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$25 Sonoff 4CH for irrigation control

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    #16
    Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
    I believe the OEM app ewlink allows scheduling of the relays, but you will not have integration with HS..
    Oh? You think that the firmware update is needed for HomeSeer communication? I didn't realize that.
    Don

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      #17
      The OEM firmware is outsourced to 3rd party company in China. It is cloud based. It does respond to Echo commands that are also from the cloud.

      To update firmware you will remove 4 screws that hold the case together. There is a sequence of three through-hole pads on the circuit card. You can solder a header pin to it, use the header pin and some temporary pressure such as clay or tape, or solder wires directly to pads. You only need to do this once as subsequent updates of firmware are done just like HS updates with a browser.

      A usb/serial adapter with 3.3 volt signal levels is used to transfer the firmware from pc to Sonoff. These sell for around $10. I can do it for you but you will pay more in shipping than for the hardware. It is cheaper to ship from China than it is to ship between any two places in USA.

      There are many how-to on internet. There is also one at the top of the mcsMQTT forum that was contributed by one of our forum members. I have updated the mcsMQTT manual with the setup for irrigation control and it includes the 4CH circuit card walkthrough. Should have it posted in a day or two. My 4CH testing is done and now confirming same firmware works with single relay basic Sonoff.

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        #18
        Thanks. Got the two Sonoffs and will try to follow your instructions.
        Don

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          #19
          What USB to serial adaptors are being used to flash the Sonoff?

          Thanks
          Don

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            #20
            I have purchased a few varieties over time. In my recent order history on Amazon I have the following. The first will likely suit you better since it has the jumper wires you will need.

            https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

            https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

            If you dont have the headers for the circuit board then something like this from Amazon is overkill, but likley cheaper than what you can get for small quantity at a local electronics store.

            https://www.amazon.com/OdiySurveil-2...+board+headers

            I did upload the firmware and updated the manual that is on the mcsMQTT thread. I did my testing with Sonoff 4CH Pro R2 and Sonoff Basic. The one awkward part is the transition from new firmware to connection to your Wifi. It is similar process as the OEM firmware. If you build from source you can put your SSID and security info into the firmrware. If not you will need to two a two step process with 192.168.4.1 being the IP that the Sonoff will open up to make your initial connection. If you want me to build a special one for you and are willing to provide PM with info then I will make an image for you.

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              #21
              Just curious how hard it is to flash one of these for Garage Door Opener use.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                #22
                I think you got your answer in a parallel thread today. There are You Tube videos as well as other internet guidance. For over the air it is just like all the others. for direct/JTAG programming It is marginally more difficult than other units because GPIO0 that needs to be at ground during application of power is not as easy. The Sonoff basic, for example, used GPIO0 for its local push button control so all you need to do is hold it down when applying power.

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                  #23
                  Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                  I think you got your answer in a parallel thread today. There are You Tube videos as well as other internet guidance. For over the air it is just like all the others. for direct/JTAG programming It is marginally more difficult than other units because GPIO0 that needs to be at ground during application of power is not as easy. The Sonoff basic, for example, used GPIO0 for its local push button control so all you need to do is hold it down when applying power.
                  Yup. I ordered a couple to try it out.


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                    I have purchased a few varieties over time. In my recent order history on Amazon I have the following. The first will likely suit you better since it has the jumper wires you will need.

                    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

                    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

                    If you dont have the headers for the circuit board then something like this from Amazon is overkill, but likley cheaper than what you can get for small quantity at a local electronics store.

                    https://www.amazon.com/OdiySurveil-2...+board+headers

                    I did upload the firmware and updated the manual that is on the mcsMQTT thread. I did my testing with Sonoff 4CH Pro R2 and Sonoff Basic. The one awkward part is the transition from new firmware to connection to your Wifi. It is similar process as the OEM firmware. If you build from source you can put your SSID and security info into the firmrware. If not you will need to two a two step process with 192.168.4.1 being the IP that the Sonoff will open up to make your initial connection. If you want me to build a special one for you and are willing to provide PM with info then I will make an image for you.
                    Michael,

                    I'm having trouble flashing Sonoff 4CH Pro R2 for use as an irrigation controller. I'm new to the devices and flashing but I've read a great deal (including how-to on mcsMSQTT thread) and have successfully flashed and configured Tasmota.bin on the device but not having luck with mcsTasmota.bin. PyFlasher shows successful, but the device doesn't broadcast its SSID after flashing with mcs. I'm using USB>serial to flash, not sonata.exe.

