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TPDesign 3 -> NI-3000 -> AXLink panels

amxhobbyistamxhobbyist Posts: 90
in AMX Design Tools
Group,

I recently discovered a new caveat from upgrading to Netlinx. I'd been using an Axcent3 and upgraded to an NI-3000, switching the Axcent3 to slave mode. I am still using my older AXLink touchpanels.

How do I download to my panels this way?

TPDesign refuses to connect via the "axlink" option. I can connect to the Netlinx master via RS232 just fine, so it's not my connection. My guess is TPDesign is looking for something in terms of an AXLink master that the NI-3000 isn't providing.

Is there a workaround? Or am I doomed to drag the panels over to my computer and do it via straight RS232 every time I want to change something?

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

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    alexanboalexanbo Posts: 282
    As far as I know you need to use Netlinx Studio to download G3 panels through a Netlinx Master over the AXlink bus.

    You need to add the touchpanel files to the Studio project and then map them to the appropriate address. Then use the file transfer dialog to download the panel files. When downloading you have the option to included the bitmaps, fonts, icons or not which is accessed through the options dialog in the file transfer window.

    By the way it's way quicker when downloading source code to connect to the master via TCP/IP rather then RS-232.... for touchpanel files it doesn't really matter as it gets limited by the speed of the axlink bus.
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    DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    Axlink is extraordinarily slow compared even to RS-232. If it's convenient to connect directly to the panel, you might want to do so. For a full load, you might want to do so - that is, if you are loading fonts and bitmaps. For simple page and button updates, the Axlink method suffices.
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    alexanboalexanbo Posts: 282
    Well technically Axlink is only half as slow (19.2k vs 38.4k) as direct RS-232 to a touchpanel as far as I know.
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    DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    Originally posted by alexanbo
    Well technically Axlink is only half as slow (19.2k vs 38.4k) as direct RS-232 to a touchpanel as far as I know.
    :)
    In my book, half as slow is extraordinarily slow. In some things, I guess I'm not very patient.
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    amxhobbyistamxhobbyist Posts: 90
    As far as I know you need to use Netlinx Studio to download G3 panels through a Netlinx Master over the AXlink bus.

    Ah, I got it. Didn't know I could do that. Thanks for the info & instructions.
    By the way it's way quicker when downloading source code to connect to the master via TCP/IP rather then RS-232....

    Agreed, and I am connected to the master via TCP/IP; however, since TPDesign3 only supported RS232, I tried it that way. I've always just loaded my panels from TPDesign when the Axcent3 was the master.

    As for the speed, yeah, axlink is slow, but it's not that big of a deal as I rarely change panel configs. I'm just happy to be able to transfer my source code instantly, since that gets changed much more often. Transferring source to the Axcent3 over and over again when testing a new routine was painful.
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    Thomas HayesThomas Hayes Posts: 1,164
    Just a quick question AMX hobbyist guy: Are your panels colour or B/W ? If their B/W panels, I have a favour to ask you about downloading the TP file via TPD3 and studio in regards to file size.
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    amxhobbyistamxhobbyist Posts: 90
    I have color, b/w and EL panels, all G3. What do you need help with?
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    Thomas HayesThomas Hayes Posts: 1,164
    I am having some issuses while downloading a file to a B/W TP from a Netlinx system but the same files loads fine thur an Axcent III. I did some test here and it seems the download thur the netlinx is adding some extra info that shows up on the TP system page as extra memory used which does not show when downloaded via the axlink/axcent III. I am basically looking for some one to verify this finding. I believe that it maybe the way that the bitmaps are encoded because this was were it seemed to hang the most.
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    amxhobbyistamxhobbyist Posts: 90
    Hmmm... I'm not sure how I could go about verifying this. Do you want me to check my panel for memory used vs. the file? If so, you'll have to tell me how to check the file. I've never really worried about memory usage, even my fairly complex & high bitmap intensive (to me) designs only use a small fraction of the total panel memory.
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