LowPowerLab Forum
Hardware support => RF - Range - Antennas - RFM69 library => Topic started by: jaime1988 on August 25, 2013, 11:54:56 AM
-
Hi all,
I'm trying to use 2 moteino R3 version with RFM69HW. If I didn't uncomment the line
radio.setHighPower(); //must uncomment for RFM69HW!
The range is awfull. If I uncomment that line, as I must do, the moteino resets continuosly and the serial port output is as follows:
Listening at 868 Mhz...
SPI Flash Init FAIL! (is chip present?)
[99] 123 A
Listening at 868 Mhz...
SPI Flash Init FAIL! (is chip present?)
[99] 123 AB
Listening at 868 Mhz...
SPI Flash Init FAIL! (is chip present?)
[99] 123 ABC
Listening at 868 Mhz...
SPI Flash Init FAIL! (is chip present?)
[99] 123 ABCD
Listening at 868 Mhz...
SPI Flash Init FAIL! (is chip present?)
[99] 123 ABCDE
Any idea of the possible problem?
Thanks and best regards.
Jaime
-
This is on the receiver correct?
-
Hi,
Yes, this is the receiver. But in the transmitter it happens the same.
-
Really...
Looking at the receiver output, it looks to me like the transmitter is fine. Upon startup it will always start with empty string, not where it left off before a restart.
Are you sure you are using the latest code from github?
-
I donwloaded the new code and it occurs the same. Any idea?
-
Like I say to everyone - all Moteinos are tested when they go out. I've seen several cases where the user does something and causes the weird behavior, and they think it's a broken or "dead" Moteino when in fact nothing is wrong with the hardware.
So I have very little doubt that there is anything wrong with them, especially if they both exhibit the same behavior.
From past experience it's either:
- not so good soldering
- not the latest library/example code
- wrong settings in the code
- some short on the board somewhere
- bad FTDI adapter/cable
Can you double check these things, and also - could you swap them and reprogram them and see if it still happens?
-
I think I ran into this early on.
I was using the rfm12 code instead of rfm69!!!
john
-
Hi soldered a new board and the result is the same. Perhaps the problem is in the usb/uart. I'm using a self-desing uart, I will try with another different.
But it's strange because without the highPower setting, it works perfect. It gives -100 of RSSI aprox, but it works. Perhaps the modules have a problem....
-
I really don't think there's anything wrong with the Moteinos.
The HWs will draw up to 130mA with the HW on, so if you have a flaky USB-UART then that might be the culprit.
-
I tried with another usb/uart and even only with usb power directly. It seems that the moteino is reseted when transmit: radio.sendWithRetry(GATEWAYID, payload, sendSize)
But it's strange because without highPower, it tx/rx without any problem. I soldered the moteinos and burn the bootloader (normal optiboot and tried yours). I tried with different frecuencies modules... Is there any extra hw or configuration needed?
-
You don't have to reburn the bootloader, but I guess you can do it if you want to.
The stock examples should just work, as long as you match the frequency settings.
I'm really having a hard time trying to understand how they worked fine before I bagged and shipped them, and now they don't, you know what I mean?
Frankly I am fairly convinced there is nothing wrong with them, as proven in other cases where the user was absolutely certain they were, but turned out they were not. It's almost always something very minor, either something missed in the sketch or some procedure error.
Could you post a picture of what/how you soldered them?
-
Hi, sorry for not answering in a few days, it was impossible for me.
Just for clarifying, I added a usb/uart converter and sent them to the fab and soldered them myself. I wanted to make a "moteino stick" more easy for development. I will release the code/schematics as soon as it works, now I'm having some problems with that. I had to burn the bootloader because the atmega328p was blank. I burned first the optiloader and then yours bootloader. I burned the bootloaders with another moteino, I will post the details as soon as it's stable.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/9682546536_579c2dec5f_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/15304611@N03/9682546536/)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2827/9679309647_a4bf272f9a_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/15304611@N03/9679309647/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9682546472_5455b8d30c_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/15304611@N03/9682546472/)
P.S. In the top I added some text "W/HW" and "4/8/9" so you can mark what rfm69 module you have, I think it's very useful when you have a lot of them
-
Don't forget to set the fuses:
EXT:FD HI:DA LO:DE
-
Perhaps this is the problem since all the moteinos R3 I have has been programmed by me. Can this make rfm69w and rfm69hw work in low power but not in high? I'll take a look to this.
-
So you have not set the fuses at all?
-
I set the fuses but I'm not 100% sure I set them as you say. Do you think that having the fuses different may cause the error? I will take a look, I hope this is the error :)
-
I checked the fuses and I was setting them right. I didn't attached any antenna, should it be a problem? I think I'm going to give up for a while and test other parts...
Thanks
-
You didn't solder the antenna? :o
Well ... don't expect any performance without the antenna
-
Some of them had and dome of them hadn't. But all the comparisons are in the same conditions ;)
-
But you're still comparing apples and oranges. RFM69HW uses a different amplifier path for the antenna than RFM69W. So RFM69HW could act completely differently without the antenna when the amplifier is not turned on.
So you should solder the antenna in any case.
-
Yes, I have soldered the antenna on some of them, but no luck. I will buy 2 moteinos with the module from your store and try to test my modules.
Is moteino in stock? It seems so but in the store there is a message with claims the opposite.
Thanks and best regards.
Jaime
-
No, R3 is out of stock right now. Waiting on a overly delayed PCB order... maybe sometime next week.