General questions about autopi and its features

Ameel_Beesony · October 11, 2018, 1:58am

Hi all,

Before I place an order, I want to understand some more about autopi and its features.

Could anyone answer the following please:

Is it possible to connect autopi to a wifi network (e.g phone hotspot) instead of 3G/4G?
is the local touchscreen dashboard already available?
Does autopi always need an internet connection?
What features are available/fully work on autopi without an internet connection (after initial setup)?
on touchscreen local dashboard, does autopi have a navigation feature, or even just allow using google maps?
What gps modules are compatible with autopi DIY?

Malte · October 11, 2018, 1:10pm

Hi Ameel

Yes, the wifi connection can be configured by connecting to the hotspot, and visiting local.autopi.io
Not yet no
It depends on what you want to achieve, part of the idea is being able to send commands to a remote vehicle, and for that it will need to be online, but if it’s not online, it will keep logging data and position, and just upload it once it gets online. So no, it doesn’t need a connection.
Any features where a connection is required will not work, but it will log data, etc fine without a connection.
The local dashboard is not yet finished, but I think that some people in the community are working on touch screen enabled projects where they connect a touchscreen to the autopi dongle, and then program their own UI that fetches data from the device/car. There is no navigation features in the autopi.
You could connect any GPS module to the device, but if you are using the PCI express port and want it to be plug and play, it will need to be compatible with QMILib

Best regards
/Malte

Ameel_Beesony · October 20, 2018, 11:48am

Hi Malte, I don’t understand how the PCI Express port works. Could you please clarify?

(1) Is it a proper PCI Express port on its own or (2) does the onboard microusb need to be connected to the RPI for power or (3) is the PCI Express port just a converter from PCI Express to USB and hence the onboard microusb needs to be connected to the RPI?

edit:
I plugged in a mini-pcie 4g module (MC7700 which has a qualcomm chip and is supported by QMILib), and plugged in the mini-pcie to the RPI, but it’s not detecting anything when I run lsusb. There’s no serial output either from /dev/ttyAMA0

Peter · October 22, 2018, 6:46am

Hi @Ameel_Beesony,

Just gonna jump into the discussion with some answers to this.

I’m not completely sure how your setup is, but I’m guessing you have a DiY edtion with (maybe) a RPi3 conencted to it? Anyway, the mini PCIe port converts PCI to USB. To do so, you will need to connect the vertical mini USB connector on the board, to the USB connector on the RPi. This is what the flat USB cable that came with the shipment is for.

Let me know if it works.

Best
Peter

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 7:02am

Hi Peter,

Thank you for the reply. I indeed have the DIY with RPI3.

I have an mc7700 module in the pcie slot and the mino usb connected to the usb on the rpi3 using the adaptor.

However lsusb isn’t showing the device at all. The mc7700 works on a different board. Could there be an issue with the autopi dongle? How can I do further tests?

Peter · October 22, 2018, 7:26am

Hi @Ameel_Beesony,

Well, I cannot rule out that there is some connection issue, but it seems like you have connected it the right way. It could also be an issue with the flat USB cable that came with the delivery.

What you can do is to insert a keyboard in the USB connectors on the AutoPi DiY board, if the keyboard works, then the modem should also work. Alternatively you can try a different USB cable between the AutoPi board and the RPi3.

best
Peter

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 7:43am

Hi Peter,

The flat cable is fine. I tested it elsewhere and it works. The module works on a different board. The USB ports on the RPI3 all work. At this point I’m thinking it’s the autopi DIY dongle that may be faulty? Is there any other tests I can run before I initiate an RMA?

Peter · October 22, 2018, 7:46am

Hi @Ameel_Beesony,

Yes, try to connect a USB keyboard to the USB ports on the AutoPi (the two at the end of the board), not the usb port of the RPi. If the keyboard works, then the modem should also work.

