node-red-contrib-ipcbox-cm5 1.0.5
Native GPIO nodes for Waveshare IPCBOX-CM5 using gpiod tools
node-red-contrib-ipcbox-cm5
Custom Node-RED nodes for Waveshare IPCBOX-CM5 (Raspberry Pi CM5 based Industrial Controller).
These nodes provide high-performance, real-time monitoring and control for Digital Inputs (DI) and Digital Outputs (DO) by leveraging system-level gpiod tools.
Key Features
- Ubuntu Ready: Well-tested on Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS.
- Real-time DI Monitoring: Uses hardware interrupts (via
gpiomon) for instant response. - Initial State Sync: Automatically detects and outputs current DI status upon Node-RED startup.
- Integrated Debounce: Built-in software filtering to eliminate mechanical switch noise.
- Zero Compilation: No C++ build tools required, ensuring stability on modern Ubuntu/Debian kernels.
1. Prerequisites (System Tools)
Before installing this module, you must ensure that the gpiod library is installed on your system. Open your terminal and run:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y gpiod
2. GPIO Permission Setup (Crucial)
By default, Linux restricts hardware access to the root user. To allow Node-RED to control GPIOs, follow these steps to set up Udev Rules: Create the GPIO group and add your user:
# 1. Create group named "gpio"
sudo groupadd -f gpio
# 2. add now user (eg.ubuntu) join to group named "gpio"
sudo usermod -aG gpio $USER
# 3. Change the group ownership of device files (Temporary, valid until next reboot)
sudo chgrp gpio /dev/gpiochip*
sudo chmod g+rw /dev/gpiochip*
Create a new Udev rule file:
sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-gpio.rules
Paste the following line into the file:
SUBSYSTEM=="gpio", KERNEL=="gpiochip*", ACTION=="add", GROUP="gpio", MODE="0660"
Apply the changes and Reboot:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger
# It is highly recommended to reboot the system
sudo reboot
3. Installation
Once the system is configured, you can install the nodes locally or from the Node-RED Palette Manager. For Local Installation (using .tgz file):
cd ~/.node-red
npm install /path/to/node-red-contrib-ipcbox-cm5-1.0.0.tgz
4. Hardware Mapping Reference
The nodes are pre-configured for the IPCBOX-CM5 industrial board layout: | Function | Node Label | BCM GPIO | Electrical Logic | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | |Digital Input 1 | DI1 | 23 | Inverted (24V = 0 / Low) | | Digital Input 2 | DI2 | 24 | Direct (24V = 1 / High) | | Digital Output 1 | DO1 | 27 | Open-Collector | | Digital Output 2 | DO2 | 22 | Open-Collector | | Indicator 1 | USER1 | 25 | Resistor Pull High | | Indicator 2 | USER2 | 26 | Resistor Pull High |
5. Usage
IPCBOX DI (Input Node)
- Debounce (ms): Set the time interval to filter out contact bounce from mechanical switches.
- Output: Returns msg.payload as true (Active/24V) or false (Inactive/Disconnected).
- Topic: Outputs as input/DI1 or input/DI2. IPCBOX DO (Output Node)
- Input Payload: Accepts true/false, 1/0, or "ON"/"OFF".
- Hardware Action: Activating DO will pull the Open-Collector output to Ground (RGND). IPCBOX INDICATOR (Output Node)
- Input Payload: Accepts true/false, 1/0, or "ON"/"OFF".
- Hardware Action: The outputs use an 3.3V pull-high with a resistor design. Activating the channel will sink PGIO to Ground.
Example Flow
This package includes a pre-built example. Go to Import -> Examples -> node-red-contrib-ipcbox-cm5 -> Basic GPIO Usage to get started.
License
MIT License - Developed by Iden Tech.
