I've not had time to do much more on Catalina yet (Easter is one of our busy periods!) but I discovered recently that if I do not do regular posts on the page I use for hosting videos, then Patreon suspends the page
So I have added a short video on the above jQuery demo ...
This is a full release. It adds some minor eLua enhancements and bug fixes. The main reason for the release is to add a new version of Catalina's Windows telnet client, which has enhanced support for the Parallax WiFi module's Serial to TCP Bridge (under Linux you can use the standard telnet client, but the Microsoft Windows telnet client does not work well with the Parallax WiFi module).
This allows an internet interface to be used in place of the serial interface for Catalyst, as well as any other program that use one of the serial HMI options.
There is a new video that demonstrates the new telnet support here.
Here is the relevant extract from the README.TXT:
RELEASE 8.6
New Functionality
-----------------
1. A new eLua variant (sluarfx.c) has been added which can be used when
a slave WiFi RPC propeller needs only a server and not a client. This
variant executes the server in Hub RAM, making it significantly faster
for Lua servers small enough to fit.
2. A new eLua variant (rlua2.c) has been added which includes only WiFi RPC
support and omits Serial ALOHA support. This allows it to omit the aloha
protocol code, and also use the 2 port serial plugin in place of the 8
port serial plugin, which saves Hub RAM. This variant includes the Lua
parser. The corresponding variant that omits the Lua parser has been
renamed as rlua2x.c for consistency (it was previously named rluax2.c).
3. The eLua/ALOHA WiFi RPC HTTP demo (demos/eLua/http) now includes a complete
set of definitions for all the Lua WiFi functions. As demonstrated by the
demo, these allow a client Lua program to use the WiFi functions even
though those functions are implemented in the server, not in the client.
4. The MAX_SERVICES constant in all the eLua/ALOHA variants has been increased
from 20 to 50. This number is arbitrary, but it has been expanded to 50 to
accommodate the 20 WiFi services in the updated HTTP demo (demos/elua/http).
It can be increased further if required.
5. The eLua/ALOHA WiFi RPC variant rlua2x.c is now so similar to the rluasx.c
variant that there is no need to have both, so rluasx.c has been removed.
The build scripts and Aloha documentation have been updated accordingly.
6. A demo of using jQuery with Catalina has been added. The demos/wifi/gauge
demo uses jQuery and a custom jQuery widget to demonstrate exchanging data
between a Propeller and a browser-based user interface. Both a Lua and a C
version of the demo are provided. An eLua/ALOHA WiFi version is also
provided (in demos/eLua/gauge).
7. The Catalina telnet binary has been copied to the bin directory (it was
previously only in the source/comms/bin directory). This is because the
telnet client was not previously much use, but it has now been enhanced
to work with the Parallax WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server. This
enables either Catalyst, or a downloaded program, to be used via the
WiFi module using the telnet client. This is currently supported on a
Propeller 2 only.
Catalina's telnet client has been enhanced to work with the Parallax WiFi
module's Serial Bridge TCP Server by:
- Increasing the size and number of comms buffers, to account for the
fact that the Serial Bridge TCP Server may send larger packets than
a telnet server, and may also send more small packets than a telnet
server.
- adding a new mode selection telnet command ("mode char" or "mode line"),
which can also be specified on the command line (as "/mode=char" or
"/mode=line"). When specified on the command line, the "/mode=char"
option forces the telnet client into character mode without using
telnet option negotiation, which is not supported by the WiFi module's
Serial Bridge TCP Server (which is not actually a telnet server, it
simply echoes any characters sent, including any telnet commands).
When using another telnet client, specifying character mode will try
to do the same using telnet option negotiation, which may or may not
work, depending on how the telnet client responds to having all the
option negotiations simply echoed by the Serial Bridge TCP Server. It
SHOULD work, but it may not - e.g. it does not work with the Microsoft
telnet client, which does not properly support either character mode
or disabling local echo - so all characters entered end up being echoed
twice.
