nRF5 action!
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I haven't yet touched DCDC, but having stripped the example code down a bit, my 10F capacitor is now losing only about 18mv per hour, which is much better than when I began. Some of that is even self-discharge. Whew! Another bullet dodged. Of course, it needs to go lower still, but at least this is meaningful progress for minimal effort.
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Removing ACK's is the next easy step, and I found the entry in myconfig.h that will do it:
/** * @def MY_PASSIVE_NODE * @brief If enabled, the node operates fully autonomously, i.e. messages are sent without ACKing. * * @note All transport-related checks and safety-mechanisms are disabled. * @note Requires that @ref MY_NODE_ID is set, @ref MY_PARENT_NODE_ID and * @ref MY_PARENT_NODE_IS_STATIC are optional. * @note Singing, registration, and OTA FW update are disabled. */ //#define MY_PASSIVE_NODE -
@NeverDie
in case.. it's better to make the config changes inside your sketch instead of the MyConfig file, especially if you want to use MySensors for others nodes (else each time you'll have to struggle with MyConfig) -
@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
#define MY_PASSIVE_NODE
Not sure, but I may have run into a bug. I've defined MY_PASSIVE_NODE, and in the main loop I send two different packets once every 5 minutes. The first one never arrives. The second one always arrives. Prior to defining MY_PASSIVE_NODE, both would always arrive. This is on an nRF52832.
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@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
#define MY_PASSIVE_NODE
Not sure, but I may have run into a bug. I've defined MY_PASSIVE_NODE, and in the main loop I send two different packets once every 5 minutes. The first one never arrives. The second one always arrives. Prior to defining MY_PASSIVE_NODE, both would always arrive. This is on an nRF52832.
@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
#define MY_PASSIVE_NODE
Not sure, but I may have run into a bug. I've defined MY_PASSIVE_NODE, and in the main loop I send two different packets once every 5 minutes. The first one never arrives. The second one always arrives. Prior to defining MY_PASSIVE_NODE, both would always arrive. This is on an nRF52832.
Of course, within a minute of posting the above, the first one suddenly decided to arrive. Maybe it's not a bug after all.
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On the other hand, it really does seem to receive the second packet (solar panel voltage) far more often than the first (supercap voltage):
2017-08-14 12:17:45.613 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:22:45.866 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:22:45.887 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:27:46.121 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:27:46.152 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:32:46.399 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:32:46.431 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:37:46.661 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (SuperCap Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:37:46.708 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:42:46.928 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:42:46.975 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:47:47.207 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:47:47.254 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:52:47.474 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:52:47.493 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:57:47.736 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (SuperCap Voltage)
2017-08-14 12:57:47.767 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:02:48.006 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:02:48.051 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:07:48.279 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:07:48.310 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:12:48.556 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:12:48.587 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:17:48.843 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (SuperCap Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:17:48.882 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:22:49.085 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:22:49.116 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:27:49.371 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:27:49.402 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:32:49.624 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:32:49.655 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:37:49.896 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (SuperCap Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:37:49.942 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:42:50.169 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:42:50.215 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:47:50.450 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)
2017-08-14 13:47:50.481 (nRF52 DK Gateway) General/Barometer (Solar Panel Voltage)Also, I hadn't realized until now that it was sending them multiple times. I had wanted each packet to be sent only once.
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It looks as though it's a bug in Domoticz. If I open up the serial monitor to the gateway, I can see that it is receiving both packets. However, Domoticz isn't displaying them or even logging them. However, if I don't turn on MY_PASSIVE_NODE, then it does correctly display them. So, Bye-bye Domoticz. I hopee the other controllers don't have the same problem.
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Maybe nobody uses MY_PASSIVE_NODE? I just did a search of the forum, and nobody but me ever mentions it.
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At the moment i am range testing.
I have the nrf51822 sending v_status true then false every second.
The esp8266 gateway recieves it and sends it back to the nrf8122 which turns an led on and off accordingly.
I have the nrf8122 running from a usb powerbank so i can walk around my house.
There are a few deadspots around the house with the unamplified nrf24l01 on the gateway.
I tried my nrf24l01 pa lna sma but it seemed to be only working every now and again so waiting on a new one being delivered. -
At the moment i am range testing.
I have the nrf51822 sending v_status true then false every second.
The esp8266 gateway recieves it and sends it back to the nrf8122 which turns an led on and off accordingly.
I have the nrf8122 running from a usb powerbank so i can walk around my house.
