This a link to photos that try and show what's happening with Mailbox Notifier Project. I've been looking and fooling with it for days and am out of ideas. Any help would be really appreciated.
https://plus.google.com/photos/104019939905192785456/albums/6107223987161233825?authkey=CNXa2pqrvK_fkAE
Four photos of Mailbox Notifier project showing:
hookup with Newhaven I2C LCD working on breadboards with Motino;
Showing LCD working with Arduino running FM test sketch after Motino fail;
Showing LCD not working after going back from units transfered to perfboard ready for enclosure.
The sender is in enclosure, working and ready for deployment. The receiver, on the other hand, quit driving the LCD after it was moved to perfboard. The receiver works as it is supposed to if you watch the serial monitor, LED blinks, and LCD checks out on test sketch but I can't get it to work properly. Did I damage the Motino? I can't see how that might have happened.
The Motino is powered with a 9V battery running through a LM785 Regulator feeding 5V to VIN. 3.3V + ground goes from Motino to LCD. All pullup resistors are in place and work as they are with Arduino and test sketch. Everything remains as is running test with just power and SCL and SDA wires transferred to Motino.
I'm using Sender_4 and Receiver_3 sketches
So Terry, I get that there's some LCD issue, but what exactly is not working? Or what is the problem?
Hi Felix,
The Problem:
Lcd hooked up to motino receiver worked fine until I took it off the breadboard and put onto perf board.
It did not work after that. I put it back onto breadboard and hooked it up like it originally was, I think, but still can't get it to work. LCD works just like it is supposed to when running on Arduino using Fmalpartida test sketch but will not work with Motino. Motino receiver works like it is supposed to when watching serial monitor. I was convinced that the problem was just some stupid little thing that I was not seeing and it could be that, but I just can't see it. I have two of these LCDs. Neither of them will work with the Motino. Both work fine with FM test sketch.
Did you already test the Moteinos are fully functional?
Here's how I have one of those hooked up, no problems at all, the resistors under the tape are 10K pullups for the i2c and RST, and the caps are 0.1uF, the other 3 resistors on the left are for the backlight:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/14267041397_334b34a278_o.jpg)
Like I said, something stupid that I just wasn't seeing. The data sheet seems to say that the caps on the LCD are 1uf. I changed those to o.1uf and put the proper resistors on rst, scl, and sda (I had been changing those trying to figure it out.) and it works. Positive thing is that I learned a bunch!
I really hated to take up your time. I cant imagine how you respond to the forum posts and still get so much done. I love the Motinos and will order more shortly along with other stuff. I'm about half finished with the RasPi Gateway and will get back to that now that Notifier is working again.
Many thanks, I really appreciate it.
Terry Sullivan
Awesome, glad it worked out so easy :P
And yeah most of the time it's some small detail that screws up everything and keeps you on edge for days. I totally get that and I've been there many times.
Hi All,
Another Moteino/Arduino NOOB trying to implement the Mailbox Notifier, with questions. First, I have two new Moteinos and, after some initial grief, I have them communicating. I know this by observing the serial monitors on both units simultaneously. I'm using the MailboxNotifier3 sketches, with a bunch of debug code added to see what's going on. I still haven't hooked up the LCD on the receiver, or the sensor on the transmitter. So, that being said, here's a few questions.
1. The photos (from 2013) looks like the LCD is on a breadboard. Without serious lead bending I can't see how the 2mm ctr to ctr leads fit in a .1" breadboard. Is there a breakout board, or similar adapter to adjust the spacing? How 'bout the lead shape (flat) vs the normal, i.e., round leads used on a breadboard?
2. Is there a wiring schematic for both ends (i.e., transmitter and stand-alone receiver)? Where is it? I cant find it (them) anywhere.
3. Has anyone used a reed switch instead of the Hall-effect sensor to detect Open/Closed? What about a photo sensor to detect the light streaming in from the open door vs dark?
I know it's been a few years since this project was built, and memory fades, with time. But I still get Snail mail, and think this would be a cool place to start my home modernization project. Hopefully someone can assist. I probably don't need software assistance, as I've been writing C for well over 30 years, not to mention a whole bunch of dead programming languages from years before I ventured into UNIX. But I never was a hardware engineer, although a large bunch of stuff rubbed off onto me and stuck.
TIA,
Jim
Hi Jim,
1. Not sure which photos you refer to, I no longer use the the Newhaven LCD to monitor my mailbox (I use the gateway app (https://lowpowerlab.com/guide/gateway/) instead), but back then I wired it directly to the receiving Moteino with jumper wires.
2. Not really, except if you want to implement my old old setup which used a hall effect sensor. I would not recommend that since it's as low power, and it's a bit tricky to positioning changes and requires a magnet as a secondary part, which could be difficult to install and match to your hall sensor. I now use a MotionMote (https://lowpowerlab.com/guide/motionmote/) in the mailbox, it's been perfect in the light/dark for years and its super low power.
3. I would again not recommend reed, or light sensor or anything but motion sensing. I explored all these options and motion was the best, easiest, cheapest, most low power, and most accurate/repeatable/glitch-less.
BTW what was the "initial grief" setting up the Moteinos about?
Thanks for the response, I'll look into the motion sensor. Is it obvious how to wire it in? Are there photos, schematics, etc? Where's the code that supports this... All I've found is old Mailbox Monitor sketches 1, 2 & 3.
As for the grief setting up the Moteino... self inflicted .45 hole in foot (head?). I was using the Arduino IDE for Moteino, and Adafruit Trinket Pro, and somehow the board definitions got munged. I had to find the links to both, and re-install them, again. All's well, now.
Thanks for asking. As for the Moteinos, they were no grief. They did what they were supposed to do, right out of the box, after a bit of soldering, of course.
Jim
Here is the blog for the MotionMote;
https://lowpowerlab.com/guide/motionmote/?view=all
Here is the motion sensor;
https://lowpowerlab.com/shop/product/113
and the whole kit is here;
https://lowpowerlab.com/shop/product/114