To use the telnet client via WiFi instead of a hard-wired serial port, the
Parallax WiFi module must be installed on pin group 56..63. However, note
that using this pin group on a P2 EDGE with PSRAM (i.e. P2-EC32MB) means
the WiFi module's RESET and PGM pins are not connected, so the WiFi module
cannot be reset programmatically and may have to be power-cycled manually
whenever it needs to be reset. But it does allow a telnet client program
to be used as Catalyst's user interface.
Also note that when the WiFi module is installed on pin group 56 .. 63,
it is possible to download software to the Propeller 2 by opening a
browser to the page http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx//p2-ddloader.html (where
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the WiFi module's IP address) - and then use the
telnet client to interact with the downloaded software. But to download
software the P2 module's switch 3 must be up and switch 4 must be down,
whereas to run software from the SD card using Catalyst, switch 3 must
be down and pin 4 must be up. So you cannot do both without changing
the switch settings.
Under Windows, you can build Catalyst to use one of the serial HMI options
and a VT100 as usual, such as:
build_all P2_EDGE SIMPLE VT100 USE_COLOR
Then, to use the Catalina telnet client, specify the IP address of the
WiFi module, and the following options (where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP
address of the WiFi module):
telnet /mode=char /uselfaseol /autocronlf /host=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
The Linux telnet client does not have comparable options, so instead you
must build Catalyst to use one of the serial HMI options but also add the
CR_ON_LF option:
build_all P2_EDGE SIMPLE VT100 USE_COLOR CR_ON_LF
Then, use the Linux telnet client specifying the IP address of the WiFi
module (e.g. where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the WiFi module):
telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Once in telnet (Linux only), enter the telnet escape character ("Ctrl+]")
and then enter the telnet command "mode char". This will use telnet
negotiations to enter character mode, which may result in the program
receiving a few spurious characters - but it should work ok after that.
Note that the WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server times out after 5
minutes of inactivity. The connection can be re-opened again using the
telnet "open" command (i.e. Enter telnet command mode by pressing "CTrl ]"
and enter the command "open xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" at the "Telnet>" prompt).
Other Changes
-------------
1. The eLua/ALOHA custom dispatcher was not using the correct length of the
RPC data it pushed onto the Lua stack when processing an RPC call. This may
have led to RPC call failing or Lua running out of memory when processing
the RPC call. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and Linux.
2. The definition of the WiFi RECV function in the eLua http demo was wrong.
Affected the Propeller 1 and Propeller 2 on Windows and Linux.
3. The serial.h include file did not allow for the use of the Propeller 1
serial4x library. Affected the Propeller 1 only on Winows and Linux.
4. The P2_EVAL platform definition file (P2EVAL.inc) was missing the WiFi and
2 Port Serial definitions. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and
Linux.
5. Add a small delay to the eLua/ALOHA custom dispatcher, to prevent the
program monopolizing the WiFi module by continuously polling it for new
events. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and Linux.
6. Some Catalina makefiles were not correctly detecting whether or not to use
DOS or Linux commands (e.g. "del" vs "rm"). Most affected was the
"clean_all" command, which would never complete when used in some demos
directories. Affected Windows only.
I've just updated the Catalina Reference Manuals for the Propeller 1 and the Propeller 2. The main change is to add in to the reference manuals a lot of stuff that only existed in the Release Notes or in various README.TXT files.
The updated documents are available on GitHub here, or on Sourceforge here.
Just an oddity worth being aware of if you intend to use telnet as your means of interacting with the P2.
Doing so requires you to have a Parallax WiFi adapter on pin group 56 .. 63, and some odd things happen if you also have a Prop Plug plugged in (to pins 62 & 63). If the Prop Plug is NOT also connected to a USB port, then the telnet connection may not work correctly. I have tried many different combinations of WiFi adapter, P2 Edge board and Prop Plug, but I am yet to figure out what is going on. Some combinations always work, some combination work sometimes, and some combinations never do.
However, it can always be made to work simply by either removing the Prop Plug, or else connecting the Prop Plug to a USB port.
