Basics for networking with Huzzah

[JNewcomb]

Hi, been lurking on the list trying to absorb enough information to get my OpenEVSE on my home network. I managed to get a Huzzah (ESP8266) WiFi module for playing around from Adafruit. Also have a new OpenEVSE ver 4 board on my desktop and would like to get it communicating before I swap out for working unit in my garage. I have been happily using it to charge my 2015 Spark EV for a couple of months now and would like to get more information than what the Onstar service provides.

Can someone give me some pointers on what I need to load into the Huzzah, how to configure the FTDI port, and accessible 12 volt pins on the OpenEVSE board. I am using the Arduino 1.65 IDE on Ubuntu 15.04.

Thanks

[chris1howell .]

The quick guide to uploading the code is...

Setup Arduino for the Huzzah module with the guide on Adafruit.com

Download the RAPI ESP8266 sketch from Github under user chris1howell.

Pick the huzzah board and comm port and programmer esptool

Press and hold Gpio 0 button and press reset to go into bootloader mode.

Upload sketch.

[Danny ter Haar]

With Chris's great help I have done this this on debian linux so fairly similar to your ubuntu setup.

first clone the source:

git clone https://github.com/chris1howell/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266

Configure the IDE

Basically follow this guide: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-huzzah-esp8266-breakout/using-arduino-ide

to enable the specific settings in the IDE for the huzzah

Configure the usb<->ftdi serial in the IDE (mine was /dev/ttyUSB0 ) 

When I compiled and uploaded it to the Huzzah I got:

Sketch uses 305,844 bytes (29%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1,044,464 bytes.

Global variables use 50,840 bytes (62%) of dynamic memory, leaving 31,080 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81,920 bytes.

Uploading 309984 bytes from /tmp/build5089984793656488851.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp.bin to flash at 0x00000000

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I reconnected it to the OpenEvse .

I normally use my tablet configure stuff like this.

When you scan , you will see/find an OpenEVSE accesspoint

SSID OpenEVSE

Password openevse

connect your browser to  http://192.168.4.1

That is where you should be able to choose your local wifi AP and the password to gain access to it.

Let us know how it went.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I found that powering the Huzzah from the 12V was not necessary and also it created a lot of heat. So just connect the FTDI bus and the Huzzah will steal some available milliamps from the 5V on the FTDI bus. Swap the RX and TX within your FTDI wiring so you don't end up with RX facing RX. 

The firmware Chris wrote will upload data to an Emoncms server and now he is hosting such a server. 

Hi, been lurking on the list trying to absorb enough information to get my OpenEVSE on my home network. I managed to get a Huzzah (ESP8266) WiFi module for playing around from Adafruit. Also have a new OpenEVSE ver 4 board on my desktop and would like to get it communicating before I swap out for working unit in my garage. I have been happily using it to charge my 2015 Spark EV for a couple of months now and would like to get more information than what the Onstar service provides.

Can someone give me some pointers on what I need to load into the Huzzah, how to configure the FTDI port, and accessible 12 volt pins on the OpenEVSE board. I am using the Arduino 1.65 IDE on Ubuntu 15.04.

Thanks

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[Danny ter Haar]

On Friday, July 24, 2015 at 11:27:42 AM UTC-7, Craig Kirkpatrick wrote:

I found that powering the Huzzah from the 12V was not necessary and also it created a lot of heat. So just connect the FTDI bus and the Huzzah will steal some available milliamps from the 5V on the FTDI bus. Swap the RX and TX within your FTDI wiring so you don't end up with RX facing RX. 

The firmware Chris wrote will upload data to an Emoncms server and now he is hosting such a server. 

I did take off the 5 Volt load resistor from the openevse mainboard to give a little bit more "air" to the powersupply.

I think that when the openevse you can see in the display contract level how the voltage fluctuates for a while and then stabilizes.

  

[JNewcomb]

Well okay guys, thanks for the pointers. So far I have got the Hazzah uploaded and appears to be trying to talk. I did not get the exact same information in the Arduino IDE:

Sketch uses 303,520 bytes (29%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1,044,464 bytes.

Global variables use 50,876 bytes (62%) of dynamic memory, leaving 31,044 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81,920 bytes.

Uploading 307664 bytes from /tmp/build4355514756649117244.tmp/OpenEVSE_Rapi_Wifi_ESP8266.cpp.bin to flash at 0x00000000

$GG*B2^7E

$GP*BB^19

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2015 00:28:06 GMT

Server: Apache/2.2.22 (Ubuntu)

X-Powered-By: PHP/5.3.10-1ubuntu3.16

Content-Length: 5

Connection: close

Content-Type: application/json

falseconnecting to www.emoncms.org

Requesting URL: /emoncms/input/post.json?node=1&json={OpenEVSE_AMP:0,OpenEVSE_PILOT:0}&apikey=��������������������������������

closing connection

Maybe I had an earlier file from other attempts at figuring this all out. While still connected to my console cable, I see in the serial monitor that it is trying to talk to OpenEVSE with RAPI commands and then going to Emoncms. So so far, so good I think.

Next I will use a suicide cord for 120 VAC input to AC_LINE terminals and jumper FTDI to Huzzah. Judging from Danny's response, I will need to change an old laptop to the same subnet in network properties in order to see and configure. From then on it should be on my home network wireless, unless I am misunderstanding.

My next steps will be to create a Emoncms.org account and start another learning adventure.

Thanks for the hand holding, I am sure it will help others going down this road.

[chris1howell .]

looks good, ow you need to setup your user on data.openevse.com.

Here is the guide:

http://openevse.dozuki.com/Guide/OpenEVSE+WiFi+%28Beta%29/14

If you need help along the way, let me know and I can go into the server and help create your feeds and dashboard.

--

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I usually use my iPad, join the EVSE network, then bring up a browser at the IP address mentioned already. Then you should see available networks the Huzzah can join, enter the SSID and password for the one you wish. Cold boot the OpenEVSE/Huzzah combo and you should see status on the LCD of success connecting. Then on your Emoncms you can look at inputs and you'll see data updating if the sensors are there, probably you'll see one of the temperatures giving a true reading.

