Tag Archives: WisNode

RAK811/RAK4200 AS923 Join Channels

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When running an application which used my TinyCLR V2 RAK811 Module library on a FezDuino with a modified RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) most join attempts on my Things Industries(TTI) instance would fail. This was a bit odd as connecting to The Things Network(TTN) was pretty reliable.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting
12:00:12 Region AS923
12:00:12 ADR On
12:00:12 Unconfirmed
12:00:12 OTAA
12:00:13 Join start Timeout:30Sec
Join failed 26
The thread '<No Name>' (0x1) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
Done.

In TTI end device live data tab I could see the the joins attempts were failing with “Uplink channel Not found”

The Things Industries device live data tab “uplink channel not found” failures
The Things Industries device live data tab “uplink channel not found” detail

Initially I assumed this was an issue with my configuration of the RAKwireless RAK7258 gateway in my office that I was using for testing. After some discussions with a helpful TTI support person they suggested that I try disabling all bar the first two channels the RAK811 module was configured to use then see if worked.

I modified the intialise method of my TinyCLR V2 RAK811 Module library to disable all bar the first two channels

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:2:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
   Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:2:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:3:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
   Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:3:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:4:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
   Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:4:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:5:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
    Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:5:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:6:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
   Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:6:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

result = SendCommand("OK", "at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:7:0", CommandTimeoutDefault);
if (result != Result.Success)
{
#if DIAGNOSTICS
   Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} at+set_config=lora:ch_mask:7:0 {result}");
#endif
   return result;
}

After modifying the code my Fezduino joined reliably.

The thread ” (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting
12:00:12 Region AS923
12:00:12 ADR On
12:00:12 Unconfirmed
12:00:12 OTAA
12:00:13 Join start Timeout:30Sec
12:00:18 Join finish
Temperature : 19.9 °C
Pressure : 1014.0 HPa
Altitude : 143 meters
12:00:19 port:5 payload BCD:0073279C016700C8
12:00:44 Sleep
12:01:44 Wakeup
Temperature : 20.1 °C
Pressure : 1014.0 HPa
Altitude : 143 meters
12:01:44 port:5 payload BCD:0073279C016700C9
12:02:09 Sleep

The Things Industries device live data tab successful join.

After some further discussion with TTI support it looks like the RAK811 module doesn’t send join requests on the frequencies specified for the AS923 region in the LoRaWAN™1.1Regional Parameters.

LoRaWAN Regional Parameters AS923 Join-request frequencies

After confirming the join-request channel issue I went back to the RAKwireless forums with some new terms to search for and found that others were having a similar issue but with RAK4200 modules. My “best guess” is that the TTI implementation is more strict about join-request frequencies than the TTN

TinyCLR OS V2 RC1 RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part2

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Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) and Fezduino test rig working. I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Network(TTN) via the RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway on my desk. I had got the EVB configuration sorted with a nanoFramework device so I was confident it should work.

EVB plugged into Fezduino

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” I assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”

I configured the RAK811 module for LoRaWAN 

// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("at+set_config=lora:work_mode:0\r\n"));
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: work 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)}");
}
...

Then just sequentially step through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network with a suitable delay after each command is sent.

// Set the Region to AS923
txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("at+set_config=lora:region:AS923\r\n"));
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: region {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 JoinMode
txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("at+set_config=lora:join_mode:0\r\n"));
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: join_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)}");
}

// OTAA set the devEUI
txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($"at+set_config=lora:dev_eui:{DevEui}\r\n"));
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: dev_eui: {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)}");
}
...

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.Rak811.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
TX: work mode 32 bytes
RX :UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK 

TX: region 33 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: join_mode 32 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: dev_eui: 45 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: app_eui 45 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: app_key 61 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: confirm 30 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: join 9 bytes
RX :OK Join Success

TX: send 43 bytes
RX :OK 

TX: send 43 bytes
RX :OK

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

Successful OTAA Connect TTN logging

I had some issues with TimeSpan.ToString(…) throwing a CLR_E_UNSUPPORTED_INSTRUCTION exception which has been mentioned on the GHI Forums.

