LoRa FANET with RH_RF95.h and RFM95W

not103 · April 9, 2020, 3:52pm

Hello, I am making some experiment to work with FANET+ network. I would like to publish wind data from a Photon connected anemometer to the FANET network (is a LoRa application for paragliding devices).

I have two devices working on this network (they are talking togheter) and I would like to add a custom Photon with RFM95W transceiver.

This is the FANET specification:

868.2Mhz
Syncword 0xF1
250kHz Bandwidth
Spreading Factor 7
ExplicitHeader: Coding Rate CR 5-8/8 (depending on #neighbors), CRC for Payload

This my code, it compile, it runs (no error on RF95 init) but I can’t see any raw data.

// This #include statement was automatically added by the Particle IDE.
#include <RH_RF95.h>
     
#include <SPI.h>
 
#define RFM95_RST     1  
#define RFM95_CS      6
#define RFM95_INT     2   

#define SERIAL_DEBUG

// Singleton instance of the radio driver
RH_RF95 rf95(RFM95_CS, RFM95_INT);

#define LED 7
SYSTEM_THREAD(ENABLED);
 
void setup()
{
  delay(5000);    
    
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(RFM95_RST, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
 
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(1);
  }
  delay(100);
 
  Serial.println("Feather LoRa RX Test!");
 
  // manual reset
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, LOW);
  delay(10);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
  delay(10);
 
  while (!rf95.init()) {
    Serial.println("LoRa radio init failed");
    Serial.println("Uncomment '#define SERIAL_DEBUG' in RH_RF95.cpp for detailed debug info");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.println("LoRa radio init OK!");
 
  // Defaults after init are 434.0MHz, modulation GFSK_Rb250Fd250, +13dbM
  if (!rf95.setFrequency(RF95_FREQ)) {
    Serial.println("setFrequency failed");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.print("Set Freq to: "); Serial.println(RF95_FREQ);
 
  rf95.setSignalBandwidth(250E3);
  rf95.setSpreadingFactor(7);
  rf95.setCodingRate4(8);
  rf95.setPreambleLength(12);
  rf95.setPayloadCRC(1);
  // The default transmitter power is 13dBm, using PA_BOOST.
  // If you are using RFM95/96/97/98 modules which uses the PA_BOOST transmitter pin, then
  // you can set transmitter powers from 5 to 23 dBm:
  rf95.setTxPower(23, false);
}
 
void loop()
{
  if (rf95.available())
  {
    // Should be a message for us now
    uint8_t buf[RH_RF95_MAX_MESSAGE_LEN];
    uint8_t len = sizeof(buf);
 
    if (rf95.recv(buf, &len))
    {
      digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
      RH_RF95::printBuffer("Received: ", buf, len);
      Serial.print("Got: ");
      Serial.println((char*)buf);
       Serial.print("RSSI: ");
      Serial.println(rf95.lastRssi(), DEC);
 
      // Send a reply
      uint8_t data[] = "And hello back to you";
      rf95.send(data, sizeof(data));
      rf95.waitPacketSent();
      Serial.println("Sent a reply");
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("Receive failed");
    }
  }
}

Where I am wrong? How can I deal with it?

bpr · April 9, 2020, 6:23pm

@not103 ,
Did you
-define RF95_FREQ somewhere’s?
-double check wiring?

not103 · April 9, 2020, 6:51pm

FREQ was defined, after paste the code I probbly accidentally delete it with an unnecessary comment.

Just after #define LED 7 there is

#define RF95_FREQ 868.2

Wiring seems ok. Same RFM95W board connected to an ESP8266 works, it connect with the above LoRa implementation.

not103 · April 9, 2020, 7:39pm

This is a printout of RFM95W registry:

