Raspberry Pi 3 Model B best OS for Cumulus MX?

[David9723]

Does Cumulus MX run fine on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? If so what OS is best to use? Windows 10 IoT is what i was looking at or Ubuntu MATE.

I've been using Cumulus on my PC for a few years can i copy that data over? I just want it to be stable and low power.

Thanks for the help!

[VTHokie74]

I am running Raspbian Debian Jessie on an RP3. I think that is what a lot of folks are running these days since it is the default OS installation with NOOBS. CumulusMX runs fine except the Interface sometimes doesn't open correctly in Epiphany, which is the default browser in Rapsbian. That's not a big issue because you can open the CMX interface on another PC on the same network. You just browse to http://RP3IP_address:8998 and it will open right up. I use the Firefox SSH addin to connect to a terminal window on the RP3 for file maintenance like installing scripts. There is an SSH addin for Chrome too.

I just copied over my data directory to CMX from a previous Windows Cumulus installation. Don't copy your cumulus.ini file. It doesn't work with CMX. Just go through the settings option in the interface to set your weather station and internet options.

[David9723]

I am running Raspbian Debian Jessie on an RP3. I think that is what a lot of folks are running these days since it is the default OS installation with NOOBS. CumulusMX runs fine except the Interface sometimes doesn't open correctly in Epiphany, which is the default browser in Rapsbian. That's not a big issue because you can open the CMX interface on another PC on the same network. You just browse to http://RP3IP_address:8998 and it will open right up. I use the Firefox SSH addin to connect to a terminal window on the RP3 for file maintenance like installing scripts. There is an SSH addin for Chrome too.

I just copied over my data directory to CMX from a previous Windows Cumulus installation. Don't copy your cumulus.ini file. It doesn't work with CMX. Just go through the settings option in the interface to set your weather station and internet options.

Thanks the info, i just wanted to check before i bought a RP3.

Is that the way everyone uses a RP3 set it up then log in from another PC to do everything? All the guides i have found do it that way. My main concern is the USB driver for my VP2. I see that you are using the same setup did you have any trouble with the USB connection to the Davis data logger?

[VTHokie74]

Thanks the info, i just wanted to check before i bought a RP3.

Is that the way everyone uses a RP3 set it up then log in from another PC to do everything? All the guides i have found do it that way. My main concern is the USB driver for my VP2. I see that you are using the same setup did you have any trouble with the USB connection to the Davis data logger?

As long as you are using your VP2 in the serial mode with the soft COM port it works the same way as Cumulus. Raspbian seemed to have the USB to serial driver all built in and I didn't have to install anything. I set the serial port in CMX to "/dev/ttyUSB0". There is a command you can run to see what port the VP2 is on after you plug it in. Read the CumulusMX download and the FAQ posts first. Most of this is covered. Also, jank's start-stop script is worth installing. Linux is a lot pickier than Windows about things so don't be frustrated. For instance, directory names use upper and lower case letters and they do matter.

Yes, most people run "headless" which means accessing the RP3 from a terminal window on a PC using SSH. You don't have to but it is convenient. I ran local and used the GUI with file manager to copy CumulusMX and my data folder over from a USB stick until I got the hang of the command line. Be aware that if you start CumulusMX in a SSH terminal window and close the window it shuts down CumulusMX. The way around this is to install "Screen" using "sudo apt-get install screen" and run CumulusMX in a separate screen. The start-stop script will handle this all for you though.