Hardware Configuration Quickstart Guide

This guide will help you quickly configure GPIO, OLED, VFD, and LED hardware components through the EAS Station web interface. No command-line access required!

Overview

All hardware configuration can be done through the web interface at: Settings → Environment Variables

After making changes, use the Restart Now button that appears to apply your changes instantly.

GPIO Configuration (Relay/Transmitter Control)

Enable GPIO

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to GPIO Control section
3. Set Enable GPIO Control to true
4. Configure your GPIO pins:
   • Primary GPIO Pin: 17 (BCM pin for main transmitter)
   • Additional GPIO Pins: Leave empty unless you have multiple relays
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click Restart Now when prompted

GPIO Pin Reference

BCM Pin Numbering (Not Physical Pin Numbers):

• Pin 17 (BCM) = Physical Pin 11 (default for transmitter)
• Pin 27 (BCM) = Physical Pin 13 (backup transmitter)
• Pin 22 (BCM) = Physical Pin 15 (relay control)

Example Configuration for Multiple Pins:

27:Backup_TX:true,22:Warning_Light:true,23:Relay_1:false

Format: PIN:NAME:ACTIVE_HIGH (comma-separated)

Verify GPIO is Working

1. Go to Tools → GPIO Control (if available)
2. Test individual pins
3. Check Logs → Hardware Service for initialization messages

OLED Display Configuration

Enable OLED (Argon Industria SSD1306)

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to OLED Display section
3. Set Enable OLED Module to true
4. Configure settings:
   • I2C Bus: 1 (for Raspberry Pi 3/4/5)
   • I2C Address: 0x3C (default for SSD1306)
   • Auto-Start Screen Rotation: true
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click Restart Now when prompted

OLED Configuration Options

• Width/Height: Usually 128x64 for SSD1306
• Rotation: 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees (match physical orientation)
• Invert Colours: Dark text on light background
• Contrast: 0-255 (128 is default)

Verify OLED is Working

1. Check physical display - should show status screens
2. Check Logs → Hardware Service for:
   • "✅ OLED display initialized"
   • "✅ Screen manager started"

VFD Display Configuration

Option 1: Direct Serial Connection

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to VFD Display section
3. Set Connection to: /dev/ttyUSB0 (or your serial port)
4. Set Baud Rate to: 38400 (check your VFD model)
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click Restart Now

Option 2: Network Connection (Waveshare Adapter)

Prerequisites:

• Waveshare RS232/485 WiFi adapter configured
• Adapter has static IP (e.g., 192.168.8.122)
• TCP Server mode on port 10001

Configuration:

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to VFD Display section
3. Set Connection to: socket://192.168.8.122:10001
4. Set Baud Rate to: 38400
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click Restart Now

See Waveshare Setup Guide for detailed adapter configuration.

Verify VFD is Working

1. Check physical display - should show text/graphics
2. Check Logs → Hardware Service for:
   • "Connected to Noritake VFD on socket://..." (network)
   • "Connected to Noritake VFD on /dev/ttyUSB0..." (serial)

LED Sign Configuration

Enable LED Sign (BetaBrite/Alpha)

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to LED Display section
3. Configure connection:
   • LED Sign IP Address: 192.168.1.100 (your sign's IP)
   • LED Sign Port: 10001
   • Default LED Text:

     PUTNAM COUNTY,EMERGENCY MGMT,NO ALERTS,SYSTEM READY
     

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Restart Now

LED Sign Options

• Serial Mode: RS232 or RS485
• Lines: Comma-separated text for each line
• Colors: AMBER, RED, GREEN (depends on sign model)

Zigbee Coordinator Configuration

Enable Zigbee (Argon Industria V5 or USB Dongle)

Argon Industria V5 (Raspberry Pi 5 only)

Before configuring in EAS Station, make sure the module is detected at the OS level:

1. Add to /boot/firmware/config.txt under [all]:

   dtoverlay=dwc2,dr_mode=host
   usb_max_current_enable=1
   

2. Install the Argon utilities and reboot:

   curl https://download.argon40.com/argon1v5.sh | bash
   sudo systemctl enable --now argononed.service
   sudo reboot
   

3. Verify the device appears: ls /dev/ttyUSB* (should show /dev/ttyUSB0)

See Argon40 Zigbee Setup Guide for complete OS setup steps.

Configure in EAS Station

1. Navigate to Admin → Hardware Settings → Zigbee tab
2. Check Enable Zigbee Coordinator
3. Set Port to:
   • /dev/ttyUSB0 — Argon Industria V5, SONOFF dongle, most USB coordinators
   • /dev/ttyACM0 — ConBee II and some other USB coordinators
   • /dev/ttyAMA0 — GPIO-connected coordinators (rare)
4. Set Baud Rate to 115200 (correct for CC2652P-based coordinators)
5. Leave Channel at 15 (avoids 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi interference)
6. Leave PAN ID at 0x1A62 (or pick any unique hex value)
7. Click Save Changes
8. Click Restart Now when prompted

Verify Zigbee is Working

1. Check Logs → Hardware Service for:
   • ✅ Zigbee coordinator configured on /dev/ttyUSB0 (channel 15, PAN ID 0x1A62)
2. Visit Admin → Zigbee to see coordinator status and paired devices

Troubleshoot Zigbee

Service Restart Options

When you save changes, you'll see a Restart Now button. This restarts only the hardware service.

