BS2, Serout and Visual Basic

[Archiver]

I am having a problem using data from a BS2, that is coming from a BOE
that has a photodiode and AD592 from the Earth Measurements kit....the
problem is that right now, the code works as needed, but I dont
understand why. Here is the relevant part of my BS2 code
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////
serout 16,16468,[" Temperature is",dec ftemp, " "]
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////
( taken straight from the Parallax manual, I'm no pioneer )
(Ftemp of course, is my variable name for F temperature)

here is the relevant part of the VB 6 code
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Private Sub cmdcon_Click()
'error trapping
If MSComm1.PortOpen = True Then
Exit Sub
End If
'Comm port
MSComm1.CommPort = cbocomm.ListIndex + 1
MSComm1.Settings = "9600,N,8,1" ' 9600 baud, no parity, 8 data, and 1 stop
bit.
MSComm1.InputLen = 5 ' read entire buffer
MSComm1.RThreshold = 5
MSComm1.InBufferSize = 12
MSComm1.PortOpen = True ' Open the port.
End Sub


Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Dim data As String
Data = MSComm1.Input
If Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" Then
MSComm1.InputLen = 1
Do While start <> "s"
start = MSComm1.Input
Loop
StatusBar1.SimpleText = "Connected"
MSComm1.InputLen = 8
temp = Mid(Data, 1, 4)
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Why cant I remove any of the text " The Temperature is" from the serout
command without messing up the way the data is received by my program?
I have poured over the manual in the serout section but cannot seem
to get this to work right. Strangely enough, this code that you see
will make the temperature update a textbox in real time......without
any of the goofy text thats in the serout command......just the
correct numbers!

BUT! If I remove any or all of the text from the serout command, I
then get all sorts of garbage text, sometimes bits and pieces of
"The Temp is", and sometimes it crashes the app without connecting
at all! I have tried to understand how this could work...but have
run out of things to try.
Can someone help me on the serout command, because I think thats where
the problem lies.


Dave

[Archiver]

>Why cant I remove any of the text " The Temperature is" from the serout
> command without messing up the way the data is received by my
program?

You have the .InputLen set to 5 which limits you to read 5 bytes. Each
character is going to be a byte.
So if you decrease the length of your string " The Temperature is" then
Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" will never see the "s" in the first position. If
your going to do it this way I would set the .InputLen value to 1 and read
just the first character until you find the "s", then you could just
continue reading in one byte at a time concatenating it in a variable and
then updating the screen when you find the " ". The problem with this is you
may continue to get more data in the buffer while you are reading as well as
have more than one reading in the buffer. If the stamp is only sending every
few seconds this probably won't be an issue.

The oncomm event maybe a better technique, although I have not had the
occasion to use it. You would need to have your string sent at a fixed
length such as
serout 16,16468,["T=",dec ftemp, " "]
where ftemp would be a 3 digit number string such as "005". Then set your
on_Comm trigger which is MSComm1.RThreshold = 6 so it triggers the onComm
event when it receives 6 bytes.

I have interfaced with a programmable temp controller that took the temp set
point as (setpoint*10)+1000. The 1000 allowed the temperature to always be 4
digits and the *10 removed the decimal. Once the controller got the string
it converted the value back to its original form by reversing the process.
The controller also reported values in the same way which made communicating
with it pretty easy. All I had to do was look for a 4 character string and a
return. If you have free memory space in the stamp maybe you could use the
same technique.

