commMG.au3 drops 0x00

[KF5WGB]

Hi,

I am trying to receive data send from a radio. Sending commands work just fine and the radio does what it is supposed to do. When I request the Frequency readout from the radio, for example it reads 52.370.000 MHz, all the 00 are dropped.

A portmonitor shows me all the 00 coming across but commMG drops them. Here is the program:

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#include <CommMG.au3>
#include <MsgBoxConstants.au3>

Global $CMPort = 8
Global $CmBoBaud = 19200
Global $sportSetError = ''
Global $CmboDataBits = 8
Global $CmBoParity = "none"
Global $CmBoStop = 2
Global $setflow = 2
Global $freq
Global $complete, $alltogether, $iRet

_CommSetPort($CMPort, $sportSetError, $CmBoBaud, $CmboDataBits, $CmBoParity, $CmBoStop, $setflow)
_CommSetRTS(1)
_CommSetDTR(1)

If @error Then
    MsgBox(16,"Error!","Can't connect to IC-7300 on port : "&$CMPort)
    Exit
EndIf

$bBinData = ""
$bBinData = $bBinData & "0xFEFE94E003FD"        ;command to request Frequency readout
_SendToRadio($bBinData)

$fromradio = _CommGetLine("",32,500)        ;reads buffer up to 50 char's but does not read 00's ??

; input spaces for easier reading not really needed
for $i = 1 to StringLen($fromradio)
$ascStr = Asc(StringMid($fromradio, $i))
$hexStr = Hex($ascStr,2)
$complete &= $hexstr
$alltogether = $alltogether & " " & $hexStr
Next

MsgBox(0,"IC-7300", "Conv with spaces: " & $alltogether & @CRLF & "Binary from radio: " & Binary($fromradio) & @CRLF & "Radio ACK: " & $iRet & @crlf)

$filehandle = FileOpen("ic7300.txt",1)
FileWrite ($filehandle,"in Buffer: " & $fromradio & @crlf)
FileWrite ($filehandle,"Converted to HEX: " & $alltogether & @CRLF)
FileWrite ($filehandle,"Expected: FE FE E0 94 03 00 00 37 52 00 FD"& @CRLF)
FileWrite ($filehandle,"DllStructGetData returns: " & $iRet & @CRLF)
FileClose($filehandle)

_CommClearOutputBuffer()
_CommClearInputBuffer()
_CommCloseport()

Exit

Func _SendToRadio($bBinData)
    _CommClearOutputBuffer()
    _CommClearInputBuffer()
    $bBinData = Binary($bBinData)
    $iNumbytes = BinaryLen($bBinData)
    $tBinData = DllStructCreate("byte["&$iNumbytes&"]")
    $struct = DllStructSetData($tBinData, 1, $bBinData)
    $iRet = _CommSendByteArray(DllStructGetPtr($tBinData),$iNumbytes,1)
    If @error Or $iRet = -1 Then ConsoleWrite("!Error: " &  @error & @CRLF)
    $iRet = _CommReadByteArray(DllStructGetPtr($tBinData), $iNumbytes, 1)
     $iRet = DllStructGetData($tBinData, 1)
     sleep(1000)
    Return $iRet
EndFunc

Here is the txt file output
in Buffer: þþà”7Rý
Converted to HEX:    FE FE E0 94 03 37 52 FD
DllStructGetData returns:     0xFEFE94E003FD
Expected:         FE FE E0 94 03 00 00 37 52 00 FD

Let me explain the HEX stuff radio language -  FE FE E0 94 03 00 00 37 52 00 FD:
FE (OK) FE (OK) this is radio with ID (E0) answering to PC with ID (94) to the request Send FREQ readout (03) and the readout is 00 00 37 52 End of report (00) Ready (FD)
00 00 37 52 needs to be converted to 52.370.000 (got that function done already) The radio send data 'backwards", starting with tens, hundreds and so on.

Also notice that the DllStructGetData does not have any returned data, it still has the data to request the frequency readout.

How can I get those double 00's  in the returned data from the device (Radio)?

Thanks for your help

KF5WGB

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by KF5WGB

[Gianni]

Hi @KF5WGB

have you tried the _Commgetstring() function instead of _CommGetLine() to see if something changes?

(former IK1VQE)

Edited August 17, 2019 by Chimp

[jchd]

You send binary data to the receiver, but read string data. In many string functions (not only here), a binary 0x00 in the string means "end of string", like in C.  Here, is seems the 0x00s are simply ignored by the Comm DLL.

You should use _CommReadByteArray() to read binary data from the device.

Edited August 17, 2019 by jchd

[KF5WGB]

9 hours ago, jchd said:

You send binary data to the receiver, but read string data. In many string functions (not only here), a binary 0x00 in the string means "end of string", like in C.  Here, is seems the 0x00s are simply ignored by the Comm DLL.

You should use _CommReadByteArray() to read binary data from the device.

Hi jchd,

I did. Check towards the end of the _SendToRadio function. That's where

FileWrite ($filehandle,"DllStructGetData returns: " & $iRet & @CRLF)

gets it's data from. Guess I miss something.

Edited August 17, 2019 by KF5WGB
Typo

[KF5WGB]

9 hours ago, Chimp said:

Hi @KF5WGB

have you tried the _Commgetstring() function instead of _CommGetLine() to see if something changes?

(former IK1VQE)

Hi Chimp,

Yes i did try that. Like jchd said, 0x00 means end of string and _CommGetString() cuts it even shorter. The dll just ignores them. Anyway, I found another UDF called CommInterface.au3. That one 'gets' all of the returned data BUT has hickups. The Purge command to clear the buffer does not work right. Sometimes the returned string is only a part of the complete data and sometimes it is longer than expected, meaning data from the "pull" before is still in the buffer. I have to send the request multiple times before the "right and complete" data returns. For now I run a for-next loop to check for stringlength.  Not very elegant but gets the job done...kinda.

 

[jchd]

2 hours ago, KF5WGB said:

I did. Check towards the end of the _SendToRadio function. That's where

FileWrite ($filehandle,"DllStructGetData returns: " & $iRet & @CRLF)

gets it's data from. Guess I miss something.

Yes, but you don't do anything with the value returned from

_SendToRadio($bBinData)

Then you issue:

$fromradio = _CommGetLine("",32,500)

Which I suppose is there where 0x00s are ignored (or maybe binary zeroes are not written to the file in text mode).

[KF5WGB]

3 hours ago, jchd said:

Yes, but you don't do anything with the value returned from

_SendToRadio($bBinData)

Then you issue:

$fromradio = _CommGetLine("",32,500)

Which I suppose is there where 0x00s are ignored (or maybe binary zeroes are not written to the file in text mode).

OMG,

You are right. I forgot all about it. Thanks for pointing this out. I stared at this for 2 days and did not see it. I changed

_SendToRadio($bBinData)
to
$fromradio = _SendToRadio($bBinData)

and removed CommGetLine. Then I found that the received data string is longer than the struct created with just the request of $bBinData & "0xFEFE94E004FD".  All that was left to do was to increase the size a few bytes. It helps to read the programmers part of the radios amnual 🙂

$bBinData = $bBinData & "0xFEFE94E003FD0000000000000000000000"      ;command to request Frequency readout PLUS receive bytes

Once that was done I got the complete data back from the Radio: 0xFEFE94E003FDFEFEE094030000375200FD  - structs....gotta love 'em
A little String magic and the readout looks like this: 52.370.000 MHz

Thanks jchd