OpenSprinkler › Forums › OpenSprinkler Unified Firmware › Non-latching 24V AC valve activates as soon as I start ospi…
- This topic has 11 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 3 months ago by joepalermo.
-
AuthorPosts
-
May 17, 2020 at 4:46 pm #66068
joepalermoParticipantNon-latching 24V AC valve activates as soon as I start ospi. I know because I can hear it click and then I can hear a continuous hum. Why does this happen? I only want it to activate on command.
Note, that checking the status with the “Get Station Status” API, yields {“sn”:[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0],”nstations”:8}. i.e. nothing is active. The “Manual Station Run” API can change status to 1, but I never hear a click as I did when I started ospi.
Note this is how I’m starting/stopping ospi:
sudo systemctl start OpenSprinkler
sudo systemctl stop OpenSprinklerMay 17, 2020 at 4:47 pm #66096
RayKeymasterDid you purchase OSPi from us or are you using your own build? Are you using relays? If so, be aware that many relays boards use ‘active low’ logic, which means they will activate when the signal is low. OSPi uses ‘active high’ logic, so it will be the exact opposite.
May 19, 2020 at 10:37 am #66159
joepalermoParticipantSorry for my delayed reply, I had to get the answer from a colleague.
We purchased a board from you.
Will get back to you shortly about the relays.
May 19, 2020 at 10:47 am #66160
joepalermoParticipantRegarding your question
Are you using relays? If so, be aware that many relays boards use ‘active low’ logic, which means they will activate when the signal is low. OSPi uses ‘active high’ logic, so it will be the exact opposite.
my colleague says:
I think they we’re assuming that we weren’t using their hardware just the operating system. So that question isn’t relevant to our situation. If we were using our own hardware (relays) with their os that might have indicated the problem.
May 19, 2020 at 6:57 pm #66176
RayKeymasterWhat power adapter are you using? Is it possible that you are using a power adapter that outputs DC instead of AC voltage?
May 20, 2020 at 8:00 am #66189
joepalermoParticipantThanks Ray, I really appreciate your help.
Just confirmed I’m using a 24V AC power supply, so that can’t be it.
May 20, 2020 at 1:54 pm #66199
RayKeymasterHonestly I have no idea. I am not aware of this issue. The reason I asked about whether you are using a relay board is that using ‘active-low’ relays would be a obvious reason why the solenoids engage right in the beginning. Other than making sure the power adapter outputs AC (not DC) voltage, and making sure RPi is plugged in and aligned correctly with OSPi, I have no idea why it would engage the solenoids at power-on.
May 20, 2020 at 2:15 pm #66202
joepalermoParticipantTo clarify, it doesn’t engage the solenoids when I turn on the power. It engages the solenoids when I run: ‘sudo systemctl start OpenSprinkler’.
Does that help make any more sense of it? Unless, you are implying that running ‘sudo systemctl start OpenSprinkler’ is effectively equivalent to powering on the ospi board?
Thanks
May 20, 2020 at 3:13 pm #66208
RayKeymasterI have never used “sudo systemctl start OpenSprinkler” to run the firmware. After you run the build script (build.sh ospi) it will usually generate a script in /etc/init.d and auto-start the firmware. If you don’t want it to auto start, you can also go to the firmware folder, and run it manually by:
sudo ./OpenSprinkler
I am not sure where you get the instructions for using sudo systemctl to start the firmware — it’s certainly not in the instructions we published here:
https://openthings.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000631599-installing-and-updating-the-unified-firmware-on-ospiMay 20, 2020 at 4:47 pm #66217
joepalermoParticipantI see. Yeah, I was just playing around with different commands.
I tried starting it manually with ‘sudo ./OpenSprinkler’, and unsurprisingly I get the same effect where the valve activates immediately.
Would this suggest something wrong with the hardware? I’m just grasping at straws now unfortunately.
May 21, 2020 at 7:11 pm #66258
RayKeymasterI honestly don’t know. As I said this is not an issue I am aware of. If you suspect there is a hardware issue, you can submit a support ticket so we can get the board back to check. But I have a feeling this is a software setup issue. My suggestion is that you wipe out the sd card and install raspbian from scratch. Then install OpenSprinkler firmware and try again. I’ve seen cases where other programs installed on Rpi may cause strange interferences with OpenSprinkler firmware.
July 7, 2020 at 7:41 pm #67200
joepalermoParticipantUpdate: we resolved it – turns out it was a bad board!
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
OpenSprinkler › Forums › OpenSprinkler Unified Firmware › Non-latching 24V AC valve activates as soon as I start ospi…