Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

General support for the Pi-Star System
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W1KGK
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Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 6:23 pm

Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by W1KGK »

It seems that the Newest version 4.1 has some issues with Pi Zero W
It sometimes will boot, but very sluggish
Sometimes it find the WIFI and most times it doesn't.
When accessing it from a browser, it sometimes connects and sometimes takes a long time to access the dashboard
and then we update by pressing update ....long delay and sometimes noting happens and the card is corrupted.
This has happened on most of my raspberry Pi Zero W ONLY!
My raspberry Pi 3b+ and Pi 4 seems not problem.

Thanks
Kevin
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G8SEZ
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by G8SEZ »

I have 3 Pi Zero W with Jumbospot RF running Pi-Star 4.1 and they are just fine for me, I don't see any of the symptoms you report.

Suggest you try looking at the log output on boot, I do this by opening a second browser tab.
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Brian G8SEZ
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by KD8DVR »

I have 5 pi zeroes. No issues.

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VK3HAW
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by VK3HAW »

KE7FNS wrote: Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:03 pm Most likely this is just a case of the original poster not being patient enough. A RPi Zero W can take a full minute to become stable when booting, where a 3B+ and a 4B can be stable in 10-15 seconds.

The major difference is between a single processor at 1 Ghz, and 4 processors at 1.2, 1.4 or 1.5 Ghz, and 512 MB of ram compared to 1, 2 or 4 GB.

He could plug a monitor into the RPi and watch the booting process to see what it is doing and about how long it takes to become stable. It would also be a greater help if he provided more detailed information on his reports, or is able to reproduce it every single time on multiple devices.
Exactly what I was going to say. You have to be patient with the Pi Zero, whether booting, updating or loading the dashboard, and the initial boot can take a long time with the Pi Zero.

The main trouble I had with the WiFi was not having the correct country code set in Wireless Configuration.
EA3ICD
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by EA3ICD »

Hi!

I'm running 4.1.1 in a mmdvm hs_hat board (simplex) over a Pi Zero W.

I noticed these behaviours, but I've also noticed that it significantly increased temperature. Now it runs no lower than 44ºC, even without case. That is 2-4ºC hotter than 3.4.17.

I dont't know if this "issue" is identified, but now my Zero gets higher than 50ºC quite often, and I'm a little bit worried about it.

Anyway, for me it's running fine. I know some fellow hams have had problems with the 4.1.1, and some of them have reverted to 3.4.17.

Greetings and 73 from Catalunya!

Joan
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MW0MWZ
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by MW0MWZ »

EA3ICD wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 7:17 pm Hi!

I'm running 4.1.1 in a mmdvm hs_hat board (simplex) over a Pi Zero W.

I noticed these behaviours, but I've also noticed that it significantly increased temperature. Now it runs no lower than 44ºC, even without case. That is 2-4ºC hotter than 3.4.17.

I dont't know if this "issue" is identified, but now my Zero gets higher than 50ºC quite often, and I'm a little bit worried about it.

Anyway, for me it's running fine. I know some fellow hams have had problems with the 4.1.1, and some of them have reverted to 3.4.17.

Greetings and 73 from Catalunya!

Joan
something about Raspbian buster seems to be a little less efficient, but 50C isn't close to the limits for the Zero, the SoC can run quite a bit hotter without issues.
Andy

73 de MW0MWZ
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EA3ICD
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by EA3ICD »

KE7FNS wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 8:28 pm
MW0MWZ wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 7:26 pm something about Raspbian buster seems to be a little less efficient, but 50C isn't close to the limits for the Zero, the SoC can run quite a bit hotter without issues.
Perhaps you should leave the temperature indicator green until something like 55C. Seems that a majority of people are freaking out and worrying over normal operating temps.
Not a bad idea! I must confess that seeing the indicator in orange worries me a little, even knowing that dangerous temperatures start quite higher (70ºC?).

Thanks!
EA3ICD
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by EA3ICD »

I reinstalled the case cover (all aluminium), and the temperature seems not to increase. I've not seen anymore temps above 50ºC.

I wonder if having the dashboard loaded in a browser tab increases the CPU load, because I closed it and now I just access the dashboard to check activity and/or temperature. It has been always under 50ºC since then.

So, for the moment I'm happy with 4.1.1 over a single slot hs_hat and the tiny Zero W.

73
N4NQY
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by N4NQY »

I have run Hotspots on Raspberry Pi's since they were first a thing and before you could buy one from HRO or from eBay. I run 6 continually and have a couple for experimenting and loaning out.

I have a real MMDVM_Hat with Pi Zeros, a "real" Zumspot and a Jumbospot. Also 2 Pi 3's and a PPi 4 hotspot. All are running 4.1.1. The Jumbospot shows temperature in the YELLOW/ORANGE range, the others Pi Zeros run in the GREEN (around 43.8C). CPU load (1.25/1.3/1.1). Maybe the Jumbospot has a inferior Pi Zero. It seems to work fine though.

The Pi 3 and 4 always run in the YELLOW/ORANGE, even with Heatsinks. I look at the temperature using the dashboard. I am not sure whether the Dashboard load is enough to raise temperatures on any of the Pi's. Seems to be some difference of opinion. My Pi Zero's run cooler than my Pi 3's or 4's.

The Pi Zero does boot slower, and Version 4.1 is bigger and has more code, more features, so you could expect some sluggishness, but I have not noticed any after the boot process finished. It is all memory at the at point. WiFI seems to work fine on all of my Hotspots.
If your Pi Zero is running in the RED, I think it is going bad.....

I suspect some you expressing a problem may have a SD card that is going bad. I have those more frequently than I like. If you haven't already, take the SD card and using ImageWriter or Etcher, make a backup now. Over the past year, I have had to replace all of the SD cards in my 6 Regular Hotspots (one on each mode and 2 in the cars). Backup and re-writing the image to the card seems to help too. I don't believe Pi-Star has anything to do with them failing. Pi-Star does not write all that much to the card. Everything happens in memory, except program updates. The quality is not that great on these cards especially if you get them from Amazon, Walmart or some discount seller. I personally think a lot of the mail order cards are counterfeit or 2nd's. I see failures or sluggish reads and writes right out of the package. It would be nice if the Pi could boot natively from a USB port and we could get some 8 or 16gb Nano USB drives from Kingston, etc.
EA3ICD
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Re: Ver 4.1 and Pi zero w

Post by EA3ICD »

Thanks!

Now I keep the dashboard tab closed and I only access when I have to check something or perform an update once or twice a week (it's off every day from 00:00 to 9:00 approx, so it doesn't update automatically overnight).

Every time I access the dashboard (computer or smartphone) I notice an increase on the CPU load, but it's always on the green side.

73
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