Robo-Tank v6.0 is Ready - Now v6.5

[Rob F]

Finally just released v6.4 and updated the original install post here.

https://www.robo-tank.ca/forum/Thread-Ro...96#pid6596

To update go to "Settings" then "System" and press the "Check for Update" button.

Unfortunately not a lot of cool features this update but all very important, next should be more fun.

The biggest change is v2 and v3 controller compatibility, this took some work despite what it may appear. If you change controller version the main table managing all the pin is reorganized so all settings, schedules, rules etc are still connected to the correct port although it uses a different pin. It's kind of sad the work it took knowing how little it'll be used but I want everything to be as smooth as possible. When you change versions it also reconfigures the /boot/config.txt file so extra DS18B20 ports work when needed. When you view the sensor extension for v3 on the "Ports Configure" page there's an extra option for a DS18B20 sensor which will enable another 1-wire bus on the Pi, I expect will be highly used and people won't realize the trouble it would have been without that little feature so that'll be great.

I added support for a real time clock or RTC, it works with a DS1307 or DS3231. V2 and v3 controller have this onboard so it'll just start working after updating. When you plug one in the system will automatically detect it and do what it needs to, nothing to configure, only need to set the date/time on the "System Settings" page and you're good. You can enable/disable it there as well, the date in the header will update automatically and show the correct date. If this is enabled but no RTC is seen you'll get a date in 1969 or a new one will show year 2000. I also changed the Date/Time at top right corner of page, this was fetching the local system time so it was possible not to match what the c++ program was running at. Now the time displayed in the browser is from the c++ program. After you set the date/time for the RTC power cycle the controller so you can verify the date and time was retained and the backup battery is good. If it goes back to the year 2000 there's an issue with the battery. 

I also removed the wiringPi library as it's been deprecated for a while now. Now I'm using the sysfs system built into Linux however this is deprecated as well but will be supported for many years ahead. By the sounds of it doesn't seem like the system replacing this is quite ready. I love this change however it sadly broke the DHT22 code. Originally this was tough to get working as the calculation is time based and I've not been able to get it working using sysfs. So yeah hope nobody is using the DHT22, for sure I will be working on this just didn't want to hold the update any longer.

I also added the "Invert" logic option for AC and DC ports, I thought this was already there but not so. I didn't add it to the light channels yet as I'm planning to change those again.

There were also some various UI issues and bugs that were found or reported, thanks to everyone who's been testing it and reporting problems, may of issues I may never know about if you don't report them. At some point I'm going to put a button in settings page to report an issue, it'll simply send an email to me if you have them enabled. I'm thinking this as when it happens is the best time to report it and that would be handy. There are still a few minor issues I need to address but they are mostly rare cases so I'll save some for next update.

Let me know how it goes and if you spot any issues.

Here's a copy and paste of what's in the database, I've been version changes if I remember, one day a list will appear when the update screen loads.

• DC Ports - When put in manual mode the red dot on icon would disappear after a page refresh although it still remained in manual mode
  
• System - removed wiringPi library to control GPIOs, now reading/writing GPIOs using sysfs
  
• Dashboard - changed bottom dock to snap to bottom of browser
  
• System - Added v2 and v3 controller compatibility
  
• AC Outlets - Added ability to Invert output logic
  
• DC Ports - Added ability to Invert output logic
  
• Setup Wizard - Fixed form to configure new pca9685
  
• RTC - Added support for DS1307 and DS3231 real time clocks
  
• PCA9685 - system wouldn't allow more than one
  
• Interface - Date and time on webpage now gets updated from backend instead of using computer date and time
  
• Startup Wizard - Fixed DS18B20 scan and added controller version option
  

For contexts this is the Configure Ports page when v1 controller is selected.



This is the Configure Ports page when v2 controller is selected.



This is the Configure Ports page when v3 controller is selected. When you click the icons on the left the large clickable view will appear.



This is the popup displayed when configuring a port on the v3 sensor extension for a DS18B20.



This is the System Settings page with the new settings, one for the RTC to enable/disable and set date/time and an option for controller version. The controller does need to reboot for controller selection but not for any RTC settings.



And this is the screen when you set the date and time from above image.