WiFi unstable in Release 2.0/1.21?
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Thank you for the response, I will try that down the road. For the moment I'm happy the board is operational and the machine is running so I don't want to go back down that rabbit hole at the moment.
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@tinkerz are you still having connection issues?
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@t3p3tony Yes, very much so. I did order another DuetWifi for another system and to further troubleshoot I've placed the new board in place of the old one. And no connection issues so far. Significantly more stable. No loss of connection via USB, no drops via wifi, no issues communicating with the PanelDue. All comms instability has disappeared. Looks to be pointing to an issue on the board. GIven the number of times I've updated it. downgraded it and even completely erased it and reinstalled everything I'm beginning to suspect it's the board.
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If the new board works much better than the old one in exactly the same machine, there could be a problem with the WiFi module on the old board. Do you know anyone with hot air desoldering equipment who could replace it? It should also be possible to replace it using a soldering iron and ChipQuik, but that's not something I have tried.
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Thanks for getting back so fast. Agreed, I believe the whole issue on the old board is the WiFi module. If you were to send a replacement for that I'll get it swapped out, whether it be giving the ChipQuik a try for the experience or having someone with desoldering equipment do it I'll get it accomplished.
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The WiFi module is an ESP-12S, readily available at low cost on eBay; or you can use the ESP-07S + external antenna instead if you prefer. Make sure you get the S version. Your board is older so it may have the ESP-12F instead; but the -12S is fully compatible and is claimed by the manufacturer to perform better.
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Thanks, will do. Though I was hoping to get that module replaced under warranty. Yes I know it's outside the 6 month window but the board did sit quite some time before I got to use it to the point where I could see it had problems. Just hoping for a little good will on the replacement. If not, no worries!
Also, a quick question regarding the external antenna WiFi, can the Duet board be ordered with that installed, or is there a product variant without the WiFi chip installed so that we can add the antenna mount version? Asking for future development as it was posed to me by other engineers being concerned about essentially locking the board inside a faraday cage by burying it inside a box of metal. Or will we just need to plan to desolder and resolder each one?
Thanks again,
Keith -
To send you a replacement WiFi module, we'd first need to have our assembly subcontractor send us one, then send it on to you which could take a while and involve customs paperwork depending on which country you are in. As it's such a low cost item, it probably makes more sense for you to source it locally. If you are in the UK and can accept a 12F instead of a 12S, then I can send you one FOC.
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That all makes sense. More hassle than it's worth. Thanks for the transparency.
Keith
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Greetings all! Operation WiFiSwap via ChipQuik was a success. Board seems significantly more responsive and stable now. I'll have a better idea once I upgrade the Zortrax M300 with it. But for now I'm happy to report that a WiFi module can be desoldered via ChipQuik and a new one installed.
Maybe some documentation on this would be nice. Or at least let people know to copy the DuetWiFiServer.bin file to the /sys folder and perform a M997 S1 to get the WiFi chip firmware loaded. Initially I was a bit sad to only see the light flicker once on the WiFi module. But once I tried poking it with commands I started to get the feeling it might not know how to respond appropriately so I flashed it's firmware. And all set. Connected!!
Yay! Thanks again folks.
Keith -
This is interesting to know. And external antenna would solve a lot of my problems, I think.