Hope this helps

Jon Kreft
Engineering Technician
St. Jude Medical CRMD

----- Original Message -----
From: <samhell@s...>
To: <basicstamps@egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 7:26 PM
Subject: [basicstamps] BS2, Serout and Visual Basic


> I am having a problem using data from a BS2, that is coming from a
BOE
> that has a photodiode and AD592 from the Earth Measurements kit....the
> problem is that right now, the code works as needed, but I dont
> understand why. Here is the relevant part of my BS2 code
>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> /////////////
> serout 16,16468,[" Temperature is",dec ftemp, " "]
>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> /////////////
> ( taken straight from the Parallax manual, I'm no pioneer )
> (Ftemp of course, is my variable name for F temperature)
>
> here is the relevant part of the VB 6 code
> //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> Private Sub cmdcon_Click()
> 'error trapping
> If MSComm1.PortOpen = True Then
> Exit Sub
> End If
> 'Comm port
> MSComm1.CommPort = cbocomm.ListIndex + 1
> MSComm1.Settings = "9600,N,8,1" ' 9600 baud, no parity, 8 data, and 1 stop
> bit.
> MSComm1.InputLen = 5 ' read entire buffer
> MSComm1.RThreshold = 5
> MSComm1.InBufferSize = 12
> MSComm1.PortOpen = True ' Open the port.
> End Sub
>
>
> Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
> Dim data As String
> Data = MSComm1.Input
> If Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" Then
> MSComm1.InputLen = 1
> Do While start <> "s"
> start = MSComm1.Input
> Loop
> StatusBar1.SimpleText = "Connected"
> MSComm1.InputLen = 8
> temp = Mid(Data, 1, 4)
> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
>
> Why cant I remove any of the text " The Temperature is" from the serout
> command without messing up the way the data is received by my
program?
> I have poured over the manual in the serout section but cannot seem
> to get this to work right. Strangely enough, this code that you see
> will make the temperature update a textbox in real time......without
> any of the goofy text thats in the serout command......just the
> correct numbers!
>
> BUT! If I remove any or all of the text from the serout command, I
> then get all sorts of garbage text, sometimes bits and pieces of
> "The Temp is", and sometimes it crashes the app without connecting
> at all! I have tried to understand how this could work...but have
> run out of things to try.
> Can someone help me on the serout command, because I think thats where
> the problem lies.
>
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>

[Archiver]

thanks Jon,· I· am· busy· on· it ,· I· wil· let· you· know· what· I· come· up· with.


Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Kreft <JKreft@concentric.net>
To: basicstamps@egroups.com <basicstamps@egroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 11:36 PM
Subject: Re: [basicstamps] BS2, Serout and Visual Basic

>Why cant I· remove any of the text· " The Temperature is"· from the serout
> command· without· messing· up· the way· the data· is received by my
program?

You have the .InputLen set to 5 which limits you to read 5 bytes. Each
character is going to be a byte.
So if you decrease the length of your string· " The Temperature is" then
Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s"· will never see the "s" in the first position. If
your going to do it this way I would set the .InputLen value to 1 and read
just the first character until you find the "s", then you could just
continue reading in one byte at a time concatenating it in a variable and
then updating the screen when you find the " ". The problem with this is you
may continue to get more data in the buffer while you are reading as well as
have more than one reading in the buffer. If the stamp is only sending every
few seconds this probably won't be an issue.

The oncomm event maybe a better technique, although I have not had the
occasion to use it. You would need to have your string sent at a fixed
length such as
serout 16,16468,["T=",dec ftemp, " "]
where ftemp would be a 3 digit number string such as "005". Then set your
on_Comm trigger which is MSComm1.RThreshold = 6 so it triggers the onComm
event when it receives 6 bytes.

I have interfaced with a programmable temp controller that took the temp set
point as (setpoint*10)+1000. The 1000 allowed the temperature to always be 4
digits and the *10 removed the decimal. Once the controller got the string
it converted the value back to its original form by reversing the process.
The controller also reported values in the same way which made communicating
with it pretty easy. All I had to do was look for a 4 character string and a
return. If you have free memory space in the stamp maybe you could use the
same technique.