1: 81
6: D9
7: 0
8: 0
9: 88
A: 9
B: 2B
C: 20
D: 0
E: 0
F: 0
10: 0
11: 0
12: 0
13: 0
14: 0
15: 0
16: 0
17: 0
18: 10
19: 0
1A: 0
1B: 0
1C: 0
1D: 88
1E: 74
1F: 64
20: 0
21: 8
22: 1
23: FF
24: 0
25: 0
26: 4
27: 0
39: F1
42: 12

bpr · April 9, 2020, 7:43pm

@not103
hmmm, can't see any other problems...
However, I have been using

sendtoWait

(RHReliableDiagram) successfully rather than your use of

  rf95.send(data, sizeof(data));
  rf95.waitPacketSent();

You might look at my gists at bprobbins’s gists · GitHub

not103 · April 9, 2020, 8:06pm

Well I would like to start trying to receive a message (the two devices sends broadcast message) but I can’t get anything.

bpr · April 9, 2020, 8:29pm

I'd start by trying the default modem settings:

rf95.setModemConfig(RH_RF95::Bw125Cr45Sf128 );

on two devices, then if that works try out your earlier setting one by one.
I actually never could successfully get anything but the default settings to work

not103 · April 9, 2020, 8:34pm

The devices I have aren’t customizable, they only works with configuration with these specs:

868.2Mhz
Syncword 0xF1
250kHz Bandwidth
Spreading Factor 7
ExplicitHeader: Coding Rate CR 5-8/8 (depending on #neighbors), CRC for Payload

bpr · April 9, 2020, 9:32pm

I think the recommended library to use is RF9X-RK. Did you try that?

bpr · April 9, 2020, 11:18pm

@not103
Not sure what specific thing did it, but with a few changes, it works for me:
First, added the RF9X-RK library as above.
Second, I apparently wired the feather radio differently, so changed those defines - see code below:
Third, eliminated the initial delay - caused panic in my photons for some reason, and it’s unnecessary.
Fourth, set up a random seed to provide a random delay in loop so that the two devices don’t get in a race issue or sync lock.
Fifth, put a startup message at the end of setup in one device.
I also reduced txpower since I had my two photons side by side
Photon1:

// This #include statement was automatically added by the Particle IDE.
#include <RF9X-RK.h>


// This #include statement was automatically added by the Particle IDE.
#include <RH_RF95.h>
     
#include <SPI.h>
/* 
#define RFM95_RST     1  
#define RFM95_CS      6
#define RFM95_INT     2  
*/ 
#define RFM95_CS  A2 
#define RFM95_RST 4 
#define RFM95_INT D2 

#define SERIAL_DEBUG

// Singleton instance of the radio driver
RH_RF95 rf95(RFM95_CS, RFM95_INT);

#define LED 7
SYSTEM_THREAD(ENABLED);
 
 #define RF95_FREQ 915.0
 
void setup()
{
 // delay(5000);    
    
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(RFM95_RST, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
 
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(1);
  }
  delay(100);
 
  Serial.println("Feather LoRa RX Test!");
 
  // manual reset
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, LOW);
  delay(10);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
  delay(10);
 
  while (!rf95.init()) {
    Serial.println("LoRa radio init failed");
    Serial.println("Uncomment '#define SERIAL_DEBUG' in RH_RF95.cpp for detailed debug info");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.println("LoRa radio init OK!");
 
  // Defaults after init are 434.0MHz, modulation GFSK_Rb250Fd250, +13dbM
  if (!rf95.setFrequency(RF95_FREQ)) {
    Serial.println("setFrequency failed");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.print("Set Freq to: "); Serial.println(RF95_FREQ);
 
  rf95.setSignalBandwidth(250E3);
  rf95.setSpreadingFactor(7);
  rf95.setCodingRate4(8);
  rf95.setPreambleLength(12);
  rf95.setPayloadCRC(1);
  // The default transmitter power is 13dBm, using PA_BOOST.
  // If you are using RFM95/96/97/98 modules which uses the PA_BOOST transmitter pin, then
  // you can set transmitter powers from 5 to 23 dBm:
  rf95.setTxPower(6, false);
  
    randomSeed(analogRead(0));  

    uint8_t data2[] = "Start Message";
    rf95.send(data2, sizeof(data2));
    rf95.waitPacketSent();
}
 
void loop()
{
  if (rf95.available())
  {
    // Should be a message for us now
    uint8_t buf[RH_RF95_MAX_MESSAGE_LEN];
    uint8_t len = sizeof(buf);
 
    if (rf95.recv(buf, &len))
    {
      digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
      RH_RF95::printBuffer("Received: ", buf, len);
      Serial.print("Got: ");
      Serial.println((char*)buf);
       Serial.print("RSSI: ");
      Serial.println(rf95.lastRssi(), DEC);

 delay(random(1000, 2000));
 
