HowTo: Update RN2483 Firmware on 'The Things Node'

ursm · January 17, 2018, 6:56pm

Is this procedure also working for the ttn-UNO

bsiege · January 17, 2018, 7:11pm

I removed sending on move

Would it not be better to remove “onMotionStart” complete to omit battery drain ?

pe1mew · January 17, 2018, 7:38pm

@ursm I just upgraded both my TTN Uno and mt Thnings Node. IMHO this procedure is usable for any node using a RN2483 and a MCU that can act as transparent passtrough

Acht · January 18, 2018, 9:58pm

@flx thanks for your perfect instructions. Worked nicely. Unfortunately ‘The Things Node’ still uses around 3.8mA in sleep mode. Is the schematic of ‘The Things Node’ available? Maybe the excessive current drawn is a hardware design issue.

flx · January 19, 2018, 4:47am

D’oh… somehow I’m not surprised to hear that.

I haven’t found any schematics. I guess now it’s time for the guys from TTN to issue a statement about this case.

BoRRoZ · January 19, 2018, 7:46am

I received mine yesterday so I will do some measurements myself coming days (and take it apart )

flx · January 19, 2018, 10:07am

the main loop calls deepSleep()

github.com

TheThingsNetwork/arduino-node-lib/blob/v2.0.3/src/TheThingsNode.cpp#L871-L889


void TheThingsNode::deepSleep(void)
{
ADCSRA &= ~_BV(ADEN);
set_sleep_mode(SLEEP_MODE_PWR_DOWN);
MCUCR |= (1 << JTD);
USBCON |= (1 << FRZCLK);
//USBCON &= ~_BV(USBE);
PLLCSR &= ~_BV(PLLE);
sleep_enable();
sleep_mode(); //Sweet dreams!


//wake up, after ISR we arrive here ->
sleep_disable();
PLLCSR |= (1 << PLLE);
power_all_enable();
//USBCON |= (1 << USBE);
USBCON &= ~_BV(FRZCLK);
ADCSRA |= (1 << ADEN);
}

maybe this needs some tweaking?

mrme · January 19, 2018, 2:31pm

Finally got around flashing my TTN UNO after more then two years of using it. Was still using FW 0.95 without even an OTAA function.

Instructions are ok, but didn’t work on my macbook with parralels and W10. Bricked the UNO/RN2483, but could revive it with a ftdy to the serial port on the Leonardo and the reset option in the loradevutil. Did have to lower bitrate to 9600bps to get it working though.

Advice is to lower bitrate for FW update to minimize risk of errors.

Verkehrsrot · January 20, 2018, 10:40pm

worked for me, upgraded to 1.0.3, thanks for the receipt!

tcottle0 · January 21, 2018, 10:59pm

I had a similar issue. The LoRa Development tool was connecting to a Bluetooth serial port. Disabling it in Device Manager and restarting the dev tool allowed me to complete the instructions

tcottle0 · January 21, 2018, 11:40pm

Hmmm well it seems that the firmware update messed something up. Prior to the update my node was running the Basic sketch and sending data to my gateway. After updating and reloading the sketch I am stuck with the green LED on and serial monitor reports:

Sending: mac join otaa
Response is not OK: no_free_ch
Send join command failed

I am a US user and have freqPlan TTN_FP_US915 defined. Using the same appEui and AppKey before the update

On reset I get the following messages:

– TTN: JOIN
Model: RN2483
Version: 1.0.3
Sending: mac set deveui 0004A30B001C5396
Sending: mac set adr off
Sending: mac set deveui 0004A30B001C5396
Sending: mac set appeui 70B3D57ED00091F4
Sending: mac set appkey 34F06DD7926AB3B5181F9E2EF110E471
Sending: mac save
Sending: mac set ch status 0 off
Sending: mac set ch status 1 off
Sending: mac set ch status 2 off
Sending: mac set ch status 3 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch status 4 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch status 5 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch status 6 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch status 7 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch status 8 on
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch drrange 8 0 3
Sending: mac set ch status 9 on
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set ch drrange 9 0 3
…
Sending: mac set ch status 71 off
Response is not OK: invalid_param
Sending: mac set pwridx 5
Sending: mac set retx 7
Sending: mac set dr 3
Response is not OK: invalid_param

tcottle0 · January 22, 2018, 3:12pm

I’ve been reviewing Microchip’s site and it looks like I should have used the RN2903 firmware since I am located in the US. I won’t be able to test until I get home tonight

vanesp · January 24, 2018, 8:14am

I tried to follow the instructions in this thread with a Marvin node. The passthrough program worked fine.

When I ran the LoRa development utility it found the Marvin board fine, and I tried uploading the hex firmware file. However, somewhere in the process it encountered a “communications error”. Perhaps because the passthrough code expects 115200 baud and the firmware uploader was set at 57600. Well anyway, it stopped without completing the upgrade.

The LoRa Development Utility cannot find the MicroChip firmware anymore. Even stopping the utility, unplugging the Marvin, re-inserting it and restarting it: no RN2483 MicroChip signature.

I then hooked it up to the Serial Monitor… when I now submit sys reset or mac get deveui I get weird characters copied back. I have the idea that the MicroChip is in some kind of firmware update mode, stuck. Has anyone experienced this before? Any idea on how to get out of this to resume firmware flashing?

I’m not going to update any of my other Marvin’s or TTN Node until I know more

vanesp · January 24, 2018, 12:19pm

@mrme How did you revive the RN2483 exactly ? Mine’s bricked too, hardware reset doesn’t seem to work

mrme · January 24, 2018, 2:52pm

Used a standard ftdi adapter to the serial pins of the rn2483. Powered board through usb and used the loradevutil reset option to revive the chip on 9600bps. See previous picture for the pinout to the ttn uno.

Verkehrsrot · January 24, 2018, 9:48pm

try to change baudrate in the passtrough program.

vanesp · January 24, 2018, 10:09pm

I tried pretty much all of the usual ones… 9600, 19k2, 38k, 57.6… no joy so far. I keep getting backward question marks. I’ve added code to do a hardware reset (no joy), to try and fix the auto-baud (no joy).

I’ve ordered Pickit programmer from AliExpress and am using my backup (un-upgraded) second Marvin node and the TheThingsNode… and I have 2 more TTN Uno’s of course.

I just did not like the flakiness of the LoRa development utility… it gave communications errors on all COM ports, and I’m not that familiar with Windows any more these days…

Verkehrsrot · January 24, 2018, 11:08pm

i had exactly the same issue after the microchip upgrade tool did not finish successful after 1st try of flashing. Afterwards it did not detect the RN module any more.

But i could fix this by setting baud rate between node an RN module to 57600 bps in the arduino code. Then in 2nd try flashing was successful and now the module reports v1.0.3

pe1mew · January 26, 2018, 12:50pm

Today I verified operation of my TTN Node. After the firmware update my Things Node is still running: 9 days in a row:
afbeelding
This is the battery voltage of the Things Node on Cayenne

vanesp · January 26, 2018, 5:59pm

I messed about with the Lora Development Utility from MicroChip on a Linux box today (as I’m not really familiar with Windows anymore). My advice… don’t bother. It’s a 32 bits program, trying to run on a 64 bits machine. It does not detect any serial ports. It is crap…

So… still one dead Marvin, on Marvin at 1.0.1, a power hungry The Things Node… and a few unused TTN Uno’s…