I have installed the TinyBooter but now my Netduino is not recognized as Windows can't find a driver. I see it in my Device Manager but it says that drivers for this device are not installed. Any thoughts? I am running Windows 7 64bit. The MFDeploy doesn't see the device either and it did before. Any help is appreciated as I now just have a dead Netduino ;-) Let me know what other information I can provide. Thanks! Don

Not sure if this will help, but I ended up using a TiVo wireless N adapter that I already had and it works great. It has a cat5 cable and RJ-45 connector that plugs right into the ethernet port on the Netduino Plus. The other thing I like about it is the WPS capability for security with the router. I had it up and going in just a few minutes.

They can be found pretty cheap on eBay.

The other thing I like is that it shows the Netduino's MAC address in my router's client list and the IP address gets assigned to the Netduino. Since I am new to Netduino I don't know if there are ever problems otherwise but was happy to see that the wireless adapter just acts as an extension.

Other quick note is I am using a Belkin router but I would think could use other routers (it has the ability to enter encryption key if you don't have WPS on your router), and the adapter needs a power source.

I hope this helps.

Don

I hope this is the right place to post this. Please let me know otherwise.

I am a .NET Developer but a newbie to micro-controllers and electronics. I have been going through the samples and reading through two books, one of which is Getting Started with the Internet of Things. I am sure that others here are familiar with this. The code below has an issue that I cannot seem to get resolved. When I search the forum I see it mentioned but it seems to be pre release of .NETMF 4.2. The issue is marked below with a comment. I cannot get the 'AnalogInput' class to resolve except through the Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware namespace at which time it wants a type of Cpu.AnalogChannel as an argument. I have tried 'Cpu.AnalogChannel.ANALOG_1' as the argument for this code but it does not work. I am somewhat lost.

I have connected a potentiometer to the Analog In (Pins 0, 1 and 2) but when I run the application the voltage always reads out as 0.00 so either I don't have it hooked up correctly or my code is wrong. I am guessing the latter.

I have seen previous postings where it is mentioned that you should use 'SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.AnalogInput' but I am not seeing that class exist. I do notice however that if I use:

var voltagePort = new Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.AnalogInput(Cpu.AnalogChannel.ANALOG_0);

and then try to declare:

var lowPort = new OutputPort(Pins.GPIO_PIN_A0, false);

I get an error as if the first declaration took the resource on the board and is having a conflict. That makes me think that my code is actually correct and I don't know what I am doing with the potentiometer (that is highly likely).

Below is my current code taken from the book with my mods:

using System.Threading;
using Microsoft.SPOT;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware;
using SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware;
using SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.NetduinoPlus;

public class VoltageReader
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        const double maxVoltage = 3.3;
        const int maxAdcValue = 1023;

        //var voltagePort = new AnalogInput(Pins.GPIO_PIN_A1); //THIS HAS AN ISSUE RESOLVING
        var voltagePort = new Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.AnalogInput(Cpu.AnalogChannel.ANALOG_1); //REPLACED LINE WITH THIS
        var lowPort = new OutputPort(Pins.GPIO_PIN_A0, false);
        var highPort = new OutputPort(Pins.GPIO_PIN_A2, true);

        while (true)
        {
            int rawValue = voltagePort.Read();
            double value = (rawValue * maxVoltage) / maxAdcValue;
            Debug.Print(rawValue + "  " + value.ToString("f"));
            Thread.Sleep(3000);                     // 3 seconds
        }
    }
}

Any help is appreciate to point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

Don

Hi Don,

Did you upgrade your Netduino Plus to .NET Micro Framework 4.2?

If so, then add SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.AnalogInput.dll as a reference to your project.

If not, then you'll want to change the target framework for your application to .NET MF 4.1 in your project properties.

Does this resolve the issue for you? We're here to help.

