serial coms - again

[malc-c]

Need one final bit of assistance. We've made the changes to the PC application so that it sends the complete string back to the PIC. Q tells the PIC to send data, S tells it to expect data

QS350635250249250250250249250250250249000000000000000000000000000000001501501501500000000000000000Q

This should then populate the variables as follows

[dec3 normtemp[0]]
[dec3 normtemp[1]]
[dec3 normtemp[2]]
[dec3 normtemp[3]]

[dec3 alarmlow[0]]
[dec3 alarmlow[1]]
[dec3 alarmlow[2]]
[dec3 alarmlow[3]]

[dec3 alarmhigh[0]]
[dec3 alarmhigh[1]]
[dec3 alarmhigh[2]]
[dec3 alarmhigh[3]]

[#StartHour[0] DIG 1,#StartHour[0] DIG 0,#StartMin[0] DIG 1,#StartMin[0] DIG 0]
[#StartHour[1] DIG 1,#StartHour[1] DIG 0,#StartMin[1] DIG 1,#StartMin[1] DIG 0]
[#StartHour[2] DIG 1,#StartHour[2] DIG 0,#StartMin[2] DIG 1,#StartMin[2] DIG 0]
[#StartHour[3] DIG 1,#StartHour[3] DIG 0,#StartMin[3] DIG 1,#StartMin[3] DIG 0]

[#StopHour[0] DIG 1,#StopHour[0] DIG 0,#StopMin[0] DIG 1,#StopMin[0] DIG 0]
[#StopHour[1] DIG 1,#StopHour[1] DIG 0,#StopMin[1] DIG 1,#StopMin[1] DIG 0]
[#StopHour[2] DIG 1,#StopHour[2] DIG 0,#StopMin[2] DIG 1,#StopMin[2] DIG 0]
[#StopHour[3] DIG 1,#StopHour[3] DIG 0,#StopMin[3] DIG 1,#StopMin[3] DIG 0]

[dec3 Droptemp[0]]
[dec3 Droptemp[1]]
[dec3 Droptemp[2]]
[dec3 Droptemp[3]]

[#lightsetHR[0] DIG 1,#lightsetHR[0] DIG 0,#lightsetMN[0] DIG 1,#lightsetMN[0] DIG 0]
[#lightsetHR[1] DIG 1,#lightsetHR[1] DIG 0,#lightsetMN[1] DIG 1,#lightsetMN[1] DIG 0]

[#lightoffHR[0] DIG 1,#lightoffHR[0] DIG 0,#lightoffMN[0] DIG 1,#lightOFFMN[0] DIG 0]
[#lightoffHR[1] DIG 1,#lightoffHR[1] DIG 0,#lightoffMN[1] DIG 1,#lightOFFMN[1] DIG 0]

Now I've used the following to handle the import of things like normtemp etc and that work fine

   TempWD = 0
    HSERIN 1000,RX_Bombed,[DEC3 TempWD]
    normtemp[0] = TempWD   
    SetPoints(0)=normtemp[0]

However I'm having issues formatting the HSERIN sections for the times such as lightsON and Lights OFF and StartHour etc, especially as these are just two digits 00 - 23 for hours and 00 - 59 for mins. MCS reports

Expected ']'

but it doesn't hell me where, and adding them to most logical places (like at the end) still results in similar errors

Any ideas ?

[malc-c]

Any reason why

hserout [#StartHour[0] DIG 1,#StartHour[0] DIG 0,#StartMin[0] DIG 1,#StartMin[0] DIG 0]

compiles, but

hserin [#StartHour[0] DIG 1,#StartHour[0] DIG 0,#StartMin[0] DIG 1,#StartMin[0] DIG 0]

Throws up an "expected ]" error. I've tried adding ] to nearly all possible permutations and still can't get it nto compile

[Jerson]

Hi Malc_c

I was curious to see this thread and got into this pretty late.

How big is the serial data packet that you send down to the PIC?
From the details you gave, I think you have problems PC->PIC (downstream)
If that is true, are you buffering your received characters on the PIC? If not, then the least you can do is make the PC space out the characters in time. Put a few mS gap between each character sent to the PIC to avoid losing characters on the PIC
How do you synch the receive to the start of the incoming stream of data? Do you have a synch character to look for?
It will be better to look over the whole code to find the problem.

Regards

[malc-c]

Hi and thanks for the advice. The PC application simply send "Q" to the PIC every 10 seconds. The PIC responds to the Q by sending the 100 odd digits for the variables as described in previous posts above. When the application is used to update or set the PIC, the application has an "update" button which sends an "S" followed by the same 100 odd digits, followed by a "Q" to read back the values just written. The application does not send variable data to the PIC at any other time.

I agree that it's difficult to diagnose what might be happening without the complete code - please drop me a PM with an e-mail address and I'll mail you the code.

[Jerson]

Hi Malcolm

PM sent. Just in case you don't get it, you can PM me

Regards

[malc-c]

Thanks,

Jerson, and Henrik for the PM's - I've responded via e-mail

Many thanks

[malc-c]

OK I'm at a loss - I don't know if it's the code that's the problem, the PIC, or the development board.

