I thought I'd share a part of my 'workshhop'. Only part of it due the rest being in a bit of a mess at the moment, so here is the 'good' bit......
skywatch
@skywatch
Best posts made by skywatch
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RE: Your workshop :)
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RE: Over the air updates
I would really like to get OTA working here as it's freezing outside and I have to go there to update the software in the greenhouse control system.
So please, can we have a 'how to' step-by-step guide to OTA? Please?
S.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you on (or behind) this forum.
Here's to 2018 and a much better year for us all!
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Merry Christmas / Happy New Year
Seasons greeting to all of you. Hope you have a nice festive season.
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RE: I am in need of some programming help.
@bc123 said in I am in need of some programming help.:
I have a cool project
So does everyone else
I hired someone to do about a year ago, but it never worked entirely.
Why is that?
need some help with the programming.
Then post your code and the issues you are facing and someone might help you out.
Project: Driveway alert system, looooong driveway.
So it's just a basic 'alert system' - good.
I have 4 sensor beams shooting across the driveway and they are spaced about 100' apart from each other.
That is good if that is what you want/need for your cool project.
Each can provide a NO or NC contact.
Good.
I have conduit running between all 4 points
Good idea if you don't want jammable RF.....
and was planning to run Ethernet wire between them
So only empty conduit at the moment then?
The board has a LORA radio on it
Good.
and is transmitting to my Arduino receiver, which is tied to a pi running Domoticz.
Good.
I hired someone a year ago to build a system for me using 4 transmitters (one for each sensor),
You already told us this bit.
but I don't think he knew what he was doing.
Why is that?
We got several running temperature/humidity data
That wasn't the original 'alert' spec was it? Or maybe it was? Maybe it is supposed to be a driveway alert system with temperature and humidity sensors 100 feet apart? Who knows? What are you 'really' wanting to do here?
but, the input pins donβt work like theyβre supposed to.
So is this faulty hardware issue then?
Why 4 sensors on the driveway? Eventually Iβll install my railroad signals and be able to direct one way traffic up and down the driveway! How cool is that!
If you really have that much traffic on your driveway then it might be a better idea to have a 2-lane driveway.
Help anyone? Happy to compensate for your efforts!
How can we help? You posted an 'alert' dream that later included temperature and humidity. Then it morphed into a traffic control system (either automatic or manually controlled, we don't know which at this stage).
Then you ask for programming help and don't even post a single line of code.Yes that was all a bit 'tounge-in-cheek' but hopefully you get the idea.
First define what you actually want.
Post code you are trying to get working.
Post drawings of how it is all connected up.
Post photos of the project.Where is the project located on this once fine planet?
Where do I get my compensation from? -
RE: Is ARM the future of MySensors?
The current NRF24 set up is more secure than bluetooth or wifi from attack.
I say this based on the fact that anyone with a laptop, mobile etc can have software to crack/hack/spoof/inject into bluetooth or wifi. It is not that difficult for kids to do.
The NRF is another matter as to achieve this on that radio module would require acquiring a module, setting it up with a pc/phone and then getting software to attack it.
People often go the easiest route and I am less worried about nrf24 than I would be if the system used bluetooth/wifi or cloud.
Just my thoughts on a dark and wet Monday morning.....
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RE: nrf24+ module with stick antenna
@ben999 said in nrf24+ module with stick antenna:
@skywatch oh great thanks for that !
by removing the smd then the signal becomes "compatible" with a 2.4ghz stick antenna ?
It completely removes the strip antenna on the pcb as well as the matching stub. The component is likely a zero ohm resistor. So you will be taking the RF from the point before the antenna and it should work.
or shall i go with wire and adjust length ?
That is up to you! You could always try both and see what works best for you. It's only a few minutes work. Don't forget to post your findings for others to learn from...
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RE: Problems with the neighbours
Your best bet is still to simply change to a different unused channel.
Nrf24l01+ has over 100 channels available, why insist on using one in use by someone else nearby?
Even if you do encrypt all data the radios will still suffer due the the high level of signals around swamping the receiver front ends and reducing sensitivity adn increasing liklihood of packet collisions.
Far better to find a clear channel and use that, but it's up to you at the end of the day.
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RE: Sensor doesn't assisiate with gateway
@TheStaticTurtle You are using an older version of mysensors. 2.3.2 is current so first of all upgrade to that.
