New build, could use some troubleshooting help!


 
K

K Redding

New member
Hello, new member, just finished a new 4.3 build with RPi3. No parts left over from the kit, so I'm good there. I flashed a SD card with the software, installed in the RPi, but when 12v plugged in with the Pi connected, nothing on the display screen except two rows of blocks. I can see the Pi trying to boot, tiny red led on and tiny green one flashing. No led's lit on the button board. When I remove the Pi, and power on the Heatermeter, The display screen still has the blocks, but the green and yellow led's are lit up on the button board. I am posting pics of the boards, so if you see anything obvious, let me know. I have very basic electronic skills, but I do have a digital multimeter. Thank you for any help you can provide!
IMAG1097.jpg

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IMAG1095.jpg

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Hey good job on the no parts left over, unless the dog ate some :-D

EDIT: Scratch everything I said below, your ATmega is inserted backwards, remove it and put it in the right way around! Boot the Pi and wait about 30 seconds after the LEDs stop blinking and then continue below if needed.

I'd say your first step would be to see if the HeaterMeter microcontroller is up and running when the Pi boots. If you've got the Pi configured to connect to your wifi network, you should see it at http://heatermeter.com/devices/ and you can click the link there to connect to it. It sounds like it isn't flashing properly though, so once you're into the webui go into the configuration, then LinkMeter -> AVR Firmware. Select the "bundled" firmware and hit Flash. If you get "AVR Fuses: ERROR" where you need to start looking is checking your voltages and continuity on the microcontroller.

There should be 3.3V at the microncontroller pins: RST, VCC, AVC. There should be continuity from GND on the barrel power input to microcontroller: GND, AGN.

Then check that it is connected to the Pi for flashing
ATmega -> Pi Header
MO - MOSI
MI - MISO
SCK - SCK
RST - G25

Also check at the pi header to make sure each of those pins DOES NOT have continuity to any adjacent pin or GND.
 
Thanks for replying! I did not set up the wifi config on the SD card before testing the build. I'm guessing I will enter "mywifi" in the parenthesis for SSID and "MyPassword" in the next spot where it says =password#? I leave the hashtag symbol?
Any other place where I would need to add my wifi subnet or anything else? My security is PSK2.

Wificonfig1.jpg


wificonfig2.jpg
 
YES! Working! I had the chip in backwards. Duh! :confused:
If someone could help me with the Wifi config, then I may be all set to go. Thanks!!
 
K Redding said:
YES! Working! I had the chip in backwards. Duh! :confused:
If someone could help me with the Wifi config, then I may be all set to go. Thanks!!
Click to expand...

hi, what I did was connect the hm to my laptop via ethernet cable with the hm on.

then go to heatermeter.com/devices and it will show you the ip address.

then i type that ip address into my web browser and it takes you to the setup for the heater meter .for wifi etc.
 
Mike, I will try that. I tried to edit the config.txt file and couldn't get it to work. Will post back if it works. One other thing, I used the probe from Maverick thermometer. The probe is reading 43° at room temperature?
 
Connecting with a network cable didn't enable me to connect to the heatermeter with my laptop wifi turned on or off. I even changed the network settings on my wired laptop connection to 192.168.201.xxx subnet and typed in 192.168.201.1 (the address displayed on the heatermeter) and that did not work either.
 
sorry. connect the hm via wire directly to your router.

then reboot.
it should show that address and you can type that into your pc and go into the config.

I just tried it and that works.

if it doesnt show the address go into your router admin page and you should be able to find the ip address for the wired connection.

good luck .i ll be watching this space for any questions.
 
Thanks Mike! Yes, cabled to router, I got a local address and logged in and was able to set the SSID and PW for wireless network. Rebooted and was able to access from computer using new WiFi address. The web interface is daunting, but I was able to change to Maverick probe type and the temp reads correctly now. I don't want to use my thermometer probe but wish to buy two or three new ones to use with the Heatermeter. I am looking at the Thermoworks ones, one short probe and two longer meat ones. Would that be the best choice or are the Maverick ones better? Thank you Mike and Bryan for your help!
 
congrats on getting it working.

I use the thermoworks probes on the recommendation of Bryan and they work well for me. they may still be on sale from last week which puts them at same price as the maverick probes.
 
I ordered 3 Thermoworks probes. One short with clip, one straight and one L shaped one. All $16/ea. Cheap compared to money and time spent on the HeaterMeter. My friend printed me the "MiniDamper". I am going to try that design and see how it works. If it doesn't work well, I will use the older design blower. Brian, thank you for your work on the HeaterMeter and support. I intend to donate to the project.
 
K Redding said:
I ordered 3 Thermoworks probes. One short with clip, one straight and one L shaped one. All $16/ea. Cheap compared to money and time spent on the HeaterMeter. My friend printed me the "MiniDamper". I am going to try that design and see how it works. If it doesn't work well, I will use the older design blower. Brian, thank you for your work on the HeaterMeter and support. I intend to donate to the project.
Click to expand...

the heater meter was the cheap part. it was everything else that added up

pi3 35
probes 52
damper kit 28
fan and power supply 20
ethernet cable and adapter 15

still half the price of anything similar though.
only thing i want to do now is figure out how to run it on a lipo battery so I dont have to lug out my long extension cord everytime I need to cook.
 
Mike Smith DFW said:
only thing i want to do now is figure out how to run it on a lipo battery so I dont have to lug out my long extension cord everytime I need to cook.
Click to expand...
A 12V UPS battery works and doesn't require any sort of boost converter to convert the 3.7V lipo up to 12V and back down to 5V and 3.3V. I have a 7.2Ah battery that I took out of a UPS because the UPS said it was dead. It runs a HeaterMeter + Blower + Servo Damper for 24 hours no problems, and I think it will go 48-72 hours. A pair of crimp spade terminals, a bit of wire, and a male 2.1mm barrel plug and you're good to go!
 
Those batteries are also specced for burglar alarm panels. I had not thought of using one of those, but I have several that I use to power game cameras. I usually pay around $16 shipped for good ones. They recharge easily using a wall-wart charger. I don't have an outlet for the heatermeter nearby and would have to run a extension cord as well. Excellent idea Bryan!
 
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