Some Dreamcatcher Single Board Computer hardware info

The docs are limited...some basic questions are assumed to be common knowledge, I post stuff as I figure it out...

I took a photo of the SBC and ID'd the important parts, and what they are for.

I will say this is a single core Arm7 (Raspberry Pi Zero...or early RPi2) and built in RTL-SDR with 1.5Ghz LNA and +5v bias tee capability...software controllable.

The Raspberry Pi3 is MUCH faster and more capable of a computer.   However the RTL-SDR on this board is very accurate and very compatible with all the software I have thrown at it.

It will run everything but SpyServer (Airspy, SDR# folks).  Because it is a slower processor, it doesn't run very hot.   In my opinion still a very useful board...I wonder what it would cost to remake it using the quadcore ARM7 that the RPi3 uses.

Anyway, here are the important connections...

Notes:

I can't tell if the switch (SW_FACTORY) between the USB ports and the power switch is used for anything...or how it is addressed.

Just up from the power switch, just up from LED11/AGP3 is a solder point marked LIPO_BAT.

The DIP switches above that are labeled PD3 and AUTO_BOOT...mine are in the up position, and it always auto boots when power is applied.

Just behind SW_FACTORY are two pins labeled CHG-IN ...makes you think that goes with the LIPO_BAT connector...and next to that is a CHGLED led.

From the docs, apparently you can hook up a OTG USB cable to the board and plug it into your computer, the DC will boot, and you will have terminal access through a comm port.


There is an unpopulated USB1 at the top of the board.

The populated USB slots at the upper left, start with USB2/WIFI  So apparently the wifi dongle is meant to plug in there.  Next two are labeled USB3 and USB4


To the right, below the RF cans is SPI2 with 5 unpopulated pins labeled
   MOSI, MISO, CS0, CLK,  GND

Below that is IC2 interface  TWI2  unpopulated
   GND, 3V3, SCK, SDA

Then UART1   
   GND, RX, TX, 3V3

Just left of the LED9/PWR  is an unpopulated JTAG connector. 
       RESET_N, GND,TD0, TCK, TMS, TO1, 3V3

Finally at bottom right is SPI1 with
       MOSI, MISO, CS0, CLK, GND

Very bottom has GPIO connectors.


Obviously most of the parts are software controllable...if you can find some documentation for it.

Dreamcatcher SBC inital setup...and image creation.

As I experiment with th RTL portion of this board, I find that some of the software is incompatible with others...

So I spend a lot of time setting up from clean...then I make an image of that basic setup so I don't have to start from scratch...or so I thought.

I found out that my 'basic' image was a later version with a radio app installed.

So I made another fresh one.

Here is my process to make MY basic setup...(I use Windows)

-------------

Download Dreamcatcher Armbian image (currently Jessie linux) and write to SD card.

http://radionerds.com/index.php/DreamCatcher  This page has some instructions and documentation...and links to image downloads.

Write to SD card (I use Etcher for this)

Stick in DC (inboard card slot...not the one at the corner 'SD0_OS') and boot. If it doesn't power up when you plug in power, then press and hold the power button at corner.

You will need a USB to Ethernet adapter until your wifi is setup.

I have this one from Anker.

Figure out the IP address to the USB ethernet adapter, and use Putty to login.

At first boot, there are no accounts other than root.

Login is root  and password is 1234

It will welcome you to Outernet and direct you to change the password, then create a user and password (I didn't fill out any of the name etc stuff).

(At this point I recommend logging out, and logging back in with your newly created username for the rest of the install.   Most other install docs assume you are root, but some of the software needs to be installed by a non root user...so my docs assume you are logged in as the non root user.)

First there is a note in the RadioNerds docs that later versions of Armbian can 'brick' the device (doing an update)...I haven't noticed that yet, but here is what they recommend.  (puts the Kernal version on hold)

sudo apt-mark hold linux-dtb-next-sunxi linux-headers-next-sunxi linux-image-next-sunxi linux-firmware-image-next-sunxi

Next I do the updates.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Now I activate and setup the WiFi.

sudo nmtui

It is pretty straight forward, you probably have to run it a few times to get it set up...you need to EDIT and ACTIVATE a connection.