I had to modify my code to fix this issue 

Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut:hh:mm:ss}");

// Became

Debug.WriteLine($" {DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join Start Timeout {timeout.TotalSeconds} seconds");

I won’t bother with confirming any other functionality as I’m reasonably confident the nanoFramework library (which this code is based on) is working as expected.

TinyCLR OS V2 RC1 RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part1

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Basic connectivity

Over the weekend I have been working on a GHI Electronics TinyCLR V2  C# library for my modified RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) from RAK Wireless. My initial test rig is based on an Fezduino board which has Arduino Uno R3 format socket for the EVB.

Fezduino with RAK Wisnode shield

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

   public class Program
   {
      private static UartController serialDevice;
      private const string ATCommand = "at+version\r\n";
#if TINYCLR_V2_FEZDUINO
      private static string SerialPortId = SC20100.UartPort.Uart5;
#endif

      public static void Main()
      {
         Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.Rak811.ShieldSerial 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();

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
            serialDevice.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;
#endif

            while (true)
            {
               byte[] txBuffer = UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(ATCommand);

               int txByteCount = serialDevice.Write(txBuffer);
               Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes");

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
               while( serialDevice.BytesToWrite>0)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($" BytesToWrite {serialDevice.BytesToWrite}");
                  Thread.Sleep(100);
               }

               int rxByteCount = serialDevice.BytesToRead;
               if (rxByteCount>0)
               {
                  byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[rxByteCount];

                  serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer);

                  Debug.WriteLine($"RX sync:{rxByteCount} bytes read");
                  String response = UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer);
                  Debug.WriteLine($"RX sync:{response}");
               }
#endif

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


#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
      private static void SerialDevice_DataReceived(UartController sender, DataReceivedEventArgs e)
      {
         byte[] rxBuffer = new byte[e.Count];

         serialDevice.Read(rxBuffer, 0, e.Count);

         Debug.WriteLine($"RX Async:{e.Count} bytes read");
         String response = UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetString(rxBuffer);
         Debug.WriteLine($"RX Async:{response}");
      }
#endif
   }

When I first ran the code I noticed the serialDevice.Read timed out before any characters were received.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811.ShieldSerial starting
TX: 12 bytes
TX: 12 bytes
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

I then added code to check the message had been sent and the code worked as expected. I now think, that rather than checking that the characters had been sent the short 100mSec delay was more important. 

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811.ShieldSerial starting
TX: 12 bytes
 BytesToWrite 10
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes
 BytesToWrite 10
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes
 BytesToWrite 10
RX sync:19 bytes read
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

I then added code to receive data asynchronously and the response to the version request was received as expected.

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811.ShieldSerial starting
TX: 12 bytes
RX Async:1 bytes read
RX Async:O
RX Async:8 bytes read
RX Async:K V3.0.0
RX Async:10 bytes read
RX Async:.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes
RX Async:1 bytes read
RX Async:O
RX Async:5 bytes read
RX Async:K V3.
RX Async:9 bytes read
RX Async:0.0.13.H.
RX Async:4 bytes read
RX Async:T3

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part7

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Now with added callbacks

After building a nanoFramework library “inspired” by the RakWireless Arduino library(which has some issues) I figured it would be good to refactor the library to be more asynchronous with event handlers for send confirmation (if configured) and received messages.

If the RAK811 module is initialised, and connects to the network successfully, the application sends “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” (“hello LoRaWAN”) every 5 minutes.

