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| QSA ToolWorks Public Feedback Forum > General Helix Talk > Serial Communications with Helix | You are not logged in. Login or Register. |
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| Author: | Topic: Serial Communications with Helix | |||
JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23    |
 Posted: Sep 29, 2003 9:45:41 am    
Hi, Anyone know of a way for a Helix Client to get data from a serial port? I would like to connect a Mac to an electronic pallet scale (http://www.itinscales.com/lowprofile.htm) and have Helix get the weight from the scale and put it in a field on a form. I want to build a pallet check out station where each pallet is weighed and it's weight recorded. Here's the system outline: http://home.earthlink.net/~jeffny61/PalletCheckOut.JPG I'd also like a way Helix could send a signal (via serial? not sure yet) to a DVR that would take a picture of the pallet too. Maybe this could be done via AppleEvents and an external app (written in FutureBasic?) to handle the serial communications? Jeff
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Sep 30, 2003 6:04:19 am
Jeff, This should be doable. I did some serial port stuff about 8 years ago that loads data from an automaton running 8 production "tools" into the Helix Production database. What are the specs for your scale and camera ?? Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Sep 30, 2003 7:28:41 am
Fred, I haven't ordered the pallet scale yet (http://www.itinscales.com/lowprofile.htm 4x4x5000lbs model) but I'm trying to get a copy of the manual now to see how the computer would talk to it. I'll probably use Panasonic WV-CP474 cameras (http://cctvproducts.com/daycolnigbwc.html) cameras. I just ordered two for outdoor security applications. Should have them this week. All security cameras and the two pallet scale cameras will connect to the Jupiter Callisto DVR (digital video recorder). Amazing machine. I'm in the process of ordering that now. The Callisto has 16 "digital" inputs (and outputs)...probably 5 to 24 volt line inputs....one of these can be used to trigger the Callisto to snap pictures of the pallets. The Callisto will also sit on the office network, but I'm not sure yet if I could send a signal to it via TCP/IP to trigger the "event" (although you can view and control the cameras remotely). Another option might be to use the Callistos motion sensing abilty. You can define upto 5 "hot zones" per video from camera...any motion happens in that hot zone the DVR will take a picture or start recording at the fps video rate you specify. Maybe when the pallet is ready to be photographed the operator passes his hand in front of a certian location in front of one of the cameras? When I get more info on the pallet scale display I'll post it.... Thanks, Jeff
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Sep 30, 2003 9:37:36 am
Jeff, Ok fine. Let me know when you have more info. All the best Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 01, 2003 2:55:17 am
Fred, Think I'm going with this unit... http://www.americanweigh.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=A&Product_Code=pegasus I was able to get the manual for the S200...in Word format. That and two PDF's can be downloaded from here: http://home.earthlink.net/~jeffny61/scale/ICSS200INDICATOR.pdf.bin http://home.earthlink.net/~jeffny61/scale/S200_USer.doc.bin http://home.earthlink.net/~jeffny61/scale/pegasus_L.pdf.bin Looks like it has a "demand" mode. Under "B.1.1.1 RECOGNIZED HOST COMMANDS" it shows the commands it responds to. Looks like it just takes a single ASCII character.... Jeff
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Oct 01, 2003 11:34:27 am
Jeff, I'll take a look at the docs. Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 01, 2003 1:05:44 pm
Fred, Great. I ordered the Pegasus this morning. I got a 6100 here I can connect to it for testing... Jeff
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 03, 2003 11:32:27 am
Generally, how would someone get data from a serial port into Helix? Any ideas? Can AppleScript communicate with serial ports? The thought of using AppleScript makes me num.....but if it works.... Even if AppleScript (or an external app) works, it says in the docs... Note: Helix cannot initiate Apple Events; it can only receive them. As such, external access is controlled totally by the external application. ....humm, so the external app would have to "run the show"? It's be nice to have a button on a form in Helix to click to trigger the weight acquisition and trigger the DVR to take the pictures. Is there a way an external app could monitor Helix to see when a button on a form is pressed?
