Orange Pi PC -- a $15 alternative to RPi 2? So far, so good

@mcrieman
Please see on page 7 of this thread post titled “WORK AROUND FOR 5 ISSUES”, item “(2) DUMP1090 not working”.

To go to this post, click the link below:

post194971.html#p194971
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I was doing that but it wasn’t working for me. I used the lsmod command to find the exact name I needed to blacklist which turned out to be “dvb_usb_rtl2832u”. After I did that the Orange PI fails to boot. Once when it stopped I could see that dump1090 started successfully and for a brief time I could see it on my other computer by going to the webpage but then it stopped. Now I believe the issue is that once the receiver starts working it is drawing too much power through the flakey usb port on the Orange PI and halting the system. I was using a very good power supply and watching the voltage and amps through a USB power meter. I believe that I need a powered USB hub for the receiver to get this project working. The Orange PI is a real finicky little POS. My Raspberry PI is much more resilient and getting Piaware to work on the RPI was as simple as burning the image from Flightaware. I don’t have a powered hub so I will have to wait to test my theory. I’ve attached a photo. The last line shown is where it stopped booting. If the receiver is unplugged it will successfully boot.

Thank you for your fast reply.

@mcrieman
I have never installed dump1090-fa on my OrangePi, always dump1090-mutability, and it is working for over a year trouble free.

last month I formatted my microSD card and made a fresh install of Armbian, dump1090-mutability, Piaware 3.1 (add-on), and Web Portal, using JP’s automated script. It never gave me the problem you mentioned.

I have a spare microSD card. I will format it and install Armbian, dump1090-fa, Piaware add-on and Web Portal using JP’s automated Script, and see what happens. What method you used to install the dump1090-fa and Piaware feeder?

I added the Flightaware repository and used sudo apt-get install for piaware and dump1090-fa. I installed dump1090-fa first, rebooted and then installed Piaware. Can you provide a link to the script you mentioned and I will try everything starting new? Thanks again for your help.

@mcrieman:

You will need to format your microSD card and make a fresh install of Armbian to use this script.

Here is the link to automated script’s thread. The FIRST POST of this thread describes how to install using the script.
Use the code given under “Manual installations…”

ADS-B Receiver Project Setup Scripts
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@mcrieman:
Testing installation of dump1090-fa on Armbian
I just now finished:
(1) Formatted spare microSD card
(2) On formatted microSD card wrote “Armbian_5.20_Orangepipc_Debian_jessie_3.4.112_desktop.img”.
(3) Inserted microSD card in OrangePi PC, booted, changed password, created user pi and added it to sudo group.
(4) Spoofed MAC address to original MAC on which I feed Flightaware and have configured my Router to provide a static address for OrangePi.
(5) Rebooted and logged-in as user pi
(6) Run JP’s auto install script and installed:

(a) dump1090-fa + Piaware data feeder
(b) Planefinder data feeder
(c) Flightradar24 data feeder
(d) Adsbexchange data feeder & mlat client

(7) Added “blacklist dvb_usb_rtl2832u” and “blacklist dvb_usb” to file /etc/modprobe.d/rtl-sdr-blacklist.conf
(8) Rebooted
(9) Configured Web Portal (/install)
(10) Checked dump1090 map - OK
(11) Checked Web Portal graphs - OK ( had to run command “sudo ~/adsb-receiver/build/portal/graphs/make-collectd-graphs.sh 24h” to populate the graphs, and do workaround for temprature graph)
(12) Checked Flightaware statistics page - OK
(13) Configured Planefinder (:30053) - OK
(14) Checked Flightradar 24 status (:8754) - OK

ALL WORKING WELL

UPDATE:
Checked gain setting, found ZERO ( 0 )

pi@orangepipc:~$ sudo systemctl status dump1090-fa
● dump1090-fa.service - dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/dump1090-fa.service; enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sun 2016-11-20 00:50:09 CET; 5min ago
Docs: flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/
Main PID: 431 (dump1090-fa)
CGroup: /system.slice/dump1090-fa.service
└─431 /usr/bin/dump1090-fa --device-index 0 --gain -10 --ppm 0 --net-bo-port 30005 --max-range 300 --net …

Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Using sample converter: UC8, integer/table path
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Found 1 device(s):
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: 0: Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Using device 0: Generic RTL2832U OEM
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Found 1 device(s):
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: 0: Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001 (currently selected)
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Closest available gain: 0.00 dB
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Setting gain to: 0.00 dB
Nov 20 00:50:09 orangepipc dump1090-fa[431]: Gain reported by device: 0.00 dB

Tried to adjust gain by command sudo piaware-config rtlsdr-gain 48, and restart dump1090-fa, and it crashed! rebooted, still no planes, no data.