STM32F691Discovery with EVB plugged into Arduino headers

The code application code now has a lot more compile time options for network configuration and payload format.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) June 2020, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define ST_STM32F769I_DISCOVERY      // nanoff --target ST_STM32F769I_DISCOVERY --update 
#define PAYLOAD_BCD
//#define PAYLOAD_BYTES
#define OTAA
//#define ABP
#define CONFIRMED
namespace devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient
{
   using System;
   using System.Threading;
   using System.Diagnostics;
   using Windows.Devices.SerialCommunication;

   using devMobile.IoT.LoRaWan;

   public class Program
   {
#if ST_STM32F769I_DISCOVERY
      private const string SerialPortId = "COM6";
#endif
#if OTAA
      private const string DevEui = "...";
      private const string AppEui = "...";
      private const string AppKey = "...";
#endif
#if ABP
      private const string DevAddress = "...";
      private const string NwksKey = "...";
      private const string AppsKey = "...";
#endif
      private const string Region = "AS923";
      private static readonly TimeSpan JoinTimeOut = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 10);
      private static readonly TimeSpan SendTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 10);
      private const byte MessagePort = 1;
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
      private const string PayloadBcd = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN in BCD
#endif
#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
      private static readonly byte[] PayloadBytes = { 0x48, 0x65, 0x6c, 0x6c, 0x6f, 0x20, 0x4c, 0x6f, 0x52, 0x61, 0x57, 0x41, 0x4e}; // Hello LoRaWAN in bytes
#endif

      public static void Main()
      {
         Result result;

         Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting");

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

         try
         {
            using ( Rak811LoRaWanDevice device = new Rak811LoRaWanDevice())
            {
               result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, 9600, SerialParity.None, 8, SerialStopBitCount.One);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

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

               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;
               }

#if CONFIRMED
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Confirmed");
               result = device.Confirm(LoRaConfirmType.Confirmed);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Confirm on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#else
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Unconfirmed");
               result = device.Confirm(LoRaConfirmType.Unconfirmed);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Confirm off failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if OTAA
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} OTAA");
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(DevEui, AppEui, AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"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($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut:hh:mm:ss}");
               result = device.Join(JoinTimeOut);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join finish");

               while (true)
               {
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout:hh:mm:ss} port:{MessagePort} payload BCD:{PayloadBcd}");
                  result = device.Send(MessagePort, PayloadBcd, SendTimeout);
#endif
#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout:hh:mm:ss} port:{MessagePort} payload Bytes:{BitConverter.ToString(PayloadBytes)}");
                  result = device.Send(MessagePort, PayloadBytes, SendTimeout);
#endif
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

                  // if we sleep module too soon response is missed
                  Thread.Sleep(new TimeSpan( 0,0,5));

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

                  Thread.Sleep(new TimeSpan(0, 5, 0));

                  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);
         }
      }

      static void OnMessageConfirmationHandler(int rssi, int snr)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Confirm RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr}");
      }

      static void OnReceiveMessageHandler(int port, int rssi, int snr, string payloadBcd)
      {
         byte[] payloadBytes = Rak811LoRaWanDevice.BcdToByes(payloadBcd);

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Receive Message RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr} Port:{port} Payload:{payloadBcd} PayLoadBytes:{BitConverter.ToString(payloadBytes)}");
      }
   }
}

The debugging output with the Rak811LoRaWanDevice class diagnostics off

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting
Ports :COM5,COM6
12:00:51 Region AS923
12:00:51 ADR On
12:00:51 Confirmed
12:00:52 OTAA
12:00:52 Join start Timeout:00:00:10
12:00:59 Join finish
12:00:59 Send Timeout:00:00:10 port:1 payload BCD:48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e
12:01:02 Send Confirm RSSI:-79 SNR:9
12:01:07 Sleep
12:06:07 Wakeup
12:06:07 Send Timeout:00:00:10 port:1 payload BCD:48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e
12:06:08 Send Confirm RSSI:-65 SNR:8
12:06:13 Sleep
12:11:13 Wakeup
12:11:13 Send Timeout:00:00:10 port:1 payload BCD:48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e
12:11:15 Send Confirm RSSI:-60 SNR:7
12:11:15 Receive Message RSSI:-60 SNR:7 Port:5 Payload:48656c6c6f PayLoadBytes:48-65-6C-6C-6F
12:11:20 Sleep
TTN OTAA Connection + RX&TX

Some commands are quite quick to respond e.g. setting the Region, Sleep, and Wakeup. Others, take quite a while e.g. Join, Send, WorkMode so they have separate timeout configurations.