Restart Specific Services

Use the browser console or API:

// Restart hardware service only
fetch('/api/environment/restart-services', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ service: 'hardware' })
}).then(r => r.json()).then(console.log);

// Restart all services
fetch('/api/environment/restart-services', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ service: 'all' })
}).then(r => r.json()).then(console.log);

Available Service Options

• all - Restart entire EAS Station stack
• hardware - GPIO, OLED, VFD, LED only
• web - Web interface only
• poller - Alert polling service
• sdr - SDR radio service
• audio - Audio monitoring service

Troubleshooting

GPIO Not Working

Symptom: No GPIO control, pins not responding

Solutions:

1. ✅ Check Enable GPIO Control is set to true
2. ✅ Verify pin numbers (BCM not physical!)
3. ✅ Check Logs → Hardware Service for errors
4. ✅ Ensure user has GPIO permissions (usually automatic)
5. ✅ Restart hardware service

Check Logs:

• "GPIO controller disabled (GPIO_ENABLED=false)" → Enable in settings
• "No GPIO pins configured" → Add EAS_GPIO_PIN
• "Failed to add GPIO pin X" → Check pin number/permissions

OLED Not Working

Symptom: Blank OLED display, no initialization

Solutions:

1. ✅ Check Enable OLED Module is set to true
2. ✅ Verify I2C is enabled on Raspberry Pi
3. ✅ Check I2C address with i2cdetect -y 1
4. ✅ Verify physical connections (SDA, SCL, VCC, GND)
5. ✅ Check Auto-Start Screen Rotation is true

Check Logs:

• "OLED hardware not available" → Check I2C connection
• "OLED display disabled or unavailable" → Enable in settings
• I2C errors → Check wiring and I2C configuration

VFD Shows Garbage

Symptom: Random characters, corrupted display

Solutions:

1. ✅ Check baud rate matches VFD (usually 38400)
2. ✅ Verify serial wiring (TX ↔ RX crossed)
3. ✅ Test with direct serial first, then network
4. ✅ For network: verify Waveshare adapter settings

LED Sign Not Responding

Symptom: LED sign blank or not updating

Solutions:

1. ✅ Verify IP address is correct
2. ✅ Test connection: ping 192.168.1.100
3. ✅ Check port number (usually 10001)
4. ✅ Verify sign is in network mode (not serial)

Restart Button Not Appearing

Symptom: Save works but no restart button

Solutions:

1. ✅ Refresh the page
2. ✅ Check browser console for JavaScript errors
3. ✅ Ensure you have system.configure permission
4. ✅ Use manual restart from CLI if needed (temporary)

Hardware Compatibility

Tested Hardware

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or 5 (for GPIO/I2C)
• Python 3.11+ with required packages
• I2C enabled for OLED (raspi-config → Interface Options → I2C)
• Network access for network-based devices

Quick Reference

Default Settings

# GPIO
GPIO_ENABLED=false
EAS_GPIO_PIN=17

# OLED
OLED_ENABLED=false
OLED_I2C_BUS=1
OLED_I2C_ADDRESS=0x3C
SCREENS_AUTO_START=true

# VFD (Serial)
VFD_PORT=/dev/ttyUSB0
VFD_BAUDRATE=38400

# VFD (Network)
VFD_PORT=socket://192.168.8.122:10001
VFD_BAUDRATE=38400

# LED
LED_SIGN_IP=192.168.1.100
LED_SIGN_PORT=10001

Common I2C Addresses

• 0x3C - SSD1306 OLED (most common)
• 0x3D - SSD1306 OLED (alternate)
• 0x27 - PCF8574 I2C backpack
• 0x20-0x27 - Various I2C devices

Check with: i2cdetect -y 1

Next Steps

After hardware is configured:

1. Configure Screens: Logs & Monitoring → Screen Management
2. Test GPIO: Tools → GPIO Control
3. Set Up Alerts: Configure → Alert Sources
4. Monitor Status: Dashboard → System Health

Related Documentation

• Argon40 Zigbee Setup Guide
• Waveshare WiFi Adapter Setup
• GPIO Pin Reference
• Environment Variables Reference
• Hardware Service Logs

Need Help?

• Check Logs → Hardware Service for diagnostic messages
• GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/KR8MER/eas-station/discussions
• Report Issues: https://github.com/KR8MER/eas-station/issues