CAT-M1 and ADC interaction? Calling on EE experts

[securigy]

For the last few weeks I had continuous problems delivering data to the cloud using MQTT over CAT-M1. The messages were hanging up after a few transmissions. As I discovered recently the culprit was initialization of ADC (even without reading data from the sensor). I used the following code:

def initECG(analogInputPin, voltref):

    adc = ADC(bits=12)
    print("adc: {}".format(adc))

    # Analogog Input Pin on Expansion Board 3.1 should be P13, P14, P17, P18 (G4, G5, G30, G31)
    adc_c = adc.channel(pin=analogInputPin, attn=ADC.ATTN_11DB) # •	Output Voltage: 0 - 3.3V
    print("got adc channel on P18")
        
    return adc_c

and calling it:

adc_channel = initECG('P18', 460)

Without initializing ADC the delivery of messages worked just fine and I could send thousand messages without any problem. I discovered that this line is the one that causing problems:

adc_c = adc.channel(pin=analogInputPin, attn=ADC.ATTN_11DB)

I tried using ADC(bits=10) and also tried not to use ADC.ATTN_11DB parameter, but at no avail...
So, I thought maybe it is because the wires are not connected to the sensor...
Is it possible? likely?

So then I connected the sensor as I did in the past (and nothing changed since then in physical connection)

To my surprise when I do that, the LTE modem does not connect at all...
I checked and re-checked the wire connections. The Expansion Board 3.1 firmware was updated from the get go, and yet, I am getting this:

rst:0x7 (TG0WDT_SYS_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fff8020,len:8
load:0x3fff8028,len:2136
load:0x4009fa00,len:19944
entry 0x400a05e8
Disable MicroPython control and heartbeat of LED
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 268, in <module>
OSError: Couldn't connect to Modem!
Pycom MicroPython 1.20.1.r1 [15b6d69] on 2019-11-02; FiPy with ESP32
Type "help()" for more information.
>>>

where line 268 is

lte = LTE()

Since I am not EE I have no idea what are possible reasons to this and how and why initialization of ADC without connected sensor can affect LTE transmissions at all... And why with connected sensor I cannot initialize LTE at all...

HELP!!!

[kjm]

Maybe;

1. try moving lte antenna well away from the rest of the wiring
2. try 100k resistor between p18 & sensor analog out
3. check Vin is >3.5v
4. check Fipy 3v3 output is 3,2-3.4v

[jcaron]

@securigy You probably didn't notice that P18 is used for communication with the LTE modem.

Check out the FiPy pinout

P18 is LTE_RX on the FiPy (it is available on some of the other modules which don't have LTE). You'll have to switch to another pin.

[securigy]

@jcaron Thank you a lot for telling... I am not EE and pinouts are still a mystery to me - so. No I didn't notice ;-) I simply picked up one pin out of available... Which pin should I use for getting data from analog sensor?

[securigy]

@jcaron I use now P13 and it looks like it is working now...