Pyssel

Updated 2024-11-09 I have been using Shelly devices for quite some time both on our boat , off grid, and also as HomeKit (HK) accessories via Homebridge (HB) .  I was really amazed when I found that some smart guys have created a software package that replaces the stock, official, Shelly firmware with the  "Shelly-HomeKit" package which emulates a "native"  Apple HomeKit accessory. It's very nice done, really simple, and the flashing of the software is done over the air (OTA) with your ordinary WEB-browser.

Updated 2024-11-06 ! Node-Red (NR) is  Flow-based programming for the Internet of Things This post isn't made as a complete install guide, there are several, just some links to the best information I have found. The best thing is that even if you don't are a skilled programmer, but like logic flows, you can make really advanced things. It's pre-installed on some Raspberry Pi(RPi) distributions. Running  Node-Red with  multiple instances  ?

Fresh air at home is very important ! For more than 15 years ago, at a major renovation of our house, we installed an HRV or in Swedish  FTX system . Since then there have been nice updates for FTX equipment so when one of the fans was a little noicy and when the motor for the rotor died it was time to do an upgrade instead of repairing the old one. So we purchased an  CASA R7 Genius (R7). For me its important to get as much data as possible, to optimize energy consumption in our house, so despite that the the R7 have a nice app we also added a SEM interface to get the data, via MODBUS , that is available.

Updated 2024-10-25 I found this amazing application,   AIS-catcher , just scrolling around on Youtube and  it includes "all" you need for an AIS receiver staying ashore or installed on a boat. It is compatible with a wide range of Software Defined Radios (SDRs). These include RTL-SDR dongles (such as the ShipXplorer AIS dongle and RTL SDR Blog v4), AirSpy (Mini/R2/HF+), HackRF, SDRPlay, SoapySDR, and file/network input (ZMQ/RTL-TCP/SpyServer). 

Updated 2024-08-30 !  !! Another SW solution is available for RPi 5 here !  using the same HW. Thanks to Thomas, (the guy with the nice marine interface board ) ,  it's now possible  to decode, one way, the SeaTalk1(ST1) sentences in a pretty simple way. You just  use OpenPlotter(OP) and/or SignalK(SK) and an  Optocoupler . The thing that made it, is that Thomas   has released a "how to" and  Python source code , that will read the data from a GPIO pin on the Raspberry Pi, (RPi), and format it so the standard parser in SignalK can translate it to SignalK delta format. It is then  available as NMEA 0183. It's even possible to send the data in to a NMEA 2000 network, with a proper hardware interface.

Updated 2024-08-15 ! Do You use a underfloor heating system from LK Systems ? We had a problem that in some rooms, despite that the thermostat worked, the temperature was too high. To check if it was the valve, or something else, I just took away the actuator and forced the valve to be closed. Cable ties did the work. The valve was OK so what was the problem ? Building your own floor heating controller,   PID controller ? 

Updated 2024-07-08 To get information from the NMEA 2000(N2K) network, to the RPi, I have been using  Actisense NGT-1 , for a long time,  and later also the  Yacht Devices YDWG 02  but now it was time for a Raspberry Pi(RPi) CAN hat(CH) from Waveshare(WS). WS have 3 different models but I picked the 2 channel isolated one . It's recommended to use an isolated one which also is demanded for those interfaces which can be approved by the N2K group.

Updated 2024-06-06 ! After having tested several methods creating a bootable USB SSD, or other USB drive, for Raspberry Pi(RPi) 3 4 and 5, I finished with this simple method Create the setup you want on a ordinary SD card(Or use existing) Make a bootable backup/clone of the SD card saving it to the USB SSD Remove the SD card and boot from the USB SSD Having a RPi 4, 5 ? Use this post on how to write the OS direct to the SSD.  

Updated 2024-06-05 ! Yes, it's really true ! Thats the maximum time it takes to write the Raspberry Pi(RPi) OS to a bootable USB SSD and maybe read this post ? If you have a RPi 4, 5 and a USB SSD or  other USB drive , that works as a boot media, just use  the RPi imager which can write the image direct to  the USB  storage. Having an older RPi ? Use this post instead. If you already have a SD card with working applications and you want to "transfer",  copy/clone,  them to a bootable SSD use this post .

Im using NodeRed together with  Speedtest by Ookla  but just the other day it wasn't showing the right data so it was time for "Bredbandskollen", the command line version. Bredbandskollen has always been a reliable source when testing internet speed.  I'm using their WEB-site and the iPhone app and it have always worked very well. This post will show how to plot data in a graph according to the picture.

Just the other day the backlight for our classic Raymarine E 120, Navigator(MFD), stopped working. It's from 2006 so I'm not surprised that things happen. You may wonder why we keep it instead of buying a new one but the thing is that we have 2 installed together with a well functioning radar so buying new stuff will be a hefty price tag. After some Googling I found out that the backlight is produced by a CCFL , a type of neon light, and can give up after some years. The Googling also gave some tips how to change to a LED backlight. The picture above is showing a test with a short LED light strip to verify the solution, with dimming working, and checking the health of the MFD.