You are right that Emoncms is its own learning but you'll have fun figuring it out and crafting your own dashboard design.

[JNewcomb]

My plan was to get this working on the bench, but I have moved on to installing it in the enclosure. The version 4 board has different mounting holes, so maybe I will modify my old version 2.5? board. The terminals are a bit different also, may need some research before replacing the older board. Removing the surface mount resistor, R28, is not for the squeamish. I got it off, but it is not pretty.

Looking at the serial monitor in Arduino IDE, it looks like the RGB display and button can be used to join the network. I see it listing my SSID and numbered choices. Will this do the same as web interface?

Thanks for all your help, I am starting to get a better picture of how this all works together now. If I can get it on network tomorrow, I will tackle the Emoncms data trending.

 

[JNewcomb]

Okay, another silly question. Does the firmware need to be greater than 3.7.8?  When I fired up with new version 4 board I do not see options for power. With wireless PC, I see the OpenEVSE and can connect to that access point, but no page ever loads at 192.168.4.1.

I am going to make a stab at this and check TX/RX, might explain some of this.

Thanks,

[JNewcomb]

I found my serial connection was in error, did not skip first pin on Huzzah board. Now I am getting connecting on OpenEVSE RGB display. Still, when I point wireless at OPENEVSE and connect using password openevse, I can not bring up webpage to enter home network information. At this point I will remove Huzzah and upload latest from Git Clone command.

Thanks,

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I found I also had trouble bringing up a new ESP8266 with the latest build from Chris.  I think I figured out that the reason is that I can't reach his data.openevse.com server to post my data (I'm just guessing??). Honestly there are enough other possibilities why my data wasn't reaching his server that I cannot say for sure what is the problem.  I'll do some testing early tomorrow morning to be sure we can all post data to his server and narrow down the real cause of the trouble.

I retreated to an older version of Chris' code I use on all of my other ESP8266 modules and posting data to www.emoncms.org  It is now working nicely with the new ESP8266 module I'm bringing online.

I'm trying to stay focused on the task at hand today which is making real progress finishing my Steampunk EVSE build.  That is why I'm putting off debugging this until tomorrow.  I just thought I'd let you know you may want to not knock your head against a wall too hard since maybe there is some problem preventing your progress just like I witnessed.

I'll have something to report in the morning tomorrow.

-Craig K

[chris1howell .]

I will have to do some testing as well...

I just brought up a new user on the Server today. All seems okay.

[JNewcomb]

Yes, banging head on workbench, re-flashing, different results in serial monitor, install in enclosure, and can not connect to web interface. Started to notice a pattern though, going back and uploading Adafruits web example it says it works fine on the desktop. This calls for me to edit my network SSID and password to hard code into sketch. After re-flashing the GIT Clone version for ESP8266, it shows up on my network and starts chatting to Emoncms, but without a write key. Leads me to believe some information will stay in EEPROM and will fail to start access point routine. The RGB LCD is displaying connected until I press the button. My router shows a host name of ESP_A5D03A with same MAC address and I can ping it when this way also. After maybe two flashes, I get back to access point, join and no web page.

Take your time, it looks to be charging properly, I do get some KW number when connected, so it is working.

I am grateful for you taking the time from your new projects to throw some ideas my way.

Have fun with it!

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Sorry for your frustrations.  It really should be easy for anyone to add the Huzzah module.  I wanted to alert you to quit for today after I ran into trouble myself with the latest approach since I've successfully done this a dozen times and I spun my wheels for 90 minutes today before I retreated to some older methods.  That's why I said hold off until Chris and I wring it out a bit since we really know what to expect and what to look for and some not-so-obvious debugging approaches.  Probably by noon Pacific time we'll be able to suggest the path to real progress.

Here is a peek at the innards of my new build.  Probably the only things unrecognizable are the circular board which is the RealTimeClock chip we use but not on a typical LCD backpack and the buck regulator I'm using to get more milliamps at 5V by converting unused available power from the 12V supply.  If I stay on schedule I'll post the finished build mid-day tomorrow.  Here is the link to what I'm chasing, the Steampunk EVSE buildoff contest: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/openevse/v8_jJCVC4ws

.

[Alan]

This looks like fun. Does the DIY board have the minimum load resistor? I have the version with the power supply on board but external relays. It has the resistors standing up to save room. V2 I think

Thanks,
Alan

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Alan, if you are asking me about the DIY board then I have to say I'm the wrong person to answer that question.

Anyone curious about the controller board in my photo; it is a pre-production pilot-run V4 controller, identical in functionality to what you can buy today from the OpenEV store.

-Craig K.

[Glenn Drayer]

The DIY ver 2 board adds the load resistors and the current metering. Otherwise it is the same as the ver 1 board but with vertical  resistors.

I had some ver2 boards made up for an external dual voltage supply since you can get a 12V and 5V 1A supply for around $6 shipped on Ebay. It just makes a larger package.

Jeff did the changes for me. He also pointed out a China source of ten boards for $25 shipped. That is why I have extra boards. It is still cheaper than OHS Park. It just takes longer.

It is extremely nice that Chris did the design work and then placed the design into public domain. That lets an unskilled user like me assemble boards.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Basics for networking with Huzzah
From: Alan <alansni...@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, July 25, 2015 7:23 pm
To: OpenEVSE <open...@googlegroups.com>

This looks like fun. Does the DIY board have the minimum load resistor? I have the version with the power supply on board but external relays. It has the resistors standing up to save room. V2 I think

Thanks,
Alan

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I just took a fresh module I've never used.  I followed the Adafruit approach and I entered the url for the board manager.  Then in the board manager I installed the ESP8266 with all of the variants including the Huzzah module.  I then chose the Huzzah module.  I like that the updated board manager give output like this after the compile since it didn't used to tell how much space was still remaining.