Chris

That did it! I am at .NETMF 4.2. I added the missing reference and now it works with fully qualfied reference.

var voltagePort = new SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.AnalogInput(Pins.GPIO_PIN_A1);

Thanks much for your help!

Don

Hi All - Sorry for the elementary questions on electronics. I am a .NET Developer who is just getting started using micro-controllers, specifically the Netduino Plus. I have been running through many examples, learning basics with the .NETMF, learning to flash upgrded software etc. I have literally no experience with wiring and such except for the wire I put in the 3.3v hookup and touched the gold erase pad. That's it.

Now that you know my electronics level, on to the questions...

I want to use the DS18B20 Temperature Sensor that I bought from Sparkfun. The technician gave me a little verbal layout of the wiring:


Sensor-------->Netduino Plus
-GND(black wire)----GND
-VDD(red wire) ----3.3V
-DQ(white wire)---Digital Pin on the Netduino

She also mentioned putting a 4.7 pull up resistor between the signal and power pin. I actually sort of follow what she is saying after reading a couple of things online and some information from a Netduino book. I feel like I need another piece like a breadboard (no idea which one to get) and some jumper wires. I purchased a pack of resisitors and so I am good there. It appears that wiring this thing directly to the Netduino Plus is either impractical, ill-advised or both. I have seen a few postings on this subject with pictures posted on how someone has wired it up although I am not certain what I am looking at.

Any direction on that is appreciated. I did run through a breadboard tutorial to which another user posted a link but I was wary because the tutorial was hard to understand and the comments seemed to dispute the authors calculation of resitance provided by X number of resistors. The last thing I want to do is burn up some hardware (obviously).

Additonally, I have questions about OneWire support. I have read through several posts trying to figure out where that support effort currently is for the Netduino. I have thus far noted the following:

1. A gentleman named CW2 has produced a very nice implementation of OneWire support. There was talk of including it in the official release but that did not come to fruition.

2. The Microsoft .NETMF 4.2 has OneWire support in the Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.OneWire assembly.

3. At this point in time, if I want to use the DS18B20 Temperature Sensor I need one wire support and will need to flash the modified (unsupported?) version created as a special build and includes CW2's implementation. My understanding is that the Secret Labs SDK would need to include a Netduino Plus specific implementation for whichever (CW2 or Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.OneWire) to use this device.

If I have misstated anything above please do correct me. All of this is my next big step in understanding the basics of how to get this sensor to work properly for my project.

I thank you very much for taking your time to read this and certainly with any help you can provide.

Regards,

Don

The pull-up resistor should be 4.7 kΩ (you are missing the kilo- prefix in your post, which means 4.7 Ω, but I assume it's just a typo). Connecting the sensor to Netduino directly is not really possible, because the leads do not reach the necessary pins (input pins are too far from the power), you'd need to solder some wires to the sensor leads. You can see sample connection for example in this post.

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. Yes, I did mean to have the Ω symbol but did not know how to make it. I did not however, know that it should be kΩ which I see makes a big difference. In looking at the pack of resistors I have I can see that they are 2 different things so thanks much for that. The tech I conversed with did not denote that and probably thought my experience level was such that I would know.

Thanks CW2 for the link to the post and picture. I have a couple of questions for you:

1. I mostly get the concept of the photo but I am not certain what I am looking at. Is that what is considered a breadboard? I recognize it from some documentation and tutorials I have read through. If so, can you recommened what I need to purchase?

2. Does it matter which of the 'Gnd' slots the Ground wire is connected to?

Thanks again much for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Don

Hi Don,

Yes, referring to the picture in the other post, the white grid on the right hand side is the bread board.

All the ground slots on the Netduino are connected together, so it does not matter which one (or ones) you use.

I'm not sure where you are based, but in the UK I can recomend a company called Hobbytronics for electronic supplies. (I have spent much too much there!) From them you might buy a breadboard like this one. They have several sizes, and there are lots of other suppliers too.

And if you have an unlimited budget, you will not regret getting some jumper wires too.