I tried sevveral gai n alues. Eery time I set a value and check in file /etc/piaware.conf the value of gain is same as I set last, but when dump1090-fa is restarted, and its status checked, the value of gain is shown NEGATIVE, and then the rtlsdr is set to nearest gain which is zero.

The piaware-config rtlsdr-gain setting is only used if you are running a piaware sdcard image.
If you just have the dump1090-fa package and not the rest of the sdcard infrastructure, you should edit /etc/default/dump1090-fa directly.

@obj
Thanks Oliver, it worked. I dont know how gain got set to a negetive value (-48) before I edited it and removed negetive sign.

pi@orangepipc:~$ sudo nano /etc/default/dump1090-fa
#removed negetive sign from value of gain, and saved file.

pi@orangepipc:~$ sudo systemctl restart dump1090-fa
pi@orangepipc:~$ sudo systemctl status dump1090-fa -l
● dump1090-fa.service - dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/dump1090-fa.service; enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sun 2016-11-20 04:55:40 CET; 7s ago
Docs: flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/
Main PID: 6688 (dump1090-fa)
CGroup: /system.slice/dump1090-fa.service
└─6688 /usr/bin/dump1090-fa --device-index 0 --gain 48 --ppm 0 --net-bo-port 30005 --max-range 300 --net --net-heartbeat 60 --net-ro-size 1000 --net-ro-interval 1 --net-ri-port 0 --net-ro-port 30002 --net-sbs-port 30003 --net-bi-port 30004,30104 --net-bo-port 30005 --json-location-accuracy 1 --lat 43.5xxx --lon -79.6xxx --write-json /run/dump1090-fa --quiet

Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Sun Nov 20 04:55:40 2016 CET dump1090-fa v3.1.0 starting up.
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Using sample converter: UC8, integer/table path
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Found 1 device(s):
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: 0: Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Using device 0: Generic RTL2832U OEM
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Found 1 device(s):
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: 0: Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001 (currently selected)
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Nov 20 04:55:40 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Setting gain to: 48.00 dB
Nov 20 04:55:41 orangepipc dump1090-fa[6688]: Gain reported by device: 48.00 dB
pi@orangepipc:~$

All Working OK Now

@abcd567

I made a clean sd card image, used the install script as suggested. Everything installed ok but will not reboot with the receiver attached. The same receiver works on my Raspberry PI Flightaware setup. When it tries to boot in the graphical interface the screen goes blank, the green light on the board goes off and nothing further happens. I’ve tried multiple power adapters and sd cards. Maybe I just got a very touchy, poorly made Orange PI PC board??? I’m at a loss as to what to try next. Thanks for your help.

UPDATE: I tried yet another power adapter (believe it or not only a 1A for an Amazon Kindle). Now the system boots and everything appears to be working. Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it. This board has been very frustrating. I guess my expensive power adapter doesn’t hold a steady enough voltage.

https://s22.postimg.org/qpbq76fs1/Screenshot_2016_11_20_12_24_27.pngimg host

Now that I have the Orange PI working with Piaware and dump1090-mutability thanks to help from users on this forum I am seeing many more airplanes than I did with Flightaware’s Raspberry PI image. Is this due to the way the script set the receiver sensitivity? The antenna is in the exact same location as when the Raspberry PI was running the Piaware software.

I have been getting dropouts on my orangepipc. One thing I noticed was when I could not access the web IP address I coulalso could not use ssh to log in to the Pi. I also noticed if there was a dropout of Dump1090-fa the Armbian CPU temp was up around 65°C. It normally sits in the high 40’s low 50’s.