Sketch uses 305,896 bytes (29%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1,044,464 bytes.

Global variables use 50,988 bytes (62%) of dynamic memory, leaving 30,932 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81,920 bytes.

I connected the newly programmed module in place of the one I was using yesterday.  Upon powerup I see the usual behaviour shown on the LCD.  I'm able to use my iPad to connect to the SSID and password.  But then trying to bring up the page at 192.168.4.1 I get nothing.  Usually I would expect to get the list of access points where I can enter mine and its password and my write key.  I do not get that at all.  This is exactly what JNewcomb has being knocking his head against.  Chris, double check this yourself and figure out what changed.  One guess is that the latest library brought in with the latest board manager is somehow breaking your code.  Yesterday I was able to succeed with month old code and not having updated my board manager to the latest yet.  It isn't fun fixing code that was working perfectly simply because the library code was updated.  Yucky aggravating frustrating work.

On Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 12:36:00 PM UTC-7, JNewcomb wrote:

[chris1howell .]

Okay, I will check. Sounds like everyone is having the same issue.

--

[chris1howell .]

I cleaned up the web server code a bit. Unfortunately, I was unable to reproduce the issue with a fresh module and the Arduino Environment I setup a few weeks ago.

I will have to test Craig's theory that the newest board manager breaks the code.

BTW... Danny this is the output I get from the Arduino IDE when uploading.

Sketch uses 214,772 bytes (40%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes.

Uploading 37264 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_00000.bin to flash at 0x00000000

.....................................

Uploading 177544 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_40000.bin to flash at 0x00040000

..............................................................................................................................................................................

[Danny ter Haar]

*updated with more info * _twice_ ;-)

On Monday, July 27, 2015 at 1:33:20 PM UTC-7, Chris wrote:

I cleaned up the web server code a bit. Unfortunately, I was unable to reproduce the issue with a fresh module and the Arduino Environment I setup a few weeks ago.

I will have to test Craig's theory that the newest board manager breaks the code.

BTW... Danny this is the output I get from the Arduino IDE when uploading.

Sketch uses 214,772 bytes (40%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes.

Uploading 37264 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_00000.bin to flash at 0x00000000

.....................................

Uploading 177544 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_40000.bin to flash at 0x00040000

..............................................................................................................................................................................

I just received 3 fresh huzzah boards today from arduino

I tried a bit with minicom and the serial commands to control the LED.

Then I pulled the latest code with git, compiled and uploaded and was greeted with the OPENEVSE SSID.

I pulled out my "old" huzzah board from my openevse, uploaded same code:

Sketch uses 246,564 bytes (47%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes.
Uploading 34816 bytes from /tmp/build2577457243085396515.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_00000.bin to flash at 0x00000000
..................................
Uploading 211784 bytes from /tmp/build2577457243085396515.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_10000.bin to flash at 0x00010000
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Full detail view can be found here:

http://pastebin.com/kR8G9tQp

The differences between  your code and mine is that my second batch of code is loaded at 0x10000 vs your 0x40000

plus the length: 

first part: 

Yours: 37264 bytes  vs 34816 on mine

second part:

Yours: 177544 bytes vs 211784 on mine

I used my phone to log on to the web server, copied my local ssid/passwd and my write API code .

returned it back to the openevse setup 

I don't see any updates yet on the dashboard though.

But it gave me the webpage at least and the ability to enter the needed credentials again.

Something I wasn't able to do last few days

Anyone else has success story to share ?

[chris1howell .]

Danny I see data... but I messed up...

I had changed the default node id from 0 to 1 at some point in my coding. So I took the opportunity to add a configurable node ID on the setup page for those who have more than 1 OpenEVSE setup.

Try the new code I sent up to GITHUB (Danny chose 0 that is where your charts are looking).

On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 3:15 PM, Danny ter Haar <from...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Monday, July 27, 2015 at 1:33:20 PM UTC-7, Chris wrote:

I cleaned up the web server code a bit. Unfortunately, I was unable to reproduce the issue with a fresh module and the Arduino Environment I setup a few weeks ago.

I will have to test Craig's theory that the newest board manager breaks the code.

BTW... Danny this is the output I get from the Arduino IDE when uploading.

Sketch uses 214,772 bytes (40%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes.

Uploading 37264 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_00000.bin to flash at 0x00000000

.....................................

Uploading 177544 bytes from C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Local\Temp\build2092018949119281335.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_40000.bin to flash at 0x00040000

..............................................................................................................................................................................

I just received 3 fresh huzzah boards today from arduino

I tried a bit with minicom and the serial commands to control the LED.

Then I pulled the latest code with git, compiled and uploaded and was greeted with the OPENEVSE SSID.

I pulled out my "old" huzzah board from my openevse, uploaded same code:

Sketch uses 246,564 bytes (47%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes.
Uploading 34816 bytes from /tmp/build2577457243085396515.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_00000.bin to flash at 0x00000000
..................................
Uploading 211784 bytes from /tmp/build2577457243085396515.tmp/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266.cpp_10000.bin to flash at 0x00010000
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................

The only thing different from yours is that my second batch of code is loaded at 0x10000 vs your 0x40000

I used my tablet to log on to the web server, copied my local ssid/passwd and my write API .

[Danny ter Haar]

On Monday, July 27, 2015 at 4:43:02 PM UTC-7, Chris wrote:

Danny I see data... but I messed up...

I had changed the default node id from 0 to 1 at some point in my coding. So I took the opportunity to add a configurable node ID on the setup page for those who have more than 1 OpenEVSE setup.

Try the new code I sent up to GITHUB (Danny chose 0 that is where your charts are looking).

Data is flowing again!

Chris is the best remote debugger I've ever met. 

And he is so patient with newbies , so impressive  ;-)

This is what it looks like when you the wifi modules starts up as an Access Point (AP)

You fill out your own wifi AP, the passcode and your write ID you got when you signed up on chris's server

New is that you now can have more than one wifi/openevse combination at your home. very cool Chris!

