2017-08-16, 06:31 PM
(2017-08-16, 11:59 AM)shark24 Wrote: I'm sorry but I can't make a sense of this flood of information. I'm missing hard facts and the layout of the website with all the paragraphs that aren't related to the topic isn't very helpful either.To sort it out:
Besides I don't understand your IoT concept for small vessels like ours. Who needs Alexa on his boat? I know it's a matter of taste but my priorities for the RPi on the boat are first a bulletproof system and second a low energy consumption.
Why are you using a microcontroller to connect sensors, which can be attached to the RPi directly? You write about sparing wires but how do you want to power your microcontrollers, won't you need a cable shaft in any case?
Anyhow - I'm playing with esp8266 and esp32 as well and my approach would be mqtt to get the data from the esp to the pi. It's running mosquitto anyway. The data can be easily handled by node-red, nodejs, python, signalk, and so on. There are so many build in ways that I don't get why you wouldn't use it instead of the virtual serial port and php.
1. There are 3 articles for now.
1 - is to start with the hardware and how to solder and flash it. Ok i can take a cable and a 1$ RSS 485 adapter for one euro but will not run with raspberry because of the drivers and i have to go anyways via the virtual port. In fact i do not have a Item to connect via NMEA 2000 and here i need a 66 $ stick or something like actisense for mor than 100 $.
This can be done with a virtual COM anyways. I have no chance to prove this for now but the esp is it worth to give this way a try.
2. Article 2 is about how to set up an interface for the EP Ever solar controller on the raspberry pi and what i found are the php libaries and in the article are all the links to the resources and because victron what have the most users maybe let produce as oem by epsolar there should be some compatibility.
i have a dashboard and in the webdemo the actors are not active. I have the modbus libary http://www.solarpoweredhome.co.uk/1733_m...otocol.pdf
and you can use also as phyton programmer the phymodbus libary. For me was the php way more easy and nice for a first proof of concept.
3. Its more easy to learn how to with videos and you have to see them in combination. And at the german resources i did try to show in german videos how i was working for because the english videos are linked inside the description.
4. My vessel is 10 meters and its enough to make there a home automation solution. I am not in a Marina and do not have Land electricity. It will be placed in danube delta at least to a village where there is no street. And for now its not clear i have Internet connection that give me status reports when i am in germany. Alexa is something to play yes because i am using since years TTS and STT with google and if there is Internet than i can go the MQTT way.
for navigation openplotter with the kap files in european rivers is not much helpful but there is no influence because of opencpn. i guess openstreetmap and tiles is more helpfull in combination with openseamap.
5. Power is enough on the boat by solar
I run for the moment 480 W solarshed and 500AH Batteries plus 100AH Starter Battery. This means relatively independat also in wintertime to let the raspberry work. And the EsP is running directely with the EPever. Modbus provides the electricity it needs. same temperature sensor in the fridge just a battery. Power dow of the raspberry with 2 Super Capacitors 2,7V and 20 F. In Case of to much snow on the roof just as example.
Yours concept works as long you have internet with MQTT. With FHEM and a normal phoneline it will work without. I saw a lot of discussions this summer. People on the boat, roaming did not work and they get no new sim on their way for days and sometimes for weeks and this in the netherlands and on the way to berlin.
7. Alexa is just that i would not like now hardware 12 v switches to implement for lights and some devices. there are 3 rooms and in every comes an old android tablet on the wall. And in case of to much sun for the displays it can be nice to have a voice control. Its a gadged shure.
6. I need help to integrate my solution more into Openplotter
I did open Node Red the first time yesterday and do not like to destroy the given example.
So i do not know how to start. What doing first?