I'm focusing on a SIM4320(A) chip:
| Raspberry Pi Pin | FONA Pin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3v (1) | Vio (4) | Sets logic level, must be externally powered (RPi -> FONA) |
| GND (6) | GND (3) | |
| TXD (8) | RX (6) | RPi transmit -> FONA receive |
| RXD (10) | TX (7) | RPi receive <- FONA transmit |
| GND (6) | Key (11) | Pulse 3-5s to ground to switch state (initially off) |
Key is tied to the power button on the FONA.
We want this to be permanently on without the need for
the Pi to turn it on or off, so this should be tied to ground (?).
On the Raspberry Pi (RPi 3B+, Raspbian 2019-07-10 Buster)
sudo bash
apt-get update
apt-get install ppp screen minicom
# disable rpi serial interface so we can use it from FONA
# also disable bluetooth and wifi as we don't need it
#
cat >> /boot/config.txt <<EOF
enable_uart=1
dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt
dtoverlay=pi3-disable-wifi
EOF
# setup ppp configuration
#
cat > /etc/ppp/peers/fona <<EOF
connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/chatscripts/gprs"
/dev/serial0
115200
noipdefault
usepeerdns
defaultroute
persist
noauth
nocrtscts
local
EOF
shutdown -r now
At this point, after reboot, I tested to make sure the serial connection was at least responding to AT commands:
sudo bash
minicom -c on -D /dev/serial0
AT
AT command should show up because the FONA should echo the commandsOKI was having trouble with a wwan0 interface coming up.
To have it automatically not show up:
sudo bash
cat >> /etc/modprobe.d/raspi-blacklist.conf <<EOF
blacklist qmi_wwan
blacklist cdc_wdm
EOF
# have changes take effect
#
shutdown -r now
(src)
To setup a ppp connection, issuing:
pon fona
as root should work.
If there are troubles, look at dmesg and /var/log/syslog for clues as to what went wrong.
I'm having trouble with ifdown not recognizing the eth0 interface.
ip link set dev eth0 down
I'm using an active antennae.
I've soldered the 'bias' bin on the 3G Fona module.
Note that I couldn't find any reference on Adafruit's site about soldering the 'bias' bridge. I only found this information when looking at other users problems (src). It turns out Adafruit does mention it in one of their PDF guides (src).
There is a USB connection to the FONA which is how, I believe, the ttyUSB interfaces are coming up.
The USB to serial connection can be used for the GPS information whereas the direct serial connection
is used for the GPRS modem.
/dev/ttyUSB3
/dev/ttyUSB2 looks to be another viable candidate but maybe what goes on in /dev/ttyUSB3 is mirrored
in /dev/ttyUSB2/dev/ttyUSB0 and /dev/ttyUSB1 show up when the FONA is powered on but I haven't been able to get any response
when connecting via minicom to either of those interfacesminicom -c on -D /dev/ttyUSB2 (8N1 115200, hardware flow control off)AT+CGPS=1AT+CGPSINFOCFG=3,31
$GPRMC,... line as that has the easiest to read lat/lon positionsAT+CGPSAUTO=1.
AT+CGPSINFOCFG=3,31 still needs to be issued
to get GPS dataSee NMEA sentence information and the AT command set.
I believe the two main connectors are IPEX 1 and SMA.