[Mauro, IW3ROW]

Hi all,

I was completely rebuilding a 23cm repeater that had echolink connection trough svxlink when I came into this project 🙂 Since I already used an rpi the idea to use it also for repeater logic was great and simplified everything (NHRC controller was used before).

I’m testing it and it’s working reasonably well with rpi3 and generic usb audio dongle.

My worries are about placing this setup in an harsh environment up to a mountain where power source maybe unstable, subject to sudden cut off or the equipement can be solar powered.
What happens if we simply switch off the raspberry without proper system shut down? I guess there is a risk of SD data corruption.

I developed other applications using rpi and I used to put the filesystem in read only and use tmpfs for running apps, logs, etc… Is it something that we can think also for openrepeater sd images?
Of course putting the filesystem in read only opens some issues that need to be solved. Saving settings can be done reverting the filesystem to rw for a moment and then mounting it back in ro.

This is just something to think about since the system reliability is crucial in a production repeater that maybe placed in locations not easy to reach.

Thanks! Mauro IW3ROW

[Jerry, W5BFF]

I’ve done quite a few hard shutdowns on my RPi with no consequence once I got the properly rated SD card. The only issues I’ve had was using the lower-rated SD cards, and it didn’t matter if I shut the Pi down properly or not.

With a production repeater, it’s not that difficult or expensive to build in some power redundancy… I know a Pi can run a good while on AA batteries!

[Aaron, N3MBH]

A small UPS would be simple also to condition the power as well as provide backup power to other accessories. Some have USB connections on it. I am sure there is probably a Linux library out that that could interface with a UPS if desired and issue a safe shutdown when the UPS is reporting the end of it’s battery.

73,
Aaron – N3MBH / WRFV871

OpenRepeater is offered free of charge. Find out how you can support us.

[Mauro, IW3ROW]

This is another good idea, see what I’ve found with a quick google search on this topic:
http://raspi-ups.appspot.com/en/index.jsp

This project seems to be perfect for this use and it’s chaep.

Thanks W5BFF for reporting your experience, I’ve executed also a number of hard shut downs with no issues, but of course before to put the repeater in production I would like to have some backup.

Thanks! Mauro IW3ROW

[Aaron, N3MBH]

That seems to be a viable option too. As opposed to a UPS this will only provide power buffering to the PI where a UPS can support other devices if you need calls for that.

73,
Aaron – N3MBH / WRFV871

OpenRepeater is offered free of charge. Find out how you can support us.

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