Comments
I've not had time to do much more on Catalina yet (Easter is one of our busy periods!) but I discovered recently that if I do not do regular posts on the page I use for hosting videos, then Patreon suspends the page
So I have added a short video on the above jQuery demo ...
See https://www.patreon.com/posts/catalina-jquery-126965669
Ross.
Well worth the visit to the demo... High quality video with an in-depth audio explanation. Great work, Ross!
dgately
Catalina 8.6 has been released on GitHub and SourceForge.
This is a full release. It adds some minor eLua enhancements and bug fixes. The main reason for the release is to add a new version of Catalina's Windows telnet client, which has enhanced support for the Parallax WiFi module's Serial to TCP Bridge (under Linux you can use the standard telnet client, but the Microsoft Windows telnet client does not work well with the Parallax WiFi module).
This allows an internet interface to be used in place of the serial interface for Catalyst, as well as any other program that use one of the serial HMI options.
There is a new video that demonstrates the new telnet support here.
Here is the relevant extract from the README.TXT:
RELEASE 8.6 New Functionality ----------------- 1. A new eLua variant (sluarfx.c) has been added which can be used when a slave WiFi RPC propeller needs only a server and not a client. This variant executes the server in Hub RAM, making it significantly faster for Lua servers small enough to fit. 2. A new eLua variant (rlua2.c) has been added which includes only WiFi RPC support and omits Serial ALOHA support. This allows it to omit the aloha protocol code, and also use the 2 port serial plugin in place of the 8 port serial plugin, which saves Hub RAM. This variant includes the Lua parser. The corresponding variant that omits the Lua parser has been renamed as rlua2x.c for consistency (it was previously named rluax2.c). 3. The eLua/ALOHA WiFi RPC HTTP demo (demos/eLua/http) now includes a complete set of definitions for all the Lua WiFi functions. As demonstrated by the demo, these allow a client Lua program to use the WiFi functions even though those functions are implemented in the server, not in the client. 4. The MAX_SERVICES constant in all the eLua/ALOHA variants has been increased from 20 to 50. This number is arbitrary, but it has been expanded to 50 to accommodate the 20 WiFi services in the updated HTTP demo (demos/elua/http). It can be increased further if required. 5. The eLua/ALOHA WiFi RPC variant rlua2x.c is now so similar to the rluasx.c variant that there is no need to have both, so rluasx.c has been removed. The build scripts and Aloha documentation have been updated accordingly. 6. A demo of using jQuery with Catalina has been added. The demos/wifi/gauge demo uses jQuery and a custom jQuery widget to demonstrate exchanging data between a Propeller and a browser-based user interface. Both a Lua and a C version of the demo are provided. An eLua/ALOHA WiFi version is also provided (in demos/eLua/gauge). 7. The Catalina telnet binary has been copied to the bin directory (it was previously only in the source/comms/bin directory). This is because the telnet client was not previously much use, but it has now been enhanced to work with the Parallax WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server. This enables either Catalyst, or a downloaded program, to be used via the WiFi module using the telnet client. This is currently supported on a Propeller 2 only. Catalina's telnet client has been enhanced to work with the Parallax WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server by: - Increasing the size and number of comms buffers, to account for the fact that the Serial Bridge TCP Server may send larger packets than a telnet server, and may also send more small packets than a telnet server. - adding a new mode selection telnet command ("mode char" or "mode line"), which can also be specified on the command line (as "/mode=char" or "/mode=line"). When specified on the command line, the "/mode=char" option forces the telnet client into character mode without using telnet option negotiation, which is not supported by the WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server (which is not actually a telnet server, it simply echoes any characters sent, including any telnet commands). When using another telnet client, specifying character mode will try to do the same using telnet option negotiation, which may or may not work, depending on how the telnet client responds to having all the option negotiations simply echoed by the Serial Bridge TCP Server. It SHOULD work, but it may not - e.g. it does not work with the Microsoft telnet client, which does not properly support either character mode or disabling local echo - so all characters entered end up being echoed twice. To use the telnet client via WiFi instead of a hard-wired serial port, the Parallax WiFi module must be installed on pin group 56..63. However, note that using this pin group on a P2 EDGE with PSRAM (i.e. P2-EC32MB) means the WiFi module's RESET and PGM pins are not connected, so the WiFi module cannot be reset programmatically and may have to be power-cycled manually whenever it needs to be reset. But it does allow a telnet client program to be used as Catalyst's user interface. Also note that when the WiFi module is installed on pin group 56 .. 