just tried the scripts from the url that @blacey mentioned above on the sensebender micro eagle files.. And got a semi working thing in kicad..

And it seems that at least the forward annotation from schematics to pcb is working like it should..

[marceltrapman]

@tbowmo Nice, I will try again (probably sunday or so)...

[meddie]

Hey together,
i have a question, because i have some capacity troubles. I used the example sketch from sensebender micro that meassures the temperature and humidity but i have additional activated the signing and encryption and now i got over the availible space 109%.
use anybody from you all the features? what i have to do?
thank you

[nldroid]

Re: 💬 Sensebender Micro
I'm trying to flash the sketch to the sensebender micro using the Arduio IDE.

I bought the sensebender micro with the suggested FTDI programmer.

I connected the programmer to the sensebender and plugged in the USB cable.

My windows 7 installation finds the device and installs the driver as USB Serial Port (COM3). The driver is from FTDI. The hardware device id is: FTDIBUS\COMPORT&VID_0403&PID_6001

In the Arduino IDE, i've selected Board: Sensebender Micro, Processor: Atmega 328 8Mhz, Port: COM3.

I tried using USBasp, made a clone with the right hardware id's and tried that. I tried AVRIsp Mk II.

Whatever i try, avrdude.exe tells me it can't find the device:

C:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/bin/avrdude -CC:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -cRF232RL -Pusb -Uflash:w:C:\Users\rob\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_955073/SensebenderMicro.ino.hex:i 

avrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Dec 16 2016 at 13:33:19
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.8.1\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

         Using Port                    : usb
         Using Programmer              : RF232RL
avrdude: Warning: cannot open USB device: Function not implemented
avrdude: error: could not find USB device with vid=0x403 pid=0x6001

avrdude done.  Thank you.

the selected serial port 
 does not exist or your board is not connected

Anyone knows what's wrong?

[meddie]

Hey together,

i have an problem, i had some troubles with the space on the sb micro, i have removed the #define my_debug that solved my space problem, but now i have observed that the node is starting and sends few times the temp and humidity but after the few times nothing happens anymore.
i observed, when i hold the sensor in the fingers so that it will be worm, and start the node then it sends all minute the temp, but when the temp goes down to the room temperature then the node should send only when the humidity or temp changes over the threshhold, so in the room i dont have much changes and i think that when the node does not send about a longer time, that the the problem comes up.
I tested it in some different distances, on another floor but in very short distance too. I dont think that is a radio problem.
What do you think about?
The Problem is, that i cant debug the node because i disabled it because of space problems.
Thank you

[meddie]

i have just tried it again, it worked for 20 minutes. After them i get this output:

Sensebender Micro FW 1.4 - Online!
isMetric: 1
TempDiff :122.28
HumDiff  :154.00
T: 22.28
H: 54
TempDiff :0.00
HumDiff  :0.00
TempDiff :0.10
HumDiff  :0.50
TempDiff :0.11
HumDiff  :0.50
TempDiff :0.12
HumDiff  :0.00
€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€

ok one more thing i found, when i close the serial monitor and start it again, i get the correctly output again, and i see in fhem the new readings.

but i cant understand what happens why stop the node to transmit the correct readings

[qqlapraline]

@meddie, do you use the default sketch for sensebender ?
If this is the case, please notice that after 5 measures, the clock speed is lowered to 1 Mhz. It means that the serial output won't work anymore using the default baud speed.
And, when you restart the serial monitor, it starts all over again from measure number 1.
Hope this helps.

QQ.

[meddie]

@qqlapraline
oh yes it does! It explains why i get the € signs in the serial monitor. But why does the node not send to my FHEM Controller? Depends it also on it, that the node switch to 1 Mhz and cant send anymore?
Thank you very much for your answer, its very helpfull.
Greets Eddie

[tbowmo]

Hmm I actually thought that this feature with switching to 1mhz was removed, as my calculations show that it (in theory) will use more current, than running at 8mhz (due to the fact that it sleeps most of the time)

[Michiel van der Wulp]

@tbowmo : The code to switch the frequency back to 1MHz is still there at https://www.mysensors.org/view/1/Sensebender-Micro.
Should it be removed?