Arduino Ethernet and Pachube: remote sensors & web-control

we are going to work on arduino + pachube on the hackup day in milano: http://www.hack-up.org/wiki/index.php?title=Milan_18_Jan_2009

I'll keep you updated

hi,
i am tryin to use this project, remote control Arduino Ethernet via web page, i am using Arduino 0016, hardware is Arduino Duemilanove with ATMega 328. I dont get any error but when i open pachube controller page and turn on all the LEDS, i dont see the LED on my board being turned on. i dont know what is happening,

someone please help

the best thing to do is to put in some Serial.println statements to debug what's actually happening and how far it's getting.

one thing to point out: as it says above, "This code has been tested with Arduino Diecimila and Arduino 14" so ymmv.

Hello
Im really new to this, but im loving it already ;)
How can I use this with the arduino pluged in the USB, ?
I read in the blog it should work??
how ?
tnx

Hi Mako
You would be best off using the tutorials listed under "Arduino + computer" http://community.pachube.com/node/212

The simplest thing to use is Pachuino: http://community.pachube.com/node/13 which is a library for Processing that connects a USB-connected Arduino directly to Pachube for both inputs and outputs.

Hello I am new to all this. In the above tutorial "A. Arduino Ethernet with Pachube inputs and outputs" I followed every step... I think.
To my understanding you can copy and paste the code given in the tutorial to the arduino. I then changed the share feed to the one I created and changed the api key to the one given to me. I then changed the the mac address to the mac address of my computer. I then tried to upload it to the arduino and got an error in my mac address.

To my understanding the use of this given program is to be able to upload the program, with inserted sensory code I have created placed into the proper spot in that program, plug in an ethernet cable into the wall, and then plug the ethernet cable into the ethernet shield and wa la! it works. If this is accomplished, I will then be able log on to pachube and see the data from the arduino. Keep in note i assume that after the program is uploaded I can detatch the arduino from my computer and leave just the arduino and ethernet sheild plugged into the wall.

I hope that this is what this tutorial is for. Because this is what I need to accomplish.
-thanks! Please help though I just need to know basically how to write the code, to accomplish what I have written above.

A couple of things:

1. You'll need to download the code, not just copy paste from section A (there is more to the code than that which is explained in the tutorial -- but the rest of it shouldn't require any changes).

2. Your MAC address has to be unique on your network, it SHOULD NOT be the same as your computer's, that's why you're getting an error. If in doubt try this: { 0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF, 0xFE, 0xED }; -- it's the one often used in the arduino tutorials, that you will find here: http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/Ethernet

Let us know how you get on.

Hello, I guess I am very confused in step 2 from section A, it says download the Arduino Ethernet Pachube Input Output code, but where do I down load it to? I have looked at the code from one of the many folders that got downloaded-it all seems to be the code in each different folder, each of those folders has the code pasted below: of course with the share feed and api changes made. Is there more than this?, if there is, is there a place I can go copy the code and paste it into an arduino sketch, and upload it to the arduino? Thanks, I must apologize, I'm very, very new to all this, I appreciate what help I can get
/* ==============================
* This code, which assumes you're using the official Arduino Ethernet shield,
* updates a Pachube feed with your analog-in values and grabs values from a Pachube
* feed - basically it enables you to have both "local" and "remote" sensors.
*
* Tested with Arduino 14
*
* Pachube is www.pachube.com - connect, tag and share real time sensor data
* code by usman (www.haque.co.uk), may 2009
* copy, distribute, whatever, as you like.
*
* v1.1 - added User-Agent & fixed HTTP parser for new Pachube headers
* and check millis() for when it wraps around
*
* =============================== */

#include
#include

#undef int() // needed by arduino 0011 to allow use of stdio
#include // for function sprintf

#define SHARE_FEED_ID 1872 // this is your Pachube feed ID that you want to share to
#define REMOTE_FEED_ID 256 // this is the ID of the remote Pachube feed that you want to connect to
#define REMOTE_FEED_DATASTREAMS 4 // make sure that remoteSensor array is big enough to fit all the remote data streams
#define UPDATE_INTERVAL 10000 // if the connection is good wait 10 seconds before updating again - should not be less than 5
#define RESET_INTERVAL 10000 // if connection fails/resets wait 10 seconds before trying again - should not be less than 5

