Seeed LoRa-E5 LowPower problem

Posted on July 7, 2021 by devmobilenz

I have been soak testing Seeed LoRa-E5 equipped TinyCLR and netNF devices for the last couple of weeks and after approximately two days they would stop sending data. The code is still running but The Things Industries device live data tab is empty.

I have reviewed the code line by line and it looks okay. When I run the application on the device with the debugger attached the device does not stop transmitting (a heisenbug) which is a problem.

First step was to disable the sleep/wakeup power conservation calls and see what happens

#if PAYLOAD_COUNTER
   Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload Counter:{PayloadCounter}");
#if CONFIRMED
   result = device.Send(BitConverter.GetBytes(PayloadCounter), true, SendTimeout);
#else
   result = device.Send(BitConverter.GetBytes(PayloadCounter), false, SendTimeout);
#endif
   PayloadCounter += 1;
#endif

   if (result != Result.Success)
   {
      Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
   }

   /*
   Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Sleep");
   result = device.Sleep();
   if (result != Result.Success)
   {
      Debug.WriteLine($"Sleep failed {result}");
      return;
   }
   */
   Thread.Sleep(60000);
   /*
   Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Wakeup");
   result = device.Wakeup();
   if (result != Result.Success)
   {
      Debug.WriteLine($"Wakeup failed {result}");
      return;
   }
   */

The devices have now been running fine for 4.5 days so it looks like it might be something todo with entering and/or exiting low power mode.

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 on Github

Posted on June 12, 2021 by devmobilenz

The source code of my nanoFramework C# Seeed LoRa-E5 library is live on GitHub. My initial test rig was based on an STM32F691DISCOVERY board which has an Arduino Uno R3 format socket for a Grove Base Shield V2.0. I then connected it to my LoRa-E5 Development Kit with a Grove – Universal 4 Pin 20cm Unbuckled Cable(TX/RX reversed)

STM32F769I test rig with Seeedstudio Grove Base shield V2 and LoRa-E5 Development Kit

So far the demo application has been running for a couple of weeks

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5LoRaWANDeviceClient starting
12:00:01 Join start Timeout:25 Seconds
12:00:07 Join finish
12:00:07 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:00:13 Sleep
12:05:13 Wakeup
12:05:13 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:05:20 Sleep
12:10:20 Wakeup
12:10:20 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:10:27 Sleep
12:15:27 Wakeup
12:15:27 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:15:34 Sleep
...
11:52:40 Wakeup
11:52:40 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
11:52:45 Sleep
11:57:45 Wakeup
11:57:45 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
11:57:52 Sleep
12:02:52 Wakeup
12:02:52 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:02:59 Sleep
12:07:59 Wakeup
12:07:59 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:08:07 Sleep
12:13:07 Wakeup
12:13:07 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:13:14 Sleep

I have tested the Over The Air Activation(OTAA) code and will work on testing the other functionality over the coming week,

public static void Main()
{
   Result result;

   Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5LoRaWANDeviceClient starting");

   try
   {
      using (SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice device = new SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice())
      {
         result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, 9600, UartParity.None, 8, UartStopBitCount.One);
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
            return;
         }

#if CONFIRMED
         device.OnMessageConfirmation += OnMessageConfirmationHandler;
#endif
         device.OnReceiveMessage += OnReceiveMessageHandler;

#if RESET
         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Reset");
         result = device.Reset();
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Reset failed {result}");
            return;
          }
#endif

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Region {Region}");
         result = device.Region(Region);
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Region failed {result}");
            return;
         }

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ADR On");
         result = device.AdrOn();
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"ADR on failed {result}");
            return;
         }

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Port");
               result = device.Port(MessagePort);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Port on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if OTAA
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} OTAA");
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(Config.AppEui, Config.AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"OTAA Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if ABP
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ABP");
               result = device.AbpInitialise(DevAddress, NwksKey, AppsKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ABP Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.TotalSeconds} Seconds");
               result = device.Join(true, JoinTimeOut);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join finish");

               while (true)
               {
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload BCD:{PayloadBcd}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif

#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload Bytes:{BitConverter.ToString(PayloadBytes)}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Sleep");
                  result = device.Sleep();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Sleep failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }

                  Thread.Sleep(300000);

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Wakeup");
                  result = device.Wakeup();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Wakeup failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }
               }
            }
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
         }
      }

The Region, ADR and OtaaInitialise methods only need to be called when the device is first powered up and after a reset.

