Setting up 2019 emontx3 and pi for the first time - new firmware and emoncms - can't get working devices, inputs, etc

Getting Started
,
1

I dug out an unused 2019 emon, updated the pi to the Nov2023 emonSD image, and updated the firmware on the emonTX3 to 3.4.0 continuous

I have copied the node config from the TX3 sketch’s example, my hub config is:

[hub]
    ### loglevel must be one of DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, and CRITICAL
    loglevel = DEBUG
    autoconf = 1

Interfacers

[interfacers]
    ### This interfacer manages the RFM12Pi/RFM69Pi/emonPi module
    [[EmonPi2]]
        Type = EmonHubOEMInterfacer
        [[[init_settings]]]
            com_port = /dev/ttyAMA0
            com_baud = 38400
        [[[runtimesettings]]]
            pubchannels = ToEmonCMS,
            subchannels = ToRFM12,
    
    [[USB0]]
        Type = EmonHubOEMInterfacer
        [[[init_settings]]]
            com_port = /dev/ttyUSB0
            com_baud = 115200
        [[[runtimesettings]]]
            pubchannels = ToEmonCMS,
            subchannels = ToRFM12,
            nodename = emonTx4
    
    [[SPI]]
        Type = EmonHubRFM69LPLInterfacer
        [[[init_settings]]]
            nodeid = 5
            networkID = 210
        [[[runtimesettings]]]
            pubchannels = ToEmonCMS,
    
    
    [[MQTT]]
        Type = EmonHubMqttInterfacer
        [[[init_settings]]]
            mqtt_host = 127.0.0.1
            mqtt_port = 1883
            mqtt_user = emonpi
            mqtt_passwd = emonpimqtt2016
        
        [[[runtimesettings]]]
            pubchannels = ToRFM12,
            subchannels = ToEmonCMS,
            
            # emonhub/rx/10/values format
            # Use with emoncms Nodes module
            node_format_enable = 0
            node_format_basetopic = emonhub/
            
            # emon/emontx/power1 format - use with Emoncms MQTT input
            # http://github.com/emoncms/emoncms/blob/master/docs/RaspberryPi/MQTT.md
            nodevar_format_enable = 1
            nodevar_format_basetopic = emon/
            
            # Single JSON payload published  - use with Emoncms MQTT
            node_JSON_enable = 0
            node_JSON_basetopic = emon/
    
    [[emoncmsorg]]
        Type = EmonHubEmoncmsHTTPInterfacer
        [[[init_settings]]]
        [[[runtimesettings]]]
            pubchannels = ToRFM12,
            subchannels = ToEmonCMS,
            url = https://emoncms.org
            apikey = xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
            senddata = 1    # Enable sending data to Emoncms.org
            sendnames = 1    # Send full input names (compression will be automatically enabled)
            interval = 30    # Bulk send interval to Emoncms.org in seconds

Nodes

[nodes]
[[15]]
  nodename = emonTx3cm15
  [[[rx]]]
    names = MSG, Vrms, P1, P2, P3, P4, E1, E2, E3, E4, T1, T2, T3, pulse
    datacodes = L,h,h,h,h,h,l,l,l,l,h,h,h,L
    scales = 1,0.01,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0.01,0.01,0.01,1
    units = n,V,W,W,W,W,Wh,Wh,Wh,Wh,C,C,C,p

I get scrolling data in the hub log which I take as meaning the devices are communicating:

