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......

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.

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!

Seasons greeting to all of you. Hope you have a nice festive season.

@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 don’t work like they’re supposed to.

So is this faulty hardware issue then?

Why 4 sensors on the driveway? Eventually I’ll 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?

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.....

@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...

@Stevanov

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.

@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.

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 År!

@CrankyCoder How far apart are the node and gateway? What is between them? Can you post any photos of of each with the wiring?

@CrankyCoder Do the data drop outs have any correlation to the solenoid valve operating and does the valave use the same power supply as the node MCU?

@CrankyCoder I have similar issue with a couple of nodes. Sometimes it looses signal for hours at a time...

It might be external interference from other devices like wifi, bluetooth or microwave oven.

It can also be connection issues especially with the push-on dupont connectors as when the temperature/humidity/air pressure change then the connectors can move slightly. Also they might be badly crimped in the first place.

So check all connections are good and can't move (soldering is best here), and then look for sources that might be an issue.

It could also be another node closer to the GW is sending at the exact same time as the problem node and masking the signal.

Batteries are susceptable to variations due to temperature too, they are a chemical reaction. So try a better source of power for testing too.

Looking at the code, send_status_message only ever sends 1 - is this what you want? It seems to never send anything else (like 0)....

Also you are using sleep but have a receive function - what happens to messages when the node is asleep?

You are sending battery level every second? That is too often. How long will the batteries last? This wastes battery power a lot. I check betteries once a day on my security sensors, they don't change for weeks at a time....

Have you modified the pro mini as per the battery page on this site? Have you added capacitors to the radio module?

directionControl seems like it will always turn off both digital pins regardless of the message as //disable are the last statements to be actioned?

You can try changing

#define MY_RADIO_RF24

to.....

#define MY_RADIO_RF24
#define MY_RF24_PA_LEVEL RF24_PA_HIGH

options for power are MIN, LOW, HIGH, MAX. - it might help.

@naruse GO through every bit inside and make sure that all grounds are connected to each other. A faulty grounding can have effects like this too....

@naruse There is a thin co-ax cable in the antenna that folds, maybe it is damaged and contact is only made in the folded position and not when straightened out. Try another antenna if possible.

Also, antennas are polarised. So rotating it might help as would small changes in position as reflections and absorbtion at 2.4GHz will be something that might affect the signal, just like with wifi (same frequency block).

As for touching it - you are either acting as a passive conductor for the rf since you might be in a place with better signal strength either that or the additional capacitance of your body is improving the resonance of the antenna. Difficult to tell which, but my guess would be the former.....

@vomaxa If you look at my post at the top of this thread (second posting) then all that still really applies. You need to list your requirements and then research until you find a compromise you believe to be the right one for your needs.

I also added a creality ender 5 plus a couple of years ago. This has a bigger build volume and is very upgradeable with new control boards from creality and third party vendors as well as having many common components to other printers in the range.

Whatever you decide it is a leraning curve and more frustrating than the promotional videos would have you believe. Still it is rewarding to make things that previously you couldn't at home.....

@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...

@ben999 You may not gain much by doing this and things could even get worse.

But if you want to try then I suggest removing the component to the left of the blue arrow and then attaching some micro co-ax centre conductor to the left hand pad where the component has been removed (as we see it in the photo) and the screen going to the closest ground point.

@Larson A bit late as the dry weather has me doing outdoors work and I'm knackered!

But yes, I agree with your thoughts and method as a good solid starting point. I would clamp the modules in place so they cannot move at all and do first test, then solder wire to one module in situ and do test 2, then finally solder wire to second module and do test 3.

This way you get to cover all possibilities in the shortest steps and time with minimal messing.

@NeverDie I know what you mean, but "half a wavelength apart would have them in very close proximity with risk of interference. Better if the were 300mm+half a wavelenght apart. But can mysensors cope with 2 gateways on the same frequency? I didn't think that would be possible... Or were you thinking one gateway node with 2x RF modules? Now that would be interesting!