The corruption now appears to be limited to just the bottom line of the 4 x 20 LCD. I've noticed that it tends to over-write the clock that's down in the bottom left of the display

The normal display looks like


Yet sometimes at random time the clock got over-written for a split second and the sometime sets points will revert back to 00, like this, sometimes



This is even when running without the serial cable connected. When I've got the serial cable hooked up and the 27th Q is sent the PIC either reboots and the LCD screen looks like the one above, or it doesn't reboot but displays a scrolling garbage like



Thinking it might be a problem with the LCD I took the one out of my prototype controller that's been used to keep my snakes warm... this too displays the same issue when plugged into the EasyPIC5 board.

So.. I started loading the same version of HEX that has been running in the prototype for the past two months (which has the original coms DT wrote for use with Hyperterm and doesn't use the PC app Charles has produced) and that too over-wrote the clock leaving 15 after the minutes.

OK maybe the RTC module I'm using is causing the issue, possibly corrupting the values

I2CRead SDApin,SCLpin,$D0,$00,[RTCSec,RTCMin,RTCHour,RTCWDay,RTCDay,RTCMonth,RTCYear,RTCCtrl]  ; read DS1307 chip
If RTCHour.6=1 then
			
CounterA=(RTCHour>>4)&$01                           ' Work-Out 12 or 24 hour Display for Hours
else
CounterA=(RTCHour>>4)&$03
endif
CounterA=CounterA*10+(RTCHour&$0F)                  ' Display Hours appropriately for 12 or 24 hour Mode 
If RTCHour.6=1 then			
LCDOut $FE,$D4,#CounterA
else
LCDOut $FE,$D4,#CounterA Dig 1,#CounterA Dig 0
endif
LCDOut ":",#(RTCMin>>4)&$0F,#RTCMin&$0F

for arguments sake it could be writing 26:6415 (which once on setting the time I found the variables used to equal such stupid numbers) and the when it goes back to displaying 16:26 the 15 is left behind - no problem, I can simply add LCDOut $FE,$D4+5," " to over-write it... BUT this doesn't explain why when I send Q to the PIC manually via the Hyperterm program, or use Charlies PC application to poll the PIC that it re-boots on the 27th Q, even when the DS1307 module has been removed.

The way I can tell it reboots is that after all the initialization, the first thing the PIC does is jump to an "about" subroutine that simply displays the current version of the code on the LCD, then jumps to the main program loop, so it has to be reset to display this screen.

Note:
I've subsequently moved the section which reads the stored values for each variable so now when it reboots the set temperatures are no longer zeroed as shown in the second image.

[HenrikOlsson]

Hi Malcolm,
You can get that error message when you've missed a comma somewhere in the HSERIN command, look carefully and I think you'll find it.

Anyway, I took a stab at it here and I think the following should do it:

'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC3 NormTemp[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC3 AlarmLow[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC3 AlarmHigh[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC2 StartHour[Counter], DEC2 StartMin[Counter]]
NEXT
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC2 StopHour[Counter], DEC2 StopMin[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC3 DropTemp[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Counter = 0 to 3
HSERIN 1000, RX_Bombed, [DEC2 LightSetHR[Counter], DEC2 LightSetMN[Counter]]
NEXT
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems to work, I wrote up a bit of code to re-send all the variable back to PC and it looks like in the attached screenshot. Note that I'm only sending the "S" and I'm not waiting for that final "Q" in your datastream.

/Henrik.

PS. Here's the code I used to send everything back to the terminal, might be good for further debugging:

HSEROUT ["-------------------------------",10]
For Counter = 0 to 3
    HSEROUT ["Normtemp ", #Counter, "   : ", DEC3 Normtemp[counter],10]
    HSEROUT ["AlarmHigh ",#Counter, "  : ", Dec3 AlarmHigh[Counter],10]
    HSEROUT ["AlarmLow ",#Counter, "   : ", Dec3 AlarmLow[Counter],10]
    HSEROUT ["Start ",#Counter, "      : ", Dec2 StartHour[Counter],":", DEC2 StartMin,10]
    HSEROUT ["Stop ",#Counter, "       : ", Dec2 StopHour[Counter],":", DEC2 StopMin,10]
    HSEROUT ["Droptemp ",#Counter,"   : ", DEC3 Droptemp[counter],10]
    HSEROUT ["Light set ",#Counter, "  : ", DEC2 LightSetHr, ":", Dec2 LightsetMn,10]
    HSEROUT ["-------------------------------",10]     
Next 
HSEROUT ["T H A T ' S   I T   M A L C O L M",10,10]

[HenrikOlsson]

Hello again,
I didn't see your latest message before posting my previous.

It's not a comma missing in your HSERIN statement, however I don't think DIG can be used with HSERIN, only with HSEROUT - I think.

[malc-c]

Henrik,

As always, thanks for your help - that works a treat - THANK YOU !!!!!

[malc-c]

Just thought you might like to see the final result. I just hope that others searching or working on serial communications can make use of all that has gone on in this thread

[malc-c]

Maybe I spoke too soon - seems that something corrupts the LCD after a set number of transfers.

Basically the PC applications sends a "Q" every 10 seconds which causes the PIC to respond by sending the stream of digits described above. On the 27th Q the LCD starts to display random characters, initially along the bottom line of the 4 line LCD.

Thinking it might be the application I used the serial port coms app from MCS and manually sent Q's to the PC. on the 27th the same thing happened....

Any ideas on where to start de-bugging ?

[HenrikOlsson]

Hi Malcolm,
Really hard to say. Is it repeatable, always 27 times? Is everything else OK, just the LCD acting up?

I think you're going to have to post some code.