NSLU to Alix 3d2 - so far so bad!

[AAMFlyer]

So far my experience of switching to a Alix 3D2 has not been smooth at all! I got it up and running - but when I went to restore my backup - it completely destroyed something and now it is non-operational - no ip can be found - nothing - the restore process did not work... I've done everything from resetting the router and recycling the 3D2 - nothing - no ip hits from IP Scan or anything....

So far this has not been a pleasant process.....next step is disassemble to get back to the CF card to re-write the img - start from scratch again.....

[AAMFlyer]

Got it back up and running - but restore didn't restore a lot of settings like time etc....

Still debugging a few things and have had to often reboot and reboot my router.....ughhh! We're getting there though...

[HLucas01]

I have also migrated from NSLU to Alix 3D2 yesterday. Luckily, I did not encounter as much problems as AAMFlyer did.

The only thing I had to figure out is how to extract the file "image.bin" from the USB stick as mentioned in chapter 1.2 bullet 3 of the manual. The USB stick has a unix filesystem and I do not own a Unix system. I used ext2 IFS, a freeware Windows driver to assign drive letters to Ext2 volumes, and this did the trick.

While having both the NSLU2 and the Alix 3D2 running, I configured the Alix 3D2 manually (I did not save and restore settings after I read about AAMFlyer's problems). I copied the contents of the /graphs directory from NSLU2 to Alix 3D2 (all graphs and HTML templates), stopped the NSLU2 from logging and uploading data and copied the contents of the /weather directory from NSLU2 to Alix 3D2 (all weather data recorded). Final step was to select and name the proper weather station and its sensors on the Alix 3D2 (use exactly the same names as on the NSLU2), and the Alix 3D2 was up and running, with the complete history of weather readings preserved.

Total downtime was less than one hour, and I am very satisfied with the performance and stability of the Alix 3D2 untill now.

[AAMFlyer]

Glad to hear yours went smoother. Boris is still looking into what could be causing my problems as I'm still having issues with reboots and not loading correctly....it was down all day yesterday! I wonder if your success was not restoring. I have another 3D2 that I will start/build from scratch this weekend - so we'll see how that goes....

Maybe I'll start over, copy my data, and reformat my CF card then just copy over my data like you did....hmmmmm ;) !

[skyewright]

I'm still having issues with reboots and not loading correctly....

Probably not relevant, but can you rule out power supply problems?

If you recall, with the standard ALIX 1D PSU (which is 12V rather than 18V) and my very unstable mains supply a bad fluctuation would cause the ALIX 1D to powerdown abruptly, but not reboot. To reboot I needed to manually turn the power off then on at the socket each time the powerdown happened.

Initially I solved the problem by using a "better" UPS. Later I replaced the original PSU with a higher spec unit (a small 'brick' style PSU), and now the 1D is happy without the "better" UPS.

Your problem sounds different, but maybe power is something else to consider?

[AAMFlyer]

Problems appear to be fixed! Thanks a bunch Boris! :cheer:

Whatever he did is also fixed in 4.1e!!!!

[AAMFlyer]

Just as an update to this as we thought it was fixed - but I now have two(2) Alix 3d2's up and running with all sorts of issues still involving reboot and access.....same problems on both units....

Boris is aware of the issues and working very hard to try and find a solution - THANK YOU BORIS :cheer: .....although I'm not sure if it really is a Meteohub programming fix or if it is an Alix board issue or if something changed in the design or firmware. I'm about ready to see if I can get a refund...

These use a different power supplies than the 1D and have a very wide range of operation - something like 7v to 20v - I have the 15V power supply.... Switching to another one is not an option for me as one of these stations will be on a 12v solar system.... I'm thinking about putting one on the battery now just to see what happens or if anything improves or changes...maybe their power supplies are crap and causing the problems as I have to constantly cycle the power to be able to connect....for instance - If I have to a reboot - it won't come back up and then I have to cycle the power sometime 3 or more times to get it to come back up! I'm wondering if it is a power issue with their PSU's.....

Oh well - I'll keep everyone posted....

[HLucas01]

My Alix 3D2 came with an 18V power supply and untill now I did not have any problem...
But the power supply in our town is very stable, so I really do not know if this is the cause ...

[AAMFlyer]

This is the power adapter that came with mine - but in the end if the Alix's are this sensitive - then they are not worth it and I'll send them back! The power where I live is extremely reliable and pretty new area...

I'm hoping it's just a minor programing change for Boris!

AC-DC 15V, 1.2A Switching Power Adapter (110/220V)
- Model No. AH1812-B
- High Efficiancy AC adapter
- AC INPUT: 100 -240 VAC
- DC OUTPUT: 15V, 1.2A, high power (18watt)
- Power Cord included
- 5mm/2.1mm barrel power jack
-Works with Alix2 and Alix3 boards or low power boards
- RoHS compliant
- LPS/CE/FCC/UL

[AAMFlyer]

Well - I give up - it looks like these are going back to the store!

Boris is able to remote operate and they work fine, boot fine etc... Once I access them from the local side and they will not boot or reboot properly etc.... It must be something wrong at the local level in my network that the Alix's don't like - although nothing has changed on my end from my NSLU2... So I would caution anyone considering the 3D2 - I bought 2 of them and cannot get them to work or boot properly without phsyically turning off the power each time - but what's really weird is they work fine for Boris remotely.....just plain weird.... Anyone else have any suggestions!

Thanks for all of your help Boris!!!! You provide great support!

Gregg