Hope this helps - Paul

Edit : If my reply seems a bit odd, its because I started typing this before CW2 replied!

Hi Paul - Thanks for the information. I have been looking at Sparkfun and Adafruit and I will check to see if perhaps they have the one you mention. I live in the US but would think I could get the same thing. Also, thanks much for the suggestion of the wiki. I will be looking through the tutorials to try and get a better understanding of how to wire.

Thanks!

Don

Hi Thomas - Thanks for posting this. I have the DS18B20 One Wire temperature Sensor (https://www.sparkfun.../products/11050) and was wondering if this would work the same for what I have? I am a .NET Developer who is a complete newbie to electornics. Is there a chance you could post how you wired up your temperature sensor to the Netduino Plus if it is not too much trouble. I have the NP 1 but would assume there is not much of a difference? Thanks! Don

Can I get some advice on the whole OneWire on 1st Gen thing. Should I just go ahead and get a Netduino Plus 2 so that I can have OneWire support? My reason for getting a Netduino in the first place was to use a OneWire temperature component (honestly did not know at the time, I am not an electronics guy) for a project.

 

I would rather just be told that it will not be included for 1st Gen and move on. So please tell me if you plan to do it or not. I am completely confused at this point with the whole saga.

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Hi Don,You can get early OneWire support for the gen1 boards today through the special 4.1 release which includes OneWire support.Otherwise, pretend like we're not going to bring CW2's implementation of OneWire to the gen1 boards. Then "if" it comes later, it'll be a pleasant surprise and give you one more thing you can do with your gen1 Netduino. Quite a few community members find it useful to have an extra Netduino to put in their permanent projects.Please note that OneWire support for gen1 will be another one-time-build, so it's a special build we can commit to making for each new version of the Netduino gen1 firmware going forward. The gen2 boards are designed for OneWire support out of the box, with plenty of extra flash (useful since NETMF tends to grow a bit with each new release).Chris

Thanks Chris. I ordered the Netduino Plus 2.

Onewire support is also available on NETMF 4.2 through ToniA's firmware here: 
There was a problem deploying large software because the watchdog interupted the deploy. ToniA is looking into it and right now I am using the original boot-loader wihich  disables the watchdog.

Thanks for the information. I will research. I am not even familiar with what a "watchdog" is exactly so I am at a disadvantage there.

 

_Hi,

 

_{I just wanted to share the little support library I created for my temperature sensor application that deals with 1-wire operations.} 

 

_{The library is currently only supporting DS18S20 and DS18B20 temp sensors, but I created the library to be extendable in the future.} 

 

_{I had fun creating it and it seems to work pretty good. Been logging temperature for the past 2 weeks every 5 mins from 3 probes on the same line. (Although now I rewired the NP2 to attempt to get an LCD display working so it's currently offline hehe).}

 

_{Also here is the code I am using to probe the temp:}

         OutputPort led = new OutputPort(Pins.ONBOARD_LED, false);        OutputPort oneWirePort = new OutputPort(Pins.GPIO_PIN_D7, false);           try            {                Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.OneWire wire = new OneWire(oneWirePort);                var devices = wire.FindAllDevices();                DallasOneWireDevices collection = new DallasOneWireDevices();   // Contains type defined devices with helper commands                foreach (byte[] device in devices)                {                    collection.AddDevice(device);   // If supported, it will add as the correct device type it identifies it as.                }                led.Write(true); // Just lights up the led while conducting 1-wire business 

_{// Loop through all devices, and if we find any DS18B20, then we set the resolution to 12-bit. foreach (OneWireTemperatureProbe probe in collection) { DeviceDS18B20 probe2 = probe as DeviceDS18B20; if (probe2 != null) probe2.SetResolution(12, wire); } collection.SendCommandToAll(OneWireDs18b20Reference.CmdConvert, 1050, wire); // Sends the convert command to all devices connected, and waits 1050ms foreach (OneWireTemperatureProbe probe in collection) { probe.ReadScratchPad(wire); // Reads the scratchpad and updates the last temperature property (which is used below) // My code for saving the temp to a textfile on the SD card ... not included in this sample // Logger.Log(probe.DeviceId.GetHex(), probe.LastTemperature.ToString()); Debug.Print(probe.ToString()); } } catch (Exception ex) { Debug.Print(ex.ToString()); } led.Write(false);}

 

 

Well done friend. I ended up getting the Netduino Plus 2, fired up your library and it works wonderfully. Thanks so much for providing the code.