The code is approaching beta and I’ll be testing and fixing bugs for the next couple of days.

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part6

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Inspired by the Arduino Library

After successful proof of concept projects I have build a nanoFramwork library “inspired” by the RakWireless Arduino library.

The initial version only supports my RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) and STM32F691DISCOVERY based test rig It handles failures, displays error codes/messages, but doesn’t handle all timeouts.

If the RAK811 module is initialised, then connects to the network successfully, the application sends “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” (“hello LoRaWAN”) every 20 seconds.

STM32F691Discovery with EVB plugged into Arduino headers

The code application code is now a lot smaller & simpler

   public class Program
   {
#if ST_STM32F769I_DISCOVERY
      private const string SerialPortId = "COM6";
#endif
#if OTAA
      private const string DevEui = "...";
      private const string AppEui = "...";
      private const string AppKey = "...";
#endif
#if ABP
      private const string devAddress = "...";
      private const string nwksKey = "...";
      private const string appsKey = "...";
#endif
      private const byte MessagePort = 1;
      private const string Payload = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN

      public static void Main()
      {
         Result result;

         Debug.WriteLine(" devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting");

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

         try
         {
            using ( Rak811LoRaWanDevice device = new Rak811LoRaWanDevice())
            {
               result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, SerialParity.None, 8, SerialStopBitCount.One);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

               result = device.Region("AS923");
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Region failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if OTAA
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(DevEui, AppEui, AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"OTAA Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if ABP
               result = device.AbpInitialise(devAddress, nwksKey, appsKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ABP Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               result = device.Join(new TimeSpan(0,0,10));
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

               while (true)
               {
                  result = device.Send(MessagePort, Payload);
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

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

                  Thread.Sleep(20000);

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

I compared the debugging output with confirmations off

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
 devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting
COM5,COM6
01:11:13 lora:work_mode
TX: send 32 bytes 32 via COM6
RX 01:11:14:UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK 

01:11:15 lora:region
TX: send 33 bytes 33 via COM6
RX 01:11:16:OK 

01:11:16 lora:join_mode
TX: send 32 bytes 32 via COM6
RX 01:11:17:OK 

01:11:18 lora:dev_eui
TX: send 45 bytes 45 via COM6
RX 01:11:19:OK 

01:11:19 lora:app_eui
TX: send 45 bytes 45 via COM6
RX 01:11:20:OK 

01:11:21 lora:app_key
TX: send 61 bytes 61 via COM6
RX 01:11:22:OK 

01:11:22 join
TX: send 9 bytes 9 via COM6
RX 01:11:29:OK Join Success

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 
at+recv=1,-54,9,5:48656c6c6f

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 
at+recv=2,-51,7,5:48656c6c6f

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6

Then with confirmations on (note the at+recv=0,-59,7,0) and received messages (at+recv=23,-53,8,5:48656c6c6f)

devMobile.IoT.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting
COM5,COM6
01:20:54 lora:work_mode
TX: send 32 bytes 32 via COM6
RX 01:20:56:UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK 

01:20:56 lora:region
TX: send 33 bytes 33 via COM6
RX 01:20:57:OK 

01:20:58 lora:join_mode
TX: send 32 bytes 32 via COM6
RX 01:20:59:OK 

01:20:59 lora:dev_eui
TX: send 45 bytes 45 via COM6
RX 01:21:00:OK 

01:21:01 lora:app_eui
TX: send 45 bytes 45 via COM6
RX 01:21:02:OK 

01:21:02 lora:app_key
TX: send 61 bytes 61 via COM6
RX 01:21:03:OK 

01:21:04 join
TX: send 9 bytes 9 via COM6
RX 01:21:11:OK Join Success

01:21:11 lora:confirm
TX: send 30 bytes 30 via COM6
RX 01:21:12:OK 

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 
at+recv=23,-53,8,5:48656c6c6f

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 
at+recv=0,-59,7,0

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see the responses to the AT Commands and especially the lack of handling of downlink messages and confirmations from the network.

