RoboMinions 2022 Summer Project

[sgdavis1]

Issue to track the progress of the RoboMinions as they work on updating the plant hydration monitor for the summer of 2022

[sgdavis1]

Kick-off Meeting for Summer 2022

Date: 6/19/2022

Progress

We covered a lot of the system and potential projects for the team to work on this summer. Updated the RoboMinions fork of the code to the latest copy of the codebase and talked about how to get the Express server running.

Potential Summer goals

The team has enough members to subdivide into several groups, and might want to tackle things including:

• Best hardware to use (including battery)
• Deep sleep mode on the wireless module
• Being able to record multiple moisture levels, fix the web application

Goals for Next Week

• Pick 2-4 summer goals, and divide into groups, pick a communication leader (per group)
• Get the web application running on personal hardware

[sgdavis1]

2022-07-02

Progress update

• Ishika (communication leader)
• Hardware team: Nikhil, Rithik, Max
• Deep sleep: Ishika, Nishita, Siddhi
• Web application: Rithwick, Vrayas, Brandon

Rithwick got things running on Codewizard HQ, Ishika cloned the repo but didn't get the web app running locally, Nishita was in a similar state. Rithwick did some research on deep sleep states and programming for embedded devices.

Goals

• Hardware
  • Connect with Ishika and identify any useful progress made in the last two weeks and share a goal with Steve for the summer
• Deep Sleep
  • Flash the new module code (from B::N recent updates) onto the device and connect to WiFi successfully
  • Send module to Deep Sleep and awaken
• Web Application
  • Run the web application locally
  • Correctly identify local (internal) IP address of laptop
  • Connect to web application through a mobile device (on same wifi network) after disabling AV or firewall temporarily
  • If time, modify the web application and explore the code

[sgdavis1]

2022-07-09

Progress update

Screencasts were created! https://youtu.be/ccHkHafuO8E https://youtu.be/HzZqgim3al0

Deep sleep team

Had the wrong module, learned a lot about flashing, found correct module. Put deep sleep code in place, couldn't test it.

Web Application

Everyone got the webapp running on their own laptops. Some people were able to turn off firewall.

Goals

• Hardware
  • Get wireless module working first (watch the screencasts!!)
  • Get sensor working
• Deep Sleep
  • Flash the new module code (from B::N recent updates) onto the device and connect to WiFi successfully
  • Send module to Deep Sleep and awaken
• Web Application
  • Identify new information that could be displayed (on home)
  • Read up on Nunjucks (https://mozilla.github.io/nunjucks/)
  • Read up on RESTful approach to API building (https://swagger.io/resources/articles/best-practices-in-api-design/)
  • Suggest new (or improved) API routes

[sgdavis1]

Meeting on 7/16/2022

Progress report

Hardware team Starting working as a team to put together the CAD. Deep Sleep Put the module into deep sleep, aren't sure if it is waking up. Might need to restart the serial port after waking up. Look into the documentation about this. Web Application Read previous documentation and met up as a team.

Goals

• Hardware
  • Get wireless module working first (watch the screencasts!!)
  • Get sensor working
• Deep Sleep
  • Determine how to restart device after wake up (Serial and Wifi)
  • Review code comments (related to deep sleep) and addressing them
• Web Application
  • Reorganize code to make it more like a true API
  • Think about the other API routes that will be needed

[sgdavis1]

Meeting on 2022/07/25

Hardware team

• Working on the CAD for a case for the hardware

Deep Sleep

• Still working on the deep sleep, have now been able to get the device out of deep sleep state

Web Application

• Working on API, started to explore Postman, continuing API development work.

Goals

• Hardware
  • Select a smaller battery to power the device
  • Keep working on the CAD for the casing
• Deep Sleep
  • Making the module loop from deep sleep to awake
  • Also connect the module to a laptop sending data to our Express based webserver on a local WiFi network
  • Send data 2+ times while looping through deep sleep / awake states
• Web Application
  • Try to get the moisture level delivered by the module to the Express based webserver
  • Explore recent changes on bioneos fork of the repo (from NickAndNate team)

[sgdavis1]

Meeting on 2022/07/31

Progress Update

Hardware Battery was selected, continued work on CAD. Deep Sleep Continued on getting the module to loop after waking from deep sleep. Web Application Didn't attend

Goals

• Hardware
  • Posting the link to the battery in the Github issue
  • Provide reasoning on the choice of battery (size, life, other features, etc)
• Deep Sleep
  • Read documentation on deep sleep and determine what entry point occurs when waking
  • Also connect the module to a laptop sending data to our Express based webserver on a local WiFi network (Ask Steve for a work session if you get stuck)
  • Send data 2+ times while looping through deep sleep / awake states
• Web Application
  • Same goals

[sgdavis1]

I'd like to schedule one more meeting to conclude the summer with the groups -- I know school is starting soon but let's try to arrange something.

With my last conversation with the Deep Sleep team, they were going to look into the documentation around deep sleep with the module and see if they could determine what functions might be called after the device awakes, and then I would schedule a working session to help them accomplish this. I think it might be best if I take more of a leading role in this and I will do some hands on effort this weekend to see if we can sync up about this shortly. Please contact me with your availability and I will update this issue if I find out any details that will help.

[sgdavis1]

@FTCTeam11142-TheRoboMinions just making sure -- you do have GPIO16 connected to the RST pin correct?

[sgdavis1]

Hello students!

I am going to guess the missing pin connection is the issue. I actually updated the code with the deep sleep call and flashed my module, then ran the code with the pin disconnected. There was a delay, and then the LED lit up and the device waited. As soon as I connected the pin, the device re-ran the setup() method and loop() after, and after every delay the LED flashed and the device reset.

If you are seeing the LED turn on right as the sleep delay ends, it is likely you do not have GPIO16 connected to RST. Try that and let me know how it goes! I pushed an updated sketch that is working for me if you want to compare to what I have done. Good luck!