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I find it odd that our sketch sizes are so completely different and that mine says up to 1M of code space exists and you guys are getting 512K code space shown available. That is why I suspect the board manager entry for the Huzzah module is leading to trouble. Now that I moved to the latest board manager entry I'm wondering how I can undo it and step back a month. I'm not sure if it is possible. When I get home I'll check the Adafruit discussion board to see if it seems to be a known problem or not.

I really like your enhancement Chris. I have six modules I use. After finishing the Steampunk OpenEVSE four of the modules are in functioning EVSEs and I have another two I use in experiments. I have been editing the node number in the source code and keeping it aligned with each module. I'll enjoy just entering in the setup page when I have that working again.

[chris1howell .]

Sorry the node ID took so long Craig... I wrote the HTML side when we talked about the idea last. It took messing up the node ID on Github to motivate me. The EEPROM code was so confusing i deleted most of it and started over. It is so much easier to understand now...

I hope 9 IDs is enough...

On Jul 27, 2015 7:43 PM, "Craig Kirkpatrick" <crai...@comcast.net> wrote:

I find it odd that our sketch sizes are so completely different and that mine says up to 1M of code space exists and you guys are getting 512K code space shown available. That is why I suspect the board manager entry for the Huzzah module is leading to trouble. Now that I moved to the latest board manager entry I'm wondering how I can undo it and step back a month. I'm not sure if it is possible.  When I get home I'll check the Adafruit discussion board to see if it seems to be a known problem or not.

I really like your enhancement Chris. I have six modules I use.  After finishing the Steampunk OpenEVSE four of the modules are in functioning EVSEs and I have another two I use in experiments.  I have been editing the node number in the source code and keeping it aligned with each module. I'll enjoy just entering in the setup page when I have that working again.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Nine should be enough for me I hope :-) . Thanks again for everything you do.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I took a close look this morning at the Adafruit discussion board and didn't see anything posted that would match the trouble we are seeing.  Then I took a closer look a the board manager and libraries and such. Following the link to the GitHub for the Arduino support of the ESP8266 I read this changelog:

https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino/blob/esp8266/hardware/esp8266com/esp8266/doc/changes.md
There was a change "Add Adafruit HUZZAH board" on July 23rd.  JNewcomb began his efforts on July 24.

All of this is supporting my theory that something was inadvertently broken with the Huzzah board entry in the board manager.

I may play with treating it as a generic ESP8266 tonight to see if that solves the problem.

Finding that GitHub also gives me a path to roll back to the earlier board manager I think.

[JNewcomb]

Craig, thanks so much for working this issue. I have only found one reference on ESP8266 community forum:

http://www.esp8266.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4202

Same theory as you, update on board manager file.

On my second post it looked like it was working, however, I never entered my SSID/password. Only on the Adafruit example before uploading OpenEVSE_ESP8266. Makes me think memory remains after upload and code reads, connects, skips the EEprom erase, and errors without write key. Maybe second issue, but repeated upload gives different results in serial monitor.

I am still stuck at connecting to Openevse, entering password, and no webpage displayed for entering my credentials. Is there anyway to edit code and directly reference my information? I know we want an easy web interface and this would be a step backwards, but could turn up issue in board file.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

My advice to anyone who has the Huzzah working nicely is do not load the latest boards manager.  It seems to break what we had working nicely and so far I haven't figured out a simple way to retreat to the older version.  The guy who posted on the ESP8266 community forum is seeing exactly what we are seeing with his own project - lucky for him he has two PCs and he's able to take his same sketch and it works fine on the previous version which seems pretty darned clear that something was broken in the July 23 release.

Last night I tried using the generic esp8266 board entry instead of the Huzzah and it made no difference.  At some point a few weeks ago I was able to use the generic esp8266 board entry instead of the Huzzah board because moving to Arduino 1.6.5 from Arduino 1.6.4 somehow didn't list the Huzzah board anymore and I hadn't yet attempted to pull down the latest board manager.

Next experiment for me may be to remove Arduino 1.6.5 and load the Arduino 1.6.4   I'm not sure if that is really going to help me at all since the way third party boards are loaded we just have a url that points to the board manager for it and I haven't figured out how to point back to the early release.  Frustrating.

I'll ask for some help by raising an issue thru Github and hopefully we can at least get a quick work-around method if not a true fix.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I'm working on the this. I have not made progress to report. I just want to let you know this is something I'll work to solve.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I've posted requests for help.  Rick from Adafruit understands, but recognizes we all depend upon the Arduino Esp8266 small team of open source contributors.  I've gently asked the Esp8266 guys for help.  Like every one of us they have day jobs.  With luck we may have a fix or workaround before Monday I hope.

I'm staying on top of this, very interested and committed to getting us back to a point where we can modify and improve the code that Chris began and that I rely upon.

I'll try to post updates daily.

[chris1howell .]

I saw the Arduino ESP github page has a old release listed as Stable and the July 30 as Staging. Is it possible to load the old Stable release?

--

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Yay, I made some progress.  Take a look at this discussion thread for the details: https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino/issues/640

I'm able to take Chris' latest OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266 code and with a modification I'm able to run it on the Huzzah module.

What I found was that I must still have some bits of the new library in place and it breaks the deep sleep mode; basically it does not wake correctly from deep sleep as far as I can tell.  The result is it uploads one data point to the emoncms server and then never uploads anything again.

I substituted a simple delay instead of the deep sleep and had to be sure I initialized the url variable so it would not keep += itself infinitely.

https://github.com/craigk46/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266/archive/master.zip

It is not 100% fixed yet but at least I have a way to get up and running fairly normally.  What really needs to be fixed by the Esp8266 Arduino team is whatever is broken in the latest board manager.  Also needing fixed is the deep sleep behavior and that is its own problem to investigate.  I'll see if other people are reporting trouble with deep sleep or figure out if it is something we need to fix in our code.

