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There is a git branch that has the older version.
Log in to the OSPi directory on your Pi and issue the command:
git checkout firmware_basedThat should switch to the version you need.
Dan
@ rederikus
If you would like to tinker with the hardware that would be great! I honestly don’t know when I will have time to get into it.Here is a source for RS-485 information:
http://www.bb-elec.com/Learning-Center/All-White-Papers/Serial/RS-422-and-RS-485-Applications-eBook/RS-422-RS-485-eBook-graphics-embedded.pdfand some other useful stuff:
[attachment=0:v9prklle]RS-485.zip[/attachment:v9prklle]With RS-485 you can have up to 32 nodes on a single cable. I am looking at using Arduino micro controllers at the nodes. you could have say, 4 sensors at each node at different soil depths. That would give you up to 128 individually addressable sensors per cable.
I purchased some MAX487CPA transceiver chips from Mouser for ~$2.00 ea. There is already software available on the internet to make it work. All I need is some spare time…
Dan
The sensors themselves are sealed with no exposed metal to corrode. The cable needs to be a type for in-gound use and any connections would need to be protected e.g. with some silicone sealer.
Dan
I have been testing the Vegitronix soil moisture sensors.
http://www.vegetronix.com/Products/VG400/They are designed to be buried in the ground (lawn mower proof) and can operate on 3.3v.
I have some ideas for interfacing them with the OSPi using RS-485 serial which can have cables up to 1 kilometer long. The RS-485 standard also can support a large number of sensors on one serial cable. A 4 wire cable can provide power and carry data (no need to change batteries).
Dan
pls90,
The only problem with modifying the program code is, if you update the software later, the changes will be lost. I have added your request to the wish list. There should be a way to build ray’s suggested changes into a plugin. That would provide the option to those who need it and would avoid the update problem.
Dan
pls90,
I think this might work.
The system also has a “concurrent’ mod that allows more than one station to be on at the same time, Options>Station handling>uncheck sequential.
Instead of declaring one station as Master just schedule the one you use as master to turn 2-3 minutes before any other to give time for pressure to build. Then schedule one other station for the desired time. When the second station is done, keep the “master” running for a while and start the next one…
Dan
Hi Andrew,
That sounds like the system is not using the correct timezone.
I am in the process of doing a side-by-side comparison of the Python code that actually runs the stations and the javaScript simulation code that creates the timeline’s preview display. I’ll look for tz problems.Dan
@ Andrew,
Your description should be enough to locate the problem, I’ll let you know by private message if I need anything else.
Thanks.@ Samer,
I have seen the same error during routine testing. It happens pretty randomly but I will see if I can find the cause or at least handle the error. When I have seen it, It did not crash the program.
Dan
I think it makes sense for manual mode to override rain delay. It should be an easy tweak.
I’ll consider it unless someone has a reason not to.
Dan
Andrew,
Looks like your program #1 caused the a hiccup in the simulator routine that generates the data for the timeline. The duration of < 1min (30sec.) was not expected.
I added a couple of Math.ceil() functions to round up to 1 min. increments and it seems to be working properly now.
You can get the update from GitHub. Let me know how it goes.
Dan
@ Archades,
The coat hanger trick is described in this post:
http://rayshobby.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=559I mistook the long bolts you are using to mount the base plate for pins to mount the cover.
It would be good if you could post a zip of the OSPi folder that was having the problem. I am also a Windows user but I will be moving my software development to a Linux system before long. A really useful piece of free software for moving files between a Windows system and the Pi is Winscp:
http://winscp.net/eng/index.php
You can copy the old OSPi folder from the Pi and zip it up on your windows system. With Winscp you can view the files on the Pi from your Windows machine and even edit them.Dan
Thanks for the detailed feedback. That should give me what I need to find the problem.
Regarding the Timezone settings.
The Python program is now using the system time and tz setting from the Pi. The plan is to eliminate the Options setting but I am still finding places where it is used such as in the UI and I think possibly Samer’s mobile app.Another problem is that anyone who uses Ray’s pre-configured image file still needs to do some system set up on the Pi to set the correct time zone and possibly expand the partition size of the SD card.
Dan
Hmm…
Sometimes fixing one bug creates another.
Could you describe the settings for the programs that are not showing up? I will try to duplicate it an see what’s going on.
Regarding the time zone; be sure the timezone setting on the Pi itself is correct. Is the time shown on the home page correct?
Dan
Archades,
Glad to hear that the program is working now.
That’s a pretty fancy set up you’re building. Looks like you are using the coat hanger trick for attaching the cover. I find it makes things much easier, and when the CPU temp gets too high, I can just pop the cover off to help cool things down.
As far as making a zip of the clone directory, you can just download a zip of the contents directly from GitHub:
https://github.com/Dan-in-CA/OSPi
but I think that installing from the zip might cause problems with upgrading to new releases. The best source for information related to the software is the wiki:
http://rayshobby.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Python_Interval_Program_for_OSPiDan
Question:
Is your Pi set to the correct timezone?
If you type “date” in the terminal window does it give you the correct time, date, and timezone?
Dan
The easiest way to get a new install is to rename the current OSPi directory to something like OSPi-old and clone a new copy from GitHub.
1. From the pi home directory rename the current directory:
mv OSPi OSPi-old2. Clone a new copy:
git clone https://github.com/Dan-in-CA/OSPiThen reboot the Pi. That will give you a clean start.
I am still trying to get the program to give me the error but it has not yet misbehaved.
Dan
Hi rkovvur ,
There is one more step needed.
With your master valve selected in OPTIONS you need to also open the STATIONS page. You will see a column of check boxes under “Activate Master” where you can select the stations you want to work with the master.
Dan
rederikus,
That’s a perfect candidate for a plugin!
I’ll make a note of the idea and, if no none else beats me to it, I see about cooking something up when things slow down a bit.
Dan
Hi Archades ,
I have been try to replicate the server error you have been getting but so far everything is working properly.
Can you describe more about what you are doing before the program gives the error? You mentioned “manual control”. Is that from the “Run Once” page or when the program is in manual mode?
The error you posted indicates the program is not getting correct data when the program page tries to load but I can.t see where the bad date is coming from.
Dan
Hey Scott,
This could be useful, especially if it included input from a rain sensor. If it did not actually rain, or if the plugin checked NWS the following day to see how much rain there actually was it could adjust irrigation based on that.
Dan
