Manual Installation Instructions

Warning

These instructions were created using Ubuntu version 16.04. Other operating system instructions may require additional information not provided in this documentation.

Materials Needed:

  • Minnowboard and power supply

  • GPS Lure

  • Monitor with HDMI support

  • Keyboard and Mouse

  • Ethernet cord to hook up to network

  • Drive for booting an OS

  • Persistent memory for the MB

Note

There is a semi-automatic script to do most of this work for you. Check it out on (Semi) Auto Installer Instructions. These are the basic instructions needed. There are help and tips at Troubleshooting, Debugging, and More! following these instructions for issues that may arise at each step.

Tip

You can find a video of the following process here: https://youtu.be/Jt5kh5Hau5c

Board and Lure Setup

  1. Connect the MinnowBoard to the monitor, attach the lure and plug in the board’s power.

  2. OS: If not already installed, install a linux distribution onto the MB. HERE is a link to a tutorial to make a bootable flashdrive and install the OS. For the sake of this tutorial, Ubuntu is reccomended.

  3. Time to download or update needed software. Run the following:

    sudo -i
    add-apt-repository main
    add-apt-repository universe
    add-apt-repository restricted
    add-apt-repository multiverse
    apt-get update
    apt-get install pps-tools
    apt-get install libcap-dev
    apt-get install dkms
    apt-get install ntp
    apt-get install minicom
    apt-get install git
    apt-get install setserial
    

Setting up the Pulse Per Second

  1. Create a folder then move into it and run:

    git clone https://github.com/bsteinsbo/Minnowboard.git
    cd Minnowboard/minnow-pps-gpio
    nano minnow-pps-gpio.c
    
  2. Scroll down to the line that reads “#define PPS_GPIO 483” and change the number to the pin that corresponds to the GPIO pin that PPS is on. For the Lure, this number is 340. Once changed save the file and then run:

    make
    chmod 777 Makefile
    ./Makefile
    
  3. Next we will configure modules. Run:

    nano /etc/modules
    

    In that file, add “pps-gpio” on a new line. Then save and restart the board.

  4. Time to check if everything is working so far. Run:

    lsmod | grep pps
    

    Your output should resemble the following (with XXXX being some number):

    pps_gpio XXXX 1
    pps_core XXXX 2 pps_gpio
    
  5. Next we use DKMS to install and link the PPS. Run the following commands:

    dkms add -m minnow-pps-gpio/20150721
    dkms build minnow-pps-gpio/20150721
    dkms install minnow-pps-gpio/20150721
    modprobe minnow-pps-gpio
    dmesg | grep pps
    

    If the install worked, the last command should output a few lines similar to this:

    [XX.XXXXX] pps pps0: new PPS source pps-gpio.-1
    [XX.XXXXX] pps pps0: Registered IRQ XXX as PPS source
    

    This shows the device is installed. To confirm PPS is working, run :

    ppstest /dev/pps0
    

    Note

    When first running the PPS test, if the test returns a timeout error but says a device has been identitified, let it run for several minutes. From a cold start, the PPS could take 10-20 minutes or more to start, train itself, and be identified. However, if it’s been identified it should be working.

  6. Next, we need to tell the NTPD where to look for the PPS. This is done in the ntp.conf file. Run:

    nano /etc/ntp.conf
    

    In the file, scroll to the bottom. Edit the two PPS lines at the bottom like so:

    server 127.127.22.0 minpoll 1 maxpoll 1 #ATOM (PPS)
    fudge 127.127.22.0 refid PPS # enable PPS API
    

    Save and close the file. To verify PPS is now installed in NTP, run:

    service ntp restart
    ntpq -p
    

    One of the items in the list should be named something like PPS(0). If you see this, it’s working! (Note it may take a few minutes for ntpq -p to show changes. Re-Run the ntpq command as needed.)

Setting up the GPS

  1. Next it is time to set up the GPS to input the rought time data. First, verify the GPS is connected and on the correct port by running:

    setserial -g /dev/ttyS4
    minicom -b 9600 -o -D /dev/ttyS4
    

    This should print out the NMEA sentences your gps is sending. If nothing appears, verify that the baud rate (9600 for the lure GPS) and port (ttyS4 for the lure is serial port 4) correspond to your device. Once you see full NMEA sentences being printed out, exit minicom by pressing [CTRL + A], then [X], then [ENTER].

  2. Now time to map the serial port to gps0 so it can be read by the NTPD. Run:

    ln -s /dev/ttyS4 /dev/gps0
    chmod 777 /dev/gps0
    

    You can verify the mapping worked by running the above minicom command and replacing ttyS4 with gps0.

  3. Now for some final changes to the ntp.conf file. Reopen /etc/ntp.conf and scroll down in the file until you see the server and fudge lines for the GPS. Change them to match:

    server 127.127.20.0 mode 18 minpoll 4 maxpoll 4 iburst prefer
    fudge 127.127.20.0 flag1 1 flag2 0 flag3 0 time2 0.0 stratum 1
    

    Then save and exit nano.

  4. It is very likely that apparmor will deny ntp access to the gps signal. To ensure this is allowed, run the following:

    nano /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.ntpd
    

    Scroll to the bottom and add “capability ipc_owner” if it’s not present, then save and close the file.

  5. Time to verify everything worked. At this point you should go through section 5, then reboot your system and run:

    ntpq -p
    

    You should see gps0 in the list of servers now. After several minutes, run ntpq -p again. You should see the offset and jitter values for the gps and pps. Over time these values will slowly get closer to zero. This process could take up to a few days, however the clock will update your system time as it trains itself, thus making it usable throughout the sync time.

Broadcasting the Time

  1. Now that the time is working, we need toconfigure NTP on the MB to make sure it shares the time with the network. Run:

    ifconfig
    

    Find the address labeld “Bcast: “ and write that address somewhere for later use.

  2. We must now configure the NTPD to broadcast the time to the network. Open the ntp config file again and scroll down to the following section. Uncomment the broadcast line and update the IP to match the one you just wrote down.

    # If you want to provide time to your local subnet.
    # change the next line.
    # (Again, the address is an example only.)
    broadcast XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
    

    With this setting changed, restart ntp. The MB NTP time will now be discoverable on any network machine, however, a client NTPD may need to be configured to listen for the broadcast signal.

Final Steps

  1. Since there are a few tasks which need to be performed every boot, it is convenient to create a script which runs at boot. To start copy the following text into a text editor and save it as a script (.sh) file.

        #!/bin/bash
    modprobe minnow-pps-gpio
    rm /dev/gps0
    ln -s /dev/ttyS4 /dev/gps0
    service ntp restart
    
  2. Once the script is complete, run the following command, and add the dirctory of your script to the file.

    nano /etc/rc.local
    

    This will automatically run the script at the end of the boot process, when everything is set up, ensuring the system will work automatically.