I am beginning process of upgrading from two PAC-R1 to an EPIC-PR1. The PAC-R1 strategy writes .csv and .txt log file data to the sdcard with com handles. Each month I use ftp to copy the files to a local computer.
Question is how to easily get the files off of the EPIC-PR1?
I am aware that it is possible to do with MQTT or Node-Red. Any suggestions of alternatives or how to do it is helpful.
Also noticed in the forum that there is an issue with EPIC not being able to automatically create new file names and directories like the PAC-R1 can. My PAC strategy creates a new directory each month and several new log files daily. Will the EPIC auto create new files and directories?
Your timing is amazing. We here at Opto are seeing this question come up more and more often for some reason.
Its almost a cut/copy of this one from a few days back;
So, lets have a quick look at your questions piece by piece…
Without doubt, the easiest way to get get files off the EPIC is to just use your web browser.
From groov Manage, click on System, then Files.
Here you will see all your files listed out.
You can now view the file in your browser, or download the file and save it on your PC or network drive.
Super simple, just a few clicks, or of course you can have the URL in your bookmarks and go straight too it.
Node-RED is the correct answer/method for this.
Bring your data into Node-RED using the PAC Control node.
Create and write your file using the file node.
Once the log is finished / rolled over, you can then use many different ways in Node-RED to move that file off the EPIC.
You can also use Node-RED to delete the file after its sent or after a time period. (So you don’t just fill up the EPIC hard drive).
Within Node-RED you can FTP the files if you want to do that.
Of course you can also send the file via MQTT to a broker that anyone could subscribe to that topic and pick the file up as needed. (Remember, MQTT does not care what the payload is, it can be a value, a file or even an image).
You could also email the file as an attachment (Sending an email attachment with Node-RED).
You can also send the data to a database of just about any type.
That’s the power and flexibility of Node-RED.
Back to the groov EPIC file area API… You can use just about any software to hit that RESTful endpoint and pull the file from the EPIC (or RIO).
So a bit of VB, .Net, C++, C#, JavaScript, Python etc could be used to gather the files and handle them as you need.
All of these options thus far do not need shell at all.
If you want add shell access on the EPIC, then you have some more options.
One of which is Samba. Here is our guide here; Installing and Configuring Samba on groov EPIC | Opto 22 Developer
Using this application you can map the EPIC/RIO file area to your Windows File Explorer and it shows up as drive letter, just like your C:.
Hope that helps give you some ideas for moving files back and forth between EPIC and Windows.
Yes. Here is my answer from a few days ago.
I will let everyone know when this goes live.
Just keep in mind that you will need to update the EPIC firmware and install a new version of PAC Project on your PC to use these new commands in your strategy.