Please try this, both with and without the modem connected to the PCIe slot.

best
Peter

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 7:57am

Thanks Peter, I will give that a try and report back

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 8:48am

Hi @Peter

The Keyboard does not work when I connect the micro usb from the autopi dongle to the RPI3. I tested a few times. But the keyboard works when it is connected directly to the RPI3. I have looked at dmesg and found some errors to do with USB, but I’m not sure if it’s related. Do you have any ideas?

root@raspberrypi:/home/pi# dmesg | grep usb
[    0.061745] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbfs
[    0.061802] usbcore: registered new interface driver hub
[    0.061888] usbcore: registered new device driver usb
[    0.209248] usbcore: registered new interface driver lan78xx
[    0.209301] usbcore: registered new interface driver smsc95xx
[    0.638296] dwc_otg 3f980000.usb: DWC OTG Controller
[    0.638327] dwc_otg 3f980000.usb: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
[    0.638358] dwc_otg 3f980000.usb: irq 62, io mem 0x00000000
[    0.638610] usb usb1: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002
[    0.638621] usb usb1: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1
[    0.638629] usb usb1: Product: DWC OTG Controller
[    0.638637] usb usb1: Manufacturer: Linux 4.14.34-v7+ dwc_otg_hcd
[    0.638645] usb usb1: SerialNumber: 3f980000.usb
[    0.639994] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[    0.644171] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbhid
[    0.644175] usbhid: USB HID core driver
[    1.061412] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using dwc_otg
[    1.301675] usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=2514
[    1.301689] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[    1.621402] usb 1-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 3 using dwc_otg
[    1.761695] usb 1-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=2514
[    1.761710] usb 1-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[    2.081411] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 4 using dwc_otg
[    2.181432] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[    2.404074] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[    2.621413] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 5 using dwc_otg
[    2.721462] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[    2.941456] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[    3.061629] usb 1-1.1-port2: attempt power cycle
[    3.519858] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac
[    3.721450] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 6 using dwc_otg
[    3.751804] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[    3.902683] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[    4.121471] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 7 using dwc_otg
[    4.151906] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[    4.301719] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[    4.421590] usb 1-1.1-port2: unable to enumerate USB device
[    4.731442] usb 1-1.1.1: new high-speed USB device number 8 using dwc_otg
[    4.862163] usb 1-1.1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=7800
[    4.862181] usb 1-1.1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[   14.621437] usb 1-1.2: new low-speed USB device number 9 using dwc_otg
[   14.790577] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=413c, idProduct=2106
[   14.790598] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[   14.790609] usb 1-1.2: Product: Dell QuietKey Keyboard
[   14.790713] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Dell
[   14.810409] input: Dell Dell QuietKey Keyboard as /devices/platform/soc/3f980000.usb/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.0/0003:413C:2106.0001/input/input2
[   14.882647] hid-generic 0003:413C:2106.0001: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [Dell Dell QuietKey Keyboard] on usb-3f980000.usb-1.2/input0
[   23.911948] usb 1-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 9
[   42.811382] usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 10 using dwc_otg
[   42.911392] usb 1-1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   43.131384] usb 1-1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   43.351400] usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 11 using dwc_otg
[   43.451452] usb 1-1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   43.671502] usb 1-1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   43.791491] usb 1-1-port2: attempt power cycle
[   44.451390] usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 12 using dwc_otg
[   44.891393] usb 1-1.2: device not accepting address 12, error -71
[   44.991395] usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 13 using dwc_otg
[   45.431386] usb 1-1.2: device not accepting address 13, error -71
[   45.431475] usb 1-1-port2: unable to enumerate USB device
[   54.131410] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 14 using dwc_otg
[   54.231416] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   54.451426] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   54.671390] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 15 using dwc_otg
[   54.771392] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   54.991402] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[   55.111498] usb 1-1.1-port2: attempt power cycle
[   55.781391] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 16 using dwc_otg
[   55.811675] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[   55.961700] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[   56.181392] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 17 using dwc_otg
[   56.211674] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[   56.361697] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[   56.481452] usb 1-1.1-port2: unable to enumerate USB device
[   61.981400] usb 1-1.2: new low-speed USB device number 18 using dwc_otg
[   62.136908] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=413c, idProduct=2106
[   62.136925] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[   62.136934] usb 1-1.2: Product: Dell QuietKey Keyboard
[   62.136943] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Dell
[   62.152303] input: Dell Dell QuietKey Keyboard as /devices/platform/soc/3f980000.usb/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.0/0003:413C:2106.0002/input/input3
[   62.222352] hid-generic 0003:413C:2106.0002: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [Dell Dell QuietKey Keyboard] on usb-3f980000.usb-1.2/input0

