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    SDI-12 Soil Moisture Probe Help

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved LoPy
    sdi-12rs485lopy
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    • J Offline
      jimpower @robert-hh
      last edited by

      @robert-hh I'm not sure what happened but I changed my code back to the way it was before playing around with break times, uart timeout etc and it works.
      A note for anyone wanting to interface with SDI-12 with a LoPy you need to perform a gc.collect() after every read and then wait for 30secs before you can read from any other sensors.
      @robert-hh thanks for your help with this it was pivotal to getting a working SDI-12 interface.
      @AntonioValente thanks for your initial concept which lead to this solution.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • B Offline
        Bryan Hom @jimpower
        last edited by

        @jimpower I know this is an old thread but where are you getting the 1.8V ref from?

        robert-hhR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • robert-hhR Offline
          robert-hh @Bryan Hom
          last edited by

          @Bryan-Hom Yuo can use a small voltage regulator and derive it from 3.3V. If

          B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • B Offline
            Bryan Hom @robert-hh
            last edited by

            @robert-hh Thank you. 1 other question, am i looking at the diagram correctly that the 1.8V + should also be tied in with the 3.3v line? Wouldn't that mean the voltage going into A is 3.3V?

            robert-hhR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • robert-hhR Offline
              robert-hh @Bryan Hom
              last edited by robert-hh

              @Bryan-Hom That's looks wrong. You can consider the 1.8V source as a function block with 3.3V/GND as input and 1.8v/GND as output.

              I tried also some other circuits for a SDI-12 connection, but never connected them to real sensors. https://forum.pycom.io/topic/4827/teros-12-and-sdi-12?_=1640181173389

              B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • B Offline
                Bryan Hom @robert-hh
                last edited by Bryan Hom

                @robert-hh Thanks, so it should actually look more like this? pycom SDI-12 schematic.png

                robert-hhR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • robert-hhR Offline
                  robert-hh @Bryan Hom
                  last edited by

                  @Bryan-Hom Yes.

                  B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • B Offline
                    Bryan Hom @jimpower
                    last edited by

                    This post is deleted!
                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • B Offline
                      Bryan Hom @robert-hh
                      last edited by Bryan Hom

                      @robert-hh

                      Hi Robert, you seem to be the right person to be asking these questions to, but im using @jimpower's code and i followed the drawing exactly, but i cannot seem to get any reply from the sensor. Probing around my setup it looks like i have all the grounds properly connected, 5v going into to A. I made sure to put the 10k resistor between the 3.3v and the pin 4 (rx) of the pycom. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm trying to read SDI-12 from a Campbell Scientific AVW200 https://s.campbellsci.com/documents/es/manuals/avw200 - 772.pdf Thank you

                      import network
                      import time
                      import pycom
                      import machine
                      import gc
                      import socket
                      import utime
                      from machine import RTC
                      from machine import ADC
                      from machine import Pin
                      from machine import UART
                      
                      
                      pycom.heartbeat(False)
                      rtc = RTC()
                      adc = ADC()
                      #lora = LoRa()
                      uart = UART(1, baudrate=1200)
                      p_tx = Pin('P3', mode=Pin.OUT)
                      p_dir = Pin('P11', mode=Pin.OUT)
                      
                      
                      
                      def SDI12(cmd):
                          uart.deinit()
                          p_tx.value(0)
                          p_dir.value(1)                                                          # set output dir
                          utime.sleep_us(12500)                                                   # send BREAK
                          p_tx.value(1)
                          utime.sleep_us(8333)                                                    # send MARK
                          uart.init(1200, bits=7, parity=UART.EVEN, stop=1, timeout_chars=75)     # init with given parameters
                          uart.write(cmd)                                                         # send command
                          utime.sleep_us(8333 * len(cmd))                                               # wait to send command (byte time * command lenght)
                          p_dir.value(0)                                                          # output set to read
                          line = uart.readline()                                                  # read data from UART
                          return line;
                      
                      time.sleep(2)
                      
                      while True:
                      
                      ##########################################################
                      #                   Measure Temperature                  #
                      ##########################################################
                          utime.sleep(2)
                          command = SDI12('V!')
                          utime.sleep(10)
                          print(command)                  #Print Sensor Response
                          utime.sleep(2)
                          command2 = SDI12('0V!')
                          utime.sleep(10)
                          print(command2)
                      
