LowPowerLab Forum

Hardware support => RF - Range - Antennas - RFM69 library => Topic started by: digithree on June 18, 2016, 01:55:02 PM

Title: Listening to arbitrary signal producer - not coded signals
Post by: digithree on June 18, 2016, 01:55:02 PM
Hi all

So happy there's such an active community here. Newbie to radio communication, sometime Arduino and Photon tinkerer, professional software engineer specialising in mobile.

I've a RFM69 and an Arudino Pro Mini 3.3v wired up as per the Sparkfun hookup guide https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/rfm69hcw-hookup-guide

I've run the Gateway example code and seems to work, though I get "SPI Flash MEM not found (is chip soldered?)" but from what I could find doesn't appear to be a problem (am I wrong?)

However it is occurring to me that this and other libraries are geared towards people making networks of these radio modules. My purpose is to hack remote control wall power sockets I have which I know operate at the same frequency.

So my question is: does anyone know of a (quick) way to listen to the RFM69 working frequency (mine in 433Hz as in Europe)? In other words, not use the high level network / node concepts, just get a stream of data? I'll also want to be able to produce arbitrary signals too.

Or, if anyone knows a lot about this an wants to noob-splain me the initial handshake / ACK that must be required by all radio devices, if there's a standard I can expect the remote to use?

I'm happy enough to dig through the library source to figure it out for myself but it's always better to ask before reinventing the wheel, right? ;)

Also of interest was this guide for hacking the actual remote itself to get the pulse pattern, which I may have to do: http://makezine.com/projects/hacking-rc-power-outlets/
Title: Re: Listening to arbitrary signal producer - not coded signals
Post by: TomWS on June 18, 2016, 05:00:35 PM
I believe JoeLucid has code that will work for you.  He uses similar (same?) modules for On/Off control from his Moteino network.  He reconfigures the radio 'on the fly' whenever he needs to control one of the switches and then switches back to his 'normal' (which is anything but 'normal') network mode.

I believe he's traveling now, but may have access to the code.  If not, then maybe I can dig up some old notes I had gotten from him.

Tom
Title: Re: Listening to arbitrary signal producer - not coded signals
Post by: kobuki on July 06, 2016, 06:28:42 PM
So my question is: does anyone know of a (quick) way to listen to the RFM69 working frequency (mine in 433Hz as in Europe)? In other words, not use the high level network / node concepts, just get a stream of data? I'll also want to be able to produce arbitrary signals too.

Or, if anyone knows a lot about this an wants to noob-splain me the initial handshake / ACK that must be required by all radio devices, if there's a standard I can expect the remote to use?

As a starter, I recommend my old thread (https://lowpowerlab.com/forum/index.php/topic,1286.0.html). Feel free to ask there or here.