The library works but should be treated as late beta.

Seeed LoRa-E5 Wakeup

Posted on May 31, 2021 by devmobilenz

Over the last week I have been working on GHI Electronics TinyCLR-0SV2RC1 and nanoFramework and C# libraries for the LoRa-E5 module from Seeedstudio.

The initial test rigs were based on an Arduino Uno R3 format socket for a Grove Base Shield V2.0 which I then connected to my LoRa-E5 Development Kit with a Grove – Universal 4 Pin 20cm Unbuckled Cable(TX/RX reversed)

Fezduino device with Seeedstudio Grove base shield and LoRa-E5 development Kit

While testing I noticed that every so often that when I restarted the test application application, rebooted or power cycled the nanoFramework or Fezduino device the Seeed LoRa-E5 wouldn’t connect.

After some trial and error manually entering commands in Terraterm I found that if the LoRa-E5 had been put to sleep (AT+LOWPOWER) the response to the first command (usually setting the region with AT+DR=AS923) would be unexpected. The problem was more obvious when I used devices that were configured for “soak testing” because the gap between messages was much longer (5min vs. 30 seconds)

AT+VER
+VER: 4.0.11

AT+UART=TIMEOUT, 30000 
+UART: TIMEOUT, 30000

AT+LOWPOWER
+LOWPOWER: SLEEP

AT+DR=AS923
AT+LOWPOWER: WAKEUP

AT+DR=AS923
+DR: AS923

AT+JOIN FORCE
+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: FORCE
+JOIN: Network joined
+JOIN: NetID 000013 DevAddr 26:08:46:70
+JOIN: Done

AT+CMSGHEX="00 01 02 03 04"
+CMSGHEX: Start
+CMSGHEX: Wait ACK
+CMSGHEX: FPENDING
+CMSGHEX: ACK Received
+CMSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -29, SNR 9.0
+CMSGHEX: Done

After trying several different approaches which weren’t very robust I settled on sending a wakeup command (AT+LOWPOWER: WAKEUP with an expected response of +LOWPOWER: WAKEUP) and ignoring the result.

public Result Initialise(string serialPortId, int baudRate, UartParity serialParity, int dataBits, UartStopBitCount stopBitCount)
{
    if ((serialPortId == null) || (serialPortId == ""))
    {
       throw new ArgumentException("Invalid SerialPortId", "serialPortId");
    }
    if ((baudRate < BaudRateMinimum) || (baudRate > BaudRateMaximum))
    {
       throw new ArgumentException("Invalid BaudRate", "baudRate");
    }

   serialDevice = UartController.FromName(serialPortId);

   // set parameters
   serialDevice.SetActiveSettings(new UartSetting()
   {
      BaudRate = baudRate,
      Parity = serialParity,
      StopBits = stopBitCount,
      Handshaking = UartHandshake.None,
      DataBits = dataBits
   });

   serialDevice.Enable();

   atCommandExpectedResponse = string.Empty;

   serialDevice.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;

   // Ignoring the return from this is intentional
   this.SendCommand("+LOWPOWER: WAKEUP", "AT+LOWPOWER: WAKEUP", SendTimeoutMinimum);

   return Result.Success;
}

This modification has been applied to both libraries. I will also check that the RAK811 nanoFramework and TinyCLR libraries don’t have the same issue.

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part2

Posted on May 25, 2021 by devmobilenz

Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit and STM32F691DISCOVERY test rig working I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Industries(TTI).