Per below, all the errors are gone after I unplug the micro-usb from the autopi dongle to the RPI3:

    [    1.071403] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using dwc_otg
    [    1.321645] usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=2514
    [    1.321660] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
    [    1.641475] usb 1-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 3 using dwc_otg
    [    1.781677] usb 1-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=2514
    [    1.781693] usb 1-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
    [    2.571419] usb 1-1.1.1: new high-speed USB device number 4 using dwc_otg
    [    2.701787] usb 1-1.1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=0424, idProduct=7800
    [    2.701801] usb 1-1.1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
    [    3.652909] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac

Of course, the errors come back after I plug the micro-usb back into the RPI3.

[    2.701801] usb 1-1.1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[    3.652909] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac
[  138.451866] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 5 using dwc_otg
[  138.551899] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  138.771869] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  138.991877] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 6 using dwc_otg
[  139.091882] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  139.311886] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  139.431972] usb 1-1.1-port2: attempt power cycle
[  140.091911] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 7 using dwc_otg
[  140.122236] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[  140.272230] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[  140.491907] usb 1-1.1.2: new high-speed USB device number 8 using dwc_otg
[  140.522236] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[  140.672221] usb 1-1.1.2: device descriptor read/8, error -71
[  140.791986] usb 1-1.1-port2: unable to enumerate USB device

Peter · October 22, 2018, 8:57am

How do you power your setup?

You need to power everything from the OBD connector on the AutoPi board.

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 9:26am

Hi @Peter, I powered from OBD port of car to autopi dongle, and from a 5v charger to RPI3. Both have the exact same issue.

Is there anything else I can do?

edit: I’ve reflashed autopi.core on the RPI3, but still same issue and dmesg messages

Peter · October 22, 2018, 9:51am

Could you check the dmesg, when powered to you car?

You should be cautious about powering the system from a 5V adapter. This causes some subsystems on the AutoPi board (USB being one of them), to not function properly.

Ameel_Beesony · October 22, 2018, 10:02am

Hi @Peter,

dmesg gives the exact same USB error when powered by either 5v charger or OBD from car OBD port. What’s the next step?

Ameel_Beesony · October 23, 2018, 11:42am

Hi @Peter,

I sent an email to support, but still waiting for w reply

Peter · October 23, 2018, 12:48pm

Hi @Ameel_Beesony,

Perfect. They will know what to do in this situation.

best
Peter

Lepiska · February 7, 2019, 7:43am

Hi

I would also like to know something about features before I place an order.

Is it possible to export driving data (date and time of start and end, address of start and stop, route, odometer reading of start and end, distance) for external logbook?
Is it possible to use e.g. GPIO pins for marking some trips to work trips?

BR
Sami

Malte · February 14, 2019, 8:42am

Hi Lepiska

We don’t have an actual ‘export’ function, but all the trip data can be extracted from our API, currently without the odometer reading though.
An export function to a few of the most used formats could very well be implemented at some point though - what format would you prefer?
We don’t have that functionality currently, but tagging trips is on our roadmap, and adding external input to the device via the GPIO in the form of buttons and or sensors is possible to implement on our platform.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Best regards
/Malte