4 NRF24L01+ Modules and NONE works

Hello there,

It's my first post here, so please excuse me if I am not adhering to the guidelines of the forum correctly.

Well, I have been testing these modules(3 with antennas and 1 without it) but none of them seem to work at all. Yet, these modules show some sign of response in the form of noise signals displayed in the Serial Monitor of Arduino Software when I switch on and off either of the paired modules randomly.

I looked on many codes online(by Tehno Manik, How to Mechatronics, Electronoobs, etc.), triple checked my connections(interfaced with Nano: CE - 7, CSN - 8, MOSI - 11, MISO - 12, SCK - 13) checked whether if external 3.3V regulator is providing uninterrupted supply to the modules and is properly grounded, added many default statements such as "radio.setAutoAck(false);", tried different library functions(RadioHead, tmrh20, digistump, etc.), but got no success even a bit. I tried pairing between 2 modules in every combination possible but was no different in any of them.

Here are the names of the IC's used in these modules,
1 no. NRF24L01+ with no antenna - NRF M 24L01+ 1712AB
1 no. NRF24L01+ with antenna - NRF 0 24L01+ 1708NA
2 no.s NRF24L01+ with antenna - NRF M 24L01+ 1715AH

I would be very much appreciated for your response(s) whether you can provide the solution here or not. Thank you.

Sachin S K

Hello,

You can see this tutorial on video, then if it is possible, please inform if your doubts have been solved:

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. But unfortunately, none of their codes work even with their libraries installed. Modified the program to display the output at receiver side and it doesn't show anything. Yet the joystick works perfectly. However, i noticed that at the sender's side, when i use the NRF 1708NA(with antenna), the serial monitor shows only one value of joystick input(I added Serial.println in loop function), where as when NRF 1715AH(without antenna) is used, the joystick values are displayed correctly. Baud rates are typed correctly and reaffirmed. I would love to know what IC's are used in your RF modules if you have them.

Hello there,

I've managed to solve the issue. It was simply due to loose connections occurring at random pins. However, when both modules are connected to 2 Arduino Mega's, they work flawlessly. This problem arises only when i use the Nano's, even with newer jumper wires. I checked via Serial monitor the pins' sensitivities by attaching servo's, pot's, etc. and they don't seem to have any issue with loose connections at all, until i connect the RF modules. For the modules to work, the Nano's are powered by an external 5VDC and the modules from 3V3 pins of the Nano's. The connections tend to be less sensitive if i use 3V3 externally and 5VDC from my laptop's USB supply. And again, the jumper wires used are brand new. How weird.

Anyway, thank you so much for the support. I'll give an update if I find anything new about it soon.

Did you forget to solder the pin headers to the Nano?

I don't have any Nanos myself but from reading other Threads I'm not sure they can provide enough 3.3v current for an nRF24. I have a Mega clone that cannot power an nRF24 from its 3.3v pin.

An easy way to check this is to power the nRF24 from a pair of AA alkaline cells (3v) with the battery GND connected to the Arduino GND.

This Simple nRF24L01+ Tutorial includes a program you can use to see if the Arduino can communicate with the nRF24 that it is connected to.

...R

Yes, the Nano can power a NRF24L01+ board. I have a Nano with NRFL01+ working with 2 AAA batteries.
I have a HT7750 circuit to raise the voltage to 5V, and the NRF24L01 is connected to 3.3v out from Nano.
But its true the board becomes more sensible to V changes. I put a tantalum 1uF capacitor in the vin pin, and the radio starts to fail when batteries are at half or so.

Pepeillo:
Yes, the Nano can power a NRF24L01+ board. I have a Nano with NRFL01+ working with 2 AAA batteries.

Why not get a 3.3v Nano and just work everything of the 2 batteries?

OR, if you have to use 5v for the Nano, just connect the batteries directly to the NRF24

...R

I need 5v for a láser diode. And the output from NANO 3.3V is more constant than from the batteries itself.
The manual says minimum supply voltage when inputs signal > 3,6V is 2,7V. If I take the V supply from batteries it could be under 2,7V (2xAAA batteries).

Is there a Nano working at 3.3V?

Pepeillo:
Is there a Nano working at 3.3V?

I don't know - I presume Google does. There are certainly 3.3v versions of the ProMicro.

I don't use Nanos, I just build an Atmega 328 onto stripboard and use the internal 8MHz oscillator. That works very well with an nRF24 and 2 x AA alkaline cells.

...R

Pepeillo:
Is there a Nano working at 3.3V?

I've had a bit of a look around and haven't found one. A 3.3V Pro Mini is a good alternative, or if you really want something with the USB onboard you could get a 3.3V Pro Micro.