#define PACHUBE_API_KEY "ENTER_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE" // fill in your API key

byte mac[] = { 0xCC, 0xAC, 0xBE, 0xEF, 0xFE, 0x91 }; // make sure this is unique on your network
byte ip[] = { 192, 168, 0, 144 }; // no DHCP so we set our own IP address
byte remoteServer[] = { 209,40,205,190 }; // pachube.com

float remoteSensor[REMOTE_FEED_DATASTREAMS]; // we know that feed 256 has floats - this might need changing for feeds without floats

void setup()
{
Serial.begin(57600);
setupEthernet();

pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(6, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{

// call 'pachube_in_out' at the beginning of the loop, handles timing, requesting
// and reading. use serial monitor to view debug messages

pachube_in_out();

// then put your code here, you can access remote sensor values
// by using the remoteSensor float array, e.g.:

analogWrite(3, (int)remoteSensor[3] * 10); // remoteSensor is a float
analogWrite(5, (int)remoteSensor[1]);

// you can have code that is time sensitive (e.g. using 'delay'), but
// be aware that it will be affected by a short pause during connecting
// to and reading from ethernet (approx. 0.5 to 1 sec).
// e.g. this code should carry on flashing regularly, with brief pauses
// every few seconds during Pachube update.

digitalWrite(6, HIGH);
delay(100);
digitalWrite(6, LOW);
delay(100);

}

If you download the 'Arduino Ethernet Pachube Input Output' code from the link above you will have one zip file (http://community.pachube.com/files/ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1.zip), which, when extracted will give you a folder called 'ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1'. Inside that folder are 3 files (pachube_functions.pde, ethernet_functions.pde,ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1.pde). It sounds like this is *not* what you're getting which sounds like your zip extraction application is not working correctly.

If you are getting the 3 files inside the folder, then if you load 'ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1.pde' in Arduino, it will automatically include the other two files as separate tabs within the Arduino IDE. Compile and upload as normal. You should probably have a look at http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Environment to get more info about using the Arduino application itself if you are not familiar with using tabs.

Thank you so much for your help!!! The program now compiles and is uploaded to the arduino (with my little sensory program added). Now when I look at the serial port, it says,
"Connecting...
connection failed!2reset ethernet
setup complete"
Now besides setting up my feed (which took about a minute) I have done nothing with it, is this why I am getting the connection failed? Do I need to do something more in the pachube feed so it can read the information from my arduino? Keep in mind, the Ethernet shield is plugged into an Ethernet cable which is then in turn plugged into a live Ethernet jack in the wall. The arduino is not connected to my computer when I did this (except when I read the serial port). Again thank you so much for your help.

Have you got the ethernet shield working at all yet? I.e. have you tried the basic tutorials on the Arduino site, or that come with the ethernet library? Make sure that you actually have it working with the simplest examples first, then you can more easily troubleshoot getting it to work with Pachube. For example, when you say that "the Ethernet shield is plugged into an Ethernet cable which is then in turn plugged into a live Ethernet jack in the wall", it's not clear whether you're trying to plug straight into, say, a corporate or academic network, which might have its own restrictions on network traffic (and requirement for setting up the shield). If you're working from home, then you're more likely to want to plug it into your router.

Hello, me again. I have been looking messing with the code and I was wondering exactly this step ment: " Mac address and IP address as normal with this shield", the mac address I understand, but using the IP address is difficult. I did an "arp -a" on my command module and I see that the IP type is dynamic. Does this mean that I can not use this IP address in the code for step A? I assume so. I also assume that if it was static it would work. Is there a way that using a dynamic IP adress would work? Thanks

There is a DHCP library available for Arduino: http://blog.jordanterrell.com/post/Arduino-DHCP-Library-Version-04.aspx
However, we don't currently have tutorial code for using that library with the Pachube code used above (we have some code that we've used internally, just haven't had a chance to debug, make generic and comment thoroughly). Shouldn't be too hard to get it working though - if you get some good demo code, please post back here!