I'm using Arduino IDE 1.6.4 at the moment and I'll test whether Arduino IDE 1.6.5 makes any difference or not to this situation.  Previously I was on the 1.6.5 but in all of my debug efforts I uninstalled it and put 1.6.4 back in place.  

I almost forgot.  Using the older board manager entry drops the convenient "Huzzah" board entry but the generic one works.  Here is a screen capture of my settings that are working OK.

.

[chris1howell .]

Craig. Do you have the jumper wire from GPIO 16 to RST, it is required to wake up.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Ahh, that could be the problem with recovering from deep sleep.  I'll give that a try right now and let you know.

[chris1howell .]

I forgot the same thing on the module I sent to Danny...

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

OK.  Your code is working perfectly now.  Deep Sleep is working fine after I added the jumper from GPIO16 to RST.

Honestly I'd been working with the Huzzah modules with code from early June and I didn't stay in step with your latest revisions.  So I never put a jumper on any of the eight Huzzah modules I have.  I need to retrofit that to my modules so I can stay hardware compatible with your latest code.  I really like the addition you made for setting the node number.  Nifty.

What this also means is that getting a new installation of the Arduino IDE working fine is much simpler (I had assumed some library was broken still, I was wrong).  

1. Use this URL in the Arduino preferences: http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
   
2. Then Tools: Board: Boards Manager...  be sure to install the ESP8266  (scroll to the bottom to find it)
   
3. Go back to the preferences and replace the URL with http://arduino.esp8266.com/versions/1.6.4-673-g8cd3697/package_esp8266com_index.json
   
4. Then Tools: Board: Boards Manager... be sure to install the ESP8266 again or be sure it shows already installed
   
5. Then Tools: Board: Generic ESP8266 Module  (Huzzah isn't listed in this old board manager but it works just fine as Generic)
   
6. I found the default settings for the board are fine.  I still need to learn what the SPIFFS thing is all about but it doesn't seem to matter really if you leave it as the default.
   
7. compiling it as of today says  "Sketch uses 246,252 bytes (46%) of program storage space. Maximum is 524,288 bytes."
8. If you get something saying ...Maximum is a megabyte then begin at step 1 and pay closer attention this time.   :-)

With some luck, this workaround won't be needed soon.  We're waiting for the ESP8266 Arduino team to recognize and fix what is broken in their latest board manager.

[JNewcomb]

Hi Craig, I got a chance to try out your instructions this afternoon and I got a little farther, but now I am stuck. It now shows me the webpage and after entering my SSID, password, & Emoncms write key, I am presented with saving and restarting network. Wireless OpenEVSE drops off my network wireless connection for a short time, but comes back as same I/P address of 192.168.4.1. The RGBLCD never changes, keeps displaying same I/P and password. So I can now login and enter my credentials, just does not stick.

From snippets of code I think I understand, looks like it should speak back and say erasing EEPROM ####. I have the jumper in place, #16 to RST. Since it displays the I/P, I assume it is talking to the version 4 board okay. Noticed that I now have a flash size showing up with 1.6.4 board definition, I set that to 4 meg. as in Adafruit example.

Thanks for your efforts.

Arduino 1.6.5

OpenEVSE version 4

Generic_ESP8266 board definition

Ubuntu 15.4

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

The Esp8266 code has evolved a bit. With the latest stuff, once you set the SSID and password etc it will just quietly begin doing things in the background after a power up from completely off. It really does need at least that one reset.

Then the LCD stays quiet. The module posts the amperage and temperatures and a bit more data to the server. Check your server and click on inputs and you should see the stuff updating about every 30 seconds.

[JNewcomb]

Craig, I tried the reboot and it is in a tug of war on the display, part I/P, part current/watts. My little Spark started charging from unplug/plug operation. I will give it a try with a fresh module from Adafruit tomorrow.

Guess I need to pull down newest ESP8266 code to see what happens. I am copying and pasting Emoncms write key in my browser, so I do not think I got that wrong. What else would cause it to go back to default state and not join my network?

I really appreciate the help, I am so close to logging data.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Hmm, I've been working today with the latest stuff that Chris has for download https://github.com/chris1howell/OpenEVSE_RAPI_WiFi_ESP8266/archive/master.zip

The behavior I see is that it writes to the LCD to tell you how to reach it as an access point.  You attach to it from a pc or tablet as if it were another router.  Then browse to the page that lets you enter your home router and password and write key and node number (leave the node as zero unless you know why you want to change it).  Click submit.  Change the computer or tablet back to your real home router SSID since you shouldn't need to reach the OpenEVSE access point again.  Power off and  back on the OpenEVSE.  Then you should be seeing updates at your emoncms inputs.

I think Chris added something where it would go back to letting you enter the SSID etc again if it failed to login to your home router.  Make sure your home router SSID and password are entered correctly on that page.  Also some routers let you maintain a list of trusted MAC addresses as an additional layer of security so possibly that can explain it (I'm stretching to think of things at this point).

[Danny ter Haar]

On Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 6:51:20 PM UTC-7, JNewcomb wrote:

 What else would cause it to go back to default state and not join my network?

I really appreciate the help, I am so close to logging data.

What kind of encryption does your Access Point use ?

WPA2 or WEP ? 

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Another good approach is to keep it connected to your FTDI cable after programming the module from the Arduino IDE.  Then open the serial monitor in the IDE and click the reset button on the Huzzah module.  With the serial monitor set to 115200 with both NL and CR, you will see debug status.  You can actually leave it connected to the serial monitor while you set your SSID and password etc.  Then click the reset again and you'll watch it send queries to the OpenEVSE that is not connected and the result is it will try to post a 0 for two of the data items to the emoncms server.

Give that a try since it gives you more visibility as to what is going on behind the scenes.

[chris1howell .]

A couple notes...

note is if your wifi password has special characters they may need to be added. There are a couple in the code now but I doubt we got them all.

