Bobcat300-DebianMinimalDocker

A minimal docker compose config for running a helium lora gateway on a bobcat 300.

Details

Currently only tested on the G285/29X

Uses the following docker images:

• heliumdiy/sx1302_hal - Fast and common pf used by most diy miners.
• quay.io/team-helium/miner:gateway-latest - Official gateway image

Credits:

• r00t1ng - suppling the initial missing ldo reset script
• sicXnull has done some amazing work on reverse engineering the bobcat 300. Check out their repos:
  • https://github.com/sicXnull/Bobcat300-Debian
  • https://github.com/sicXnull/BobcatDashboard

Ansible config:

1. Install the debian image provided by https://github.com/sicXnull/Bobcat300-Debian
2. Run a ssh-copy-id root@192.168.x.x to the host, update hosts.ini file, change the bobcat root password with passwd
3. Set region and device_model in bobcat.yml file
4. Install:

ansible-playbook -i hosts.ini bobcat.yml

Manual config:

Preparations

1. Install the debian image provided by https://github.com/sicXnull/Bobcat300-Debian

2. Ensure latest update:

apt update && apt upgrade -y && reboot

3. Install docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o install-docker.sh
sh ./install-docker.sh
systemctl enable --now docker

4. Consider adding ssh-keys and disabling password based auth by adding PasswordAuthentication no to /etc/ssh/ssh_config

Install

Clone the project:

git clone https://github.com/metrafonic/Bobcat300-DebianMinimalDocker bobcat && cd bobcat

Select the appropriate docker compose file for your device:

• G285: Use docker-compose-G285.yml
• G29X: Use docker-compose-G29X.yml

cp docker-compose-G285.yml docker-compose.yml

Modify the REGION value in your selected docker compose file. The REGION can be one of the following values:
US915 | EU868 | EU433 | CN470 | CN779 | AU915 | AS923 | KR920 | IN865

Start the pf once, so that it creates the region file. We must modify it.

docker compose up -d pktfwd && sleep 1 && docker compose down

Edit packet_forwarder/configs/global_conf.json and replace the spidev_path: value:

For G285:

"spidev_path": "/dev/spidev1.0",

For G29X:

"spidev_path": "/dev/spidev5.0",

Remove the line:

"gps_i2c_path": "/dev/i2c-1",

Start again with your selected docker compose file:

docker compose up -d 

Check the logs (replace with your compose file):

docker compose logs -f --tail=1000

Check miner animal name (replace with your compose file):

docker compose exec miner helium_gateway key info

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

• Verify the correct docker compose file is being used for your device model
• Check that the spidev_path matches your device (spidev1.0 for G285, spidev5.0 for G29X)
• Ensure the region is set correctly in your docker compose file
• Check container logs for errors: docker compose -f <your-compose-file> logs