                      ##########################################################
                      #                     Garbage Collect                    #
                      ##########################################################
                          gc.enable()
                          gc.collect()
                          print("Sensor Memory Free : " + str(gc.mem_free()))
                          time.sleep(15)```
                      robert-hhR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • robert-hhR Offline
                        robert-hh @Bryan Hom
                        last edited by

                        @Bryan-Hom Sorry, I misread you diagram. Pin A has to be at a level between 0 and 3.3 V, like 1.8 V in the first diagram. You asked from where to get it, I recommended an 1.8V regulator which in turn gets it power from 5V or 3.3V. For a fist test, you should also be able to use a 1.5V battery.

                        B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • B Offline
                          Bryan Hom @robert-hh
                          last edited by Bryan Hom

                          @robert-hh Thank you! i rigged up the battery and got the response. I also just tried used a DAC output on Pin22 set at 55% which is roughly 1.77V and it seems to work as well without any special power supply

                          dac = machine.DAC('P22') # create a DAC object
                          dac.write(0.55) # set output to 55% ~1.77V

                          Gusti Made Arya WijayaG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • Gusti Made Arya WijayaG Offline
                            Gusti Made Arya Wijaya @Bryan Hom
                            last edited by

                            @Bryan-Hom @robert-hh Hello, I've tried the program and do the wiring diagram like this 92a9ee9c-f47d-4a66-96b2-67919c736a7d-image.png
                            but it still can't seem to get any reply from the sensor. c21d09b0-2608-4452-8b97-02c0342612fa-image.png ,

                            here is my program

                            import utime
                            from machine import Pin, UART, DAC
                            # from machine import UART
                            
                            uart = UART(1, baudrate=1200)
                            p_tx = Pin('P10', mode=Pin.OUT)
                            p_dir = Pin('P11', mode=Pin.OUT)
                            pin12 = Pin('P3', mode=Pin.OUT)
                            dac = DAC('P21') # create a DAC object
                            
                            
                            def SDI12(cmd):
                                uart.deinit()
                                p_tx.value(0)
                                p_dir.value(1)        # set output dir
                                utime.sleep_us(12800)  # send BREAK
                                p_tx.value(1)
                                utime.sleep_us(8333)   # send MARK
                                uart.init(1200, bits=7, parity=UART.EVEN, stop=1, timeout_chars=75)     # init with given parameters
                                uart.write(cmd)       # send command
                                utime.sleep_us(8333 * len(cmd))  # wait to send command (byte time * command lenght)
                                p_dir.value(0)    # output set to read
                                line = uart.readline()      # read data from UART
                                return line;
                            
                            while True:
                                print("reading")
                                pin12.value(1)
                                dac.write(0.55) # set output to 55% ~1.77V
                                utime.sleep(2)
                                line = SDI12("?!")
                                utime.sleep(3)
                                print(line)
                                # pin12.value(0)
                                utime.sleep(10)
                            

                            I need your help to fix it, Thank you

                            robert-hhR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • robert-hhR Offline
                              robert-hh @Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                              last edited by

                              @Gusti-Made-Arya-Wijaya Compqring with the port of the previous poster, you use different pins for p_tx. In the previous post, p_tx is the same a UART 1 TX, and that is by intention.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Gusti Made Arya WijayaG Offline
                                Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                                last edited by

                                @robert-hh @Bryan-Hom Hello, I've updated the program like this

                                import utime
                                from machine import Pin, UART, DAC
                                # from machine import UART
                                
                                # uart = UART(1, baudrate=1200, pins=('P10','P11'))
                                uart = UART(1, baudrate=1200)
                                p_tx = Pin('P3', mode=Pin.OUT)
                                # p_tx = Pin('P10', mode=Pin.OUT)
                                p_dir = Pin('P11', mode=Pin.OUT)
                                # pin12 = Pin('P3', mode=Pin.OUT)
                                dac = DAC('P21') # create a DAC object
                                
