Can't install NCD package on Node-RED

Node-Red
1

Hello

I have been trying to install the @ncd-io/node-red-enterprise-sensors package in Node-RED, I have been trying to install it on two devices that are used for edge computing, they are minicomputers that have linux installed, like a raspberry pi but with 32 bits processors.

When trying to install the package from Node-RED’s Manage Pallete, I get the following error:

npm
2024-06-06T21:02:59.035Z [err]  ERR! @serialport/bindings@9.2.8 install: `prebuild-install --tag-prefix @serialport/bindings@ || node-gyp rebuild`
2024-06-06T21:02:59.035Z [err] npm ERR!
2024-06-06T21:02:59.035Z [err]  Exit status 1
2024-06-06T21:02:59.035Z [err] npm
2024-06-06T21:02:59.036Z [err]  ERR! 
2024-06-06T21:02:59.036Z [err] npm ERR!
2024-06-06T21:02:59.036Z [err]  Failed at the @serialport/bindings@9.2.8 install script.
2024-06-06T21:02:59.036Z [err] npm ERR!
2024-06-06T21:02:59.037Z [err]  This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
2024-06-06T21:02:59.110Z [err] npm
2024-06-06T21:02:59.111Z [err]  timing npm Completed in 71360ms

On one of the devices I have nodejs 14 (Node-RED 3) and on another nodejs 12 (Node-RED 2.2.3), the npm versions are 6.14.16, both should be similar.

It should be noted that I have already tried to install the ncd-red-wireless-2 package with the same result.

Are there any additional requirements that the package needs in order to install correctly?

2

Hi @dvid1324, I’ve searched the forum and also the Node-RED forum for similar threads. Here’s what I found:

1. Make sure Python is installed.
2.Try deleting the “node_modules/@serialport” folder.

The path on Linux should be:

/Home/Username/.node-red/node_modules/@serialport

Then, run node-red and install the @ncd-io/node-red-enterprise-sensors package through the Manage Palette option.

Try this and let me know if it works.
Thanks,
Eduardo M.

3

Hi,

I would recommend updating the versions of nodejs if possible. There was a change in the build tools sometime around nodejs version 14 or 16 that forced an update to the serial port library killing backwards compatibility for later versions of the serial port library.

If you can’t update to the v 16 or later of nodejs you can use the ncd-red-wireless library, but it is not updated as often as our node-red-enterprise library and is primarily kept online for embedded/older devices that can’t support later versions on nodejs.