Hardware nodes may be connected into the system via USB. A node can be created with an Arduino, an RX5808 module, and six wires; with the connections shown below.
The above build uses an Arduino Nano V3.0 16M 5V ATmega328P module (which can be found on eBay) and an RX5808 module (which can be found on banggood and eBay).
USB nodes may be plugged into the USB ports of the Raspberry Pi on a standard RotorHazard timer build, and they will appear in the system as serial ports. If the timer also has "standard" (PCB-based) nodes, the USB/serial nodes will add to the total number of nodes available. (Node counts of 9 or higher are possible.)
The nodes may also be attached (via USB) to any computer running the RotorHazard server.
USB nodes need to be configured in the "SERIAL_PORTS" section in the "src/server/config.json" file, as shown in the examples below.
On the Raspberry Pi, an attached USB node will be referenced with a serial port name like "/dev/ttyUSB0". The command ls /dev/ttyUSB* will show the current USB serial ports. The "src/server/config.json" file should contain an entry like this:
"SERIAL_PORTS": ["/dev/ttyUSB0"],
Multiple USB nodes would be configured like this:
"SERIAL_PORTS": ["/dev/ttyUSB0","/dev/ttyUSB1"],
On a Windows computer, an attached USB node will be referenced with a serial port name like "COM5". The current ports may be viewed in the Windows Device Manager under "Ports (COM & LPT)" -- when the USB node is plugged in, its entry should appear. It may be necessary to install or update its driver (named something like "USB-SERIAL"). The "src/server/config.json" file should contain an entry like this:
"SERIAL_PORTS": ["COM5"],
Multiple USB nodes would be configured like this:
"SERIAL_PORTS": ["COM5","COM6"],
The RotorHazard node code will need to be uploaded (flashed) to the Arduino using the "standard" method (via the Arduino IDE). The NODE_NUMBER value (in "src/node/config.h") is ignored for USB nodes; it can be left at 0.
See Also:
doc/Hardware Setup.md
doc/Software Setup.md
doc/User Guide.md