Updated 2024-05-03 ! In Signal K (SK) there are 2 applications, in SK appstore, that can handle charts Freeboard SK (FSK) Tuktuk Chart Plotter (TT) FSK, preinstalled, uses the OpenSeaMap charts(OSC)  when you are online.  If you want to use offline charts or other chart resources you have to install " @signalk/charts-plugin "(CP)

If you are running the IVT Anywhere or the  Bosch Easy remote  app you probably also can  retrieve its data with for example NodeRed.  With the nice application  Bosch XMPP you can set up an integration with the cloud service supplied by your vendor.

Updated 2024-03-01 ! OpenPlotter(OP), a Boat Navigation application, is really a nice and simple installation of OpenPlotter (OP) OpenCPN (OC) SignalK (SK)  and other supporting applications for Your boat. An overall information about the OP package is found here . Install guide for the new stable OP, version 4, is found here .

Updated 2024-02-20 ! A very nice way to fix a backup is to make a copy, bootable, of the actual SD card You are using on the Raspberry Pi(RPi). This will be done even when the RPi is up and running ! This application can also be used to make a bootable SSD or USB drive !! You clone from the command line so You don't need the standard GUI, Pixel, and the " SD card copier "  function. It is also possible to set up a a scheduled job, cronjob explained later, which for example makes a clone every night at 1 o'clock.

Updated 2024-02-08 GRIB is a data format , used for meteorology, to store historical and forecast weather data.  The use case for me was analyzing forecast data, from GRIB files, so an early warning could be rised before a high water level or coming storm appears. This could then be used at our weather site . There are several applications , also ones that visualizes the data, but this post will handle how to extract data from files using command line. Forecast without GRIB files ? Check this API for Europe.

I have used the TP-link Deco M9 for quite a while and it have worked very well. Since almost 2 years I have used mobile broadband as a source for the Mesh network, at home, via a   Nokia Fastmile (NF) with no direct flaws. Getting a very nice offer, half the monthly cost, for mobile Internet from our mobile phone  operator it was time to test something new. Since I probably will have to return the Nokia receiver quitting the old supplier I had to test the new provider with some other equipment. Running the Teltonika RUT 240 (TR) in our yacht, in the summertime, it was available for testing.

Updated 2024-01-20 !! OK with Bookworm !! This post covers the setup for a AIS, dual channel , receiver for Raspberry Pi(RPi) with systemd autostart. I'm using the RTL-SDR dongle V3 with almost zero temperature drift or the even better  NooElec NESDR Nano 3 AIS posts with charts/maps OpenSeaMap and dispatcher   OpenStreetMap and dispatcher Improve receiving range? Calibrate ! Instructions in this post The best AIS application ?  is found here  !

Updated 2024-01-07 ! OK with Bookworm & PHP 8.2 ! As a part of one of my project,  the ultimate Weather site ? Weather34 , I needed a WEB-host with PHP. I started up with a fresh Raspberry OS Lite SD Card  with Samba installed . Log on, with ssh/terminal to the RaspberryPi(RPi),  in this case hostname "pws01",  and update the OS with sudo apt update sudo apt full-upgrade -y sudo apt clean go on and install the Apache server with sudo apt install apache2

Updated 2024-01-05 OK with Bookworm ! If You want that the Raspberry Pi(RPi), shall appear in MS File Explorer or Mac Finder, as a File server, the easiest way is to install Samba. This also makes it much easier if You want to edit files on the RPi with editors from Your MS/Apple device. Or maybe moving files from/to the RPi.

Updated 2023-12-05 !! OK, with Bookworm (32/64 bit) !! To optimize the reception with SDR:s, Software Defined Radios, it is important to receive on the proper frequency. Due to variations in production there could be deviations. The calibration could be done against standard GSM transmitters which are providing a stable reference frequency. Another way is found in the AIS-catcher application and use the information supplied in the graphs "Frequency Shift". 

Updated 2023-11-09 ! The AIS posts on this blog have been very popular so this post will be a follow up which will enable You to show AIS targets, including AtoN:s, on  OpenSeaMap , (OSM), together with buoys and beacons. The application showing the map is SignalK , (SK) a OpenSource project for marine use.  With the " ais-forwarder " plugin you could send/dispatch the NMEA AIS data to   Marinetraffic  or  Vesselfinder . Another   AIS-dispatcher . The best AIS application ? is found here !

Updated 2023-11-06 ! I have searched for a solution transmitting the NMEA data, from the navigation network, via WiFi, to for example  iSailor  or other Tablet/Phone applications. Most of these applications just accepts NMEA0183(N1) but many boats are also using SeaTalk 1(ST1) and NMEA2000(N2K). This post will cover, kept compact, my best findings covering both a DIY and a commercial approach to handle the different protocols.

Updated 2023-11-05 ! An introduction to the SignalK, Marine application, is given here . A very easy way to measure temperature with Raspberry Pi, RPi, is to connect one wire (1W) DS18B20  (DS)temperature sensors direkt to the RPi GPIO. Here You find a post where the temperatures are transfered via WiFi

Updated 2023-11-04,  OK with Bookworm 32 bit ! Not Bookworm 64 Bit ! This is a setup, on a Raspberry Pi(RPi), with a software package, AIS Dispatcher, from  http://www.aishub.net  which includes receiving and processing of all standard AIS messages streaming raw AIS feeds to multiple destinations advanced monitoring of device status, coverage and message statistics embedded electronic map with all received vessels The best AIS application ?  is found here  !