Goals:

• Get PIC to utilize Adafruit Radio Module to send data
• Set up PIC for sleep/idle mode with real time clock alarms for power conservation
• Look more into ways to get data out of datalogger

Worked on:

• PIC can utilize RTCC alarms to interrupt at a certain time rate (in our case it will be every hour.)(Austin)
• PIC can use RTCC alarm to wake out of sleep mode.(Austin)
• LoRa transmitter and receiver can successfully transmit and receive between each other.(Austin)
  • Range has been tested from the AEC 400 to the other end of acopian
• PIC can send data through the LoRa transmitter. (There was an issue with this, more on it below.) (Austin)
• Got the data logger into the lab to start working on getting the data out and tested signal response from the datalogger (Matthew)
• Figured how to power the LoRa transmitter and PIC off of the data logger. (Matthew)
  • used 5V to 3.3V voltage regulator
  • If the logger is solar powered, than so will the PIC and the radios

Challenges:

• There is an odd issue when using the RTCC alarm in the PIC when transmitting via UART to the Feather. The message contains the correct message and then a bunch of odd characters after. However, when not using the RTCC alarm interrupt the PIC will send the message just fine without any miscellaneous characters.
• We’ve figured out the protocol for getting data out of the data logger, we just need to test and try to implement it.
  • We’ve gotten feedback from the datalogger when giving 5V to the “ring” pin

Next Week:

• Test the LoRa transmitter and receiver down by the river to see if it successfully transmits.(Austin/Matthew)
• Get data out of the data logger into the PIC.(Matthew)
• Fix the issue with the extraneous characters when using RTCC alarm and sending from PIC to the LoRa transmitter.(Austin)
• Solder up a board with the PIC and LoRa transmitter and anything else.(Austin/Matthew)