paper: Dashboard Monitor version 1.3

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Dashboard Monitor version 1.3
by: GreenDice

_This program allows you to monitor and record dashboard output from your Innovation First Operator Interface module. Labels are customizable.
Recorded data can be played back in slower step and support single-stepping. A cvs converter can be downloaded separately.

Note:

  1. The installation prog…_

    This program allows you to monitor and record dashboard output from your Innovation First Operator Interface module. Labels are customizable.
    Recorded data can be played back in slower step and support single-stepping. A cvs converter can be downloaded separately.

Note:

  1. The installation program is not that good. It might have problems dealing older systems. It works better if your operating systems is up-to-date with all the patches, especially Internet Explorer.
  2. My program is written in Visual Basic 6.0. I used it for the rapid development time. However, it is not the fastest programming language. I only have tested on a few desktop PCs (running Windows 2000) and one laptop (running Windows 98 2nd edition). These machine are relatively new - i.e. fast. You might have to find a faster PC to keep the program happy.
  3. I have not written any documentation yet. Please email me (liu@syrres.com) if you need any help.

Quick Start Guide:

  1. Normal View vs. RC Output View
    Normal - Program decodes normal dashboard port output. Connect programming cable to dashboard port of Operator Interface.
    RC Output - Program decodes Robot Controller debug output.
    Connect programming cable to programming port of Robot Controller.
    Note that baud rate is always 19200 bps for both dashboard
    port and programming port.
  2. Double click the label to bring up label editor. Changes will be saved to the registry.
  3. All program settings are saved to the following key in registry:[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\Dashboard
    Monitor]
  4. To single-step the data while playbacking a recorded .dsh file:
    o Push the “pause” button.
    o Push the “play” button once to play the next record
    o Repeat pushing the “play” button
  5. RC Debug Output (advanced debug feature)
    In order to output debug data to programming port, add one extra line of code after the original SEROUT statement. This line
    allows you to output up to 24 variables.

Example:
’ Serout USERCPU, OUTBAUD, [255,255,(PWM1),relayA, (PWM2),relayB,(PWM3),(PWM4),(PWM5),(PWM6),(PWM7),(PWM
8),(PWM9),(PWM10),(PWM11),(PWM12),(PWM13),(PWM14),(PWM15),(PWM16)]
Serout USERCPU, OUTBAUD, [255,255,p1_y,relayA,p2_y,relayB,p3_y,p4_y,p1_x,p2_x,p3_x,p4_x,p1_wheel,p2_w
heel,p3_wheel,p4_wheel,127,127,127,127]

Serout 16, 110,[255,255,p1_y,relayA,p2_y,relayB,p3_y,p4_y,p1_x,p2_x,p3_x,p4_x,p1_wheel,p2_wheel, p3_wheel,p4_wheel,127,127,127,127,1,2,3,4,5,6]

Please note that this extra line of code contains 6 extra bytes at the end. These are the variables shown in the “Debug” frame. Make sure you know how each PWM output and relay output are mapped. There must be a total of 26 bytes and the first 2 bytes must be 255.

This will slow your program down but hopefully provide some useful real-time feedback on the values of the output and internal variables, not just the joystick values.

dashboard.zip (2.67 MB)

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