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” as it is assumed that there are no timeouts or failures and it only sends one BCD message “01020304”.

   public class Program
   {
      private const string SerialPortId = "COM6";

      private const string AppKey = "................................";
      private const string AppEui = "................";

      private const byte MessagePort = 15;

      //private const string Payload = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN
      private const string Payload = "01020304"; // AQIDBA==
      //private const string Payload = "04030201"; // BAMCAQ==

   public static void Main()
   {
      SerialDevice serialDevice;
      uint bytesWritten;
      uint txByteCount;
      uint bytesRead;

      Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedLoRaE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

      Debug.WriteLine($"Ports available: {Windows.Devices.SerialCommunication.SerialDevice.GetDeviceSelector()}");

      try
      {
         serialDevice = SerialDevice.FromId(SerialPortId);

         // set parameters
         serialDevice.BaudRate = 9600;
         serialDevice.Parity = SerialParity.None;
         serialDevice.StopBits = SerialStopBitCount.One;
         serialDevice.Handshake = SerialHandshake.None;
         serialDevice.DataBits = 8;

         serialDevice.ReadTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 5);
         serialDevice.WriteTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 4);

         DataWriter outputDataWriter = new DataWriter(serialDevice.OutputStream);
         DataReader inputDataReader = new DataReader(serialDevice.InputStream);

         // set a watch char to be notified when it's available in the input stream
         serialDevice.WatchChar = '\n';

         // clear out the RX buffer
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         while (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            string response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");

            bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         }

         // Set the Region to AS923
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("AT+DR=AS923\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: region {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         if (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");
         }

         // Set the Join mode
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("AT+MODE=LWOTAA\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: mode {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         if (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            string response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");
         }

         // Set the appEUI
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"AT+ID=AppEui,\"{AppEui}\"\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: AppEui {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         if (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");
         }

         // Set the appKey
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"AT+KEY=APPKEY,{AppKey}\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: AppKey {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         if (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");
         }

         // Set the port number
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"AT+PORT={MessagePort}\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: port {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         if (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");
         }

         // Join the network
         bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("AT+JOIN\r\n");
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: join {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
         txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

         // Read the response, need loop as multi line response
         bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         while (bytesRead > 0)
         {
            String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");

            bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
         }

         while (true)
         {
            bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"AT+MSGHEX=\"{Payload}\"\r\n");
            Debug.WriteLine($"TX: send {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");

            txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
            Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

            // Read the response, need loop as multi line response
            bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
            while (bytesRead > 0)
            {
               String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
               Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response}");

               bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(128);
            }

            Thread.Sleep(300000);
         }
      }
      catch (Exception ex)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
      }
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: AS923

TX: MODE 16 bytes
RX :+MODE: LWOTAA

TX: ID=AppEui 40 bytes
RX :+ID: AppEui, ..:..:.:.:.:.:.:.

TX: KEY=APPKEY 48 bytes
RX :+KEY: APPKEY ................................

TX: PORT 11 bytes
RX :+PORT: 1

TX: JOIN 9 bytes
RX :+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: NORMAL
+JOIN: Network joined
+JOIN: NetID 000013 DevAddr ..:..:..:..
+JOIN: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: FPENDING
+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -41, SNR 9.0
+MSGHEX: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: Done

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTI console.

Seeed E5 LoRaWAN dev Kit connecting in The Things Industries Device Live data tab

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part1

Posted on May 24, 2021 by devmobilenz

Basic connectivity

Over the weekend I have been working on a nanoFramework C# library for my LoRa-E5 Development Kit from Seeedstudio. My initial test rig is based on an STM32F691DISCOVERY board which has an Arduino Uno R3 format socket for a Grove Base Shield V2.0, which I then connected to my LoRa-E5 Development Kit with a Grove – Universal 4 Pin 20cm Unbuckled Cable(TX/RX reversed)

The code has compile time options for synchronous and asynchronous operation.

public class Program
{
   private const string SerialPortId = "COM6";

   public static void Main()
   {
      SerialDevice serialDevice;

      Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedLoRaE5.ShieldSerial starting");

      Debug.WriteLine(Windows.Devices.SerialCommunication.SerialDevice.GetDeviceSelector());

      try
      {
         serialDevice = SerialDevice.FromId(SerialPortId);

