I have struggled a lot with sending RF data between two Attiny85 chips, so I thought it might be helpful if I just explain how I did it. There are a number of such projects being described on the internet, but yet, it didn’t prove to be such a straightforward project, which i found to be mostly due to not using the right libraries and cores.
BOM
Transmitter:
Attiny85 – 0.82 euro/10
10k resistor
433 MHz transmittermodule – 1 euro per set
mini breadboard – 58 cts/piece
Receiver:
Attiny85
10k resistor
433 MHz Receiver module
mini breadboard
Optional: 2 wire LCD
There are two main libraries used to send and receive data on an Arduino platform: VirtualWire and Manchester code.
As Virtualwire is a bit older, no longer supported, and supposedly can only send characters (though there is a way around that) I decided to use Manchester code.
To make a long story short, it didn’t work. I had the MANCHESTER.h and MANCHESTER.cpp file and ran into a lot of trouble, until I discovered that was the wrong/old library, you need the Manchester.h and Manchester.cpp file from here. When I used that I got my transmitter to work, I could send data to an Arduino, that was already a big relief.
However……. whatever I did, I did not get my receiver to work. In testing something on an Attiny it is very frustrating to just stare at an LED that is supposed to light, but doesnt, without knowing what and why and how.
So i decided to add an LCD to the Attiny, so at least I could see what was happening..
However, the LCD on my attiny gave me other problems… and when I solved those, that proved to be the solution for my receive problem as well: I was using the wrong core. I was using the ‘tiny core’ rather than the ‘attiny core’
The latter is the one from Highlowtech.
NOTE: it is generally accepted that the ‘tiny core‘ works with the Manchester code and the attiny core does not, so it is possible that I mixed up the two. However, I had a line added to the Attiny core that I forgot about that will make it work with the Manchester code. Open up the “variants/tiny8/pins_arduino.h” file and add the line”#define __AVR_Attinyx5__”
The build of the transmitter is easy:
Plug the attiny chip into your breadboard,
Connect a 433 MHz Transmitter module with its data in to pin PB0 (that is pin 5 on the chip).
Connect Vcc and Ground of the transmitter module to Vcc (pin 8) and ground (pin 4) of the Attiny
Insert a 10 k resistor between pin 1 (Reset) and pin 8 (Vcc)
Connect Vcc and ground to 5 Volt
Take a 17 cm stiff wire and attach that to the antenna hole of the transmitter.
use the following program:
#include <Manchester.h>
/*
Manchester Transmitter example
In this example transmitter will send one 16 bit number
per transmission.
Try different speeds using these constants, your maximum
possible speed will depend on various factors like transmitter
type, distance, microcontroller speed, ...
MAN_300 0
MAN_600 1
MAN_1200 2
MAN_2400 3
MAN_4800 4
MAN_9600 5
MAN_19200 6
MAN_38400 7
*/
#define TX_PIN 0 //pin where your transmitter is connected
uint16_t transmit_data = 2761;
void setup() {
man.setupTransmit(TX_PIN, MAN_1200);
}
void loop() {
man.transmit(transmit_data);
delay(200);
}
Just a word on the 2716 that I am sending. The program is not mine, I found it as such and since it worked and I was very happy to see the ‘2716’ appear in my Arduino after days of fruitless trying, I decided to leave it there as a tribute. (it might have found it here)
Building the receiver is easy:
Put the programmed attiny chip in your breadboard.
Connect a 10 k resistor between pin 1 and pin 8
Put your 433 MHz Receiver module in the breadboard
Connect the datapin (usually either one of the two middle pins) to pin PB1 (physical pin6) on the attiny.
Connect the Vcc and Ground of the transmitter module to Vcc (pin 8) and Ground (pin4) of the Attiny
Connect the LCD interface to pin PB0 (pin 5) (Clock) and pin PB2 (pin 7) (Data/Enable)
Connect Vcc and ground of the LCD to Vcc and Ground.
Attach a 17 cm (1/4 lambda for 433 MHz) to the Receiver module.
Use the following program in your chip:
#include <Manchester.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_SR.h>
LiquidCrystal_SR lcd(0,2,TWO_WIRE);
/*
Manchester Receiver for Attiny
In this example receiver will receive one 16 bit number per
transmittion to switch a relay on or off.
try different speeds using these constants, your maximum possible
speed will depend on various factors like transmitter type,
distance, microcontroller speed, ...
MAN_300 0
MAN_600 1
MAN_1200 2
MAN_2400 3
MAN_4800 4
MAN_9600 5
MAN_19200 6
MAN_38400 7
*/
#define RX_PIN 1 //= pin 6
uint8_t moo = 1;
void setup()
{
lcd.begin(16,2);
lcd.home();
lcd.print("Receive");
lcd.setCursor(0,1);
man.setupReceive(RX_PIN, MAN_1200);
man.beginReceive();
}
void loop() {
if (man.receiveComplete()) {
uint16_t m = man.getMessage();
man.beginReceive(); //start listening for next message right
//after you retrieve the message
moo = ++moo % 2;
lcd.print(m);
}
}
The LCD is ofcourse optional. You can use an LED that gets the variable ‘moo’ send to its pin and thus will flash on complete receival of the signal, but I just wanted to make sure that what I got was what I sent
The results are good, no garbage is being received, but the reach is about 4-5 meters, with the antennas. The antenna on the receiver only makes a small difference. The one on the Transmitter makes a big difference.
Still, this is surprising as the transmitter module is capable of switching remote switches at greater distances even on different floors.
With regard to the length of the Antennas:
as f * λ= c (frequency * wavelength = lightspeed)
λ=c/f
λ= 299,792,458 /433,920,000
The wavelength is 0.690893386 meters.
Antenna would be λ/4= 0.172723346 meters (17.3 cm)
That is about 6.80013 inches.
If you would be using 315 MHz modules, the antenna would be: 0.238 m or 23.8 cm
You can also use the wavelength calculator.
Supposedly the transmitter module can take 12 Volts and still be steered by a 5 Volt microcontroller pin and will have a further reach then. Increasing the voltage on the receiver of course makes no difference
Once you have established The link between two attiny’s, linking one of them with an arduino should not be a problem. I use mine to send data to an Arduino ( e,g. temperature, or the status of a tripwire), or to receive data from an Arduino to steer a servo or an RGB LED.
If you want to trigger a relay, you would do it like this:
void loop() {
if (man.receiveComplete()) {
uint16_t m = man.getMessage();
man.beginReceive(); //start listening for next message
//right after you retrieve the message
moo = ++moo % 2;
lcd.print(m);
if (m==2761){digitalWrite(Relay,HIGH);}
if (m==0000){digitalWrite(Relay,LOW);}
}
Ofcourse you need to define the Relay pin in the ‘setup’
Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32 & Raspberry Pi stuff 