                    I suspect the answers are somewhere here on the forum but I've not found them.

                    1. Should I be flashing mcsTasmota.bin or mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin?
                    2. Do I need to flash a particular Tasmota version before flashing mcs?

                    I've tried several combinations of Tasmota.bin then mcsTasmota.bin (and mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin). I've tried configuring wifi under Tasmota.bin then flashing without wiping the flash memory and I've tried both mcs .bins with flash memory wiped.

                    I'm sure I'm overlooking something simple.

                    Thanks.
                    -Wade

                    Comment


                      #25
                      The file you want is mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin.

                      Use a terminal program such as Termite with the USB cable attached at power up. It will spew out its SSID, IP and other info.

                      You can then use termite to change the ssid & password using the backlog command such as below where the ???? is appropriately substituted.

                      backlog SSID ????; PASSWORD ????

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                        The file you want is mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin.

                        Use a terminal program such as Termite with the USB cable attached at power up. It will spew out its SSID, IP and other info.

                        You can then use termite to change the ssid & password using the backlog command such as below where the ???? is appropriately substituted.

                        backlog SSID ????; PASSWORD ????
                        Thanks I'll give it a go.
                        -Wade

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                          The file you want is mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin.

                          Use a terminal program such as Termite with the USB cable attached at power up. It will spew out its SSID, IP and other info.

                          You can then use termite to change the ssid & password using the backlog command such as below where the ???? is appropriately substituted.

                          backlog SSID ????; PASSWORD ????
                          As Pete might say, easy peasy. Thanks again.
                          -Wade

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                            The file you want is mcsTasmota6418_Irrigation.bin.

                            Use a terminal program such as Termite with the USB cable attached at power up. It will spew out its SSID, IP and other info.

                            You can then use termite to change the ssid & password using the backlog command such as below where the ???? is appropriately substituted.

                            backlog SSID ????; PASSWORD ????
                            Michael,

                            I have the Sonoff 4CH Pro R2 flashed and working with Mosquitto on and rpi and mcsMQTT on HS3. The firmware and plugin are great tools and I really appreciate you making them available to the community. It's been a great learning experience and your thorough documentation is invaluable.

                            My purpose is actually just firmware level safety for a pool refill valve I'll control through HS3. It's not clear whether it can be limited to just that function. Would it work to set IrrigationMode to AUTO and IrrigationOnMinutes to the safety value and leave the other parameters undefined?

                            Thanks.
                            -Wade

                            Comment


                              #29
                              It has been awhile since I last visited this firmware. I know I integrated this with mcsSprinklers so mcsSprinklers knows how to configure the firmware for proper operation. I need to go back and look at the source to answer your specific question and use case. What is your end objective? Stated differently, what behavior do you want from the Sonoff 4CH Pro?

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by Michael McSharry View Post
                                It has been awhile since I last visited this firmware. I know I integrated this with mcsSprinklers so mcsSprinklers knows how to configure the firmware for proper operation. I need to go back and look at the source to answer your specific question and use case. What is your end objective? Stated differently, what behavior do you want from the Sonoff 4CH Pro?
                                Basically, I don't want to flood my pool if the Sonoff doesn't receive the off command for any reason. I.e., configure a maximum on time for the relay and if an off command isn't received by that time then the firmware turns it off.

                                I don't mind looking elsewhere or (gulp) learning to mod the firmware myself it this is outside the scope of what you've intended.

                                Thanks.
                                -Wade

                                Comment

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