Getting a new emonpi up and running with old HW

Getting Started
1

I just took some of my old emonpi stuff from a drawer and order new SD to start up another emon machine.

The hardware is:
-raspberry
-sd card
-RFM12 radio direct on Pi

Software is:
-latest download of image file

I downloaded and installed the latest Emonpi software, boots and runs good except i get error message when trying to change keyboard layout in the raspi cofigurator.

But when i log into the new emonpi i cant get any feeds or anything, there is no communication with my EmonTH stations that is already in the house.

I already have one EmonPi running in the network. They operate on different IPs and the other one is working just fine.I tried changing station ID from 5 to 6 and it didnt help.

Is it not possible to run to EmonPi and have them both listening to the same EmonTH units?

Why does the fresh install of EmonPi software not pickup the signals from the radio on the Raspberry? Do i need to configure it in any way?

Cant get my head around this.

Also i followed instructions to start running the weather underground thing, and i only get error messages when following instructions typing exactly what is written on the page:
WeatherUnderground

In the emonpi configuration there is no reference to weather underground…

//GF

2

Do you have an RFM12Pi or an RFM69Pi ? It may be that the firmware in the RFM??Pi has been updated to work with an RFM69CW, when you have an RFM12B. I don’t know how or if this happens, but it is the first thing to check.
See Recompiling RFM69Pi firmware - #6 by adpeace
and https://wiki.openenergymonitor.org/index.php/RFM69Pi_V3

If this is the problem, then it looks as if changing the one line in the file firmware.ino

#define RF69_COMPAT 1
to
#define RF69_COMPAT 0

recompiling and reloading to your Pi should work (disclaimer: I’m not an expert on this side.)

I don’t see any reason for that to be the case. The messages are broadcast for any receiver within range to pick up, so two emonPi’s should be able to work together.

3

The most likely culprit if using a rfm12b based RFM2Pi is the com_baud setting in emonhub.conf, this will be set to 38400 for current emonPi or RFM69Pi, this will need to be 9600 when using a rfm12b RFM2Pi.

Also, what Robert describes above about incorrect firmware finding it’s way onto the RFM2Pi is very easily accomplished and not so easy to undo. DO NOT use the “Update RFM69Pi” Button in emoncms as it will install rfm69 based FW and stop the rfm12 based device from working. If you use the “Update emonPi” button instead, it will update the emonSD and fail to change the firmware (to the wrong one).

The issue with changing the keyboard layout I assume is using “raspi-config”, that will most likely be due to the read-only OS, try using

rpi-rw
sudo raspi-config

and then navigate the menus to change the keyboard as required.

4

I have RFM12B.

I did not do any firmware updates, as it says in the text that i should not update firmware if i am still no RFM12B.

How can i see if this is the problem?

The feeds should show up automatically right? I dont have to do, or configure anything for it to work if everything is correct?

//GF

5

I would expect so if you change the com_baud in emonhub.conf.

6

Getting a new emonpi up and running with old HW (thread title)

FWIW, It sounds as if he thinks he has two emonPis, when one of them is actually an emonBase.

7

That is correct, one is emon base.

Does it need another software image, as far as I could see they both run from the same image.

Sorry for using the wrong term there, one is base and the other is emonpi.

Skickat från min iPhone

8

Ok!

Changing BAUDRATE did the magic! Now its listening.

So, should i klick “Update emonPi” button, that is Ok?

(I read not to use the “update RFM69Pi”, so i avoided that)

Regarding keyboard i did make it writeable before i tried to change.

But still didnt work, it remembers that i changed to typ 105, but not to the swedish layout. Gives me a error message, something about I3. Ill check again when i get back home.

Now i have to transfer the database from the EmonPi to the EmonBase. Noticed the very nice import feature in new version, but could not manage to get the old data out of the 8.5 version.

Is there a esasy way to do this or does it all involve terminal commands?

(Tried to download filsystem reader to Windows to do this manually, but that didnt work as still i could only see the FAT partition of the SD card)

Thanks guys for the fast help!

//GF

9

You can update the (rfm12b RFM2Pi based) emonBase by using the “update emonPi” button.

However DO NOT try using ANY update button on the emonPi running v8.5 emoncms, this is a different image to the current one and updating it might stop it working.

What is it you plan to do? Are you replacing the emonPi with the RFM2Pi emonbase or going to run both?

You will need to search the forum for some info on upgrading from v8.5 emoncms to >v9 as there are differences that need dealing with, for example the way dashboards work will involve some rebuilding of you dashboards.

10

I just want to update the EmonPi to latest version.

There is no very important data on the EmonPi, and no Dashboards, but i have about 1 month of data from my building that i would like to keep when updating.

It would be nice to transfer that same data also to the emonBase.

I am using these two units mainly to learn the emonsystem and to monitor various things.

Now i am monitoring the ventilationsystem to make sure the heat recovery is working, and to se what temperatures i have in the bulding.

Last week i moved the emonTH to my car to monitour moisture as i had a leakage and got mold inside the car.

As you understand, i am using the system for many different things mainly to satisfy my curiosity.

However, right now i just want to do the update to the EmonPi to make sure EmonBase and EmonPi are both the same version.

And in the process i would like to migrate data from emonPi to emonBase.

Would be nice if the export/import feature did have a field for IP adress, user ID and password, and then just put them on the same network and let them do the migration by just punching the IP and userID + PW for the station that i would like to clone. However its not that simple :wink:

//GF

(I have two emon TH, one emon TX, one EmonPI, one Emon Base, pulse counter, CT clamps, temp sensors, humidity sensors… and i use it as it suits my needs for different applications)

11

To update from the v8.5 emoncms based image you would be best to just download a fresh copy of the latest image and put that on an SDcard for the emonPi, you could reuse the same SDcard currently used in the emonPi, (but an 8gb card is now recommended).

I cannot advise you on transferring your data, it’s not something I have much experience with. If the last months data was just “experimental” it might be easier to just start over with a clean image.