Unit flashing green with ALPHA auto-update

Support
1

There is an issue with release 02_06_00 affecting certain ALPHA auto-update users.
So far there have been three reported incidences and at least two were older units that have an incompatibility in the config.txt file.

This will be fixed shortly and a new release substituted, but once encountered, it must be fixed by manually editing the config.txt file. You can do this by carefully removing the SDcard and mounting in another computer. Either upload the file to me in a PM and I’ll fix it, or edit it yourself if you understand the JSON format:

You will probably have had an uploader to Emoncms, or possibly influxDB that was removed or changed two years ago or more. There will be a first level Json element called “server” that should be removed. After editing it out, I recommend checking the file with Json Lint before replacing on the SDcard and restarting.

This affects only users who participate in the ALPHA auto-upgrade class and by doing so have implicitely agreed to help test new releases. There is a skill level implied in subscribing to this early release program.

1 Like
2

Thanks I successfully recovered my iotawatt.
Was flashing green green green

edit: Ignore me… Just looked at my device and its on version 02_05_12

edit2: So after fixing the config and restarting the unit is reporting 02_05_12 in the status page, but inspecting the log I’m seeing references to 02_06_00

iotamsgs.txt (9.6 KB)

3

It does look as if, once the config was fixed, your unit downgraded back to 02_05_12. The only explanation I can come up with is that the file it downloads to determine the current release is cached with Cloudflare. So apparently you got an older version of the file. However you had to have gotten the newer version when your unit went to 02_06_00. Very odd, but not out of the realm of possibility as it appears you are in Australia, the land of weird internet.

At some point I expect your IoTaWatt will go back to 02_06_00. That should be uneventful now that your config has been repaired. If you still have a copy of the old config that caused the problem, could you upload to me in a PM so I can test all of the reported failures against the fixes I’m making?

4

yes I’m in aussie, I have seen the posts regarding weird updates, never been an issue for me that I’ve noticed anyway.

Unfortunately i don’t have a copy of the file before I edited it, but basically I removed the server property as described in this post Green, then off, then green, then off - resolved - #13 by AhrBee

1 Like
5

Perfect! That fixed my issue!

6

Thanks for posting about this issue. My alpha-configured IoTaWatt had stopped responding yesterday, and when after a couple of tentative reboots I came to reach out here and found the solution already posted. :+1:

Longest part of the repair was digging around in my closet for an SDcard reader.

1 Like
7

Same for me, I had to remove:
“server”: {
“type”: “none”
},
from config.txt.

8

Worked for my device

9

Bonjour,

Je rencontre un problème similaire mon unité clignote vert en permanence
J’ai sorti la carte SD pour la lire depuis mon PC mais impossible de rentrer dedans
Pensez vous que la carte puisse etre HS.
J’ai d’autre carte SD vierge mais je n’arrive pas à trouver ou télécharger le soft d’origine.
Quelqu’un pourrait m’aider ?

Moderator - Google Translate:
I am having a similar problem my unit is flashing green continuously
I took out the SD card to read it from my PC but couldn’t get into it
Do you think the card could be out of order.
I have another blank SD card, but I cannot find or download the original software.
Can anyone help me?

10

This thread deals with a different problem that has been resolved. You may have an SD card issue, but the LED flashing green continuously is not a usual indication of that.

If you were auto-update MINOR as is set in new units, and your system was still working on May 3, 2021, you should be using release 02_06_02. The SD files for that release are in the directory SD in the zip file at https://github.com/boblemaire/IoTaWatt/archive/refs/tags/02_06_02.zip

11

Bonjour,

Merci pour ta réponse.

Je t’avoue que je ne sais pas trop depuis quand il ne marchait plus.

Je vais essayer de re’installer, je te tiendrais au courant

12

re-bonjour,
J’avance mais j’ai encore besoin d’aide
J’ai ré-installer et maintenant j’ai un clignotement vert - rouge - rouge - vert
tu vois d’ou ca pourrait venir ?