Hope this helps

Jon Kreft
Engineering Technician
St. Jude Medical CRMD

----- Original Message -----
From: <samhell@samhell.com>
To: <basicstamps@egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 7:26 PM
Subject: [basicstamps] BS2, Serout and Visual Basic


> I am having a problem using data from a BS2,· that·· is· coming· from a
BOE
> that has· a photodiode and AD592· from the Earth Measurements kit....the
> problem· is· that right· now,· the code· works· as needed,· but· I dont
> understand why.· Here· is the relevant part· of· my· BS2· code
>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> /////////////
> serout 16,16468,[" Temperature is",dec ftemp, " "]
>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> /////////////
> ( taken straight from the· Parallax manual,· I'm· no pioneer )
> (Ftemp of course, is my variable name for F temperature)
>
> here· is the relevant part of the VB 6· code
> //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> Private Sub cmdcon_Click()
> 'error trapping
> If MSComm1.PortOpen = True Then
> Exit Sub
> End If
> 'Comm port
> MSComm1.CommPort = cbocomm.ListIndex + 1
> MSComm1.Settings = "9600,N,8,1" ' 9600 baud, no parity, 8 data, and 1 stop
> bit.
> MSComm1.InputLen = 5 ' read entire buffer
> MSComm1.RThreshold = 5
> MSComm1.InBufferSize = 12
> MSComm1.PortOpen = True ' Open the port.
> End Sub
>
>
> Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
> Dim data As String
> Data = MSComm1.Input
>···· If Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" Then
>···· MSComm1.InputLen = 1
>···· Do While start <> "s"
>···· start = MSComm1.Input
> Loop
> StatusBar1.SimpleText = "Connected"
> MSComm1.InputLen = 8
> temp = Mid(Data, 1, 4)
> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
>
> Why cant I· remove any of the text· " The Temperature is"· from the serout
> command· without· messing· up· the way· the data· is received by my
program?
> I have· poured· over· the manual· in the serout section· but· cannot· seem
> to get· this· to work right.· Strangely· enough,· this· code· that you see
> will· make· the temperature update· a textbox· in real time......without
> any· of· the· goofy· text· thats· in the·· serout· command......just· the
> correct· numbers!
>
> BUT!· If· I remove any· or· all· of the· text· from the serout command,· I
> then· get· all sorts· of· garbage text,· sometimes· bits· and· pieces· of
> "The Temp is",· and· sometimes· it· crashes· the app· without· connecting
> at all!· I have· tried· to understand· how· this· could· work...but· have
> run out of things· to try.
> Can someone help me on· the serout command,· because· I think thats· where
> the problem lies.
>
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>

[Archiver]

In a message dated 5/24/00 6:50:22 AM Central Daylight Time,
samhell@s... writes:

> You have the .InputLen set to 5 which limits you to read 5 bytes. Each
> character is going to be a byte. So if you decrease the length of your
string
> " The Temperature is" then Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" will never see the "s"
in
> the first position. If your going to do it this way I would set the
.InputLen value
> to 1 and read just the first character until you find the "s", then you
could just
> continue reading in one byte at a time concatenating it in a variable and
> then updating the screen when you find the " ". The problem with this is you
> may continue to get more data in the buffer while you are reading as well as
> have more than one reading in the buffer. If the stamp is only sending every
> few seconds this probably won't be an issue.
>
> The oncomm event maybe a better technique, although I have not had the
> occasion to use it. You would need to have your string sent at a fixed
> length such as serout 16,16468,["T=",dec ftemp, " "] where ftemp would be
> a 3 digit number string such as "005". Then set your on_Comm trigger which
is
> MSComm1.RThreshold = 6 so it triggers the onComm event when it receives
> 6 bytes.

Some additional notes that may be helpful: Set your RThreshold to 1 (so that
it fires whenever a character arrives) and append a carriage return (13) to
the data you send to the PC from the Stamp. Then use the OnComm event to
build your string as the characters arrive. When the arriving character is a
carriage return, you can process the string.

You can use the Val function in VB to convert your (parsed) numeric strings
to numbers. If the data your Stamp sends is Hex, then add a "&h" to the
string before using Val (it's actually easier if you do this in the Stamp --
then the same PC code will work with decimal or hex numbers).