         // set parameters
         serialDevice.BaudRate = 9600;
         serialDevice.Parity = SerialParity.None;
         serialDevice.StopBits = SerialStopBitCount.One;
         serialDevice.Handshake = SerialHandshake.None;
         serialDevice.DataBits = 8;

         serialDevice.ReadTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 30);
         serialDevice.WriteTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 4);

         DataWriter outputDataWriter = new DataWriter(serialDevice.OutputStream);

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
         DataReader inputDataReader = new DataReader(serialDevice.InputStream);
#else
         serialDevice.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;
#endif

         // set a watch char to be notified when it's available in the input stream
         // This doesn't appear to work with synchronous calls
         serialDevice.WatchChar = '\n';

         while (true)
         {
            uint bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("AT+VER\r\n");
            Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");

            // calling the 'Store' method on the data writer actually sends the data
            uint txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
            Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
            uint bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(50);

            Debug.WriteLine($"RXs :{bytesRead} bytes read from {serialDevice.PortName}");

            if (bytesRead > 0)
            {
               String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
               Debug.WriteLine($"RX sync:{response}");
            }
#endif

            Thread.Sleep(20000);
         }
      }
      catch (Exception ex)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
      }
   }

   private static void SerialDevice_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
   {
      switch (e.EventType)
      {
         case SerialData.Chars:
            //Debug.WriteLine("RX SerialData.Chars");
            break;

         case SerialData.WatchChar:
             Debug.WriteLine("RX: SerialData.WatchChar");
             SerialDevice serialDevice = (SerialDevice)sender;

            using (DataReader inputDataReader = new DataReader(serialDevice.InputStream))
            {
               inputDataReader.InputStreamOptions = InputStreamOptions.Partial;

               // read all available bytes from the Serial Device input stream
               uint bytesRead = inputDataReader.Load(serialDevice.BytesToRead);

               Debug.WriteLine($"RXa: {bytesRead} bytes read from {serialDevice.PortName}");

               if (bytesRead > 0)
               {
                  String response = inputDataReader.ReadString(bytesRead);
                  Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response}");
               }
            }
            break;
         default:
            Debug.Assert(false, $"e.EventType {e.EventType} unknown");
            break;
      }
   }
}

I have reused a significant amount of code built for my nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part1 post.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedLoRaE5.ShieldSerial starting
Ports available: COM5,COM6
TX: 8 bytes to output stream.
TX: 8 bytes via COM6
TX: 8 bytes to output stream.
TX: 8 bytes via COM6
RX: SerialData.WatchChar
RXa: 28 bytes read from COM6
RX:+VER: 4.0.11
+VER: 4.0.11

TX: 8 bytes to output stream.
TX: 8 bytes via COM6
RX: SerialData.WatchChar
RXa: 14 bytes read from COM6
RX:+VER: 4.0.11

TX: 8 bytes to output stream.
TX: 8 bytes via COM6
RX: SerialData.WatchChar
RXa: 14 bytes read from COM6
RX:+VER: 4.0.11

TX: 8 bytes to output stream.
TX: 8 bytes via COM6
RX: SerialData.WatchChar
RXa: 14 bytes read from COM6
RX:+VER: 4.0.11

The test rig confirmed that I had the right configuration for the hardware (TX-RX twist) and LoRa-E5 connection (serial port, baud rate, parity etc.)

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 on Github

Posted on May 20, 2021 by devmobilenz

The source code of my GHI Electronics TinyCLR-0SV2RC1 Seeed LoRa-E5 library is live on GitHub. The initial test harness uses a Fezduinoand a LoRa-E5 Development Kit.

