RAK WisBlock Hardware Modules
- RAK 19007 Base Board
- RAK 4631L Lora/BLE
- RAK 13800 Wiznet Ethernet Module
- RAK 19018 POE Add-on Module
Assembly:
- Mount the RAK 4631 onto the RAK 19007 base board using the miniature screws provided.
- Install the RAK 13800 ETH module lengthwise on the RAK 19007 base board.
- Place the RAK 19018 POE module on top of the RAK 13800 module.
- Connect the included BLE antenna to the 4631 (BLE) module
- Connect the pigtail with the SMA connector to the 4631 module (LoRa).
Note: The UF.L mini coaxial connectors are very sensitive if the coaxial cable is inserted or removed at an angle.
Download the latest firmware for the RAK Module 4631
Use the included USB cable to connect your PC or laptop to the USB-C port on the module.
Note: Always connect an antenna—the power amplifiers on the chip are very sensitive.
Flash operation:
- The RESET button, located right next to the USB-C port
- Press twice briefly
- The module is set to flash mode – the green LED lights up
- At the same time, a drive is automatically created on the PC or laptop.
- The latest firmware, which was previously downloaded to the PC from the website https://esptool.oevsv.at
- Selection: BOARD RAK4631 UF2
- Click DOWNLOAD to save the firmware to your PC or laptop
- Copy the file wiscore_rak4631.uf2 to the newly created drive.
- The drive shuts down on its own, and the RAK module boots the firmware
Firmware setup:
Using serial client software such as
- via Browser Link https://terminal.spacehuhn.com/
- CONNECT
- Select USB port
- PUTTY
- Serial Port: COMxx (check Device Manager if necessary)
- Connection type: Serial
- Speed 115,600
- Open
Enter the following commands to operate a gateway
- –setcall OE1XXX-12
- -gateway on
- –webserver on
- –txpower 22
The RAK module will then restart. At this point, you can connect the RAK module to the HAMNET or the Internet using an Ethernet cable.
The RAK module receives the:
- IP address
- Gateway address
- Subnet mask
- DNS address
automatically via DHCP and, depending on the local IP address, set the gateway to the public Internet address of the MeshCom server or, if an address was assigned via DHCP (44.x.y.z), to the corresponding HAMNET address for the MeshCom server.
SYSOP access at work
The firmware includes a web server that enables various information queries and control functions.
The web server is started with
- http://IP-Adresse oder
- http://OE1XXX-12.local (nur wenn man im selben Subnet ist)
For HAMNET, it is recommended that you assign a DNS name to the RAK module via https://hamnetdb.net and set the DHCP settings on the HAMNET router to static.
Remote maintenance of RK modules at remote locations
We’ve had good results using a Raspberry Pi on-site to ensure that the RAK module is connected via Ethernet during operation but is also plugged into a USB port on the Raspberry Pi using a USB cable.
Here are instructions on which programs are useful for fully remotely controlling the RAK module or for easily updating it with new firmware.
The firmware is available for download at https://esptool.oevsv.at as a .zip file.
73 de Kurt
OE1KBC