13

The led codes are explained here.

That code indicates the config.txt file is invalid (not valid Json). The config.txt file that you should have downloaded should be OK. Have you been able to run the configuration application?

14

re

Merci pour les codes des LEDS, ils font deja partis des favoris de mon navigateur

Je n’ai pas le wifi et donc je ne peux pas lancer l’application de configuration.

J’ai essayer avec 2 cartes SD et j’ai tjs le meme résultat

Je vais essayer en remettant le fichier depuis un PC Windows car la je le fais depuis un mac ( le iotawatt est pour chez moi et à la maison je n’ai que des mac … )

un tres grand merci pour ton aide

15

The Mac may have something to do with your problem. I don’t have a Mac, but others have had trouble with SD cards reading and writing on Macs. The IoTaWatt requires a FAT32 format and file system. Your Mac may not have been able to read the original card for that reason.

I said in the beginning that the reported symptoms are not consistent with SDcard failure. You might try mounting the original SDcard on a PC to see if it is indeed faulty. If you can read it there, please make a copy of the last few hundred lines of the message log in /iotawatt/iotamsgs.txt. With that I may be able to determine if there is a different problem.

16

Salut

J’ai remonter la carte SD depuis un pc

Voila les message d’erreur ( c’est toujours les memes )

** Restart **

SD initialized.
6/28/21 14:59:55z Real Time Clock is running. Unix time 1624892395
6/28/21 14:59:55z Power failure detected.
6/28/21 14:59:55z Reset reason: Power On
6/28/21 14:59:55z ESP8266 ChipID: 12686113
6/28/21 14:59:55z IoTaWatt 5.0, Firmware version 02_06_00
6/28/21 14:59:55z SPIFFS mounted.
6/28/21 14:59:55z setConfig: config.txt open failed.
6/28/21 14:59:55z config file invalid, attempting recovery.
6/28/21 14:59:55z configuration recovery unsuccessful.
6/28/21 14:59:55z Local time zone: +0:00
6/28/21 14:59:55z device name: IotaWatt
6/28/21 14:59:58z Connecting with WiFiManager.
6/28/21 15:00:04z HTTP server started

** Restart **

SD initialized.
6/28/21 15:05:30z Real Time Clock is running. Unix time 1624892730
6/28/21 15:05:30z Power failure detected.
6/28/21 15:05:30z Reset reason: External System
6/28/21 15:05:30z ESP8266 ChipID: 12686113
6/28/21 15:05:30z IoTaWatt 5.0, Firmware version 02_06_00
6/28/21 15:05:30z SPIFFS mounted.
6/28/21 15:05:30z setConfig: config.txt open failed.
6/28/21 15:05:30z config file invalid, attempting recovery.
6/28/21 15:05:30z configuration recovery unsuccessful.
6/28/21 15:05:30z Local time zone: +0:00
6/28/21 15:05:30z device name: IotaWatt
6/28/21 15:05:33z Connecting with WiFiManager.
6/28/21 15:05:36z HTTP server started

17

The IoTaWatt is unable to open the config.txt file. Is there a config.txt file on the SD (root directory) and if so, can you upload a copy?

Is this a new SD card or is it the original?

18

re
Il s’agit d’une nouvelle carte SD, l’ancienne ne peut pas etre lu, impossible de la monter meme sur PC.
j’ai un fichier config.txt dans le dossier SD que je te télécharge
config.txt (556 Bytes)

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The files that you downloaded from the SD folder on github should be copied directly to the root of the SD card. I think you are saying the config.txt is in /SD/config.txt and it should be in /config.txt.

20

re
je pense que j’avais fait une erreur
j’avais copier tous ce que j’avais téléchargé depuis github
maintenant je n’ai mis que les fichiers qui était dans le dossier SD.
Je les ai tous mis à la racine, est ce bien cela que je dois faire ?
maintenant ca clignote vert rapidement mais tjs pas possible de me connecter
Je te mets le fichier msgs
iotamsgs.txt (135.6 KB)