So far the demo application has been running for 24 hours

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5LoRaWANDeviceClient starting
12:00:01 Join start Timeout:25 Seconds
12:00:07 Join finish
12:00:07 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:00:13 Sleep
12:05:13 Wakeup
12:05:13 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:05:20 Sleep
12:10:20 Wakeup
12:10:20 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:10:27 Sleep
12:15:27 Wakeup
12:15:27 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:15:34 Sleep
...
11:52:40 Wakeup
11:52:40 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
11:52:45 Sleep
11:57:45 Wakeup
11:57:45 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
11:57:52 Sleep
12:02:52 Wakeup
12:02:52 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:02:59 Sleep
12:07:59 Wakeup
12:07:59 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:08:07 Sleep
12:13:07 Wakeup
12:13:07 Send Timeout:10 Seconds payload BCD:010203040506070809
12:13:14 Sleep

I have tested the Over The Air Activation(OTAA) code and will work on testing the other functionality over the coming week,

public static void Main()
{
   Result result;

   Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5LoRaWANDeviceClient starting");

   try
   {
      using (SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice device = new SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice())
      {
         result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, 9600, UartParity.None, 8, UartStopBitCount.One);
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
            return;
         }

#if CONFIRMED
         device.OnMessageConfirmation += OnMessageConfirmationHandler;
#endif
         device.OnReceiveMessage += OnReceiveMessageHandler;

#if RESET
         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Reset");
         result = device.Reset();
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Reset failed {result}");
            return;
          }
#endif

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Region {Region}");
         result = device.Region(Region);
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"Region failed {result}");
            return;
         }

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ADR On");
         result = device.AdrOn();
         if (result != Result.Success)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine($"ADR on failed {result}");
            return;
         }

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Port");
               result = device.Port(MessagePort);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Port on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if OTAA
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} OTAA");
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(Config.AppEui, Config.AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"OTAA Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if ABP
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ABP");
               result = device.AbpInitialise(DevAddress, NwksKey, AppsKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ABP Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.TotalSeconds} Seconds");
               result = device.Join(true, JoinTimeOut);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join finish");

               while (true)
               {
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload BCD:{PayloadBcd}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif

#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload Bytes:{BitConverter.ToString(PayloadBytes)}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Sleep");
                  result = device.Sleep();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Sleep failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }

                  Thread.Sleep(300000);

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Wakeup");
                  result = device.Wakeup();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Wakeup failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }
               }
            }
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
         }
      }

The Region, ADR and OtaaInitialise methods only need to be called when the device is first powered up and after a reset.

The library works but should be treated as late beta.

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part5

Posted on May 19, 2021 by devmobilenz

Receive of two parts

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit and Fezduino test rig working I started to build a general purpose library for GHI Electronics TinyCLR powered devices.

The code wasn’t very robust so when I sent messages from The Things Network (TTN) EndDevice messaging tab my first implementation didn’t work.

In the Visual Studio 2019 Debug output window

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: AS923

TX: MODE 16 bytes
RX :+MODE: LWOTAA

TX: ID=AppEui 40 bytes
RX :+ID: AppEui, 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00

TX: KEY=APPKEY 48 bytes
RX :+KEY: APPKEY 12345678901234567890123456789012

TX: PORT 11 bytes
RX :+PORT: 1

TX: JOIN 9 bytes
RX :+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: NORMAL
+JOIN: Network joined
+JOIN: NetID 000013 DevAddr 00:00:00:00
+JOIN: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: FPENDING
+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 8.0
+MSGHEX: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: PORT: 10; RX: "0102030405"
+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 15.0
+MSGHEX: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: FPENDING
+MSGHEX: PORT: 20; RX: "0504030201"
+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 14.0
+MSGHEX: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: Done

After going back and looking at the module documentation and the diagnostic output I realised that the downlink message and confirmation were sent in two responses.

The first (optional) part of the response had the port number and message payload

+MSGHEX: PORT: 20; RX: "0504030201"

The second had the signal strength information

+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 14.0

I had to add some code to the SerialDevice_DataReceived method for assembling the two responses. It would be good if the Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 only used one response. (Sample below based on RAK811)

at+send=lora:1:5A00
OK
at+recv=1,-105,-12,0

at+send=lora:1:5A00
OK
at+recv=0,-105,-12,8,00010203

The other LoRa-E5 implementation detail which frustrated me was the inclusion of labels for values e.g. PORT, RSSI, SNR etc.

 +MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 14.0

It would be simpler if the first parameter was the receive window, the second Received Signal Strength Indication(RSSI) and third Signal to Noise Ratio(SNR) etc..