There are a few deadspots around the house with the unamplified nrf24l01 on the gateway.
I tried my nrf24l01 pa lna sma but it seemed to be only working every now and again so waiting on a new one being delivered.@rmtucker said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
I tried my nrf24l01 pa lna sma but it seemed to be only working every now and again so waiting on a new one being delivered.
According to hackaday, there's a certain very common model which doesn't perform well unless you wrap it first in saran wrap (as an electrical insulator) and then in aluminum foil (except for the antenna, obviously).
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@NeverDie I don't think many people know about it, I didn't know this define existed. But sounds like a good mode for things like temperature sensors with tiny batteries, so thank you for pointing it out.
@Nca78 said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
sounds like a good mode for things like temperature sensors with tiny batteries
Exactly. If you're updating every 5 minutes (which is typical) or less, then it doesn't matter too much if you occasionally lose a packet, because there will be another one coming along in just a few minutes. So, if you can greatly increase your battery life as recompense, most people would
I'm shocked it's not more prevalent here on the mysensors forum.
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@Nca78 said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
sounds like a good mode for things like temperature sensors with tiny batteries
Exactly. If you're updating every 5 minutes (which is typical) or less, then it doesn't matter too much if you occasionally lose a packet, because there will be another one coming along in just a few minutes. So, if you can greatly increase your battery life as recompense, most people would
I'm shocked it's not more prevalent here on the mysensors forum.
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@NeverDie I guess people are happy with 10 years of battery life. I am, so I haven't seen a need for increasing it further.
@mfalkvidd said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
@NeverDie I guess people are happy with 10 years of battery life. I am, so I haven't seen a need for increasing it further.
Fair enough. How about smaller then? The battery may be the single biggest component. You could trade-off longer battery life for a smaller size.mote i.e. If it's a more energy efficient mote, it can use a smaller battery (or a smaller solar panel and a smaller supercap).
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I have checked the current with my nRF52 board with integrated shunt. I have measured 6.5µA while sleeping until timeout or sleeping until interrupt. It doesn't matter if RX/TX are connected but after flashing the firmware a reset by removing the voltage is required.
There was an bug, with any type of sleep(0) which is fixed by this PR https://github.com/mysensors/MySensors/pull/909
@d00616 said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
I have checked the current with my nRF52 board with integrated shunt. I have measured 6.5µA while sleeping until timeout or sleeping until interrupt. It doesn't matter if RX/TX are connected but after flashing the firmware a reset by removing the voltage is required.
Does the onboard regulator on this board not draw any current when not being used?
ie when feeding the board with 3.3v and bypassing the regulator? -
I should be receiving my nRF51 modules a few days from now. Since they lack a 32K oscillator on the module, which "board" should I program it as?
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@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
I should be receiving my nRF51 modules a few days from now. Since they lack a 32K oscillator on the module, which "board" should I program it as?
With the Generic nRF51822 or the MySensors nRF5 boards, you can switch the oscillator via the tools menu. You have to choose the RC oscillator.
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@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
I should be receiving my nRF51 modules a few days from now. Since they lack a 32K oscillator on the module, which "board" should I program it as?
With the Generic nRF51822 or the MySensors nRF5 boards, you can switch the oscillator via the tools menu. You have to choose the RC oscillator.
@d00616 said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
I should be receiving my nRF51 modules a few days from now. Since they lack a 32K oscillator on the module, which "board" should I program it as?
With the Generic nRF51822 or the MySensors nRF5 boards, you can switch the oscillator via the tools menu. You have to choose the RC oscillator.
If I were to choose RC oscillator in a case where the module (such as the Ebyte nRF52832 module) actually does have an external oscillator, will it no longer spend any power on the external oscillator?
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@NeverDie said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:
MY_PASSIVE_NODE,
I found a shlocky workaround for the current problems with MY_PASSIVE_NODE. It turns out that if you have the gateway up and running before the passive node power up, then the passive node often gets stuck in a loop trying to register itself. However, for whatever reason, if you first power up the passive node, let it run for a bit trying to register and failing, and then power on the gateway, the loop is avoided. Then the passive node will broadcast one packet per cycle and the gateway will receive it and send it to the serial port.
Unfortunately, Domoticz can't really deal with it.
Soooooo... For now, I'm using Termite on the serial port to capture the packets and time stamp them. That at least allows me to continue with measurements as to whether MY_PASSIVE_NODE saves significant energy or not. It also has 1 second resolution, not the 5 minute time resoluton of Domoticz.
