Newbe....with SPIN question...

denno

Question...why won't the second STRING display on my Scott Edwards 4x40 display. If I comment out one or the other, it works just fine, and on the right line. posCMD,64 is the first line, and posCMD,144 is the second line....but, both lines will not display on the LCD, plus, it seems to "hang up" and not increment the test_number.

Publison

Here is how to post the code to make it readable:

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/129690-How-to-post-program-code-in-the-forum.?p=978076&viewfull=1#post978076

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Publison

Had incorrect url

denno

To all...I deleted this, as it was not the proper way to post code...thank you...DennO

denno

{{DEBUG_TEST.spin By DenO}}


CON
_clkmode = xtal1 + pll16x         'Standard clock mode * crystal frequency = 80 MHz
_xinfreq = 5_000_000
carr_return            =  13   
clrLCD                 =  12          'clear the screen on the lcd
posCMD                 =  16          'position the curser command
hideCUR                =   4           'hide the curser command
blinkCUR               =   6           'blink the curser command
degreeSYM              = 223           'the "degree" symbol
receive_data           = 255
backLTon               =  14          'turn the back light on
backLToff              =  15          'turn the back light off
brightness_ctl         =  27
quarter_bright         =  48
half_bright            =  49
three_quarter_bright   =  50
full_bright            =  51
beep                   =   7           'beep command
right_align            =  18          'RIGHT ALIGN COMMAND
start_big_char         =   2
end_big_char           =   3
astrike                =  42
block_char             = 134
carReturn              =  13          'carriage return command
blank_char             =  32
left_arrow             = 127
right_arrow            = 126
LR_arrow               = 131
LL_arrow               = 128
UR_arrow               = 129
UL_arrow               = 130
down_arrow             = 132
up_arrow               = 133
equal_sign             =  61
VAR
  long  stack [10]
  long  test_number 
  
OBJ
  'PST : "Parallax Serial Terminal"
  LCD : "proto_lcd"
PUB main
  coginit(7,LCD.init,@stack)
  test_number := 0
  LCD.command(backLTon)
  repeat
  '
    LCD.str(STRING(clrLCD,posCMD,64,"TEST"))
    LCD.Dec(test_number,4)
    LCD.str(STRING(clrLCD,posCMD,144,"TEST"))
    LCD.Dec(test_number,4)
    test_number++
    waitcnt((clkfreq + cnt)) '1 second pause

'PRI private_method_name


'DAT
'name    byte  "string_data",0        
        

MrBi11

LCD.str(STRING(clrLCD,posCMD,64,"TEST"))
LCD.Dec(test_number,4)
LCD.str(STRING(clrLCD,posCMD,144,"TEST"))
LCD.Dec(test_number,4)


you are clearing the screen twice.
also clearing the screen each loop will end up causing the LCD to 'blink'

denno

OK...I took the second clrLCD out, and still no joy....DenO

Duane Degn

The statement "coginit(7, LCD.init, @stack)" will not do what you expect it to. *** This has to be changed to get the program to work. ***

You should only launch Spin cogs from within the object they are located. Also cognew is almost always better than coginit.

10 longs of stack space is probably fine some some methods but a lot of methods will require more.

I don't know what the LCD.init method does but generally one only starts a new cog with code running in a loop. Often "Start" methods start a new cog while "Init" methods just configure I/O pins and get the object ready to use without starting a cog.

The start method will take care of any cog launching for you if it's needed.

Since "Init" methods often configure I/O pins, it's a good idea to call Init methods from the cog which will be calling the methods in the object.

I suggest replacing the line:

  coginit(7, LCD.init, @stack)

With:

  LCD.init

denno

Thank you Duane,,,I thought I was trying to put OBJECTS in certain COGS so I could keep track of them, like I do with the BS@sx and the eight different program slots. Anyways, I will try your suggestion, and could/would you explain a little more about a "start" method?

Am I correct, if I want to put proto_LCD in cog 7, I should put cognew at the beginning of that OBJECT?

Duane Degn

Cogs and objects really have nothing to do with each other. You can have one object use all 8 cogs and you could easy have 8 objects in a single cog. Cogs run assembly code. The assembly code is either a PASM section of code launched with cognew or the Spin interpreter from ROM. The Spin interpreter is launched when a Spin method (from within the current object) and stack location are the parameters of the cognew statement.

Cog #0 starts out running a Spin interpreter and generally continues to do so for the duration of most Spin programs.

When you launch Spin code with cognew, you're starting a cog running another instance of the Spin interpreter. The Spin code stays in the hub and Spin interpreter running in a cog executes the instructions as it reads them from the hub (which Cog #0 is also doing).

denno wrote: »

Am I correct, if I want to put proto_LCD in cog 7, I should put cognew at the beginning of that OBJECT?

So much of the answer to your question depends on what you want "proto-LCD" to do.

There are lots of examples of launching cogs in various "Start" methods of objects. The Start method will either launch PASM code from the DAT section of the object or start a new Spin interpreter to run a Spin method which method generally contains a continuous loop.

I haven't programmed the BS_SX chips so I'm not aware of how the program slots are used. I think it's safe to assume the slots of the BS_SX chips have little in common with cogs of the Propeller.

I'm sure there are times with the coginit statement is the appropriate way of launching a cog but I personally have never used it and I think it's a good idea to use cognew unless there is some specific reason to use coginit.