The inconsistent use of separators also made unpacking messages more complex (esp. ‘;’ vs ‘:’ which was hard to see)

+MSGHEX: PORT: 20; RX: “0504030201” uses ‘:’ + ‘;’ + ‘”” + ‘ ‘

+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -31, SNR 14.0 uses ‘:’ + ‘,’ + ‘ ‘

Now that I have a proof of concept library I need to functionality and soak test it.

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part4

Posted on May 18, 2021 by devmobilenz

Failure is an option

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit and Fezduino test rig working I started to build a general purpose library for GHI Electronics TinyCLR powered devices.

The code currently isn’t very robust so when I accidentally used an invalid region, then AppEUI the responses weren’t consistent. When the region configuration failed the response was +DR: ERROR(-1) which maps to “Parameters is invalid” and when the Join failed the response was “+JOIN: Join failed”.

// Set the Region to AS923
txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("AT+DR=AS924\r\n"));
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: DR {txByteCount} bytes");
Thread.Sleep(500);

//Read the response
rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
if (rxByteCount > 0)
{
   byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
   serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
   Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
}

In the Visual Studio 2019 Debug output window

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: ERROR(-1)

When I tried an invalid AppEui and the AT+JOIN failed the error message was “+JOIN: Join failed”

In the Visual Studio 2019 Debug output window

devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: AS923

TX: MODE 16 bytes
RX :+MODE: LWOTAA

TX: ID=AppEui 40 bytes
RX :+ID: AppEui, 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00

TX: KEY=APPKEY 48 bytes
RX :+KEY: APPKEY 01234567890123456789012345678901

TX: PORT 11 bytes
RX :+PORT: 1

TX: JOIN 9 bytes
RX :+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: NORMAL
+JOIN: Join failed
+JOIN: Done

I had to add some code to the SerialDevice_DataReceived method for handling the “+JOIN: Join failed” case. It would be good if the Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 reported errors in a consistent way for all commands, without the ERROR(..) marker.

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part3

Posted on May 17, 2021 by devmobilenz

DevAddr, DevEui and AppEui Oddness

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit and Fezduino test rig working I wanted to build a general purpose library for GHI Electronics TinyCLR powered devices.

The code currently isn’t very robust but this caught my attention…

devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: AS923

TX: MODE 16 bytes
RX :+MODE: LWOTAA

TX: ID=AppEui 40 bytes
RX :+ID: AppEui, 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00

TX: KEY=APPKEY 48 bytes
RX :+KEY: APPKEY 0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMOPQRSTRU 

TX: PORT 11 bytes
RX :+PORT: 1

TX: JOIN 9 bytes
RX :+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: NORMAL
+JOIN: Network joined
+JOIN: NetID 000013 DevAddr 00:01:02:03
+JOIN: Done

In my code I validate the values returned by commands

AT+ID=AppEui, “0000000000000”

AT+ID=APPEUI, “00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00”

Response to either of the above commands

+ID: AppEui, 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00

It just seem a bit odd that to set the AppEUI (similar for the DevEUI and DevAddr) there are two possible formats available, neither of which is the format returned.

This was unlike the RAK811 module where most commands just return OK when they are successful.

at+set_config=lora:app_eui:0000000000000001
OK

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part2

Posted on May 2, 2021 by devmobilenz

Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit and Fezduino test rig working I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Industries(TTI) via the RAK7258 WisGate Edge Lite on the shelf in my office.