Hello, thanks for the help from last time. It was just what I needed. With part B, I am not able to do turn on or off an LED-as directed in the tutorial. Below is what the serial port says. I can see in my feed that it is live. so it is "talking to my feed" but when I go to the "remotely control the arduino page" and type in my feed and press authorise,- in the debug box this shows up, "Control http://www.pachube.com/api/feeds/3284.xml live Burlington d=0000000000&a=000000000000", then when I press an analog off or on button, it disappears. But remember when I press the analog on or off it doesn't work on the LED's I got set up. oh, in the value part of my feed it says, "d=0000000000&a=000000000000". I don't know what needs to be done to get these LED's to work as in the tutorial? All this does not mean much too me, as obviously seen before, I'm a very new beginner at all this. Again-thanks for all the help

reset ethernet
setup complete
Connecting...
GET request to retrieve
finished GET now PUT, to update
finished PUT: 929
HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
Server: nginx/0.6.34
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:03:47 GMT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Connection: keep-alive
WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Web Password"
X-Runtime: 0.00544
Cache-Control: no-cache
Set-Cookie: _pachube_session_id=7c097132d4604dc1fd3e555997d0a609; path=/
Content-Length: 12

UnauthorizedHTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
Server: nginx/0.6.34
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:03:47 GMT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Connection: close
WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Web Password"
X-Runtime: 0.00247
Cache-Control: no-cache
Set-Cookie: _pachube_session_id=27f982c28609c0821aacd774aac19270; path=/
Content-Length: 12

Unauthorizeddisconnecting.

(remember when pasting in code to wrap it in "[code-]" and "[-/code]" (without those "-" characters))

If you read through the transcript that you pasted in, it says in several placed "Unauthorized" -- sounds like either you haven't put in your API key into your Arduino code or perhaps you have put in the incorrect API key.

The other possibility is that you're attempting to retrieve or update to feeds that don't belong to you.

Hello, me again,
Hi, I have a manual feed setup with values from a light sensor. When I go look at the feed, I see all 7 datastreams with data from the sensor, and thusly, the graphs don't really have too many data pionts. How would I have all the data from the light sensor update to one datastream, so I could read them on a graph? Is it something in the programming that I have to change or is it on pachube? Thanks again

I don't quite follow what problem you're having. Can you give a fuller explanation and include links to your feed?

Sorry, I don't understand the code, that is why I guess I'm writing this. First, things first, I have a photo resistor, it senses values, then puts these values into an analog in pin. I have the code in Part B of this tutorial. I dont know how to manipulate that code, so that it takes the values from the analog in pin (values put there by the photo resistor) and puts those values into one data stream in my pachube feed. This is a link to my feed, http://www.pachube.com/feeds/3903, as you can see thre are values put into all the data streams. Please note, that without me changing the code whatsoever, the feed will still get values from the arduino, the values in all the data streams (except the las two-obviously) appear to be values coming from the photo resistor-but I'm not sure.

Which pin number is your photo resistor connected to? That is then the Pachube datastream that contains the accurate data. If you are seeing the same values on all the analog-ins that's because, unless you pull all the other pins to ground (i.e. by connecting them directly to ground) then they get noise from the one pin that is connected to something (i.e. your photo resistor) which is why they appear to be seeing the same (or similar) values.

I'm new to the Arduino and I have several questions about this project. First, I have an Arduino Duemilanove. I don't know if this is an Arduino 14, 15 or what. This project says it was tested with Arduino 14 and has RAM problems with Arduino 15. Will my Duemilanove work with this.

In my project I want to have 4 data streams. First is a pulse (that lasts several minutes) from my gas meter. I want to connect this to a digital input pin and when it's high, it would output to pachube a value of 2409. This is about the number of BTUs consumed for every pulse of my meter. This is the first data stream I want to get running. I'll add the others sensors later, those will be:
Electricity usage - I'll take a current transformer and connect it to one of the analog input pins
Inside temp - thermister connected to analog input pin
Outside temp - thermister connected to analog input pin

For the current and temperatures, I'll need to scale the data so they read in KW and degrees F before I send them to Pachube.

