Serial input driving me mad!

[Mark F]

Are you talking about the Generic IR Plugin by Valery Karkachev or the Generic Serial Plugin by Mark Fiechtner (me)?

[Mark F]

Do you get any type of error messges from the plugin? What settings have you set up? Especially the receive message stuff.

[Mark F]

I have to head home for supper, I'll try to get back on tonight.

[Mark F]

Try selecting "translate (bin->hex)" and "enable receive timeout". Set the receive timeout field to 10.

I'm assuming you have already set the baud rate, parity, word size, handshaking and stop bits to correct values.

To answer one of your first questions (sorry for not doing it before), you can use the logger plugin to see all the event strings any plugin sends to Girder.

[Mark F]

I've done a little experimentation - which, seeing as our time zones are so far out, can't be a bad thing
Thanks. :smile:


Can you tell me if in your plugin you raise DTR and keep it raised?
For Handshaking=NONE, the DTR and RTS lines SHOULD stay in their previous position (whatever that is). For Handshaking=DTR/RTS Power, the DTR and RTS lines are lowered, then raised and held there.

Since you are using Handshaking=none, try inserting a command that raises or lowers DTR and/or RTS. To do this, add a command to the Girder tree and press the plugins tab. Choose the serial commands entry and press settings. Make sure the button next to serial port has the name of the device you are using in it. Of course, if you only have one serial device, this should always be true. :smile: Choose the Change Handshaking radio button. If the box next to DTR (or RTS) is checked, this command will turn DTR (or RTS) on (high), if not it will turn it off (low). Adding one or more commands at Girder startup to force the lines the way you want may get this to where it works.


You havent seen me wielding a soldering iron have you? - 1 is safer
It would be at this end too. :wink:

[Mark F]

I wish I had found this (http://www.airborn.com.au/rs232.html) site before. It has a nice set of wiring diagrams. One of them may have helped. Maybe next time. :smile:

[ScaredyCat]

lo,

can someone explain how I'm supposed to use the 'generic serial' input plugin... it basically ignores eveything and there appears to be no way to log what IT sees from the serial port.

I've done extensive diagnosis and it is definately Girder and the serial plugin...

Can anyone offer any assistance...

ScaredyCat

[ScaredyCat]

On 2002-03-23 00:55, Mark F wrote:
Are you talking about the Generic IR Plugin by Valery Karkachev or the Generic Serial Plugin by Mark Fiechtner (me)?



Mark,

it's your one.... (Generic Serial Plugin) I just don't appear to get any data from it. I've written a small VB prog (yes I know) and used serialwatcher and they both see the data fine...

ScaredyCat

[ScaredyCat]

I don't get any errors at all. The settings for the receive part are:

Fixed length set at 8 (device returns a string of 0000001 for button 1 00000010 for button 2 etc..)

all the other tick boxes are unselected...

ScaredyCat

[ScaredyCat]

On 2002-03-23 01:54, Mark F wrote:
Try selecting "translate (bin->hex)" and "enable receive timeout". Set the receive timeout field to 10.


I've tried these onse already but not change :sad:



I'm assuming you have already set the baud rate, parity, word size, handshaking and stop bits to correct values.


yup, nothing special 9600 8 n 1 no handshake



To answer one of your first questions (sorry for not doing it before), you can use the logger plugin to see all the event strings any plugin sends to Girder.


I'm just two steps ahead of you :razz: .. I have the logger installed. It sees the event when I click "learn event" and logs it .. but that's all - it sees no serial input...

ScaredyCat

[ScaredyCat]

Ok,

I've done a little experimentation - which, seeing as our time zones are so far out, can't be a bad thing :grin: ...

Can you tell me if in your plugin you raise DTR and keep it raised?

My /guess/ is that you do... I've emulated the problem on serialwatcher by raising DTR and keeping it raised....

There are two ways around this..

1. Add 'Ignore DTR' (ie keep it low) in the plugin...

2. Build a cable that only uses tx/rx and ignores all other pins...

You havent seen me wielding a soldering iron have you? :grin:

ScaredyCat

[ScaredyCat]

Mark,

It didn't work unfortuneatly .. but out came the solering iron ... no burns or anything :razz: ... cable made... problem solved...

Ahhh well...

least I'll know for next time :grin:

Thanks for all your help

ScaredyCat