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” as it is assumed that there are no timeouts or failures and it only sends one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”. The code just sequentially steps through the necessary commands (with a suitable delay after each is sent) to join the TTI network.

public class Program
{
#if TINYCLR_V2_FEZDUINO
   private static string SerialPortId = SC20100.UartPort.Uart5;
#endif
   private const string AppKey = "................................";

   //txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+ID=AppEui,{AppEui}\r\n"));
   //private const string AppEui = "................";

   //txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+ID=AppEui,\"{AppEui}\"\r\n"));
   private const string AppEui = ".. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..";

   private const byte messagePort = 1;

   //private const string payload = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN
   private const string payload = "01020304"; // AQIDBA==
   //private const string payload = "04030201"; // BAMCAQ==

   public static void Main()
   {
      UartController serialDevice;
      int txByteCount;
      int rxByteCount;

      Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

      try
      {
         serialDevice = UartController.FromName(SerialPortId);

         serialDevice.SetActiveSettings(new UartSetting()
         {
            BaudRate = 9600,
            Parity = UartParity.None,
            StopBits = UartStopBitCount.One,
            Handshaking = UartHandshake.None,
            DataBits = 8
         });

         serialDevice.Enable();

         // Set the Region to AS923
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("AT+DR=AS923\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: DR {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(500);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }

         // Set the Join mode
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("AT+MODE=LWOTAA\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: MODE {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(500);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }

         // Set the appEUI
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+ID=AppEui,\"{AppEui}\"\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: ID=AppEui {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(500);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }
            
         // Set the appKey
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+KEY=APPKEY,{AppKey}\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: KEY=APPKEY {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(500);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }

         // Set the PORT
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+PORT={messagePort}\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: PORT {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(500);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }

         // Join the network
         txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("AT+JOIN\r\n"));
         Debug.WriteLine($"TX: JOIN {txByteCount} bytes");
         Thread.Sleep(10000);

         // Read the response
         rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
         if (rxByteCount > 0)
         {
            byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
            serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
            Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
         }

         while (true)
         {
            // Unconfirmed message
            txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+MSGHEX=\"{payload}\"\r\n"));
            Debug.WriteLine($"TX: MSGHEX {txByteCount} bytes");

            // Confirmed message
            //txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+CMSGHEX=\"{payload}\"\r\n"));
            //Debug.WriteLine($"TX: CMSGHEX {txByteCount} bytes");

            Thread.Sleep(10000);

            // Read the response
            rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
            if (rxByteCount > 0)
            {
               byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];
               serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);
               Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer)}");
            }

            Thread.Sleep(30000);
         }
      }
      catch (Exception ex)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
      }
   }
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: DR 13 bytes
RX :+DR: AS923

TX: MODE 16 bytes
RX :+MODE: LWOTAA

TX: ID=AppEui 40 bytes
RX :+ID: AppEui, ..:..:.:.:.:.:.:.

TX: KEY=APPKEY 48 bytes
RX :+KEY: APPKEY ................................

TX: PORT 11 bytes
RX :+PORT: 1

TX: JOIN 9 bytes
RX :+JOIN: Start
+JOIN: NORMAL
+JOIN: Network joined
+JOIN: NetID 000013 DevAddr ..:..:..:..
+JOIN: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: FPENDING
+MSGHEX: RXWIN1, RSSI -41, SNR 9.0
+MSGHEX: Done

TX: MSGHEX 22 bytes
RX :+MSGHEX: Start
+MSGHEX: Done

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTI console.

I had an issue with how the AppUI parameter was handled

   private const string AppKey = "................................";

   //txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+ID=AppEui,{AppEui}\r\n"));
   //private const string AppEui = "................";

   //txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"AT+ID=AppEui,\"{AppEui}\"\r\n"));
   private const string AppEui = ".. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..";

It appears that If the appkey (or other string parameter) has spaces it has to be enclosed in quotations.

devMobile's blog

Random wanderings through Microsoft Azure esp. PaaS plumbing, the IoT bits, AI on Micro controllers, AI on Edge Devices, .NET nanoFramework, .NET Core on *nix and ML.NET+ONNX

Category Archives: SeeedStudio

Seeed LoRa-E5 LowPower problem

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 on Github

Seeed LoRa-E5 Wakeup

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part2

Nasty OTAA connect

nanoFramework Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part1

Basic connectivity

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 on Github

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part5

Receive of two parts

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part4

Failure is an option

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part3

DevAddr, DevEui and AppEui Oddness

TinyCLR OS V2 Seeed LoRa-E5 LoRaWAN library Part2

Nasty OTAA connect