[arm-allstar] RPi3 - Allstar as Repeater Controller

[David McGough]

Hi Jeff,

You can use frequency-agile remote bases with the RPi boards, many are 
doing that right now, me included. 

It's just the Doug Hall RBI-1 that isn't currently supported on the RPi 
platform.  So, I guess that leads me to the question:  How many hams out 
there still use DHE RBI-1 adapters? ...I was thinking they were all but 
extinct???   ...Am I wrong?

The single biggest factor I've found which defines the level of
reliability you'll have is using a high quality power source for the
RPi2/3.  Second, I put stick-on heat-sinks on the SoC chips on all my RPi3
boards. Here is a photo of the style PS and heat-sink I'm using; this just
happens to be an Odroid rather than RPi3, but the idea is the same.

https://hamvoip.org/photos/P1040144.JPG


Here is another photo, including a "blob FOB" which I was testing.

https://hamvoip.org/photos/P1040276.JPG

These "CPT" buck-mode DC-DC converters are cheap and work very well, in my 
experience. I've got them installed everywhere.


73, David KB4FXC



On Thu, 5 Jan 2017, "Jeff via arm-allstar" wrote:

> ..Same as you Josh, cautiously optimistic. So far i like it. 

The RPi3 solution I have today on my work bench is supporting a TKR-750 and TKR-850 in simple USB mode and doing better than just fine. It has been reliable even when i mess up the configurations. Next step will be to see how it works on a mountain top.

I did just discover that the frequency agile Remote base (in my case a Doug Hall RBI-1) is not supported with this ARM - RPi3 solution due to issues with how some of the legacy modules in this current build addresses GPIO pins on the URIx sound fob adapters. I have seen the URIx talk to the RBI-1 in other Linux solutions but i was told that there may not be enough of us wanting to continuing to use the old RBI-1 to justify the effort. I have also been told that support for more up-to-date commercial/amateur radios is planned so i am guessing that instead of the expensive repeater controller i will be spending that money on replacing my current remote base system. 

As far as redundancy for the RPi3, today i have simply made a copy of my SD card and plugged that into a spare $35 RPi3 on a shelf.

Jeff
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      From: Josh W4ZZK via arm-allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org>
 To: arm-allstar at hamvoip.org 
Cc: Josh W4ZZK <w4zzkjosh at gmail.com>
 Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2017 8:56 AM
 Subject: [arm-allstar] RPi3 - Allstar as Repeater Controller
   
Well, I'll get right to the point.... I'm SOLD on using this thing as
a Repeater Controller.  I have simply fallen in love. Having
Echolink/Allstar and the repeater controller all wrapped into one box
is so nice. Cheap, no brick walls, and introduces new potential to the
repeater ops is great.  Probably 'preaching to the choir' but I'm new
to this... let me ride this high of excitement for a bit! ;)

Now that I'm beginning to get with the flow of  "ins and outs" of the
scripts of the operating system, I'd like to hear from some people
that use the software/hardware as repeater controllers, and the
"standard and non standard" features used by you all.

Tell me about your "lessons learned" along the way.  How do you
protect your RPi from Lightning/Static in the Repeater Shack? How have
you used the GPIO of your RPi2 or 3 to optimize your system? Do you
have a frequency agile remote base? What radios do you use? How do you
interface it? Tell me all about your systems!

This is very exciting, and this should be a good stream of
conversations. For what it's worth, I'm doing inventory of my
conventional repeater controllers, and will probably sell them to move
towards using this system turn-key.

73 and Look forward to the conversation!

Josh W4ZZK
NW Alabama
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