SBC loses network connection, alot!

Jered

@jay_s_uk
So, no reboot during printing? Or using a more robust computer with it. Something without cable limits?

jay_s_uk

@Jered if it's lost the connection enough that it can't recover then the prints failed.
I suggest moving the raspberry pi closer to the 6HC and using the supplied cable.
This isn't something you can fix by using a different SBC

Phaedrux

@Jered said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

I would need a display to run in standalone mode,

You mean you're using an HDMI touch screen with the SBC?

@Jered said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

keeps losing connection

What errors are you getting? Is it DWC that is losing connection?

@jay_s_uk said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

I suggest moving the raspberry pi closer to the 6HC and using the supplied cable.

Definitely try this and see if it helps your situation. You MIGHT be able to get away with longer length if you used a shielded twisted pair cable instead of a flat ribbon, but even so, SPI isn't meant for long runs.

Jered

@Phaedrux
The machine is still printing even though connection has been lost for awhile now.

I will look into sheilded cables and what not before moving the sbc. As you can see from the pic, moving it will not be easy as space is limited.

Are there any plans to allow the Duet controller to use regular PCs?

Phaedrux

@Jered said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

Are there any plans to allow the Duet controller to use regular PCs?

No.

I still don't know exactly what you mean by losing network connection.

Network connection sounds different than an SPI connection issue. What exactly are you seeing?

Jered

@Phaedrux
Attached is photo taken of the monitor that is connected directly to the sbc.

I haven't really had any problems until just recently. So this is baffling to me.

Print is still going, but I need to cancel it. Since the sbc is not responding, I will have to just power down.

Phaedrux

Where is that error displayed though? On a computer browser connected to DWC or on an HDMI touch screen to the SBC?

Are you still able to ping the IP address of the SBC?
Can you reach the SBC over SSH?

Jered

@Phaedrux
The error is displayed on the monitor connected to the hdmi port of the sbc.
Here is a zoomed out pic.

I can operate the sbc just fine. I can minimize the duet interface and operate the sbc normally, it's just that the sbc is no longer talking to the Duest controller. DWC is seems to be not connected somehow.

Not sure I need to ping anything. Also, not sure how to ping.

Phaedrux

Ok, can you close the DWC interface and relaunch it?

Can you grab a log from the SBC?

https://github.com/Duet3D/DuetSoftwareFramework/wiki/SBC-Setup-Guide#increasing-log-level

Jered

@Phaedrux
I'll try. How to I retrieve the log?

Phaedrux

To obtain more data for potential debugging it is possible to adjust the log level of the DCS service. This can be done by changing LogLevel in /opt/dsf/conf/config.json from info to debug.

Once this change has been made, restart the DCS service to apply it (sudo systemctl restart duetcontrolserver). After that you can follow potential debug messages in a terminal by running journalctl -u duetcontrolserver -f.

Jered

@Phaedrux
I can give that a try. I am not familiar with that, but there's no time like the present.

I did close the browser on the sbc and re-open it. It works now. Remoted in from my other computer and I can see it there as well. So by closing the browser on the sbc and re-opening it, I now have full control from anywhere again.

I will try the debugging thing when I get a chance.

wayneosdias

@Phaedrux "You MIGHT be able to get away with longer length if you used a shielded twisted pair cable instead of a flat ribbon, but even so, SPI isn't meant for long runs."

I dont think shielding will help. The issue is increased capacitance and resistance with long wire runs and screws up the spi signal timing. The quickest check would be what others have suggested. Simply move the SBC closer to the 6HC using the original cable. If that fixes your issue no amount of shielding is going solve your problem. You will need to relocate the SBC next to the 6HC.

Phaedrux

@wayneosdias In this case it doesn't seem like an SPI issue because the print continued, so the connection between SBC and Duet was still active.

Network connection error coming up in DWC is something else. Restarting DWC re-connected successfully.

wayneosdias

@Phaedrux interesting. I have no experience using sbc. So the sbc acts as sender?

Phaedrux

@wayneosdias Yes, but not in the sense of a traditional USB gcode sender would.

MintyTrebor

@Jered There is a lot to unpack in this thread, generating a number of questions which will help us to narrow this down.

The Pi:
What model Pi is it?
How is it currently connected to your network Wifi or ethernet (It's difficult to tell from the picture)? Or is it acting as a hotspot?
If you are using wifi on your normal network how good is the signal strength (should have a visual indication on the desktop)
Are those thermal pads on the chips? Do you normally have heat-sinks on those pads/chips? Thermal Pads with nothing on them will probably just insulate the chips not dissipate heat, which may cause performance/stability issues (Again difficult to tell from picture)?
Are you using the standard SBC build/OS on the pi?
You do not mention how you are powering the Pi? Does the supply meet the Pi's recommended specs?
Have you tried a new SDcard? They can and do fail in weird ways (I speak from experience)

The Browser:
What URL are you using in the browser on the Pi Desktop?
Does the network error appear after a period of inactivity - where you have not interacted with the browser for a while?
Run the browser with developer mode enabled, see if there is any more info in the developer console / networking tab when the error occurs

Other:
You mention "Remoting in from my other computer" do you mean VNC/SSH, or just accesses DWC from a different browser on your network? If Browser -> DWC what URL are you using?

Jered

The pi is a 4B with 8gig mem plugged into its own 3A power brick plugged into an outlet. I was going to attach heat sinks to it (I should get on that), just have not. I am not sure what browser is default on the pi, but I used Duest's instructions to install the operating system from, and just used whatever came up.

The pi is connected to my wifi which is very strong, not only because the machine is in the same room as the wifi router, but also because I only buy the best And by remoting in, I do mean from the DWC on a chrome browser from another computer.

I have not tried a new SD card. Didn't think it was necessary.

I have not lost connection since reconnecting during this thread.

This is completely not related, but, the button in the height map menu on the DWC that says "Invert Z coordinates", does it actually invert or is it just for visual representation?

Thanks for your help guys!

MintyTrebor

@Jered Do you set a static IP address for the SBC in your router/AP settings? If not I would change this first - It's possible that your network error may be caused by your DHCP leases expiring (if your printer is left on for 24+ hrs), which depending on how your router/AP is configured may cause this glitch/error in the browser.
Also if it wasn't clear enough from the other posts in this thread you need to shorten your SPI cable, and eliminate that from a potential cause of this issue (as much as I appreciate the fantastic layout and cable management). The EMI that the cable will be exposed to over it's run path and length is too much of a variable to exclude it from the potential causes of this problem.

Phaedrux

@MintyTrebor said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

It's possible that your network error may be caused by your DHCP leases expiring (if your printer is left on for 24+ hrs), which depending on how your router/AP is configured may cause this glitch/error in the browser.

That shouldn't affect the local browser though.

@MintyTrebor said in SBC loses network connection, alot!:

you need to shorten your SPI cable

Maybe so, but there was no loss of SPI connection here. The print continued.

I would suspect that if we had logging from the occasion we would see a service had stopped/crashed.