 

Thanks!

 

Don

I have finished my first successful prototype and now want to make it a permanent one. If I understand what I have read on the forums correctly, I should be able to use a MakerShield to solder things to permanently and then place it on top of my NP2?

 

Any help, advice, tips, tricks etc. are very welcome. My project is a OneWire temperature probe and so I am certain there are "helper" devices that would allow me to have quick connect and disconnect of components? (e.g. if I don't want the temperature probe to be soldered permanently, I can have something soldered that it can connect to).

 

I appreciate any feedback. This community has been extremely helpful to newbies like me just learning electronics. I hope I can pay it back some day .

 

Thanks!

 

Don

 

Hey Don,

 

For some of my prototypes I've use the ProtoShields from freetronics. http://www.freetroni...ns/protoshields

 

There are many types of quick connectors that can be used.  Can you give us a little more info on the sensors and the placement of them?  Perhaps we can point you in the right direction.

 

Hi Dave - Thanks so much for the reply. Yes, actually I have attached another image that I got from another member (CW2) that I used to help me wire up my prototype. In fact I followed this pretty much exactly. The only difference is that I don't have the little temp sensor pictured. I have the waterproof DS18B20. One of the issues I have is that it has copper wire that is not really stiff and so can't really seat it down into the breadboard. I ended up having to wrap it around some jumper wires that have the stiff wires on each end. Not a great solution and one of the reasons I am looking for connectors and such.

 

 

Are there any known issues with this release and SD cards? I am having a lot of issues with code that worked fine for me in the past (recompiled with the latest .NETMF 4.3 and Netduino 4.3 SDK and using VS 2012 on an NP2). I keep having issues with corrupt files, files that won't write out and then once is a while it seems to work fine but mostly it fails. Below is the simple code I am using to create the file and then the code that I use to append records. My card is a 2GB SanDisk. The behavior has been very strange. I can provide detail if it will help.

 

 

 

using (var filestream = new FileStream(@"SDMY_LED_LOG.CSV", FileMode.Create)){  StreamWriter streamWriter = new StreamWriter(filestream);  streamWriter.WriteLine("Status,DateTime");  streamWriter.Close();} 

 

 

 

 

using (var filestream = new FileStream(@"SDMY_LED_LOG.CSV", FileMode.Append)){ StreamWriter streamWriter = new StreamWriter(filestream); streamWriter.WriteLine(statusText + "," + DateTime.Now.ToString()); streamWriter.Close();} 

Thanks for the information. I have a couple of questions:

 

1. What board from the freetronics site would you recommend for this prototype, if any?

 

2. With the screw terminals, I am guessing that I would solder that onto the prototype board and then solder other wires to make my connections for the power, ground and the resistor from that. And then that would fit down on top of my NP2?

 

I hope that these prototype boards come with some information for newbies to understand how components need to be hooked up

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Hi Chris - I plan to switch back over to NETMF 4.2 so I can see if the issue is still there. I just wanted to check first to see if there were any known issues that were reported.

 

I will let you know the results.

 

Thanks!

 

Don

 

Hi Don,There were quite a few changes in NETMF 4.3 but I'm not aware of any that would cause this. If you run your code under NETMF 4.2, does it work? Also--if you can create a consistent repro--for either 4.2 RTM or 4.3 beta--we will try to repro it here and dig into the problem. Chris

Thanks again. So in looking at the short I am not certain where the 3 wire screw terminal would be attached. Also, in looking at a couple of tutorials briefly it looks like I would need at least 3 header pins to be soldered onto the prototype board and then it would sit down on (or insert) into the Netduino.