You need the write key from http://data.openevse.com/emoncms/

On Aug 1, 2015 7:39 PM, "Craig Kirkpatrick" <crai...@comcast.net> wrote:

Another good approach is to keep it connected to your FTDI cable after programming the module from the Arduino IDE.  Then open the serial monitor in the IDE and click the reset button on the Huzzah module.  With the serial monitor set to 115200 with both NL and CR, you will see debug status.  You can actually leave it connected to the serial monitor while you set your SSID and password etc.  Then click the reset again and you'll watch it send queries to the OpenEVSE that is not connected and the result is it will try to post a 0 for two of the data items to the emoncms server.

Give that a try since it gives you more visibility as to what is going on behind the scenes.

--

[JNewcomb]

Danny, my router uses (WPA2-PSK/WPA-PSK) for the wireless AP. It is using DD-WRT and gives me the ability to scan for other networks.

Craig, initially I had a look at the serial monitor and did not see Openevse leave the network scan in router. I thought that it was part of the code to drop back and punt if it could not get valid RAPI responses. So I took it out and installed in the enclosure in garage. Then connected to the external I/P and entered my SSID, password, and write key. It got to second page when I hit submit and sat there. I could then login in to 192.168.4.1 again, nothing new showed up on my new wireless client list, still using old information.

[JNewcomb]

Just saw your post Chris, yes I have a dollar sign, is that a problem?

[chris1howell .]

Maybe, I will have to see if it is passes by the browser as a special code (like %23).

I bet it is. I will fix and see if i can find a complete list to fix for all possible characters.   

On Aug 1, 2015 7:58 PM, "JNewcomb" <joeln...@verizon.net> wrote:

Just saw your post Chris, yes I have a dollar sign, is that a problem?

--

[JNewcomb]

Yeah, looking again, I have parentheses also. Just looked at that replace command around 380, was wondering if that translated something.

Thanks guys

[chris1howell .]

Yes, the replace commands are for special characters.

[chris1howell .]

Here are some of the common ones...

space %20
! %21
" %22
# %23
$ %24
% %25
& %26
' %27
( %28
) %29
* %2A
+ %2B
, %2C
- %2D
. %2E
/ %2F

[JNewcomb]

Okay Chris, Craig, & Danny, thanks to your clues, I have made it really far in configuration of the Huzzah board. After adding some more code around line 380 to cover my password special characters, it seems to be working. I got some good results in the serial monitor by uploading the modified sketch and adding my AP information with write key through web interface. It shows some lines with Emoncms.org and data packet I think. Now, just for an instant, I see the Huzzah's mac address flashing in my wireless client list. It is now installed in the OpenEVSE enclosure and if I hold my mouth right, I can see the LCD dim for an instant, indicating a transmit. The Huzzah board sits with very dim red LED until a flash occurs and then blue LED flickers indicating a transmission.

Problem happens when I log into Emoncms.org and bring up my inputs page, nothing is displayed there. I know it is getting to the internet and I copied/pasted my write key, so I pretty sure that is all correct. If you can think of anything else to check, let me know. I am sure you other things to do on your weekend, so hope to hear from you next week.

Thanks again,

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

If you are using the latest code from Chris his default server for the emoncms data is his own server that we can post data instead of the emoncms.org server.  I began with the emoncms.org server a few months ago and I'll migrate my stuff to Chris' server at some point.  Interesting is that Chris' server uses a later release of emoncms than does emoncms.org.  

Look at line 31 in the code, if it says "const char* host = "data.openevse.com";" then you are posting data to Chris' server and you need to create a login there and you'll have a new unique write key from his server.  http://data.openevse.com/emoncms/user/login   Or you can edit the source to point to the emoncms.org server that you already have setup.

Sorry this seems so difficult.  I'm imagining being in your shoes and even though we tried to make this simple a total cascade of events has made this as hard as climbing Mt Everest.   Ughhh!

When you have it working your inputs will look like this plus or minus some data items.

You can use this tiny sketch to wipe your eeprom settings that Chris' code writes to store the SSID and password etc.  Maybe he made a better method but I've used this reliably to wipe the eeprom Chris' code looks at.

#include "ESP8266WiFi.h"

#include <EEPROM.h>

void setup() {

  Serial.begin(115200);

  EEPROM.begin(512);

  

  

delay(1000);

Serial.println("Erasing EEPROM");

for (int i = 0; i < 128; ++i) { 

        EEPROM.write(i, 0);

        Serial.print("#"); 

        }

EEPROM.commit();

Serial.println("#");

Serial.println("Finished..."); 

  

}

void loop() {

  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

[JNewcomb]

Craig, good call, it was trying to post to Chris's server. I found and edited one line. Used your snippet to erase EEPROM. I was wondering, seems like Adafruit example used 4 meg setting for flash, could this miss the erase range code is saving this to? First try, it is still hitting my AP without re-entering my credentials. Chris has some code that is similar, just do not know what triggers it.

Thanks

[chris1howell .]

Don't forget the jumper from GPIO 16 to Reset to wake up from deep sleep.

It will get easier, I plan to sell modules soldered  with headers and jumper 6 pin cable with pre-loaded firmware. So you just plug it in...

I am also working on the server side, they have application specific templates. Hopefully I can customize one to fit out needs...

--

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I suggest using the serial debug console now.  See what the module is doing and what it is not doing.  You are 95% there  

[JNewcomb]

Chris, I have the jumper in place. It sometimes takes three attempts to get rid of the EEPROM information, even with Craig's code erase.

Craig, here is some stuff from the serial monitor, occasionally it is a bit different with some check sum stuff. I am thinking it gets noise and retries with CRC numbers. I never get a "OK" after the data gets sent to server. 

So far I have edited the sketch to include my special characters and changed from Chris's server to Emoncms.org in Host string.

