NetworX NX8E Security Panel

Spire_Jeff

Is anyone out there running a Netlinx system with a wired Modero panel and an NX8E panel? I have found a problem with the supplied modules and I am wondering if it is something in the code or if its a network problem. Let me start from the beginning:

We just decided to totally overhaul our showroom and brought in an NXD-CV7 to replace a very tired VIA panel. I put the unit in the wall and started out by loading the test pages for the Escient Fireball module. Love the X/Y video control. Things were working great. Then I used the 'Save as different panel type' on the tpd file we use on our MVP-8400. Although looks left a LOT to be desired, the distorted file worked as expected.

This is where it gets interesting. We have a new graphics guy and I decided now would be a good time to teach him about designing touchpanels. He came up with a great concept for the main page and a couple of the Room/device select buttons so I suggested we upload it to make sure that things look as good on the touch panel as they do on the computer. We uploaded them and things looked great. Button pushes were doing what I expected them to do (with the obvious exception of pulling up the popup pages) Then it happened, the touch panel started flipping out! I have code in place to double beep the touch panel and open an Online popup when the panel comes online. This panel started going on and offline randomly. Sometimes it would be fine for 2 minutes, sometimes you couldn't get it to even stay up and stable long enough to enter the setup pages.

I'll try to abbreviate this part: I first thought I had missed a setting in TPD4, checked and everything appeared ok. Then I called tech support to verify that there wasn't a known problem in firmware. We verified the panel had the latest firmware, then the person I was talking with suggested a brand new blank tpd file with one blank page sent with the full transfer option. Loaded the new file and the same thing happened. I then tried a CV15 panel we have in the office and the same thing happened. I was back to trouble shooting the software. I removed all modules and most include files and amazingly things worked fine. I started adding modules and include files one at a time. I finally narrowed it down to the NX8E UI module.

Whenever a zone faults, the touchpanel goes offline, then online. I looked at the code, but I don't see anything that I recognize as causing problems. Can anyone see if they experience the same problems with the modules that are provided by AMX? I am still not 100% positive that the problem is in the module, but if it is, I would like to figure out what is causing it so I can be sure to never do it in the future. If it isn't in the module and the problem is somewhere in our networking, I would like to know so I can try to replace things and avoid this hair pulling experience in the future. Let me know if you need any other details or if you need me to post any of the code from the modules I have.

Thanks,
Jeff

Spire_Jeff

Please temporarily disregard the above.

On a whim, I decided to search for a new version of the NX8E Module and would you believe there is one? I'm gonna test out the new modules and see if the problem is still there. I'll post my findings either way in about 15 minutes.

Jeff

Spire_Jeff

Ok, I'm a moron. It seems the new modules don't exhibit the same behavior. Atleast I learned to ALWAYS check for a new module when experiencing trouble.

Jeff

DHawthorne

I hate to say it, but I tend to shy away from AMX provided modules. I have never had one that worked 100%. But when there is a tight budget, there is little point re-inventing the wheel, and, fortunately, the flaws are usually minor enough that I could work around them.

AMX uses a standard template for every time of device that specifies the commands available to use with that type of device. So far, so good (and clearly a precursor to the coming DUET paradigm). I have, however, found commands that did not work at all, even though the device supported an equivalent. Sometimes the device did not support the command, or anything like it, and this was not stated in the AMX documentation. These kind of annoyances can suck up a lot of time when you are assuming you have fully tested and working code - you immediately start ripping through your own stuff trying to figure out what you did wrong.

AMX provided modules also have a tendency to put feedback in mainline. This is fine for channel events and levels, but when a variable text is involved, the resulting messaging can overwhelm your controller because of the use of SEND_COMMANDS.

My design paradigms (because of longstanding company standard designs) and AMX standards rarely jive. If I have multiple panels on a job, it is unlikely that each will do exactly the same thing at the same time. So I can't usually just link a virtual to the device and combine it with all the panels. This applies mainly to things like thermostat controls, where one person is adjusting one stat, and another is adjusting a different stat...in my mind, it's silly to make seperate panel pages to each, so instead I track who is doing what on a per-panel basis. If I just popped up a virtual, what one person was doing, the other would see happening, unless I just locked them out. The result is I use DEV arrays quite a lot. If you blast feedback to an array, you can get hundreds of commands going out per second. Instead, I track which panels need feedback and only send to those as I step through the array. You can't do that with a combined virtual, it's all or nothing. It seems to me the AMX designs assume a simplicity of overall system design that my projects rarely have.

So, when using an AMX module, my habit is to employ their COMM module (which usually have no issues), and make my own UI...or adapt the provided UI module. This gives me much more flexibility without starting from the ground up. And I also make certain I test every single button on every single panel page to make sure all that I think has been implemented actually works.

Spire_Jeff

Dave,

I agree with what you are saying. I generally use the AMX UI code as a starting point and modify it to my needs, I just hadn't gotten around to modifying this code yet (the cobbler's kids always go barefoot sorta thing).

On a seperate note, it seems that the new module is still causing problems, just not as quickly.

Jeff

Chip Moody

While I have used countless AMX comm modules, I believe I have yet to re-use one of their UI programs & TP files. They're either too much for the installation I'm doing, or have features that I want presented in a different way to my clients. I always wind up doing my own UI along with the rest of my program, just doing SEND_COMMANDS to the comm module...

- Chip

sonny

I using the NX-8E and not having any problems, however, like was stated earlier, I don't use the AMX UI or TP files. The driver had a small bug in it pertaining to it reporting ARMED AWAY or ARMED HOME, that is why the new version is up.

Thomas Hayes

I tend to agree with the AMX modules not always working the way you want it to. I always write my own code from scratch.It takes longer and if there's a problem I don't have to try and figure out someone elses way of coding. I did try my first module the other day and was unable to get it to work at first. I read the text file after to find AMX had changed the default baud rate.(see my rant about it-GT1150 module) Needless to say I am not a big module type guy.

Spire_Jeff

I think I started a second thread that was a little more general, but I'll post my findings here also. The problem seems to be arising when information is sent to a nonexistent button on the touchpanel. I haven't narrowed it down to anything specific, but my hunch is that it involves changing the text on buttons that don't exist. One day when I am bored I will see if I can track down something more specific, but for the time being I have enough info to avoid the problem (I wrote my own UI )

Jeff

Thomas Hayes

I found similar issues with the GT-1150 module. The UI would start off working okay but would hang the second I tried to use certain keys. I think it was due to the projector not talking to the module and this caused the module to lock up any future commands.