      // Send a reply
      uint8_t data[] = "And hello back to you";
      rf95.send(data, sizeof(data));
      rf95.waitPacketSent();
      Serial.println("Sent a reply");
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("Receive failed");
    }
  }
}

And Photon 2:

// This #include statement was automatically added by the Particle IDE.
#include <RF9X-RK.h>

// This #include statement was automatically added by the Particle IDE.
#include <RH_RF95.h>
     
#include <SPI.h>
/* 
#define RFM95_RST     1  
#define RFM95_CS      6
#define RFM95_INT     2  
*/
#define RFM95_CS  A2 
#define RFM95_RST 4 
#define RFM95_INT D2 

#define SERIAL_DEBUG

// Singleton instance of the radio driver
RH_RF95 rf95(RFM95_CS, RFM95_INT);

#define LED 7
SYSTEM_THREAD(ENABLED);
 
 #define RF95_FREQ 915.0
 
void setup()
{
 //delay(5000);    
    
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(RFM95_RST, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
 
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(1);
  }
  delay(100);
 
  Serial.println("Feather LoRa RX Test!");
 
 
  // manual reset
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, LOW);
  delay(10);
  digitalWrite(RFM95_RST, HIGH);
  delay(10);
 
  while (!rf95.init()) {
    Serial.println("LoRa radio init failed");
    Serial.println("Uncomment '#define SERIAL_DEBUG' in RH_RF95.cpp for detailed debug info");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.println("LoRa radio init OK!");
 
 
  // Defaults after init are 434.0MHz, modulation GFSK_Rb250Fd250, +13dbM
  if (!rf95.setFrequency(RF95_FREQ)) {
    Serial.println("setFrequency failed");
    while (1);
  }
  Serial.print("Set Freq to: "); Serial.println(RF95_FREQ);

 
  rf95.setSignalBandwidth(250E3);
 
  rf95.setSpreadingFactor(7);
  rf95.setCodingRate4(8);
  rf95.setPreambleLength(12);
  rf95.setPayloadCRC(1);
  /**/
  // The default transmitter power is 13dBm, using PA_BOOST.
  // If you are using RFM95/96/97/98 modules which uses the PA_BOOST transmitter pin, then
  // you can set transmitter powers from 5 to 23 dBm
  
  rf95.setTxPower(6, false);

}
 
void loop()
{
   
  if (rf95.available())
  {
    // Should be a message for us now
    uint8_t buf[RH_RF95_MAX_MESSAGE_LEN];
    uint8_t len = sizeof(buf);
 
    if (rf95.recv(buf, &len))
    {
      digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
      RH_RF95::printBuffer("Received: ", buf, len);
      Serial.print("Got: ");
      Serial.println((char*)buf);
       Serial.print("RSSI: ");
      Serial.println(rf95.lastRssi(), DEC);
 
 delay(random(1000, 2000));
 
      // Send a reply
      uint8_t data[] = "And hello back to you";
      rf95.send(data, sizeof(data));
      rf95.waitPacketSent();
      Serial.println("Sent a reply");
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("Receive failed");
    }
  }
}

system · June 8, 2020, 11:18pm

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.

Topic		Replies	Views
My attempt at RF95 (LoRa) Project Share	21	10691	April 19, 2019
Using the Featherwing M0 LoRa w/ Boron Firmware boron	16	681	October 3, 2023
Photon LoRaWAN node? General	37	8353	August 12, 2019
RH_RF95 cannot compile Troubleshooting	6	2614	October 11, 2017
Particle with only LoRa Networking Cloud	26	12404	August 28, 2020

LoRa FANET with RH_RF95.h and RFM95W

Related topics