I'm trying to understand how the sketch knows what to output to pachube. It seems to me that this line of code is responsible for creating the CSV text for pachube:
sprintf(pachube_data,"%d,%d,%d,%d,%d,%d,%d,%d",analogRead(0),analogRead(1),analogRead(2),analogRead(3),analogRead(4),analogRead(5), successes + 1, failures);

If that's correct, then it's just reading the values of the 6 analog pins and sending this to pachube. Is that correct?
It seems to me I would need to change it to something like:

sprintf(pachube_data,"%d,%d,%d,%d,%d,%d",GasMeterBTU,CurrentAmps,TempIn,TempOut, successes + 1, failures);

In the ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1 sketch, I would need to define these variables and assign values. Can sprintf() read my variables or do I need to figure out how to pass the values to sprintf()?

In ethernet_Pachube_input_output_1_1 I think I would need something like this:

float GasMeterBTU = 0;
float CurrentAmps = 0;
float TempIn = 0;
float TempOut =0;
int GasMeterPin = 0; //digital pin 0
int CurrentPin = 0;   //analog pin 0
int TempInPin = 1;   //analog pin 1
int TempOutPin = 2   //analog pin 2

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(57600); 
  setupEthernet(); 

  pinMode(GasMeterPin,INPUT); //gas meter pulse, define digital pin 0 as input
}

void loop()
{
  pachube_in_out();
  if digitalread(GasMeterPin) == HIGH {
        GasMeterBTU = 2409;
      } else {
        GasMeterBTU = 0;
      {

  CurrentAmps = analogRead(CurrentPin) / 100;  //I'm just making up a the scaling factor for all of these
  TempIn = analogRead(TempInPin) / 55; 
  TempOutPin = analogRead(TempOutPin) / 55:
{

Am I on the right track, or do I need to keep the analogRead variables in the springf() function?

Finally, I don't understand how the remoteSensor[] array is being used in the project. It seems to me it could replace GasMeterBTU, CurrentAmps, TempIn, TempOut variables. But in the sample sketch, I don't see where remoterSensor[3] and remoteSensore[1] are given any values.

--Scott

Hi Scott

(by the way to get the code to render correctly in a forum post you should use "[/code]" rather than "[-/code]" to close it).

In answer to your questions:

Arduino 14, 15, etc. refer to versions of the IDE (i.e. software, not the hardware). Arduino is currently up to version 0017, though we haven't tried it recently ourselves, though people have had success with it. Before editing the code, try to get our demo code working, make sure it works with 17, and if not and you don't want to debug, try dropping down to 14. Your Duemilanove should work fine.

That sounds about right, as long as each of those is an integer (I believe there is some demo code on the forum here if you search for using floats instead).

As long as the variables are global then it should work fine.

Seems like the right track -- though I would probably do the variable setting *before* "pachube_in_out();".

This code both sends your values and receives values from an existing Pachube feed. So the remoteSensor array contains values from the Pachube feed that you are requesting values from. The values are set in pachube_functions.pde.

while( result != NULL ) {
        remoteSensor[counter++] = atof(result); 
        result = strtok_r( NULL, delims, &ptr );
      } 

and are simply made available in order to control things locally.

For example

  analogWrite(3, (int)remoteSensor[3] * 10); // remoteSensor is a float
  analogWrite(5, (int)remoteSensor[1]); 

Simply adjusts your analog outputs in relation to the values of the remote Pachube feed.

Hope that helps.

The upgrades pachube made the other day apparently broke the Arduino Ethernet Pachube Input Output code. Does anyone know how to fix it?

--Scott

I think it might be having problems here:

  if (found_status_200){
    found = strstr(buff, "_id=");
    if (found != 0){
      clean_buffer();
      found_session_id = true; 
    }
  }

I don't think it's finding" _id=" in buff. Here is what's in buff:

Server: nginx/0.6.34
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:12:06 GMT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Connection: keep-alive
Last-Modified: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:12:02 GMT
X-Runtime: 21
Cache-Control: private, max-age=0, must-revalidate
Content-Length: 17
Vary: Accept-Encoding
6.8,0.0,347.9,3.5HTTP/1.1 200 OK

--Scott

just replied over here but to repeat for any subsequent visitors: that problem is easily fixed. just swap this code:

found = strstr(buff, "_id=");

with:

found = strstr(buff, "Vary:");

That worked, thanks!