The next step is to implement timeouts for when operations fail or the module doesn’t respond. Then extend the code to support the receiving of messages as a class A device (missing for the RAK arduino library). I wonder how this will work for when the module is configured as a class C device which can receive messages at any time.

Some commands are quite quick to respond e.g. setting the Region, Sleep, and Wakeup so are most probably ok running synchronously. Other commands can take quite a while e.g. Join, Send, WorkMode so maybe these need to be asynchronous (along with the receiving of confirmations and messages ).

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my new approach worked.

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part5

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Nasty ABP connect

After a successful Over The Air Activation(OTAA) with my RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) and STM32F691DISCOVERY based test rig. I figured for completeness an Activation by Personalization (ABP) would be a good.

My ABP implementation is based on my OTAA one so is pretty “nasty”. Again, I assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one message BCD “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” (“hello LoRaWAN”) every 20 seconds.

STM32F691Discovery with EVB plugged into Arduino headers

I created a new ABP device

Things Network ABP configuration

Then I configured the RAK811 module for LoRaWAN 

// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+set_config=lora:work_mode:0rn");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: work_mode {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

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

Then sequentially stepped through the necessary configuration to join the The Things Network(TTN) network

// Set the JoinMode to ABP
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"at+set_config=lora:join_mode:1\r\n");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: join_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 device address
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"at+set_config=lora:dev_addr:{devAddress}\r\n");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: dev_addr {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}");
   }
...

After making a few fixes to my code and tweaking some settings I could see data in the TTN Console.

ABP Device data uplink

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

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see the AT Command responses from were getting truncated in odd ways so I need to be careful how they are processed. 

The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rak811.NetworkJoinABP starting
COM5,COM6
TX: work_mode 32 bytes to output stream.
TX: 32 bytes via COM6
RX :UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:ABP, Class: A
Initialization OK 

TX: region 33 bytes to output stream.
TX: 33 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: join_mode 32 bytes to output stream.
TX: 32 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: dev_addr 38 bytes to output stream.
TX: 38 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: nwks_key 62 bytes to output stream.
TX: 62 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: apps_key 62 bytes to output stream.
TX: 62 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: confirm 30 bytes to output stream.
TX: 30 bytes via COM6
RX :OK 

TX: join 9 bytes to output stream.
TX: 9 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :OK Jo
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :in Su
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :ccess
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :
OK 
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX :
OK

The next step is to get rework the code to process responses to the AT commands in a smarter way and extract error codes when an operation fails.

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part4

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Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) and STM32F691DISCOVERY test rig sorted. I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Network(TTN) via the RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway which was on my desk. I had got the EVB configuration sorted with an Arduino Uno R3 device so I was confident it should work.

STM32F691Discovery with EVB plugged into Arduino headers

My Over the Air Activation(OTAA) implementation is pretty “nasty” I assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”

I configured the RAK811 module for LoRaWAN 

// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+set_config=lora:work_mode:0\r\n");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: work_mode {outputDataWriter.UnstoredBufferLength} bytes to output stream.");
txByteCount = outputDataWriter.Store();
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: {txByteCount} bytes via {serialDevice.PortName}");

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

Then just sequentially stepped through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network

// Set the Region to AS923
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+set_config=lora:region: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 sync:{response}");
}

// Set the JoinMode
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"at+set_config=lora:join_mode:0\r\n");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: join_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 sync:{response}");
}

// OTAA set the devEUI
bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString($"at+set_config=lora:dev_eui:{devEui}\r\n");
Debug.WriteLine($"TX: dev_eui {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 sync:{response}");
}
...