Thanks,

$GE*B0

rll��|�l�| �l�b|�� � �r�b�b��nn�lnn���b p��lrlrlp�n� �lbn�| ��b��nn�l��l` � nnl�l` nr���n�b�` `�n��b�nl���nn�� lp�n� r�����bn�| ll���b��nn�l�l` � nnl` nr���n�� lp�n� r������� �bn�| �l��b��nn�l` � nnl` nr���n��l` r��n��l` �rlWaiting for Wifi to connect

6

6

6

6

3

$GE*B0

$GG*B2

$GP*BB

emoncms.org

/emoncms/input/post.json?node=0&json={OpenEVSE_AMP:0,OpenEVSE_VOLT:0,OpenEVSE_PILOT:0}&apikey=(my_write_key_goes_here)

$GE*B0

[JNewcomb]

Guess I misunderstood you Craig, I see some debug around line 51. How do I un-comment to get more debug information? More learning curves ahead.

Thanks,

[chris1howell .]

You will not see the OK unless you build a serial sniffer with have 2 serial USB devices one on each line.

Your output looks okay. Are you seeing anything on your input tab?

On Aug 2, 2015 2:44 PM, "JNewcomb" <joeln...@verizon.net> wrote:

Guess I misunderstood you Craig, I see some debug around line 51. How do I un-comment to get more debug information? More learning curves ahead.

Thanks,

--

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Looks like you are working now.  Look at the inputs on your emoncms and you should see amp and pilot numbers updated recently or updating every 25 seconds or there about.

Here is what my output looks like from a module I pulled off of my bench OpenEVSE and connected to my laptop with an FTDI cable.  Looks like your output.

.

[JNewcomb]

Craig, you would think so, but no, nothing is showing up for my emoncms.org inputs. Somehow it is not constructing the correct string for the server, but looks like their example API on API the helper page. I have clicked on the example there and it posts to my account with a dummy number, but nothing from my device. It has to be a wrong character in that string, but I can't see it.

You have been more than helpful, thanks.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Yup, the only thing I can imagine at this point is that the API write key is not exactly correct.  I'm sure you copied and pasted it and quadruple checked it.

It wouldn't cost you much at this point to create a login at Chris' server.  You'll end up with a new API write key.  Scrub the eeprom again.  Load Chris' code verbatim (with your mod to accept $%&#^ characters).  And then run through the process again.  That is what I'd do at this point.  It gives you a chance to get everything entered correctly again and cannot hurt at all.

Sorry I'm running out of better ideas.

-Craig K

[JNewcomb]

Craig, it works perfectly now with Chris's site. Maybe I got confused, they are identical and I have same account information on both, I knew initially I had registered way back in this thread, just registered again, not knowing there were two different sites. Pasted in Chris's write key from his site and poof, it is showing my inputs. Maybe there is more than "host=" that needs to be edited for the ecomcms.org site to work.

Have an adult beverage, you have earned it, thanks for sticking with me on your weekend, I am grateful.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I'm very happy that we helped you through this.  Thanks for being persistent and not giving up.  The first big hurdle was something pretty impenetrable which was dealing with the board manager change that was completely out of our control.  That took a week.  Thankfully the ESP8266 Arduino team was very responsive once I knew what to ask them to do.

I always like reading good new.  Yes, I'm sipping a beer now in celebration.

Best wishes,

Craig K

[Alan]

Hello all. I have successfully uploaded the sketch to the Huzzah. When powered up, the Huzzah does serve up the OpenEvse wifi ssid and I'm able to connect and authenticate without issue. The issue begins when I try to open up the web page. It seems like the web server isn't working as I keep getting server not available errors.

I put the Huzzah on the serial monitor and I get an "Error setting up MDNS responder!" as the last line. No more commuincations are sent.

Any ideas? I used Arduino IDE 1.6.5 to load the sketch.

Thanks!
Alan

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

Alan, read back a bit in this discussion thread and you'll see how to work around the problem. Short story is something is broken in the board manager but I was able to get the guys that maintain it to give us a way to go back to the earlier revision of the board manager an then it will work as expected.

Craig K

[Alan]

Thanks Craig. I see the post about switching the board managers on Aug 1. I will give that a try.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

When I get a chance I'll try working with the latest development ESP8266 stuff to see if they fixed what was inadvertently broken. It will be good to get back with a supported version of esp8266 in regular maintenance and enhancement.

Unfortunately I need to setup a new PC for my development work and I'm traveling a bunch until the 23rd. I should have plenty of time to dedicate to this beginning that week.

Best Wishes,
Craig K‬

On Aug 14, 2015, at 8:32 PM, Alan <alansni...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Craig. I see the post about switching the board managers on Aug 1. I will give that a try.

[Bobby Chung]

So after I got everything working, it seems I have to press the reset button after a cold start to get the module to connect to my network and start transmitting data.  I have the v3 board running D3.10.3.  Is this normal?  Is there a way to not have to press the reset button after a cold start?

On Friday, July 24, 2015 at 11:51:54 AM UTC-4, JNewcomb wrote:

Hi, been lurking on the list trying to absorb enough information to get my OpenEVSE on my home network. I managed to get a Huzzah (ESP8266) WiFi module for playing around from Adafruit. Also have a new OpenEVSE ver 4 board on my desktop and would like to get it communicating before I swap out for working unit in my garage. I have been happily using it to charge my 2015 Spark EV for a couple of months now and would like to get more information than what the Onstar service provides.

Can someone give me some pointers on what I need to load into the Huzzah, how to configure the FTDI port, and accessible 12 volt pins on the OpenEVSE board. I am using the Arduino 1.65 IDE on Ubuntu 15.04.

Thanks

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I have the latest Code Chris published running on my Huzzah module along with D3.10.3 and mine wakes just fine from a cold boot powerup.

My usual process when updating the Huzzah over an FTDI cable from Arduino IDE is immediately after download I open the serial monitor and tap the reset button on the Huzzah. I watch the serial output to be sure it is attaching to my home's WiFi, or can easily recognize if it is going into its setup. Once I see it working fine I attach it to my OpenEVSE and power it on and it works fine.

