One of the issues is spikes in the data. I think it is from RFI due to micro-arcing in some of the connections in the power supply circuit from solar to charger to battery to buck convertor to shake.
The other issue is the breaks in data which I think is due to slow comms, due to poor wifi signal. The comms has been so slow I was unable to download the log files from the shake.
Since we are going away on holidays soon, I decided to move the shake back to the shed while we are away, and this has allowed me to download the log files as well.
Are you able to read the log files to help confirm my diagnosis or point me in a new direction if required? RSH.R4FA0.2025-05-15T06_35_47.logs.tar (2.5 MB)
I have been wrestling with keeping the wifi dongle protected from the weather and maximising the wifi signal. I can get good signal with it in the open, but the signal strength drops to about -85 to -90dBm with it under the weather cover or inside the plastic power box.
I have been avoiding drilling a hole in the box and sticking the antenna through it and sealing with silastic, but that may become necessary to improve signal strength.
The spikes I think might be helped by applying contact grease to all the connections in the power supply circuit, but any other suggestions are also appreciated.
Yes, with the logs that you posted (thanks for that!) I can support the conclusions you’ve written down.
Going step by step:
No issue at all with the booting process, the Shake does all it needs to do without issues.
May 15 06:00:06 raspberryshake ntpd[550]: ntpd: time set +1117.506556 s → this shows that, in some occasions, the difference between the local Shake clock and the actual time are quite large.
And this is also supported by many HARD RESET events that appear in your logs. These indicate that the Shake has lost connection to its time provider and you’ll get a resulting data drop.
2025 088 19:27:50>> 5.0: NTP Time (Init): NTP: 1743276466.015015602
2025 088 19:27:50>> 5.2: NTP Sync (HARD): VEL Before: 1743276476.848000050 After: 1743276465.755000114 Diff: -11.092999935
2025 088 19:29:37>> Time adjustment M0: HARD RESET. This will result in a one-time time-tear.
You also have these errors that show some connection issues.
After I got back from holidays I sourced a higher gain external (exterior) wifi dongle and redeployed the RS3D (R4FA0) to the vault to debug the RF spikes.
It’s been running pretty well for a few weeks apart from the spikes, but over the last two days the comms have become unreliable.
I had to move the Shake back to the shed to get comms. I’m hoping the log files will still have information about what was happening in the vault. I suspect that even with the new higher gain dongle the signal is too weak in adverse conditions, so I might have to abandon the current vault site and move to a closer position.
To resolve the spikes I have been working on applying conductive contact grease to all connections and improving earthing, but so I hadn’t fully solved the RF spikes.
Appreciate any information you can recover from the log files to help me decide or confirm what to try next.
Hello sheeny, hope you had a good time during the holidays!
The logs confirm what you have seen. There are multiple data transmission errors together with some past not finding an internet connection at booting notifications.
Also, there are HARD RESETs, meaning that the Shake could not communicate with any NTP time synchronization servers.
All is pointing, as you have already surmised, to issues in the internet pipeline from source to Shake.
