Posts made by ensbusiness

@BulldogLowell said in SoCal help completing a MySensor system:

@ensbusiness

I'm not sure you understand.

Build the Raspberry Pi gateway, and then a single sensor. Get that working, the very clear instructions are in the MySensors docs...

The rest (adding additional wireless nodes or connecting a sensor to your Pi) is trivial.

Adding a sensor to the Pi is what I already have up and running. I don't need or use a Controller for that. The Pi does it directly, and I get what I want. My app works great. Even if I add a Controller to the Pi and assume I do and get it working.....with what? a directly attached DS18B20? what do I gain? Then I try adding a wireless sensor using the libraries from MySensor for the Atmega328P Pro-mini's and nRF2401's I already decided to use even before I found MySensors. The problem is that I can't seem to get the Pro-mini/nRF2401 combinations to send any usable data at all, either between two test units, let alone back to a Pi. The RF link and all it's variables, of internal code settings, pin-outs, electrolytic caps to keep Vcc stable, different "pipes" that have to match, Bandwidth settings, not to mention the probable trouble with flaky hardware that I try my best to get the best available, and I still end up with counterfeits, and junk that may or may not even work. All I need is someone who can help me get the RF links to work and produce a matched pair with all the assorted code, and hardware add-ons to keep them transmitting data reliably. That's what I'm finding so difficult. Once I can get that I can send it to the Pi, and receive it using MySensor code, with the correct pin-outs that really work on a Pi, then store it in a simple ASCII text file that I can then take it out of and feed it into my already working application. Sounds simple huh, then why is it giving me so much trouble to get the RF transmission to work at all? My simple goal is to merely replace the hard wired sensors with remote wireless ones to ease my installation burdens of time and labor. This shouldn't be this hard, except that it appears to be very difficult, for all sorts of reasons. That's why I'm crying uncle and asking for serious help.

@BulldogLowell said in SoCal help completing a MySensor system:

@ensbusiness

Have you started with the Raspberry Pi Gateway?

that should be relatively easy... get your gateway working with one sensor first, and forget about the attached sensors for the time being.

For my application I'm not sure I even need a Controller on the Pi. Currently the Pi does everything needed once it queries the sensor(s) directly connected by wires. All I'm trying to do is eliminate the wires between the Pi and the sensors. The wireless connection is the main reason I'm looking to use MySensors. It looks like it can eliminate the custom C++ code I've tried to get written by some programmers. That didn't work out well either. I'm not sure a controller app on the Pi is needed....at this time. I may very well want to in the future, once I get experience with an operating system working. My needs are very simple for now, but it is causing me lots of trouble getting the radio remotes to send data to the Pi so It can then use it with my existing code already working on the Pi.

@BulldogLowell said in SoCal help completing a MySensor system:

@ensbusiness

What kind of help do you need? Are you looking for someone to help you program sensors, or are you looking for someone to program a gateway? Perhaps you can provide a little more detail.

I'm simply trying to get a "known to work" pair to work. One remote (pro-mini) (reading a DS18B20 temp sensor (for now) sending it to a Pi B+ (I already have several) with a directly connected nRF2401 at each end. I've tried everything and ran into trouble with ambiguities in some code, but the biggy was total confusion on what pins to use on the Pi. I may even be running into hardware issues with either bad, just flaky, or incorrect in some way, nRF2401's and maybe the Pro-Mini's as well. Too many variables to get a handle on what's failing, and maybe even more than one thing at a time, adding to the failure modes and variables....Bottom line is that I'd like to get a working remote (or two to test multiple ID assignment) that send temp data to the Pi through a directly attached nRF2401 radio, and appended onto a simple text file, for now, that I can grab the last entry from and put into my already fully working database driven application from that point on. The RF radio link is the only new part of my application, since I've had the hard-wired sensors into the Pi working for over a year now, but the radio data link complexities, of code, and hardware has so far been kicking my ass. I have extra parts for everything including the Pi's and would be willing to work with anyone who can help me by building a working prototype pair, that I can then fabricate duplicates of for my project. If someone is willing and able to help me, I will give more info through a private exchange via email direct. I'm not looking for charity, just expertise and a chance to work with someone, if interested, going forward to both our mutual benefit. If possible please contact me through a PM if allowed on this forum. I'm new here so don't know all the ins and outs. That's all, simple huh, but apparently just beyond my reach.

@Nca78 Well...., I'm sure glad this is not any kind of problem. 19 days and not one single reply with any kind of offering of help of any kind. I'll take help from anywhere I can find it, even if not local to Southern California. I only want a functioning system that will work as it's supposed to. I'm fully aware of issues with commercial use and I will continue to use the code as written, with no proprietary spin. I'm after a usable system and not trying to hide code. So far I have had 3 local, experienced people help me, and try to get this all to work. With no success. That's why I came to this forum, I figured to go to the source for help. Will anyone please respond with an offer to help me finish a functioning system?

I'm having trouble finishing a functioning system where the remote data gets back to the Raspberry Pi controller. I'd like to find somebody local to the Los Angeles area for face to face working together. I have a solid business plan and waiting customers who need functioning sales demo units before signing contracts. This has great potential, with a long term opportunity, for someone willing to work with me to get it finished and marketable. Both Hardware and Software expertise would be great, but mainly, experience in using MySensor code and hardware to get it all working together. Here's my email if interested --- mikemcc2k@yahoo.com