Reef Angel Forum

I have a strong feeling my new RA+ board is crashing, however I was wondering if there is any way of "logging" if it is?
It happens randomly, and what will happen is the error light will flash 3 times and pause then flash 3 times again and then it seems that it has just rebooted however the relay status doesn't change (could be because I have nothing on delay start)
It also seems to happen sometimes when I go to press the joystick to go into the menu.

Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like it.

Thanks Lee,
I'll send Roberto a PM for RMA I guess.

I think this is the WDT preventing the controller from locking up.
I know there is a known bug with the wifi attachment causing the controller to reboot that will be fixed on the next release.
If the RA server has a problem and returns a long web page, the wifi attachment takes more than a second to retrieve the page, which the controller thinks that is a bad thing, but it really is not. It's just a web page that is really long.
You can either increase the WDT to 2 or 4 seconds or you can also try updating the firmware of the wifi attachment.
It appears that wifi attachment firmware 4.00 doesn't cause this issue.

rimai wrote:I think this is the WDT preventing the controller from locking up.
I know there is a known bug with the wifi attachment causing the controller to reboot that will be fixed on the next release.
If the RA server has a problem and returns a long web page, the wifi attachment takes more than a second to retrieve the page, which the controller thinks that is a bad thing, but it really is not. It's just a web page that is really long.
You can either increase the WDT to 2 or 4 seconds or you can also try updating the firmware of the wifi attachment.
It appears that wifi attachment firmware 4.00 doesn't cause this issue.

I thought that might have been the case, however, at the moment the Wifi module isn't connected as I've been programming on it from work (using remote desktop to laptop with RA plugged in). However, it has also happened when it hasn't been connected to my laptop or any cable for that matter.

Should I maybe try getting the wifi attachment updated and see if this stops it?

What expansion modules are you using?

At the moment, just the Dimming Module, Expansion Hug and the Relay Expansion.
Don't quote me on this, but I think it was happening when it was just plugged into my relay box with the preloaded programming when I first got it, however I'm not 100% sure.

Ok, so if you are not communicating with the server, it is something local.
If you feel more comfortable, we can definitely RMA the unit.

rimai wrote:Ok, so if you are not communicating with the server, it is something local.
If you feel more comfortable, we can definitely RMA the unit.

I would like to try and help you out as much as possible by trying to help diagnose it (I work on an ICT Service Desk. ) and it would also save you a bit as well as I live in Australia.

Is there anything I could try?

I updated my firmware on the wifi and ran it, and it seemed to just flick the red light three times a second or so. and didn't seem to engage any relays or respond to the commands from the portal to engage them.
I also tried running with the WDT code as suggested on that forum post.

Ok, the first thing I'd like you to do is run the controller with just the expansion relay and no dimming and no hub for a few days to see what it does.
Then add the hub to the mix and finally add the dimming module.

Sure thing. Too easy.
I'll do that first thing when I get home.
Did you want me to just run it without wifi too then add that first/at all then the Hub then dimming?

Yeah, let's do that.

just a thought but might be worth considering...Mine was experiencing much the same problems, but with one additional, anytime I touched, picked up, moved, etc., I could trigger the problem. I unplugged, reprogrammed, but couldn't get it stop. Finally I decided to swap the vga cable between the head unit and first relay box AND THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED!!

So depending on the age of your cables (mine a couple of years old) this might be worth considering.

rossbryant1956 wrote:Finally I decided to swap the vga cable between the head unit and first relay box AND THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED!!

Interesting. I physically moved my head unit and the majority of my expansions last weekend to get them out from under the tank (too much humidity) and started having the exact same symptoms as the OP. I switched the main VGA cable out with a longer one in the process of making those changes.

I am already running the dev libs and ver 4 firmware on my wifi. I was going to try disconnecting the wifi and other modules tonight to try to isolate the issue but I'll try the VGA cable first. Thanks!

~Charlie

rossbryant1956 wrote:just a thought but might be worth considering...Mine was experiencing much the same problems, but with one additional, anytime I touched, picked up, moved, etc., I could trigger the problem. I unplugged, reprogrammed, but couldn't get it stop. Finally I decided to swap the vga cable between the head unit and first relay box AND THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED!!

So depending on the age of your cables (mine a couple of years old) this might be worth considering.

I think that might be it because I had the exact same issue (I never thought about it though) Although, I did try a few different cables and it still happened.
It's been running the last few days and haven't had an issue.

Turns out it was the longer USB cable I added between the expansion hub and the main relay. After I put the old SVGA cable back in place it was still rebooting sporadically. I replaced the USB cable and it seems to be stable now.

If the SVGA cable doesn't help, try your USB cables.

~Charlie

Piper wrote:Turns out it was the longer USB cable I added between the expansion hub and the main relay. After I put the old SVGA cable back in place it was still rebooting sporadically. I replaced the USB cable and it seems to be stable now.

~Charlie

That's interesting... I have a longer USB cable too between my main relay and my expansion.
I had no crashes when I had a short USB between my main relay and relay expansion module. But then it started again on the expansion module but only when I move it/pull a temp probe out, pull the wifi out or plug it in and also same with programming cable.
I notice that the light on the expansion is off then will turn on every now and then. Is this normal or should the LED always be on.

The light should always be on (I think). Try a different USB cable and/or make sure the one you have is seated good. You might also be picking in interference from something near by or from a cable next to or near the USB cable. If replacing the cable doesn't work you might want to start unplugging gear to see if anything might be causing interference. Even check gear that may not be directly tied in to your RA.

The USB cables have caused me grief a few times now. All USB cables are definitely not created equal

~Charlie

I always had an issue with the usb cable slipping out, so I got a velcro cable wrap, wrapped it around the end of the connector and then velcro'd the loose end to the back of the box. You can't even see the cable, but it keeps the connection nice and tight. I found whenever it got loose before this, that things would get wonky...