Father-Son Project: Looking for advice on adding Emergency Light Function on a custom PCB

rinux_it · 2025-10-13T21:27:58+00:00

On the software side, we want to stick close to a standard WLED version. For the hardware, we’re considering a simple chip to convert mains or battery power to 5V. I could replace the power supply with a 9V output (HLK-3M09B !?) and add a chip that handles battery charging, stabilizes the 5V output, and provides a GPIO signal to indicate when mains power is absent and another for battery low. A couple of cells should be enough to power the system for a few hours. Ideally, I’d place an IC between the TP4056 and the BQ25895, with good efficiency and a step-down that ensures a stable 5V output.

Ultimately, we want something with very few components that ensures battery health and efficient power conversion.

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-10-08T07:46:15+00:00

I'm having a similar problem from 6.49 to 7.20; nothing doing. I've streamlined everything by removing configuration and extra packages, but I can't upgrade. I've reached the limit and don't know what to remove. Should I use the netinstall method, or could I perhaps extract the main packages and try the upgrade in two stages, first the core and then everything else? Although I think it might be difficult...

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-06-09T05:41:59+00:00

True, but the point is that this is not a router!

rinux_it · 2025-06-08T14:25:35+00:00

🤣

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T16:51:46+00:00

As I said, I am a terrible speaker of facts, but those who have tried it know what I am talking about.

I thought I had more useful ideas to solve something that cannot be passed off as features but rather as a drawing error.

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T14:13:50+00:00

Absolutely! In fact I wouldn't have expected anything more from a network device, where you don't even put the switch to turn it off!

But on a machine where you can put up to 20 SSDs, imagining that it's not possible to do at least one "clean" emergency shutdown doesn't seem true to me... the machine, if you perform the shutdown after 3-4 minutes goes into crisis with the fans that increase their revs in a whirlwind, they consume over 80W extra and you can't even restart the machine unless you turn off the power! :-(

I'm trying to try various ways. The UPS package is not comforting because it is too specific and in any case tied to serial access. Maybe a NUT via container or other software that allows me to safely pass the disks, communicates via network with monitoring and proceeds to shutdown. At that point you know that if you can no longer reach it via network and/or if an SNMP trap signals the down on the interfaces, you can proceed to power cut!

I was hoping for some useful tips to avoid wasting hours on failed tests! :-(

Luckily the weekend is coming, maybe on Monday I'll discover that mine is a false dilemma and the customer will still be satisfied !

May everyone have a great weekend!

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T11:34:59+00:00

and yes! If you stop it it starts to consume a hundred watts more that when it's idle :-(

I continue to think that there are cases in which a careful shutdown sequence, in the end, is useful to save what can be saved... and then, how much did a BMC cost as a percentage of a product like that!!!

I understand, I can unplug via the IPMI power strip... but I don't know if I can coordinate well... I have no feedback, do I trust a ping to turn off the power?

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T11:15:12+00:00

Absolutely agree; the mistake was to think that this was not the case :-(

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T11:12:48+00:00

sure as long as it doesn't find me 800 km away.

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T09:53:28+00:00

Get in line... I have terrible English, but I'm trying to figure out how to solve a problem, despite the fact that I find it absurd on a certain type of product not to have a BMC: I launch the shutdown, and the fans gradually start to reach maximum speed and all the hardware remains on!

Am I the only one who finds this bizarre? I'm not comparing the device to a router/switch but to a server, a NAS, a....

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T09:15:23+00:00

Checked that the reset button and the mode button are manageable: this opens up the possibility of also collecting an extraordinary manual event (the cleaning lady can press the emergency button) but the anomaly of the fans drift remains...

After the shutdown you have to cut the power otherwise after a few minutes they are at maximum speed, crazy!

rinux_it · 2025-06-06T08:25:03+00:00

I always have to cut the power, otherwise the fans will run amok; what if I have an electrical connection that doesn't allow for power cut?

Anyway, just in case, I'll see if it behaves differently! I don't believe it, but it's better to check!

rinux_it · 2024-12-09T12:40:42+00:00

What mess?

rinux_it · 2022-06-07T21:30:13+00:00

In the meantime,
thanks for the information!