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.Rak811.NetworkJoinOTAA starting
COM5,COM6
TX: work_mode 32 bytes to output stream.
TX: 32 bytes via COM6
RX sync:UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK 

TX: region 33 bytes to output stream.
TX: 33 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: join_mode 32 bytes to output stream.
TX: 32 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: dev_eui 45 bytes to output stream.
TX: 45 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: app_eui 45 bytes to output stream.
TX: 45 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: app_key 61 bytes to output stream.
TX: 61 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: confirm 30 bytes to output stream.
TX: 30 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 

TX: join 9 bytes to output stream.
TX: 9 bytes via COM6
RX sync:
RX sync:
RX sync:
RX sync:
RX sync:OK Join Success

TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
TX: send 43 bytes to output stream.
TX: 43 bytes via COM6
RX sync:OK 
at+recv=0,-59,9,0

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

I then modified the confirmed flag and in the TTN console I could see how they were processed differently.

Confirmed messages
Unconfirmed messages

I could receive messages but as the RAK 811 module can be configured to be a Class C device there didn’t appear to be a way to receive a message without sending one which seemed a bit odd.

The next step is to get Authentication By Personalisation(ABP) working.

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part3

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Factory Reset

When writing communications libraries one of the first things I try and get working is a “factory reset”. At some stage I will misconfigure the device so badly that it won’t work anymore and having a way to return to the device to its original configuration is really useful.

The RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) test rig was based on an STM32F691DISCOVERY board which supports hardware (using D8 as I haven’t removed R11) and software reset with an AT command.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) June 2020, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// nanoff --target ST_STM32F769I_DISCOVERY --update
//#define SERIAL_SYNC_READ
//#define HARDWARE_RESET
//#define SOFTWARE_RESTART
//#define DEVICE_STATUS
//#define LORA_STATUS
namespace devMobile.IoT.Rak811.FactoryReset
{
   using System;
   using System.Diagnostics;
   using System.Threading;
   using Windows.Devices.Gpio;
   using Windows.Devices.SerialCommunication;
   using Windows.Storage.Streams;
   
   public class Program
   {
      private const string SerialPortId = "COM6";

      public static void Main()
      {
         SerialDevice serialDevice;

         Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.Rak811.FactoryReset starting");

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

         try
         {
#if HARDWARE_RESET
            GpioPin resetPin = GpioController.GetDefault().OpenPin(PinNumber('J', 4));
            resetPin.SetDriveMode(GpioPinDriveMode.Output);
            resetPin.Write(GpioPinValue.Low);
#endif
            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
            serialDevice.WatchChar = '\n';

            while (true)
            {
#if HARDWARE_RESET
               resetPin.Write(GpioPinValue.High);
               Thread.Sleep(10);
               resetPin.Write(GpioPinValue.Low);
#endif

#if SOFTWARE_RESTART
               uint bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+set_config=device:restart\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}");
#endif

#if DEVICE_STATUS
               uint bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+get_config=device:status\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}");
#endif

#if LORA_STATUS
               uint bytesWritten = outputDataWriter.WriteString("at+get_config=lora:status\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}");
#endif

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
               // June 2020 appears to be limited to 256 chars
               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;
         }
      }
      static int PinNumber(char port, byte pin)
      {
         if (port < 'A' || port > 'J')
            throw new ArgumentException();

         return ((port - 'A') * 16) + pin;
      }
   }
}

Initially I tried strobing D8 which is connected to the reset pin on the RAK811 module. 

UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK

I then used the RAK Serial Port Tool to see if the configuration had changed

OK Work Mode: LoRaWAN
Region: AS923
Send_interval: 600s
Auto send status: false.
Join_mode: OTAA
DevEui: ...
AppEui: ...
AppKey: ...
Class: A
Joined Network:false
IsConfirm: false
AdrEnable: true
EnableRepeaterSupport: false
RX2_CHANNEL_FREQUENCY: 923200000, RX2_CHANNEL_DR:2
RX_WINDOW_DURATION: 3000ms
RECEIVE_DELAY_1: 1000ms
RECEIVE_DELAY_2: 2000ms
JOIN_ACCEPT_DELAY_1: 5000ms
JOIN_ACCEPT_DELAY_2: 6000ms
Current Datarate: 2
Primeval Datarate: 2
ChannelsTxPower: 0
UpLinkCounter: 0
DownLinkCounter: 0

The device reset but the settings appear not to have returned to factory.

