Well I used to know Serial Ports
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
What I normally do is to use a terminal emulation program to send commands "by hand" and see what's going on. If I have to spy on two devices talking serially, I use two COM ports to capture each side of the dialog.
Mircea
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What I normally do is to use a terminal emulation program to send commands "by hand" and see what's going on. If I have to spy on two devices talking serially, I use two COM ports to capture each side of the dialog.
Mircea
That was my first though but I haven't done to much serial port work since Win 8, Win10 & Win11 I have not attacked in the same depth. The blessed tool I used to use won't work on Win11 (I also don't have Admin so problems!)
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That was my first though but I haven't done to much serial port work since Win 8, Win10 & Win11 I have not attacked in the same depth. The blessed tool I used to use won't work on Win11 (I also don't have Admin so problems!)
I use Termite: a simple RS232 terminal[^] and wcom32[^]. Both work fine in W11.
Mircea
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I use Termite: a simple RS232 terminal[^] and wcom32[^]. Both work fine in W11.
Mircea
I really like Realterm. You can really do the nuts and bolts of serial comms with it.
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I really like Realterm. You can really do the nuts and bolts of serial comms with it.
Need to add that to Free Tools[^]
I don't think before I open my mouth, I like to be as surprised a everyone else. PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.1.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
Been a long time since I did serial ports but to be fair you are describing a problem with the device and not the port. Which is what I remember. Devices were all odd. Even worse if one had to code to a spec rather than the actual device.
glennPattonWork3 wrote:
Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003
Not sure why that matters? The serial port code itself is going to be different when you move up?
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I use Termite: a simple RS232 terminal[^] and wcom32[^]. Both work fine in W11.
Mircea
Strange, going to have to look at Termite again used it on tried this morning with 11 and it wouldn't install...
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Strange, going to have to look at Termite again used it on tried this morning with 11 and it wouldn't install...
Just installed it on a new W11 machine and works fine (Termite 3.4)
Mircea
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Need to add that to Free Tools[^]
I don't think before I open my mouth, I like to be as surprised a everyone else. PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.1.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate
I added it to tools.
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
Yep ... There are query functions and commands. I spent a lot of time making sure the scale was "centered", "not moving", not in an "error state", etc. A button for "Weigh Now" instead of polling blindly erased a lot of "issues".
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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Been a long time since I did serial ports but to be fair you are describing a problem with the device and not the port. Which is what I remember. Devices were all odd. Even worse if one had to code to a spec rather than the actual device.
glennPattonWork3 wrote:
Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003
Not sure why that matters? The serial port code itself is going to be different when you move up?
Thing was .NET1.0 had no native serial ports, you had to come up with a method (many and varied my favorite was to use MSCOMM32 imported from Visual Studio 6) which was an ugly way to do it. NET2.0 had a native serial port class which was better/easier.
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Just installed it on a new W11 machine and works fine (Termite 3.4)
Mircea
Must give it another go!
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Yep ... There are query functions and commands. I spent a lot of time making sure the scale was "centered", "not moving", not in an "error state", etc. A button for "Weigh Now" instead of polling blindly erased a lot of "issues".
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
Oh it gets worse. Despite me saying do we need to do it this something will break. An expensive, new set of scales was bought disassembled and made to mimic what worked. Problem was what worked didn't and there was so much trouble is trying to get it working and they were so sensitive they were unusable for Production use. So muggins here cobbled together a Phidget thing (link [Phidgets Inc. - Products for USB Sensing and Control](https://www.phidgets.com/) to get something workable. My Phidget journey is just starting which me luck!!
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
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Hi All, Time for a rant, I know how to get PC's to talk to the outside world given sufficient hardware and info. I am playing with a set of scales that we are abusing for a test rig. The device is a little odd and the timing of it is strange. You send it a 'Z\r\n' to zero it 'beep' (which according to the docs means received & understood) and period of time T it zero's, then reading is made via 'P\r\n' 'beep' and the reading is returned. The reading packet seems to hold the current tare weight, the number of readings made and a total. All we care about is the tare weight. If the unit is zeroed the tare weight according to logic should be 0.00 but no it is not there?? force a zero by the on scale function it returns a 0.00 tare weight? Combined with the lack of Vis Studio .NET beyond version 2003 (.NET 1.5??) means I have to make notes of how the software behaves and do the mods with 2008 all despite having the OK for a new version (2017 possibly needed for compatibility issues) I still don't have it. I'm doing my best with what I have (if some else tells me to use Python I will stick a fork in their eye) Glenn
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Check the wires. Can't tell you how many days I wasted on a not quite completely broken ground wire. The only thing worse than no grounding is intermittent grounding.
Don't worry, I have checked the ground (& TX, RX) lines multiple times!
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Hi, Are you sure that after a zero the tare weight should be zero? Usually the zero command zeroes the NET weight, not the tare
I was going by the garbled instructions I had. A method of Zeroing everything is required. I have contacted the scale manufacturer to try to get some data on how to do it.