63, it is possible to download software to the Propeller 2 by opening a browser to the page http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx//p2-ddloader.html (where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the WiFi module's IP address) - and then use the telnet client to interact with the downloaded software. But to download software the P2 module's switch 3 must be up and switch 4 must be down, whereas to run software from the SD card using Catalyst, switch 3 must be down and pin 4 must be up. So you cannot do both without changing the switch settings. Under Windows, you can build Catalyst to use one of the serial HMI options and a VT100 as usual, such as: build_all P2_EDGE SIMPLE VT100 USE_COLOR Then, to use the Catalina telnet client, specify the IP address of the WiFi module, and the following options (where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the WiFi module): telnet /mode=char /uselfaseol /autocronlf /host=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx The Linux telnet client does not have comparable options, so instead you must build Catalyst to use one of the serial HMI options but also add the CR_ON_LF option: build_all P2_EDGE SIMPLE VT100 USE_COLOR CR_ON_LF Then, use the Linux telnet client specifying the IP address of the WiFi module (e.g. where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the WiFi module): telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Once in telnet (Linux only), enter the telnet escape character ("Ctrl+]") and then enter the telnet command "mode char". This will use telnet negotiations to enter character mode, which may result in the program receiving a few spurious characters - but it should work ok after that. Note that the WiFi module's Serial Bridge TCP Server times out after 5 minutes of inactivity. The connection can be re-opened again using the telnet "open" command (i.e. Enter telnet command mode by pressing "CTrl ]" and enter the command "open xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" at the "Telnet>" prompt). Other Changes ------------- 1. The eLua/ALOHA custom dispatcher was not using the correct length of the RPC data it pushed onto the Lua stack when processing an RPC call. This may have led to RPC call failing or Lua running out of memory when processing the RPC call. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and Linux. 2. The definition of the WiFi RECV function in the eLua http demo was wrong. Affected the Propeller 1 and Propeller 2 on Windows and Linux. 3. The serial.h include file did not allow for the use of the Propeller 1 serial4x library. Affected the Propeller 1 only on Winows and Linux. 4. The P2_EVAL platform definition file (P2EVAL.inc) was missing the WiFi and 2 Port Serial definitions. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and Linux. 5. Add a small delay to the eLua/ALOHA custom dispatcher, to prevent the program monopolizing the WiFi module by continuously polling it for new events. Affected the Propeller 2 only on Windows and Linux. 6. Some Catalina makefiles were not correctly detecting whether or not to use DOS or Linux commands (e.g. "del" vs "rm"). Most affected was the "clean_all" command, which would never complete when used in some demos directories. Affected Windows only.I've just updated the Catalina Reference Manuals for the Propeller 1 and the Propeller 2. The main change is to add in to the reference manuals a lot of stuff that only existed in the Release Notes or in various README.TXT files.
The updated documents are available on GitHub here, or on Sourceforge here.
Ross.
Just an oddity worth being aware of if you intend to use telnet as your means of interacting with the P2.
Doing so requires you to have a Parallax WiFi adapter on pin group 56 .. 63, and some odd things happen if you also have a Prop Plug plugged in (to pins 62 & 63). If the Prop Plug is NOT also connected to a USB port, then the telnet connection may not work correctly. I have tried many different combinations of WiFi adapter, P2 Edge board and Prop Plug, but I am yet to figure out what is going on. Some combinations always work, some combination work sometimes, and some combinations never do.
However, it can always be made to work simply by either removing the Prop Plug, or else connecting the Prop Plug to a USB port.
Ross.