The only thing I can imagine in your case is if your DC regulator you chose is somehow giving a troublesome voltage ramp on powerup. I can imagine an extremely slow power ramp could leave the module in limbo. Probably there is some specification somewhere for the acceptable risetime. Realize this is just my best guess at the moment.

[Bobby Chung]

Ah, good point.  I'll check the regulator.  Since this regulator only powers a USB port, it's probably a cap that I might be able to remove to increase the rise time. I'll measure it and see what I can find out.  Thanks for the quick response.

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

So far I've played with two different tiny regulators.  Maybe later today I'll try to capture their risetimes for comparison.  Still I wonder where I could find a specification for the maximum allowable risetime for this Huzzah ESP8266 module.  Maybe it has never been characterized.  I'll see what I can find.  I have another larger regulator with larger output capacitors that I could experiment with to give another data point. 

[GoldServe]

If you haven't installed the latest code with all the retries for joining wifi programmed in, definitely give it a try. I've had zero issues with it joining my network.

I did hack the code to hard code my network, password, and api key though so I don't need the config page.

[Bobby Chung]

ok, i'm getting a rise time about 1.5 ms to 2.5v on the reg i'm using. the 5v from the controller is about half that.  so this might be the problem.

bobby

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

That doesn't sound too bad.  The Atmega 328P is very tolerant of a slow power rail risetime from my memory.  I had a reason to look at the OpenEVSE risetime about six months ago, thought is was sort of slow, but found it well within the specifications of the Atmega328P.  I haven't put a scope on my regulators feeding Huzzah just yet but I'll do that later today for comparison and I'll report back here.  Right now I'm looking at what might have happened moving to v3.10.4 and I'm just beginning to look at that.

[Bobby Chung]

When I connect to the 5 or 12v from the controller it works fine so it is ps related. It might not just be the risetime. My waveform has a flat step for about .5 ms after about 2.5v. Maybe it's in a "brown out" mode for too long. I'm going to see if I can smooth this out without extending the rise time too much.
Bobby

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I've been playing with three different regulators that I mentioned in another thread. 

Presently the one in the bottom of this photo is supplying my Huzzah module on my bench setup by taking available power from the OpenEVSE 12V (found on the middle screw of the AC_Relay).  It is super inexpensive and tiny.  The picture is of the regulators on a credit-card sized blank.  I've used each of these regulators with good results powering Huzzah.

I'm able to order QTY 5 of the tiny one in the bottom from Banggood.com for $4.20  http://www.banggood.com/5Pcs-Mini-DC-Adjustable-Power-Supply-Buck-Module-Step-Down-Module-p-952402.html

I have a few I'm not using so if you want me to mail you one to play with just let me know craigk46 at comcast dot net.

[Danny ter Haar]

I know another person who is using an ESP8622 for communication with a solar battery management system.

He wrote yesterday some interesting info (imho)

The last highlighted area is the DC-DC converter and I needed to use a completely new one capable of higher current output for the 3.3V rail because of the high current requirement of the WiFi module during transmit. I was not expecting so much based on the spec I see of the ESP8622 the transmit current was at around 220 to 250mA but that is probably just the average. I used an oscilloscope to measure the current and is around 470 to 480mA for those periods when transmit is active 

The huzzah is basically a breakout of the ESP8266 module, right ?

That could explain some of the problems, although my latest one, with the new code seems _rock_ solid.

I just wanted to share the info with the people here. 

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I have to agree that the new code seems rock solid.  I do share the concern about the peak power requirement of the Huzzah which is basically an ESP8266 with convenient level shifters and LDO to take 5V down to 3.3V.

I'd been noticing LCD display flicker and a few other symptoms that when transmitting data the Huzzah was taking more current than the OpenEVSE 5V rail wanted to give.  That is why I've been looking at regulators to borrow some available power from the OpenEVSE 12V rail to supply Huzzah.  You can actually connect 12V directly to the Huzzah V+ input but it makes the LDO get extremely hot.  A small regulator helps keep things cool; more efficient.

Since Bobby was running into Huzzah not booting with the regulator that he's using I went ahead and captured Oscilloscope waveforms for the three regulators I've been experimenting with.  They are sorted top to bottom.  And basically you get what you pay for.  The middle one is cheap and not a bad waveform on powerup.  The bottom one I've been offering to send to anyone who wants one, and now I really will be extra happy to send them away to anyone who wants them.  :-)

That middle one can be found on eBay in small quantities for well under 2$ per unit.

.

[Danny ter Haar]

On Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 2:32:44 PM UTC-8, Craig Kirkpatrick wrote:

I have to agree that the new code seems rock solid.

I should have checked before posting. Mine has stopped responding after 6 days of working flawlessly.

Just power cycled it and it is reporting again :-(

The middle one is cheap and not a bad waveform on powerup.  The bottom one I've been offering to send to anyone who wants one, and now I really will be extra happy to send them away to anyone who wants them.  :-)

It only takes 17 mS  (about 1 x 60 Hz cycle) to get the power stable. I would say it is not that bad ;-)

I would like to try the cheap one to see if it makes a difference in my case.

Will email you with address

[Craig Kirkpatrick]

I updated three modules when Chris wrung out the problems with the code a week ago.  Mine have all been updating Emoncms reliably except one period when either Comcast or Chris went offline for about an hour in the wee hours of the morning before 5am.  Since I saw all of my modules cease reporting during the same period I knew it was not a firmware problem and instead Comcast doing some midnight maintenance.  

Danny, shoot me an email with your mailing address and I'll send you the regulator.

[Bobby Chung]

Craig, the rise time of the last one is much longer than my regulator which made me think it's more my waveform. I couldn't get the "step" out but I did get it to work by tying in the 5v from the controller to the output of my regulator (parallel supplies) so that the module ramps up from the controller's 5v first and then my reg kicks in. It's now starting up from a cold start. Thanks so much for your help and offer to send a reg (that was my last resort).