Duet modules and serial servers

mighe

When the controller is far from a serial device we use an ip to rs232 server; everything works very fine but we found a big issue with duet modules.
For example now I have to control a DVD player whose driver is a java one and I load the module in the following way:

DEFINE_MODULE 'Denon_DVD3910_Comm_dr1_0_0' COMM1(vdvDEVICE, serialPort)

If "serialPort" is a physical one, like 5001:1:1, the module works correctly, if is a virtual one (33001:1:1) combined with the real one I got many error when the driver manages feedbacks but, and if I use a socket (0:4:1) It doesn't work at all.

I'm going to write a new driver for the device... for a dvd player it's not a big problem, but for more complex device it won't be so easy.

So, how can I use a socket in a "serial" duet module?

ericmedley

mighe wrote: »

When the controller is far from a serial device we use an ip to rs232 server; everything works very fine but we found a big issue with duet modules.
For example now I have to control a DVD player whose driver is a java one and I load the module in the following way:

DEFINE_MODULE 'Denon_DVD3910_Comm_dr1_0_0' COMM1(vdvDEVICE, serialPort)

If "serialPort" is a physical one, like 5001:1:1, the module works correctly, if is a virtual one (33001:1:1) combined with the real one I got many error when the driver manages feedbacks but, and if I use a socket (0:4:1) It doesn't work at all.

I'm going to write a new driver for the device... for a dvd player it's not a big problem, but for more complex device it won't be so easy.

So, how can I use a socket in a "serial" duet module?

You should probably contact Jon Parker at AMX tech support. He wrote the module.

One of the things the module is doing is managing the serial port that you would normally have the iPort connected to. Part of this management is setting the baud rate, handshaking, hardware config, etc...

So, if there's any difference in the protocol coming to you from the IP device, I woujld Imagine that the module would indeed have some difficulties.

I've used these RS-232 to IP things many times. However, I usually end up using the kind that converts back to RS-232 from IP at the Master-end of things.

If you're creating a virtual device that is more-or-less converting the IP device speak into RS-232 speak, you might have to reverse-engineer a real serial port and see what messages and responses are going/coming from the iPort module and spoof it both directions.

I dunno, just some thoughts.

vining

mighe wrote:

If "serialPort" is a physical one, like 5001:1:1, the module works correctly, if is a virtual one (33001:1:1) combined with the real one I got many error when the driver manages feedbacks but, and if I use a socket (0:4:1) It doesn't work at all.

It's possible a Duet module might not work but a standard Netlinx module does. I've used the Denon DVD2930? module on many serial servers as is and it works fine. You set up the serial server according to the same settings that the module requires and open your socket in define start. When the module comes online and does the SEND_COMMANDS for the baud rate, handshaking or what ever else it does in the comm module it really doesn't do a thing since there isn't a DATA_EVENT command handler for the IP port specified but everything else should work in regard to sending and receiving stings.