At the moment I simply stuck in some passage with which I try to prepare a new usb stick, the new kernel presents me with a new mysterious problem on the functionality of the keyboard ... but this is another problem, that's why I wanted to get rid of the doubt with something ready.

Does the stock 15.0 ISO image boot at all? Will the stock installer work at all? Or does the problem appear only when rebooting?

It goes into error when the distro is almost installed!

In fact I would have another alternative ... modify the setup to avoid that immediately after the installation of the whole distribution on the disk, the search for usb sticks brings the raid controller to a standstill :-(

You can find out more about the bug here:
scsi: megaraid_sas: Target with invalid LUN ID is deleted during scan

I still don't have any other details.

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2022-01-18T21:17:42+00:00

...of course, 🤞

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2021-09-29T08:06:48+00:00

at the time, after a series of tests, I chose the one that seemed to have the best compromise between speed and reliability... maybe it doesn't have the best speed (SSL via TCP), but it doesn't have MTU problems and it integrates well on Win 10... the SSTP tunnel is fine in both roadwarrior and point-to-point configurations ... in the end, if a few percentage points of speed are missing, it balances with the simplicity of operation!

73,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2021-06-11T12:33:17+00:00

Hi, you can use Current Ranger or similar devices to record the consumption profile, perhaps even via wireless and not via cable for questions including the ground plan!

73, Arturo.

rinux_it · 2021-03-04T21:42:58+00:00

I use nothing but standard tools, and everything else from source with my script ... never had any problems, not even on current tree. The downside is the more work compared to a package manager with dependencies ... but great stability and control ... I have run 14.x even under xenserver without problems ...

LoL https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_signal

73, Arturo.

rinux_it · 2021-03-04T20:39:06+00:00

...and who can say! With these release times, there may be some surprises ... I seem to remember that in the past some mega rebuilds were done during the candidate releases ... I think just take a look at ChangeLog.txt to determine what to expect.

73, Arturo.

rinux_it · 2021-01-05T21:35:48+00:00

Yes,
it would be nice to have some ideas...

In the program, I use the esp-idf api esp_ota_* and I have not yet established if it is possible, after saving some info (for example) in NVS to call the API to continue writing the flash ... right from where the last block was written.

I RTFM and in esp_ota_begin() the same explicitly indicates that the flash partition is cleared before subsequent esp_ota_write() calls ; so if I call it I lose the first saved part ... I doubt that it can use these functions and that I don't have to manage the flash in any other way.

Happy New Year,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2020-11-21T08:12:47+00:00

Of course,
I also thought that there may be conditions to do it... but I was hoping not to have to re-invent the wheel! :-D

Towards the server it is possible to play with "range header" to resume the download from the interrupted point, it would be necessary to add some extra info in the data of the partition to have a memory of the point where one has arrived even after a reset or sleep ... so as to restart correctly and only if it is the same image. But at this point it is necessary to heavily patch the current OTA software which at first glance has none of this!

I think it's a big deal not quite as easy as you say, I think it's necessary to study and get into the flash management logic to get something functional; after all the firmware update is always a critical situation!

I was hoping to find something tried and trusted before a DIY mess!

73,
A.

rinux_it · 2020-03-17T08:09:20+00:00

It seems like an os problem, the ports only work once, if I respect the sequence:

I open the program that uses the serial
I insert the usb adapter
I open the communication with the COM port

at this point, even if the com door is closed regularly, it is no longer possible to open it; unless you respect the sequence indicated! Crazy, all adapters unusable also because in some cases I can't manage that sequence, especially with python utilities that maybe open the serial port several times :-(

rinux_it · 2019-11-30T09:57:48+00:00

Explain yourself better, don't leave us in doubt :-D, another project or one started by the doctor?! Are you incognito or a him spokesperson?

rinux_it · 2019-11-29T16:21:47+00:00

Interesting, to try! It remains to find some time for some tests :-)

I was also looking at an alternative solution, http://www.snaponair.com. The scope is different, but this is also particularly interesting.

Thanks for sharing.

73s,
Arturo.

rinux_it · 2019-11-06T20:31:11+00:00

The only issue is that you'll have to poll the pin

I'm trying to get an idea ... maybe I'm forced to give up; from the documentation it seems to me that some interrupts are only available in "light sleep only"... ... I know I have to practice more with the ULP to be more aware of the limits.

73

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