How to Search for Solutions, Ask Questions, Report Problems

How to Search Solutions, Ask Questions, Report Problems

Wie man nach Lösungen sucht, Fragen stellt, Probleme meldet

(This page is currently undergoing translation)

Sometimes things don't work as expected, especially when you are trying to set up OpenDTUonBattery for the first time.

If you run into a problem or have trouble understanding something, you have many options.

Here's a list of some, organized by ease of use:

#1 Wiki

Durchsuchen Sie das Wiki https://github.com/helgeerbe/OpenDTU-OnBattery/wiki Das Wiki enthält eine Vielzahl von Informationen, die zwar nicht perfekt sortiert sind, aber mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit eine kurze Beschreibung dessen enthalten, was Sie suchen. Auf der rechten Seite des Bildschirms sehen Sie die Hauptkapitel und erkennen hoffentlich den Bereich, der für Sie von Interesse ist

#2 Github Suche (Gesamt Projekt)

If your search in the wiki was not successful, the next option is to perform a Github search in all areas of the project: On the main Github screen, you have the search option in the top right corner

There you can enter some keywords that describe the problem you are looking for answers to, in this example you enter "PowerMeter" (the additional text was added by Github, you don't have to do anything) and press ENTER

The first result on the screen may startle you, because you will see a lot of programming code. No need to panic, Github searches all areas of the project. The most important thing is the summary window at the top left: It gives an overview of the different areas of the project where the keyword was found. Unfortunately, GitHub presents the "Programming Code" results first, which can seem a little scary at first. You should focus your attention on three areas:

• Issues (37 mentions found)
• Discussions (58 mentions found)
• Wikis (0 mentions found)

#3 Github Search (Project-Area)

You can then click on any of the three areas to see a full list of articles and read through them.

You can also go directly from the main page of the project to one of the key areas by clicking on one of the main areas in the second row (in this example "Discussions"). You will then see all the posts in that area and can perform a search in that area only by entering your keyword in the second search field.

WARNING! When searching within problems and discussions, only unresolved (OPEN) problems are searched by default!

You should delete the automatically added text "is:open" before your search in order to also find solved problems!

#4 Post a Question at the Forum

If you haven't had any success with your search so far, it's probably time to ask a question in the forum. There are plenty of people who have time to help you, provided you are able to give sufficient information about your system, your firmware version, your setup and the problem you suspect.

You are also expected to provide a copy of the log so that the programmers can better understand the behavior of the system, even if it may look very incomprehensible to you.

You must create a detailed log file for this purpose.

There are two ways to create a log file:

1. difficult way: during the boot process. This is a very detailed file as it contains the boot process of the system.
2. easy way: Log into your OpenDTYonBattery, activate "Detailed logging" and copy the results from the console.

We start with the easy way:

#4.1 Create a Logfile datei with Console

• Log in to your OpenDTU-onBattery web interface
• Navigate to the settings page of the function you are having problems with, in this example "Settings" => "Dynamic Power Limiter"
• Activate "Detailed logging" and save the change to the settings by clicking on the button below the form
• Deactivate "Detailed logging" under "Settings" => "DTU" (exception: you are sure that your problem is related to the communication between OpenDTU-OnBattery and the inverter) and save the change to the settings by clicking on the button below the form

Go sto Info =>Console

You will see a blank screen in front of you, which immediately fills up with text and numbers that scroll down.

Let it run for a few minutes and then press "Copy to clipboard". Congratulations! You have created your first log file! (The screen will continue to scroll, no need to worry).

Now you need to save the logfile somewhere where the programmers can access it. The easiest way to do this is to use the free cloud service www.pastebin.com. Just open a new window in your internet browser, type www.pastebin.com and press ENTER and you will see the screen

Move the mouse to the "Insert new" field and insert your protocol text. It will be a VERY LONG TEXT, don't worry. Scroll all the way down and press "Create New Paste".

If everything went well, you will see a confirmation that your log has been published and the address in the line of your Internet browser will change to a link that leads directly to your saved log file. Copy the link (in this case https://pastebin.com/K5n8dG7K ) to a safe place. Now you can go back to Github, post your question/problem AND don't forget to include the link to your log file as well.

#4.2 Create a Logfile during Boot

Sometimes the log file of OpenDTUonBattery is not enough. The problem you are trying to solve may be hidden at a deeper level.

Fortunately, you have another option: take advantage of the ESP32's ability to create a log file during the boot process by connecting the USB cable to your PC and powering your OpenDTUonBattery with it:

1. you must have the USB to Serial drivers installed on your PC (which you probably already have if you flashed your ESP32 via your PC). Here is a link to CP210x Universal Windows Driver https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers
2. you need to install PUTTY (or similar SW) https://www.putty.org/
3. connect your OpenDTU with the USB cable and note the COM port it is connected to.
4. start PuTTY and select Serial communication, enter the COM port number and 115200 as the speed

5. go to Logging and select Printable output, enter a file name for your log file (in this case putty.log) and select automatic overwrite.

6. start PuTTY and you will see that a new window opens with a lot of information (see picture below). You can even restart the ESP32, just press the EN button on the board of the ESP32.

7. close PuTTY after a few minutes.

8. the log file (in this case putty.log) is now ready to be uploaded to pastebin.org. We have already described how to do this in #4.1.