One caution on Val, though. If the Stamp sends "&hFFFF" then Val will return
-1 since it wants to return a signed integer. If you want that value to be
unsigned, then use a Long and this code:

If IsNumeric(buffer) Then
myLong = CLng(buffer)
Else
' process error here
End If

One last note: If your VB program is sending data to the Stamp's programming
port, it will be echoed back. Since you know what it is, it is easy to
remove from the returned string. By terminating your command with a carriage
return, your normal event code can deal with the echoed command.

My July column in Nuts & Volts will discuss receiving and processing data
from the Stamp using VB. One last thing...if you don't already have it, be
sure to get a copy of Jan Axelson's book, "Serial Port Complete." It's the
best reference you can have for serial programming. You can order from
Amazon or Jan's web site: www.lvr.com.

-- Jon Williams
-- Dallas, TX
-- Author, "Stamp Applications" - Nuts & Volts

[Archiver]

You will have to declare the variable your are using to build the string as
a public variable. Otherwise once the OnComm procedure is finished your
string variable you were building would be lost.


Jon Kreft
Engineering Technician, Manufacturing Systems Engineering
St. Jude Medical (Maven Site)
(864) 898 - 0305 x8113

> -----Original Message-----
> From: jonwms@a... [SMTP:jonwms@a...]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 8:28 AM
> To: basicstamps@egroups.com
> Subject: Re: [basicstamps] BS2, Serout and Visual Basic
>
> In a message dated 5/24/00 6:50:22 AM Central Daylight Time,
> samhell@s... writes:
>
> > You have the .InputLen set to 5 which limits you to read 5 bytes. Each
> > character is going to be a byte. So if you decrease the length of your
> string
> > " The Temperature is" then Mid(Data, 1, 1) <> "s" will never see the
> "s"
> in
> > the first position. If your going to do it this way I would set the
> .InputLen value
> > to 1 and read just the first character until you find the "s", then you
>
> could just
> > continue reading in one byte at a time concatenating it in a variable
> and
> > then updating the screen when you find the " ". The problem with this is
> you
> > may continue to get more data in the buffer while you are reading as
> well as
> > have more than one reading in the buffer. If the stamp is only sending
> every
> > few seconds this probably won't be an issue.
> >
> > The oncomm event maybe a better technique, although I have not had the
> > occasion to use it. You would need to have your string sent at a fixed
> > length such as serout 16,16468,["T=",dec ftemp, " "] where ftemp would
> be
> > a 3 digit number string such as "005". Then set your on_Comm trigger
> which
> is
> > MSComm1.RThreshold = 6 so it triggers the onComm event when it receives
> > 6 bytes.
>
> Some additional notes that may be helpful: Set your RThreshold to 1 (so
> that
> it fires whenever a character arrives) and append a carriage return (13)
> to
> the data you send to the PC from the Stamp. Then use the OnComm event to
> build your string as the characters arrive. When the arriving character
> is a
> carriage return, you can process the string.
>
> You can use the Val function in VB to convert your (parsed) numeric
> strings
> to numbers. If the data your Stamp sends is Hex, then add a "&h" to the
> string before using Val (it's actually easier if you do this in the Stamp
> --
> then the same PC code will work with decimal or hex numbers).
>
> One caution on Val, though. If the Stamp sends "&hFFFF" then Val will
> return
> -1 since it wants to return a signed integer. If you want that value to
> be
> unsigned, then use a Long and this code:
>
> If IsNumeric(buffer) Then
> myLong = CLng(buffer)
> Else
> ' process error here
> End If
>
> One last note: If your VB program is sending data to the Stamp's
> programming
> port, it will be echoed back. Since you know what it is, it is easy to
> remove from the returned string. By terminating your command with a
> carriage
> return, your normal event code can deal with the echoed command.
>
> My July column in Nuts & Volts will discuss receiving and processing data
> from the Stamp using VB. One last thing...if you don't already have it,
> be
> sure to get a copy of Jan Axelson's book, "Serial Port Complete." It's
> the
> best reference you can have for serial programming. You can order from
> Amazon or Jan's web site: www.lvr.com.
>
> -- Jon Williams
> -- Dallas, TX
> -- Author, "Stamp Applications" - Nuts & Volts
>
>
>