I discovered and started using the RAK WisBlock a few months ago to build an SDI-12 LoRaWAN Node, and I really like the native LoRaWAN/BLE support and the modularity of the system!
Today, I want to use it in a different configuration. I plan to use RS485 ModBus and 12V sensors, store data on the device, and then download it in a CSV file via BLE to a laptop or phone.
I plan to use the RAK5802 WisBlock RS485 Interface to communicate with my sensor and the RAK19002 WisBlock Boost Module to power it. I believe this setup should work (just need to connect GND). The power should be enough (sensor = 0.5W → 0.5/12V = 42mA; RAK19002 = 50mA), and I can set the module to OFF during sleep mode to avoid power leakage. Am I correct?
Next, I want to write data to the RAK15001 WisBlock Flash Module (sampling once every 30 minutes), using the SPIFFS format. I believe it should work smoothly, but I’m not sure how to easily download those records. I want to avoid sending serial data through a Bluetooth terminal and prefer to download CSV (or TXT) files instead. I think this might be possible with the nRF Connect app. Has anyone tried this? Or is there another solution?
I hope the RAK community will find my project interesting and that someone can help me!
What product do you wish to discuss?
RAK4631 Core
RAK5005-O WisBlock Base Board
RAK15001 WisBlock Flash Module
RAK5802 WisBlock RS485 Interface
RAK19002 WisBlock Boost Module
RAK12002 WisBlock RTC Module
What firmware are you using?
PlateformIO (or arduino IDE)
Then, I’m thinking about converting my C++ code to a binary file and using WisToolBox to configure my nodes…
Just for correctness, the RAK5005-O is EOL. It is replaced with the RAK19007.
WisToolBox is only able to setup devices if they are RUI3 devices or if you are using the WisBlock-API-V2 framework.
For firmware updates, WisToolBox is only working with RUI3 devices.
Thank you for these points.
I wasn’t really aware of RUI3-compatible devices. Since I’m familiar with Arduino/C++ and using WisToolBox isn’t my priority, I think I’ll have more flexibility with the RAK4630 or RAK4631. However, I’m not sure about the differences between them.
For now, I have the RAK19007 + RAK4630.
The easiest way (though not the most user-friendly) to transfer my data seems to be sending it to a Serial BLE terminal and then saving it as a text file. Do you agree?
For the power consumption, check how to shut down the sensors and the Flash module. You don’t need them powered up all time, you just power them when you need to read the sensor and when you write to the Flash module.
I never tried to transfer larger files over BLE, I tried through the USB port and it is awe full slow.
I always go the “extra mile”, sending the data over LoRa, e.g. LoRa P2P or LoRaWAN once the sensor data is available (with the option to have a small buffer when the connection fails) and then from a gateway directly to the cloud, e.g. an InfluxDB database or an MQTT broker. Then I do the data processing in the cloud, or download the data from there to my computer.
An example is my LoRa P2P Gateway.
One or multiple sensor nodes send data to the gateway. The gateway sends the data to an MQTT broker or an HTTP Post end-point.
The full data flow is in the example.
Thanks for your response and the explanations on 4630/4631.
I’m not expecting very large files (<500 kB), but maybe I overestimated the BLE speed rate.
I also have LoRaWAN implemented successfully, but in this case, I won’t have access to a gateway, so I want to log data on the device. Even on my LoRaWAN network, it would be useful to save data in case the gateway is not working (e.g., due to power failure).