Second, looking at the node log it never finds the gateway. FPAR is "find parent" and it never does, so nowhere to send the data. The "!TSM:FPAR:FAIL" is also a clue as to no comms with the gateway.
Why this is I don't know as you haven't posted your code.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Just to say I wish you all good health in 2021 and thanks for the stimulating discussions and friendly forum.
god Jul och Gott Nytt Γ r!
Latest posts made by skywatch
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RE: π¬ Battery Powered Sensors
@nekitoss
I used 3.3V pro mini with regulator removed and powered by Vin pin. Also removed leds from the pro mini.I used minicore bootloader.
I used the small pir sensors and again removed the regulator to power directly from the pro mini outputs.
After that sleep the node and trigger on interrupt.
Send battery level once a day.
Use inbuilt battery level monitor and not external components that constantly drain power to get battery level.
1.8V is 0% on the graph (not visible yet!) but I have had nodes working below 1.7V It's a matter of luck with that it seems.
Hope this helps you on the right track. I'll try and help if you want.
This is the latest image and still going strong after 18 months. Voltage is at 2.903V
Here is photo of the test example - I need to make a case and produce more of them over winter.....
Here is the same build/code of a window sensor. Similar time frame but hardly triggered.....
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RE: Awesome tip: run LinuxFX instead of Windows!
@NeverDie Thanks - Interestingly they show a free version on their site still. Did they revert due to bad publicity?
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RE: Awesome tip: run LinuxFX instead of Windows!
@NeverDie So how is it going for you? Have you tried USB devices with it? Did they work well? I am thinking of being able to run Win x64 SDR software on this but still wonder if it will work - Will try it out as soon as I can and report back. Meantime any hints or opinions you have would be good if you can share.
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RE: Which one should i choose? PIR or microwave sensor
Each has advantages and disadvantages over the other - they are cheap and if I were you I would use one of each and do the 'magic' in the code. A small area like a hallway is OK for pir (assuming nobody is trying to defeat it) while radar cover a good area. hope this helps a bit, you don't give any detail on what you are trying to achieve.
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RE: ACK -aka ECHO beeing missed by Serial Gateway with RF24 radios. V2.3.2
@GaryStofer Hmmmm. I understand your situation and requirements but sadly I don't have an answer.
Only thing I can think of would be to try the node without the repeater function and see if that is in any way causing the issue. That would narrow it down considerably.
@JeeLet has hit on the RF module as a possible cause. Have you tried different module? Are all RF modules the same? Are all GW's the same?
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RE: ACK -aka ECHO beeing missed by Serial Gateway with RF24 radios. V2.3.2
@JeeLet said in ACK -aka ECHO beeing missed by Serial Gateway with RF24 radios. V2.3.2:
Waiting
"Waiting using the Arduino delay() command is not a good idea. " ... https://www.mysensors.org/download/sensor_api_20
Agreed - change delay(2); to wait(2); and see if that solves the problem
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RE: Sudden battery drain - Pro-mini + RFM69
I suggest you take apart the node and give it a good clean - check for any tiny cracks or dry joints on soldered items and if using dupont connectors then clean thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol. Replace any connectors that don't clean up too well. =
Dirt and moisture can cause a lot of problems for electronics and batteries.
Sudden drops in voltage can also be caused by sudden drops of temperature or wind chill. I just posted a few days back a 1 year record of a PIR sensor with daily battery readings, it is not a smooth fall-off as most people might expect. I correlate the biggest sudden drop with a period of very cold and windy weather in February. It is in the battery powered section if you want to see it.
Finally as you have a 3.3V pro mini and power from 2xAA batteries I suggest you remove the battery monitoring from A1 and the associated components and instead use the internal voltmeter method.
Good Luck!
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RE: NRF24 nodes failing to connect on channels below ~100
Latest MS version is 2.3.2 for a start. Also you need to reprogram the node and gateway with the updated library, make sure you update libraries within your Arduino IDE (if using it) and check for any changes from whatever version you have been running (you don't say about this) and the newer 2.3.2
There may well be some things in the node at least you need to address depending on what the node does.
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RE: π¬ Battery Powered Sensors
Just completed 1 year of operation of a PIR sensor in the house that trigger 100-200 times a day. It is powered by 2xAA batteries and here is a graph of battery level over the year.
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RE: Microwave oven (no kidding :D)
@ben999 You need flyback diodes across relay coils, this is not optional.