I tried the following to reduce CPU speed n the hope the temperature would lower:

orangepi.org/orangepibbsen/f … ad&tid=785

wget -O /usr/local/bin/fix-thermal-problems.sh “http://kaiser-edv.de/tmp/H9rWPf/fix-thermal-problems.sh

Chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/fix-thermal-problems.sh

I then just tried the following and entering 1000000 in the MAX CPU FREQ

docs.armbian.com/User-Guide_Fine-Tuning/

nano /etc/default/cpufrequtils

service cpufrequtils restart

Yet I still get dropouts and not being able to access via ssh. Other than that I have been pulling in a few distances over 300nm, 363 nm my best to date using a yagi with FA PRO STICK. Given it is pointing over ocean and it is our summer it will only be skip through inversion layers I guess.

Any suggestions as to tests? It is a chinese power supply with a usb recepticle (2000ma).

Looking at those instructions, the 2nd line won’t work as it is shown - needs to be with a lower case “c” to chmod.

But all that has done so far is download the fix and make it executable. You still need to run the fix.


/usr/local/bin/fix-thermal-problems.sh

It will tell you to wait while it fixes the possible problem (runaway temperatures).

But 65°C should not be a problem - I’ve seen 80°C during our UK summer

More likely the power supply - there have been concerns about whether they are any good - are they really 2000ma?

I’m running my OrangePi PC from something like this [

NEED TO CHECK this is correct cable version. I bought one of these but might have been for a tablet or maybe they are the same :blush:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Black-USB-Cable-Charger-Lead-For-Xbox-360-Wireless-Headphone-Headset-/172055736976]([/http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2A-Dual-USB-Mains-Wall-3-Pin-Plug-Adaptor-Charger-Folding-for-Phones-and-Tablet-/262101378709url])

IDH

The OPi seems to have responded to your commands. Lets see what happens.

It has been very intermittent over the last week. It would not last a few hours before the thing would freeze up( not accessible via ssh). Having said that, my RPi has frozen a couple of times and it has the RPi power supply. I will get a 2500ma power supply and see if that fixes the problem. Thanks for the tip.

UPDATE - May 01, 2017
Recommended: Armbian version 5.20 from archieves

Tried last 3 versions of Armbian. Results are as follows:

(1) Armbian_5.25_Orangepipc_Debian_jessie_default_3.4.113
(a) Piaware 3.5.0 and dump1090-fa work ok and feed data to Flightaware.
(b) Lighttpd fails, and as a result map page Skyview and Piaware Radio Status pages are not displayed.

(2) Armbian_5.24_Orangepipc_Debian_jessie_default_3.4.113
(a) Piaware 3.5.0 and dump1090-fa work ok and feed data to Flightaware.
(b) Lighttpd fails, and as a result map page Skyview and Piaware Radio Status pages are not displayed.

(3) Armbian_5.20_Orangepipc_Debian_jessie_3.4.112_desktop
(a) Piaware 3.5.0 and dump1090-fa work ok and feed data to Flightaware.
(b) Lighttpd works OK, Map page Skyview is displayed OK
(c) Piaware Radio Status pages is not displayed. Instead Placeholder page of lighttpd is displayed.

Note:
to make dump1090-fa work, in file /etc/modprobe.d/rtl-sdr-blacklist.conf, add the lines below, and reboot.
blacklist dvb_usb_rtl2832u
blacklist dvb_usb

Thanks to Oliver for his following comments about Radio Status Page:

Hello
Thank you for the info
What is the Radio Status Page ?

This is the Radio Status Page from version 3.1, but page for version 3.5 is almost same.

There are 4 buttons (Radio, Piaware, Flightaware, and MLAT).
If the color of a button is green, that function is OK.
If the color is orange, the function is not working .

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5221/29263145473_640f5f3426_b.jpg

thank you

Raised the issue of lighttpd failure on “Armbian_5.25_Orangepipc_Debian_jessie_default_3.4.113” in Armbian Forums.
Got following reply:

Now the question is: How to disable ramlog? Where is it located?

forum.armbian.com/index.php?/to … ault_34113
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