 

Am I on the right track? Sorry for the complete newbie questions but I literally have no experience with this. I am thinking I might go ahead and invest in the 5 pack as I am sure I will need to practice

 

One other thing, might it make more sense for me to get the MakerShield that I mentioned in my first post since it comes with all of the components that I will need? My guess is that someone with your level of skill and experience has quite a few of these things already? 

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Wow, very cool pics. And way beyond me at this point but I want to dive in and learn. I agree with your reasoning of cheap boards especially as one is learning to solder. I do have a Weller BP645 pen soldering iron and .062 diameter solder (.50 oz.). It doesn't state a gauge on it.

 

Is there a set of pins or like a components pack that you would recommend as well to go with the boards?

 

Thanks!

Am I looking at the wrong protoboard? They state on the product description:

 

"Note that the ProtoShield Short comes without any extra parts at all: no headers, no reset button. Just a bare PCB, ready for you to fit whatever headers and other parts you happen to have handy."

 

Does that mean nothing extra besides the 4 header connectors?

Thanks again for all of the advice. One more (hopefully) quick question. I notice that the other board is made in and ships from Australia. I don't have anything against the Aussies but would prefer to buy here and have it shipped from within the US. With that said would this Arduino ProtoShield - Bare PCB and Arduino ProtoShield Kit be pretty similar and serve the same purpose? They also have a nice little tutorial for people like me who are just learning.

 

As a side note, I notice that a commenter mentions a concern with Ethernet jack getting in the way. I wonder if that would be an issue with either of these boards and the NP2.

Hi Don,There were quite a few changes in NETMF 4.3 but I'm not aware of any that would cause this. If you run your code under NETMF 4.2, does it work? Also--if you can create a consistent repro--for either 4.2 RTM or 4.3 beta--we will try to repro it here and dig into the problem. Chris

 

Hi Chris - Sorry this has taken a while but just got back to this today. I uninstalled all v4.3 software and installed v4.2 of the .NETMF and Netduino SDK. I erased and installed the v4.2.2 firmware on my NP2 and my NP has v4.2.0.1.

 

The same behavior happened as described above with my NP2 and corrupt files. The NP works like a champ so I am led to believe that there is an issue with my NP2? I am not sure where to begin figuring out what that might be.

 

If you have any suggestions of things I can provide to help solve this or other things I can try please let me know.

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Hi Don, The best place to starting diagnosing an issue like this is with a different MicroSD card. Preferably a <=2GB one, to isolate any SDHC issues. And first formatted using a PC. Do you happen to have another MicroSD card there? Chris

 

Hi Chris - I do not. All I have is a couple of 4GB cards. I am however willing to aquire an additional 2GB to test. Can you give me a manufacturer and model # of a card that you currently have working with the NP2? A link would be helpful.

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Hi Don,

Here's what we use:
http://www.amazon.co...sk 2gb micro sd

SanDisk 2GB MicroSD. They've worked 100% for us, and are what we use to test every Netduino Plus 2 before it leaves Secret Labs.

Chris

 

Thanks Chris. I have ordered it and will report back the results. Quick question, I usually just format with a PC and do Fat file system w/ default allocation sizes. Is there any steps that you all take differently to format?

 

Thanks!

 

Don

Hi Don,There were quite a few changes in NETMF 4.3 but I'm not aware of any that would cause this. If you run your code under NETMF 4.2, does it work?

Also--if you can create a consistent repro--for either 4.2 RTM or 4.3 beta--we will try to repro it here and dig into the problem.

Chris

 

Chris - As a side note, it does appear that some other users are having similar issues with SD Cards and NP2.

 

Thanks!

 

Don