2024-07-31 03:54:45,140 DEBUG    MainThread Signal 15 received.
2024-07-31 03:54:45,184 INFO     MainThread Exiting hub...
2024-07-31 03:54:45,525 INFO     MainThread Exit completed
2024-07-31 03:54:47,857 INFO     MainThread EmonHub v2.6.13
2024-07-31 03:54:47,858 INFO     MainThread Opening hub...
2024-07-31 03:54:47,859 INFO     MainThread Running as user: pi
2024-07-31 03:54:47,860 INFO     MainThread Logging level set to DEBUG
2024-07-31 03:54:47,860 INFO     MainThread Creating EmonHubOEMInterfacer 'EmonPi2'
2024-07-31 03:54:47,863 DEBUG    MainThread Opening serial port: /dev/ttyAMA0 @ 38400 bits/s
2024-07-31 03:54:47,865 INFO     MainThread Creating EmonHubOEMInterfacer 'USB0'
2024-07-31 03:54:47,867 ERROR    MainThread Could not open serial port: /dev/ttyUSB0 @ 115200 bits/s (retry every 10s)
2024-07-31 03:54:47,869 INFO     MainThread Creating EmonHubRFM69LPLInterfacer 'SPI'
2024-07-31 03:54:47,890 INFO     MainThread Creating RFM69 LowPowerLabs interfacer
2024-07-31 03:54:47,891 INFO     MainThread RFM69 node_id = 5
2024-07-31 03:54:47,891 INFO     MainThread RFM69 network_id = 210
2024-07-31 03:54:47,892 INFO     MainThread RFM69 interruptPin = 22
2024-07-31 03:54:47,892 INFO     MainThread RFM69 resetPin = None
2024-07-31 03:54:47,893 INFO     MainThread RFM69 selPin = 26
2024-07-31 03:54:47,893 INFO     MainThread Starting radio setup
2024-07-31 03:54:47,994 ERROR    MainThread Could not connect to RFM69 module
2024-07-31 03:54:47,995 DEBUG    MainThread Setting SPI pubchannels: ['ToEmonCMS']
2024-07-31 03:54:47,997 INFO     MainThread Creating EmonHubMqttInterfacer 'MQTT'
2024-07-31 03:54:48,000 DEBUG    MainThread Setting MQTT pubchannels: ['ToRFM12']
2024-07-31 03:54:48,001 DEBUG    MainThread Setting MQTT subchannels: ['ToEmonCMS']
2024-07-31 03:54:48,002 INFO     MainThread Setting MQTT node_format_enable: 0
2024-07-31 03:54:48,002 INFO     MainThread Setting MQTT nodevar_format_enable: 1
2024-07-31 03:54:48,003 INFO     MainThread Setting MQTT nodevar_format_basetopic: emon/
2024-07-31 03:54:48,003 INFO     MainThread Setting MQTT node_JSON_enable: 0
2024-07-31 03:54:48,005 INFO     MainThread Creating EmonHubEmoncmsHTTPInterfacer 'emoncmsorg'
2024-07-31 03:54:48,008 DEBUG    MainThread Setting emoncmsorg interval: 30
2024-07-31 03:54:48,009 DEBUG    MainThread Setting emoncmsorg pubchannels: ['ToRFM12']
2024-07-31 03:54:48,009 DEBUG    MainThread Setting emoncmsorg subchannels: ['ToEmonCMS']
2024-07-31 03:54:48,010 WARNING  MainThread Setting emoncmsorg apikey: obscured
2024-07-31 03:54:48,010 INFO     MainThread Setting emoncmsorg url: https://emoncms.org
2024-07-31 03:54:48,011 INFO     MainThread Setting emoncmsorg senddata: 1
2024-07-31 03:54:48,011 INFO     MainThread Setting emoncmsorg sendstatus: 0
2024-07-31 03:54:48,012 INFO     MainThread Setting emoncmsorg sendnames: 1
2024-07-31 03:54:48,013 INFO     MainThread Setting emoncmsorg compress: 0
2024-07-31 03:54:48,014 DEBUG    MainThread Automatic configuration of nodes enabled
2024-07-31 03:54:53,202 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 040C7B6F8A7DCDDD332BE938BC6ACB1CC7EFCF8BE9 (D6)
2024-07-31 03:54:54,107 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 153C4095CC (DA)
2024-07-31 03:54:54,815 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 188ED7EF01F09B759F09A33E8076FBF6E82B79482F (D7)
2024-07-31 03:54:57,428 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 1EE58F2223619E284FEE3DB1232AD992F678763AD5 (DB)
2024-07-31 03:54:58,437 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 0261528E6322B58B727ED2976217483E89F47FDC41 (D9)
2024-07-31 03:54:59,445 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 1E35F940DDB5EBAB194773A863F2166D54B73BE121 (DA)
2024-07-31 03:54:59,551 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 0C3D0B476FB4F5B493F7ABC0FF7C47AC2A339AEAE3 (D8)
2024-07-31 03:55:01,864 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 17B2FE4EC0B97394F7F2BF04438B2EDE27E3CDECA2 (DB)
2024-07-31 03:55:03,273 DEBUG    EmonPi2    ?X 1CBA48F19345B12BAB861B7EE67E109FB4D757DD71 (DB)

But trying to set up a device in the Devices tab with OEM/EmonTX Continuous/Home energy monitor with a Node of ‘15’ or ‘emonTx3cm15’ or ‘EmonPi2’ I get nothing. The device stays at updated = “n/a”

What am I doing wrong?

The TX3 1.4.0 has three CTs attached on two power circuits and one solar line. The closest things I could find in the community was talk about updating after the default nodes changed to 15, mine was delivered with node 15 originally and the new firmware reports it is node 15 still.

2

It’s working now. No idea what was wrong. Perhaps it was my update of the RFM69pi to the newer firmware, that at least would make sense of the encoded data I was receiving.

1 Like
3

Welcome, Adam, to the OEM forum.

No, I’ve no idea either what went wrong, but clearly something sorted itself out and I’m glad you’re in business.

4

The steps I took, just in case someone with a similar problem finds this.

  1. I updated the firmware for the RFM69pi in the pi, on the update screen of emoncms
  2. I insulated (with tape) the underside of the antenna for the RFM69pi as the solder was rather close to a GPIO pin
  3. I updated the emonTX3 to the latest firmware matching the firmware I pushed to the RFM69pi
  4. I re-imaged the pi with the latest suitable software (the pi1 version of the 20Nov2023 emonSD)
  5. I power cycled the emonTX3 and rebooted the pi