At this point I reboot, with the USB to ethernet dongle disconnected, and make sure the WiFi setup is still there...sometimes it isn't...or maybe I am just impatient...

Now for me, I want a VNC and need a web browser installed (neither are on this barebones image).

For the Browser...(I used Konqueror because I couldn't get Chromium to install)

sudo apt-get install konqueror

For the VNC...

sudo apt-get install task-lxde-desktop
sudo apt-get install xfonts-base
sudo apt-get install tightvncserver

Now set up the VNC

tightvncserver

It will tell you to set a password, and shouldn't have any errors.

Now I need the VNC to start every time it boots...this is where I got the info.

Create and edit this file...

sudo sudo /etc/init.d/tightvncserver

add the following to the file (cut and paste).  Note halfway down where you ID the VNCUSER  put in the username you made, or current username on the Dreamcatcher...I only have one user, so I put that one down.

#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: tightvncserver
# Required-Start: $syslog
# Required-Stop: $syslog
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: vnc server
# Description:
#
### END INIT INFO
# /etc/init.d/tightvncserver
# Set the VNCUSER variable to the name of the user to start tightvncserver under
VNCUSER='YOURLOGINNAMEHERE'
case "$1" in
start)
#Change the display number below. The connection port will be 5900 + display #
su $VNCUSER -c '/usr/bin/tightvncserver :1'
echo "Starting TightVNC server for $VNCUSER"
;;
stop)
pkill Xtightvnc
echo "Tightvncserver stopped"
;;
*)
echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/tightvncserver {start|stop}"
exit 1
;;
esac
exit 0

And to save out of Nano hold the CTRL key and press o .  To exit, CTRL-x

Now set some permissions...

sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/tightvncserver
sudo update-rc.d tightvncserver defaults

Now test that your editing works...of course if you are already running the VNC it will tell you that, but shouldn't have any errors.

sudo /etc/init.d/tightvncserver start

Of course at this point, you should reboot and make sure everything works.

If the VNC won't start...maybe you will see a reason here...(in my case I didn't change the VNCUSER in the file above)

nano /home/{your login}/.vnc/dreamcatcher:1.log


Now I shut down the Dreamcatcher pull the SD card out, and put it in your computer.

Make a copy of the image, I use Win32DiskImager.

If you only have one flash drive plugged in, it will automatically show at the 'Device'.

Click on the folder icon and select the directory and enter name to store the new image.

Once you do that, you will see the 'Read' button is enabled...click it and in a few minutes you will have a new ready to run image.

You can skip this post...no, really...

I was looking through the blocked comments on the  Blogger.com spam filter...and some of it is so bizzare, I am sharing it here

..obviously the point of all these comments are to add the link to their website...so they hammer all blogs with these comments hoping to spread their links... 

BTW, the Blogger filter strips all formatting and links from the comment, so that is why the strange characters I guess.

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AV equipment rack.

Back a few posts I noted the laserdisc addition to the pile...

The house we moved into had a basic theater room, with everything wired into an equipment/storage room off the side at the back of the room.

I added a 24"deep shelf at the bottom of the existing shelves and widened the one above it to 24" deep., and just stacked stuff there, and on the other shelves.   It was a messy mess of wires, but it worked.   However to do anything required a lot of maneuvering.

(I didn't have a picture of the loaded shelf...consider yourself lucky)

I wanted something more useful, so did a bunch of research...and found out about equipment racks.

The one I settled on wasn't cheap, but made the most sense in my setup.

Yes the whole rack slides out...AND rotates!   In the above pictures you can see the frame I built to mount the thing on...it has to be sturdy enough to hold all the equipment without ripping loose.

This rack was a 19" one (standard 19" wide shelves)  like these...I ended up using one full depth shelf, the rest were these type shelves.

Here is the first filled rack...I have since rearranged it.

I continued to build out the rest of the enclosure...the idea was to make it look nice and be functional.  You can see were I widened the shelf just above the rack...I used on of the old shelves, and routed the back so it tucked in nicely with the bull nose shelf behind it.

