7.5 KiB
Do you have one of the devices available that the RNode Firmware supports? In that case, it is very easy to turn it into a working RNode by using the rnodeconf autoinstaller.
With the firmware installed, you can use your newly created RNode as:
- A LoRa interface for Reticulum
- A LoRa packet sniffer with LoRaMon
- A Linux network interface using the tncattach program
- A LoRa-based TNC for almost any amateur radio packet application
So let's get started! You will need either a LilyGO T-Beam v1.1, a LilyGO LoRa32 v2.0, a LilyGO LoRa32 v2.1 or a Heltec LoRa32 v2 device. More supported devices are added regularly, so it might be useful to check the latest list of supported devices as well.
It is currently recommended to use one of the following devices: A LilyGO LoRa32 v2.1 (also known as TTGO T3 v1.6.1) or a LilyGO T-Beam v1.1.
Device Variations
Some devices come with transceiver chips that are currently unsupported by the RNode Firmware. Currently devices with an SX1276 or SX1278 chip are supported. Support for SX1262, SX1268 and SX1280 is being added. Please support the development with donations, if you would like to see these chips supported.
Beware! Some devices, like the T-Beam, use SiLabs USB chips. These may need additional drivers to work well on macOS and Windows. Linux usually has up-to-date drivers pre-installed. The SiLabs driver may also experience conflicts with earlier, pre-installed versions of the driver, causing a resource busy error, which can be fixed by removing the old driver.
Preparations
To get started, you will need to install at least version 2.1.0 of the RNode Configuration Utility.
The rnodeconf program is included in the rns package. Please read these instructions for more information on how to install it from this repository, or from the Internet. If installation goes well, you can now move on to the next step.
Install The Firmware
We are now ready to start installing the firmware. To install the RNode Firmware on your devices, run the RNode autoinstaller using this command:
rnodeconf --autoinstall
The installer will now ask you to insert the device you want to set up, scan for connected serial ports, and ask you a number of questions regarding the device. When it has the information it needs, it will install the correct firmware and configure the necessary parameters in the device EEPROM for it to function properly.
If the install goes well, you will be greated with a success message telling you that your device is now ready.
Please Note! If you are connected to the Internet while installing, the autoinstaller will automatically download any needed firmware files to a local cache before installing.
If you do not have an active Internet connection while installing, you can extract and use the firmware from this device instead. This will only work if you are building the same type of RNode as the device you are extracting from, as the firmware has to match the targeted board and hardware configuration.
If you need to extract the firmware from an existing RNode, run the following command:
rnodeconf --extract
If rnodeconf finds a working RNode, it will extract and save the firmware from the device for later use. You can then run the auto-installer with the --use-extracted option to use the locally extracted file:
rnodeconf --autoinstall --use-extracted
This also works for updating the firmware on existing RNodes, so you can extract a newer firmware from one RNode, and deploy it onto other RNodes using the same method. Just use the --update option instead of --autoinstall.
Verify Installation
To confirm everything is OK, you can query the device info with:
rnodeconf --info /dev/ttyUSB0
Remember to replace /dev/ttyUSB0 with the actual port the installer used in the previous step. You should now see rnodeconf connect to your device and show something like this:
[20:11:22] Opening serial port /dev/ttyUSB0...
[20:11:25] Device connected
[20:11:25] Current firmware version: 1.26
[20:11:25] Reading EEPROM...
[20:11:25] EEPROM checksum correct
[20:11:25] Device signature validated
[20:11:25]
[20:11:25] Device info:
[20:11:25] Product : LilyGO LoRa32 v2.0 850 - 950 MHz (b0:b8:36)
[20:11:25] Device signature : Validated - Local signature
[20:11:25] Firmware version : 1.26
[20:11:25] Hardware revision : 1
[20:11:25] Serial number : 00:00:00:02
[20:11:25] Frequency range : 850.0 MHz - 950.0 MHz
[20:11:25] Max TX power : 17 dBm
[20:11:25] Manufactured : 2022-01-27 20:10:32
[20:11:25] Device mode : Normal (host-controlled)
On the hardware side, you should see the status LED flashing briefly approximately every 2 seconds. If all of the above checks out, congratulations! Your RNode is now ready to use. If your device has a display, it should also come alive and show you various information related to the device state.
If you want to use it with Reticulum, Nomad Network, LoRaMon, or other such applications, leave it in the default Normal (host-controlled) mode.
If you want to use it with legacy amateur radio applications that work with KISS TNCs, you should set it up in TNC mode.
External RGB LED
If you are using a LilyGO LoRa32 v2.1 device, you can connect an external NeoPixel RGB LED for device status using the following setup:
- Connect the NeoPixel V+ pin to the 3.3v pin on the board.
- Connect the NeoPixel GND pin to the GND pin on the board.
- Connect the NeoPixel DATA pin to IO Pin 12 on the board.
For the firmware to activate the NeoPixel LED, you must also make specific choices in the autoinstaller guide:
- When asked what type of device you have, select A specific kind of RNode.
- When asked what model the device is, select the Handheld v2.x RNode that matches the frequency of your board.
External Display & LEDs
If you are using a LilyGO T-Beam device, you can connect an external SSD1306 OLED display using the following setup:
- The SSD1306-based display must be set to use I2C and address
0x3D - Connect display GND to T-Beam GND
- Connect display Vin to suitable power-supplying pin on the T-Beam
- Connect display RST to T-Beam Pin 13
- Connect display I2C CLK to T-Beam SCL / Pin 22
- Connect display I2C DATA to T-Beam SDA / Pin 21
On T-Beam devices, you can also connect external RX/TX LEDs to Pin 2 and Pin 4.