                                
                                def SDI12(cmd):
                                    uart.deinit()
                                    p_tx.value(0)
                                    p_dir.value(1)                                                          # set output dir
                                    # utime.sleep_us(12800)                                                   # send BREAK
                                    utime.sleep_us(14000)
                                    p_tx.value(1)
                                    utime.sleep_us(8333)                                                    # send MARK
                                    uart.init(1200, bits=7, parity=UART.EVEN, stop=1, timeout_chars=75)     # init with given parameters
                                    uart.write(cmd)                                                         # send command
                                    utime.sleep_us(8333 * len(cmd))                                         # wait to send command (byte time * command lenght)
                                    # p_dir.value(0)                                                          # output set to read
                                    line = uart.readline()                                                  # read data from UART
                                    return line;
                                
                                while True:
                                    print("reading")
                                    # pin12.value(1)
                                    dac.write(0.55) # set output to 55% ~1.77V
                                    utime.sleep(2)
                                    line = SDI12('?!')
                                    utime.sleep(3)
                                    print(line)
                                    # line = SDI12('0M!')
                                    # utime.sleep(3)
                                    # print(line)
                                    # pin12.value(0)
                                    utime.sleep(10)
                                
                                

                                but the response is still "none", and I use rs485 module like this (max485) bcd18c97-3ffa-42df-b85e-63e4417f9e9f-image.png
                                1831e2ea-b977-4ccc-969c-5d53ee43aff6-image.png

                                robert-hhR B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • robert-hhR Offline
                                  robert-hh @Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                                  last edited by

                                  @Gusti-Made-Arya-Wijaya As far I see it, the chip has both transmit enable DE and receive enable /RE. For Transmit, the DE has to be high, for receive, the /RE has to be low. Unless you have an inverter connected between DE and /RE, you have to control both in software.

                                  Gusti Made Arya WijayaG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • Gusti Made Arya WijayaG Offline
                                    Gusti Made Arya Wijaya @robert-hh
                                    last edited by

                                    @robert-hh I've followed the wiring by @AntonioValente's reply in https://forum.pycom.io/topic/1924/sdi-12/6 he uses SN65HVD1780 chip that has same pinout as MAX485.

                                    robert-hhR 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • robert-hhR Offline
                                      robert-hh @Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                                      last edited by

                                      @Gusti-Made-Arya-Wijaya But still you have to control both DE and /RE. You code seems to control only one of them.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • B Offline
                                        Bryan Hom @Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                                        last edited by

                                        @Gusti-Made-Arya-Wijaya

                                        Here is my code. You may also have issues with your board. i would recommend the sp3485 chip as that is what i am using

                                        def SDI12(cmd):
                                            uart = UART(1, baudrate=1200)
                                            p_tx = Pin('P3', mode=Pin.OUT)
                                            p_dir = Pin('P11', mode=Pin.OUT) #RTS pin on rs485 breakout board
                                            dac = machine.DAC('P22')        # create a DAC object for rs485 board to be used as reference voltage for terminal A
                                            dac.write(0.50)   # set output to 50% ~1.59V Note: if this voltage output is greater than 1.77, the sensor will no longer read
                                        
                                            uart.deinit()
                                            p_tx.value(0)
                                            p_dir.value(1)                                                          # set output dir
                                            time.sleep_us(12500)                                                   # send BREAK
                                            p_tx.value(1)
                                            utime.sleep_us(8333)                                                    # send MARK
                                            uart.init(1200, bits=7, parity=UART.EVEN, stop=1, timeout_chars=75)     # init with given parameters
                                            uart.write(cmd)                                                         # send command
                                            time.sleep_us(8333 * len(cmd))                                         # wait to send command (byte time * command lenght)
                                            p_dir.value(0)                                                          # output set to read
                                            line = uart.read()                                                      # read data from UART
                                            return line;```
                                        Gusti Made Arya WijayaG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • robert-hhR Offline
                                          robert-hh @Gusti Made Arya Wijaya
                                          last edited by

                                          @Gusti-Made-Arya-Wijaya Did you connect both /RE and DE to the p_dir Pin?

                                          Gusti Made Arya WijayaG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • Gusti Made Arya WijayaG Offline
                                            Gusti Made Arya Wijaya @robert-hh
                                            last edited by

                                            @robert-hh yes I did

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0

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