Oh yea, the walls are scewed, like a trapezoid...so I had to square the center from the back wall, and gave the shelves a slight taper to they fit right in.

I reused a lot of material that came out of the original shelves, partially to be frugal, partially so the styling would match what was already there.

So in the above picture I used the original shelves, then added a piece of plywood to make them deep enough.  You can also see where now there is trim, and the gap at the left of the rack is filled.

Now backtracking a bit...I wanted the wiring to be somewhat orderly, out of the way, yet serviceable.   The rack takes care of most of that, but I knew there would be times I needed more access.   So, the shelves come out, the back panel comes out, and if necessary the right side of the equipment rack comes out.

So far I have already pulled the shelves and back panel to run some wire.

Now to the guts.

It is actually not bad for the first attempt...but all the cables were 6' to 12' long and so I had large coils...I am slowly removed all the long ones and puttin up ones that are just right.

Power is another issue, There were originally no plugs back there...so I wired into the one that I did have in the closet, and mounted two surge protectors back there...I don't have a power conditioner, but I do have a space to mount one.

You can see that the back of the rack has a stationary piece to tie all your cables into...then bind them together up high so they have somewhere to go when the rack is pushed back, signal wires are run on the opposite side of the rack.

And finally, the 'completed' working setup.

Outernet Dreamcatcher single board computer...with built in rtl-sdr

Like most people in this electronics hobby...I don't have near enough crap laying around.

So I read on the internets that Outernet was selling their SBC with built in RTL-SDR for $39...so of course I had to get one.

Specifically this board was set up to listen to L-band.

Outernet's goal is to provide free access to content from the web through geostationary and Low Earth Orbit satellites.

So it is a byproduct that this board can listen from 24Mhz to 1.5Ghz.

Let us begin...

For those of you (like me) used to Raspberry Pi images and support...well...

You can download a couple of different images but they are extremely bareboned...so expect to install a lot of packages to get things done.

Luckily, there are some basic instructional pages set up that can at least get you started.  And a lot of support on their forum.

However let me say that the hardware itself is much more capable than the pi, dual antennas, dual SD slots, 3 or so USB slots, and even a switch to power it on...in addition when you issue the shutdown command in linux it actually powers off...and there is a hardware button to power it on.

Let me warn you, that the board has no built in network or video.   So your admin will be remote.  The basic image lets you SSH in, but they only include a wifi USB dongle...so you need to supply a USB ethernet dongle to set up everything else (and so far I can't get the wifi dongle to work).

So my workflow was to first download the Armbian image.  (for the record, during my setups...I re-imaged this file about 5 times until I got it working the way I wanted)

Btw, unlike much hardware...the Dreamcatcher calls itself the Dreamcatcher on the network...so easy to find the IP address...I simply look at the router logs and make a permanent DHCP entry...what ever works best for you.

Next I did the usual updates, and installed tightvncserver.

Then I made tightvncserver boot with the device.

So now I had access to a GUI and SSH.

I have not yet made wifi work.  

BTW, there is no onboard wifi...however a wifi usb dongle was included.

Wifi was working as soon as I set it up...I just didn't realize I had to unplug the USB network card to use the wifi...unplugging the ethernet was not enough...or perhaps I am impatient...(it could go either way. )

For Wifi it is pretty simple.  The Armbian image comes with a program called nmtui

The usage is more simple than I realized...simply

sudo nmtui

You can do this in a Putty terminal, and you will still get a 'gui'.

I won't go into wifi setup...it is very intuitive through this GUI...  BTW the second screen is what you see when you select "Activate a connection"  If your network shows up on the list, then attempt to Activate it...if it doesn't, then use the "Edit a connection" and add one.


I tried a number of radio settings, but kept getting errors...however when I installed OpenWebRX, it worked perfectly and is a real nice remote rtl-sdr setup.  The Dreamcatcher is the server, and your other computer with web browser is the client.  However the remote client is not able to change frequencies...you can only do that in the config settings...so far...

Looks something like this...never mind the desk.



But with that limitation...it is terrific!

So, things to do...

I want to get APRS igate running...

I want to use YAAC...

I want to use a different radio program...