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 03, 2003 4:04:08 pm
hummm....maybe I could use Publish and Subscribe to send data to and get data from an external app talking to the scale....? I'll have to play with that (just thinking out load here...if anyone has any thoughts on this please jump in)  - Edited by JeffNY on: Oct 03, 2003 4:06:23 pm
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Oct 03, 2003 5:47:51 pm
Jeff, You can launch an app with Helix stroed as a document Simple all the best Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 04, 2003 1:26:03 pm
Fred, >>You can launch an app with Helix stroed as a document<< Not sure I understand this. Do you mean Helix the applicaton...then somehow read bytes from memory that signify when a button is pushed or other event happens? (and how do you determine what bytes to Peek? And would that be in protected memory?) Or are you refering to using Publish and Subscribe? ....you select a "check box" (buttons won't work I guess [oopps if you use a sequence you can]), Helix publishes a file with some irrelivant data in it, the external app then sees the last modified date of the file just changed (hopefully within 1 second), gets the weight and puts it in another file that Helix subscribes too, then Helix grabs the weight from that just updated file. Do-able? Are there any other ways Helix can send and recieve data with external apps directly (instead of going through a file)? - Edited by JeffNY on: Oct 04, 2003 2:11:26 pm
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 04, 2003 2:28:25 pm
It appears Pulished files are not text files. I published a list with one item listed, "69". I then went to open the published file in Word 5.1. First it said I couldn't open the file because it was in use. That could be a problem. The next attempt opened the file but there was all kinds of stuff in there, including text from a bulliten board I was looking at yesterday! How'd that get in there? What are "Published" files anyway, in some format Apple defined? They have their own icon and don't look like text files. Will have to work with this some more.... And will Publish & Subscribe be supported in Helix 6? I could probably just use Import in a sequence to import the weight from a file...but how would you have Helix tell the external app to get the weight from the scale....then wait, say, 1 second for it to get it and store it in a text file before importing it?
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Oct 05, 2003 9:33:58 am
Jeff, quote: Sorry about that. I'll try and be more precise - let's assume that you have an application "Serialreader". If you store "Serialreader" as a document in your Helix collection thyen you can launch "serialreader" from within your Helix Collection by simply clicking a button. Let's further assume that "serialreader" does something when it is launched - it sends a command through the serial port and waits for a reply. Once it has received the reply it parses the reply (because it knows the reply format) and prepares it for entering into Helix via an appleevent and then does so and then it Quits. This has been triggered by clicking on a button within Helix. So it is correct to say that Helix cannot send appleevents but in a sense it can trigger them. As far as I know Publish and Subscribe is a dead duck. Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 05, 2003 1:27:08 pm
Fred, You can store an application (aka "Serialreader") as a document in your Helix collection then trigger its execution? That's amazing!! I had no idea....wow, I loved Helix but this takes it to a whole nother dimension. I will try this.... Thanks! Jeff
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Oct 05, 2003 2:50:58 pm
Jeff, quote: Yup, documents and appleevents are pretty exciting. And there's lots more. you've just started scratching the surface. Fred |
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| JeffNY Posts: 67 Registered: 2003-05-23 |
Posted: Oct 23, 2003 6:39:54 am
An update, and question, for anyone interersted... Set up my pallet scale last week. Neat machine. My new DP G4 (1.25GHz) arrived last week also. Yesterday my Beige G3 (desktop, 266MHz, 256MB) arrived ($100 on ebay...minus a HD and keyboard/mouse, but included a Zip drive and USB card). The hard drive I ordered for it from NewEgg should be here in a day or so, the keyboard and trackball from Macconnection by Monday. Also orded a number of cables and extension cables for the setup from PCcables.com (great site). The computer will be in the office, the keyboard and monitor just outside the office (I'm leaning towards a Sharp LL-T15G3 LCD at this point...but it will have to be in a "box" on the wall ventalated into the office to protect it from cold temps, dirt, ect.). Oh, and my DVR will ship from Hong Kong Monday! Can't wait to get that. I'll also need to buy another (second) Helix Server license. I'm current using a 5.1.1 Helix server....will 5.1.1 clients not work Ok with the 5.2 server if I want them to connect to the "Orders" app from time to time? Or will I need to upgrade everything to 5.2?  Question: If I have the "Orders" Helix app running on the G4 server, and the Helix Client running on the G3 at the pallet check out station, can I still run a "document" app on the client to retrieve the scale weight via the serial port? I guess when I get this all wired up I'll find out...  Jeff
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| Fred Posts: 57 Registered: 2003-04-10 |
Posted: Oct 23, 2003 1:12:28 pm
quote: Answer : Yes  Fred |
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