I then tried the device:restart AT command

>>at+set_config=device:restart
UART1 work mode: RUI_UART_NORAMAL
Current work_mode:LoRaWAN, join_mode:OTAA, Class: A
Initialization OK 

>>at+get_config=lora:status
OK Work Mode: LoRaWAN
Region: AS923
Send_interval: 600s
Auto send status: false.
Join_mode: OTAA
DevEui: ...
AppEui: ...
AppKey: ...
Class: A
Joined Network:false
IsConfirm: false
AdrEnable: true
EnableRepeaterSupport: false
RX2_CHANNEL_FREQUENCY: 923200000, RX2_CHANNEL_DR:2
RX_WINDOW_DURATION: 3000ms
RECEIVE_DELAY_1: 1000ms
RECEIVE_DELAY_2: 2000ms
JOIN_ACCEPT_DELAY_1: 5000ms
JOIN_ACCEPT_DELAY_2: 6000ms
Current Datarate: 2
Primeval Datarate: 2
ChannelsTxPower: 0
UpLinkCounter: 0
DownLinkCounter: 0

The device settings appear not to have returned to factory.

After some experimentation it looks like the only way to get a factory reset maybe re-flashing the device.

nanoFramework RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part2

Posted on by

Shield Serial

My initial RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) test rig was based on an STM32F7691DISCOVERY. I connected the EVB with jumper leads and sent the AT Command to request the LoRaWAN module version information

STM32F691Discovery with EVB connected with Jumpers
STM32F691Discovery with EVB connected with Jumpers

The STM32F691DISCOVERY board has an Arduino Uno R3 format socket which I wanted to be able to plug the EVB into. After removing R8,R17 & R19 I put the EVB on the STM32F691DISCOVERY and could still retrieve the RAK811 module version information.

STM32F691Discovery with EVB plugged into Arduino headers
The thread '<No Name>' (0x2) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
devMobile.IoT.Rfm9x.ShieldSerial starting
COM5,COM6
TX: 12 bytes to output stream.
TX: 12 bytes via COM6
RXs :19 bytes read from COM6
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

TX: 12 bytes to output stream.
TX: 12 bytes via COM6
RXs :19 bytes read from COM6
RX sync:OK V3.0.0.13.H.T3

RAK811 LPWAN EVB Part3

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Invalidating the warranty…

I wanted the RAK811 LPWAN Evaluation Board(EVB) -AS923 to work with selection of my Arduino and nanoFramework devices. The first decision was which of the hardware serial port (D0,D1) or the software serial port (D10,D11) should be connected to P1?

To use the EVB with my STM32F691DISCOVERY board running the nanoFramework (COM5 on the hardware serial port pins D0,D1) I removed R17&R19.

After some tinkering, I found that R8 which is connected to the RAK811 module reset had to be cut as well for the shield to work on my Arduino Uno R3 and STM32F691DISCOVERY devices.

RAK811 EVB with R17,R19 & R8 cut

I can still run the Arduino Uno R3 and RAK811 EVB in the original configuration with a couple of jumper leads

RAK811 on Arduino with Serial connected to D10,D1 a SoftwareSerial port

For devices where I needed D10,D11 for a  Serial Peripheral Interface(SPI) I could use an FTDI board and a couple of other pins (in this case D2,D3) for serial logging.

RAK811 on Arduino with Serial connected to D2,D2 a SoftwareSerial port

After debugging some code I also replaced the small jumpers on P1 with a couple of jumper leads so it was less fiddly to swap from downloading to debugging.