Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

All things relating to the Nextion Screen(s)
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kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

I have gone to a couple of Github sites and downloaded some HMI to test the Nextion editor, and the ones I tried seem to indicate "old version" etc.

What is the best place to get recent files that might work for my system?

I'm using a duplex (although I don't care if it's in simplex) pi-star, and I have a 3.2" display that I wish to use instead of the teenie-tiny display on the pi-star.

I need a decent HMI file that will allow me to display the usual stuff.

Mike
KC7VE
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

Getting closer, but now I'm hung up at a splash screen.

I have TX to RX and RX to TX like the tutorials say.
I've set the configuration to Nextion, and driver to ON7LDS L3 HS. But I'm not sure of my connection nor the Port. One tuturial says to set it to USB (not an option in the dropdown). Another says Modem. But I have tried all and none work.

So that leaves me with my connection. I downloaded the display HMI using a USB to TTL adapter. On that adapter there are RX and TX. So, I tried to tap into the GPIO to the RX and TX which I assume would normally go to the Nextion connector (which isn't on this board).

Can anyone see why this isn't working?

Here is the setup: Image
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

Since this was not working, I decided to connect to the pi using the OTG port. That allows the radio to work but still nothing on the display.
Everything works but the display. Wierd that no one knows what's going on. I can't be the first person to ever try to put this 3.2" display on the pi-star duplex board.

Image
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

It can only be a few things, you either have it configured incorrectly or you have it hooked up incorrectly.
I agree completely and I do suspect it is something I'm not understanding. :)
Does the OS report the USB connected device?-
Which OS? Pi?
I'm sure it's seeing the USB. Prior to using the OTG connector, there was no USB option in the Port. After I plugged in the adapter, into that slot, USB0 showed up as an option. But what "report" are you referring to?
What is the result of 'lsusb'?
I'm no even sure what you mean here. Obviously, I need to study up on all of this.

quote]Zoom in on the USB/TTL adapter connections and take a screen shot, I need to be able to see the silkscreen text clearly.[/quote]I'll take a photo and update in a few minutes. I really do appreciate you trying to help with this. I'll buy you a dinner, if you figure it out. :-)

Image

Image
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

I assume you need instructions on how to do all of that right?
You know me well.

Thanks for the help. I'll digest that and do a little more research. The baud rate is problem, but I'm sure I tried both. One one of them should have worked.

What I think what I need to do now is understand how all this works. And I need to understand the whole Nextion download process. Sometimes I get a connection failed. Then there is the TFT file and the HMI file. I thought I would be just using HMI but now I read about compiling TFT.

I really haven't played around with the command line. At least not on this pi. I have with others. I just tried to jump to the end of the book before reading the rest.:)

I'm out running errands right now. Picked up an OTG cable in case my adapter wasn't the right way to connect.
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

What I really would like is something that describes this whole architecture. For instance, something I could read that might have educated me on how the display interfaces to the pi-star.

I know on the simplex versions of what I have, there is a Nextion connector with 5V, RX, TX, and Ground. If I had one of those boards, I could have just connected my display to that and would be done.

Mine doesn't have that. But TX and RX do exist on GPIO. It's not obvious to me why I can't just use those. Likely TX and RX on the connector I dont have is a different RX TX than on GPIO.

So, apparently, the only communications possible to the Nextion, is via a USB PORT and I have only one of those. But that port is used as serial, not USB, hence the converter. Seems I should be able to tap into the serial data somewhere and just send that directly to display without all the OTG and adapters.

It would be easier just to buy a large screen pi-star but the point of this exercise is to understand how it all works. In fact, I do have a large screen pi-star too. I'm just using the small screen version to learn how to do this.
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
kc7ve
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:01 am

Re: Need an HMI file - Anything recent?

Post by kc7ve »

KE7FNS wrote: Thu Nov 26, 2020 1:07 am
kc7ve wrote: Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:42 pm But TX and RX do exist on GPIO. It's not obvious to me why I can't just use those.
Because you can only have one device hooked up on the serial port, and that is already in use by the MMDVM. Its how it communicates back and forth between the RPi and the MMDVM. You can't really hook up two different devices on a serial port
Ok, but what is the RX TX on the Nextion connector that is on all the simplex boards? I understrand there can be only one, and it's for the MMDVM, where does the RX TX come from (on Nextion connector), on the simplex boards. Usually when a signal name matches another signal name, they are the same. Apparently not true on these boards. I meant to intercept the TTL serial, before it is converted to USB serial.
kc7ve wrote: Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:42 pm But that port is used as serial, not USB, hence the converter.
USB is serial, it stands for Universal Serial Bus, but it is different than RS-232 serial.
kc7ve wrote: Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:42 pm Seems I should be able to tap into the serial data somewhere and just send that directly to display without all the OTG and adapters.
No. USB serial is not TTL serial levels. Apples and oranges.
Duh! :) I'm not quite that uninformed. I'm actually an electrical engineer. I just don't have specifications or schematics for the system or software specs. If I had that, I wouldn't have to ask any questions.

I didn't say tap into the USB serial. I meant (possibly) tap into the serial before it is turned into USB electrical signals. I was assuming that the design of the duplex board would be very similar to the simplex, and that the connector might be missing but the signals might still be there, somewhere. Maybe I'm wrong.
Amateur Radio 40+ years
USMC 1963-1967
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