[App_rpt-users] RPi2 V1.0 Released!!!

Sat Apr 11 06:22:49 UTC 2015

We are very happy to announce the release of Allstar on the Raspberry Pi 2.

The code has undergone many alpha and beta releases and we feel confident that it is ready for production use. Although the look and feel is very similar there are several changes from the BBB 1.2.1 release most of which are documented below.

A BBB version 1.3 update is in the works and should be out in a few weeks.

What has not changed -

   The RPi2 Allstar image is mostly modeled after the BBB. It has the same scripted setup and operation will look the same except for the changes noted below.

What has changed or is new from the BBB 1.2.1 image -

   First of all the RPi2 is computationally faster than the BBB. It boots damn fast. You should have Allstar running and radio messages in 10-15 seconds after power on. It should handle two simplesusb radio nodes. usbradio is still NOT recommended and may never be in its current form. See future notes below.

   We are using the newest ArchLinux kernel and different networking and timesync functions then were used on the BBB. No difference should be noted at the user level but there are many behind the scene improvements.

   There are several new scripts which are described in the scripts how-to on the hamvoip.org web page. 

   The setup routine now also configures simpleusb. There is a small radio database that will be expanded with user input in the future. Make sure you understand the configuration parameters before changing them indiscriminately. If you are moving a radio from another Allstar simpleusb configured system the settings including audio levels would be the same on the RPi2. So make a note of them before you switch. 

   simpleusb now includes two new commands, preemphasis to go along with the long existing deemphasis and rxaudiodelay to eliminate squelch tails. rxaudiodelay takes a value from 0-24. 0 or commenting the line results in no delay. Values 1 to 24 are the number of 20ms frames of delay. Typical values are from 5-10. Listen on iaxrtp or another local node to hear your own squelch tail. It is the tail the node radio creates when you immediately unkey not when your radio squelches. Experiment and use the minimum value that consistently eliminates the squelch tail. 

   Allmon2 is pre-installed. See the how-to on the hamvoip.org web page.

   The RPi2 does not have a shutdown switch. See the how-to on the web page for information on how to add a switch. Software support for a switch is built-in to the distribution but it needs to be turned on in /usr/local/etc/allstar.env  Other methods of shutdown are sending a shutdown command using ssh or a HDMI monitor and keyboard or activating DTMF control in the rpt.conf functions section. When you halt the processor you will need to power cycle to restart. So this is generally not something you would want to do remotely. It is a good idea to always properly shutdown your system. Unless absolutely necessary don't just pull the power.

   GPIO works and the wiringpi GPIO C library and command line functions are included. See /usr/src/examples/GPIO/wiringpi for examples.  

   The weather scripts have been updated. See the weather howto on the web page for updates.

   All other features except those noted below that are now on the BBB 1.2.1 version should work fine on the RPi2.

What does not yet work on the RPi2 -

   Automated Wireless Ethernet is not yet implemented. It will be on the next version which should be out fairly quickly after the v1.0 release. It could be done manually and we may make a script or how-to available in the next few weeks.

   GPIO control of PTT and COS are also not implemented but will be very soon. See future development below.

Future development -

   Development is under way to write new channel drivers specifically for the BBB and RPi2 using the ALSA rather than the obsolete OSS sound interface that is used in the current Allstar. If will be multi-threaded with a separate manager thread to handle telemetry. This will allow interface to virtually any audio device that can be hooked to the board. We also feel that the current usbradio type commands will have a high likelihood of working on the RPi2 with the new code and it will also make GPIO interfacing for COS, PTT, etc. much easier. It also opens the door to use better DSP software packages using the floating point capability of the RPi2. Audio noise floor and quality could be even better than it is now. We are very excited about the possibilities. You should see test versions of these drivers in the next few months.

   We will continue to update the BBB code but I can see much more development effort going into the RPi2 in the future. For that reason I would recommend that any future purchases for new servers be the RPi2 rather than the BBB. It is also likely we will see the BBB's availability go down and cost go up in the future as sales go down. It is hard to predict a time line on this so just be aware it could happen. That being said if your BBB board is working well and serving your needs there is no reason to replace it.

   More updates on the web page will happen over the next few weeks, so be patient. Some of the updates mentioned above are not yet complete. Also be sure to reload web pages and how-to's to make sure you have the current version. The RPi2 like the BBB is extremely easy to setup using the automated scripts. Just be sure to have all your information together before you start - node#, Node PW, IP address and gateway if static, etc.

The direct download link for the RPi2 V1.0 release is:

http://www.hamvoip.org/RPi2/RPi2_V1.0_Allstar.zip

This link also appears on the hamvoip.org website.

Thank you for your patience. 

   Have fun,  the RPi2 Allstar Team, WA3DSP, KB4FXC, W0AMN

Visit  http://hamvoip.org for more information.

73 Doug
WA3DSP
http://www.crompton.com/hamradio

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