Ge-9030 pcm301 barcode application issues

[Byron]

So I could ignore a .cdf and do the config in my .pgm file?

I can then ignore that setup screen and make sure there are no .cdf files in the PGM RAM?

What are .bin binary files all about, and do I really need them ?

 

[Steve Bailey]

The .pgm and .cdf files are as deep into the bowels of the PCM module as I've ever delved. I don't know the function of the .bin files.

So I could ignore a .cdf and do the config in my .pgm file?

The Ioctl#6 statement on line 220 of the Megabasic program configures the port 2 parameters.

 

[Byron]

Steve said:
"The Ioctl#6 statement on line 220 of the Megabasic program configures the port 2 parameters."
What is #6 referencing?

 

[Steve Bailey]

Line 210 Open#6, "com2:" opens a communications channel. The number is arbitrary. The #6 in the Ioctl statement in line 220 refers to that channel. Line 230 closes the channel

The publication for the Megabasic manual is GFK0256 if you're interested in the full instruction set reference.

 

[Byron]

Steve!!! I have made progress. I added the print statement on a new line 555 as you said, and after I typed run in megabasic the screen is alive.

Then, I noticed that %R486 is waiting for a value of "1" ... DUH... I'm in my lab with a 10 slot test rack with a P.S.; CPU; and PCM-301, everytime I cycle power I have to go back online with Proficy and clear all the HARDWARE and I-O FAULTS, then put in RUN mode, AND DUH... I am not connected to the rest of the modules and machinery. Well I forced a 1 bit in R486, then scanned QTY 2 ; LANE 3 (or whatever) and the data scrolled by so fast I had to do it several times, but here is what I finally got:

Scanner Data = QTY 1
Scanner Data = Lane 2
Destination = 2
Cancel
Complete

This is based on line 440:

440 If ((SMODE=1)and (DEST_FLG=1) and (QTY_FLG=1)) then [Gosub DELAY;Gosub CANCEL;Print "Complete"]

I'm not sure what "Gosub" means... ???
I'm not sure why it did not print "DELAY" before it prints "CANCEL"

I think I may be REAL close to being able to go onsite without looking like an inept idiot to upper management number crunchers.

Thank You Very Much for helping me get this far...

Shalom!!!

 

[Steve Bailey]

Gosub is a jump to a subroutine.
The subroutine called "CANCEL" starts on line 810. The subroutine called "DELAY" starts on line 930.

It doesn't print DELAY because there is no Print statement in the DELAY subroutine telling it to. There is a Print statement in the CANCEL subroutine on line 900.

The fact that it printed "Destination = 2" means it executed line 680. That implies it also executed line 670 which should have written a value of 2 to PLC address %R485.

 

[Byron]

I'm still jazzed...
I filmed the screen with my Android so I could slow it down to see the text that flies by. Here is a more accurate rendition:

Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =QTY 1
Quantity = 2
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data = Lane 2
Destination = 2
Cancel
Complete
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =
Scanner Data =

Aaaannnndddd (drum roll....)
The numbers actually show up in the Registers in Proficy!!!

I will go onsite now armed with the right tools.
Thanks to All You guys!!!
This motivates me to hopefully give back like you all do, instead of lurking.
Have a great Holiday. I will let Y'all know how this plays out with a status report. If you see or think of anything I might miss, let me know.
Cheers,
Byron

 

[Steve Bailey]

It certainly wasn't the addition of line 555 to the Megabasic program that got it working, so it is probably the value you put into %R486. Either that or the Megabasic program was not running.

 

[Byron]

I spoke too soon... yes you are right. The program was not running. I went into MegaBasic and loaded the program and made my edits and then typed RUN. All was well. I'm assuming I was in TERMF at that point doing my monitoring, or it is just MegaBasic running the program? Anyway it would not respond to CTRL-C to escape out, so I just killed the DOS window. Then I held the reset button for 5 seconds, tell tale sign in PCOP- NOCOM, but the program is not running.

No numbers show up with the scanner gun in Proficy.

So now, I gotta figure out how to make the program run on a cycle of power or reset.

I'm open for ideas while I read more books...

Thanks!!!

 

[danatomega]

Did you access the link I gave you in Post #5? That doc describes editing PCMEXEC.BAT file to load your program and run it, as well as the .bin file type you asked about.

The line in PCMEXEC.BAT (in \PCOP folder) should read like this (I think):
R BASIC.EXE SCANNER.TXT

 

[Byron]

danotomega, thanks for the reply... I'll try that next. I replied to this message and had a bunch of comments and questions. The site keeps logging me out and I log back in and my messages vaporize. I'm going to write them in notepad++ and paste into this box.

 

[Byron]

Greetings Gentlemen!
I'm typing this message in Notepad++ because PLCS.NET knocks me off and my LONG messages disappear. Usually I can hit the back button and find what I typed and copy and paste into a new reply window and post it before I get knocked off again.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:
1. When I invoke TERMF and type !! <ENTER> I get the following reply:
INTERACTIVE MODE ENTERED
type'?' for a list of commands
BUT... according the the "GE_PCM_OPERATING_TIPS_fax02901.pdf" document I should also get this comment: "Welcome to VTOS executive". WHAT does the acronymn "VTOS" stand for? Is it part of VME? European standards? Or what? Do I have an older version of TERMF or something?
2. Comment: I did finally figure out how to invoke the 10 second press of the reset button which takes the PCM out of RUN mode and gives me access again. The only way I have found to monitor the process in real time using the %R tables in Proficy and the scanner gun and TERMF to see the status print to screen is to invoke the program RUN via TERMF. I did it yesterday using MegaBasic but it is more cumbersome (to me)...
3. If I understand correctly, I should be able to edit, make changes, and then put the system back to RUN using a 2 SECOND press of the button. Then 10 SECONDS or more should take it out of RUN and give me COMM back with PCOP wherein I can then invoke TERMF or MB etc....
4. So if I can solve this AUTOSTART PROBLEM on power cycle or LONG PRESS OF THE MAGIC BUTTON, then I should be able to go back and forth between RUN and PROGRAM mode at will. SO HOW DO I... MONITOR THE PGM when it is in RUN MODE with the CPU... that is, a short press of the magic button, program is in RUN, Proficy see it all is well... how do I monitor with PCOP or TERMF or MB without taking it out of RUN first then invoking RUN manually via PCOP-TERMF-MB- et al ... ????
5. This is way too much fun, really brings back fond DOS memories... not joking, I love it.
I'll be back in a while after I resolve this auto run issue using the PCMEXEC.BAT

 

[danatomega]

1) VTOS appears to be the operating system for the unit. Somewhat explains why you need to tell it in the PCMEXEC.BAT file to "R BASIC.EXE MYFILE.TXT" saying to Run the BASIC EXE program and load and execute the program that you wrote. The batch file runs in the VTOS operating system.
That PDF is from 1996 so you may see slight differences in your system (you may not see INTERACTIVE MODE ENTERED").
TERMF is the terminal emulation program provided so you can transfer files, etc..
2) no comment on your comment ...
3) I really haven't investigated enough to know the answer to this. I have read some of the PDF but not gotten too far into it - just enough to help steer you in a direction - sorry I don't have more time to devote to it.
4) You should be able to monitor from PORT1 with a dumb terminal such as hyperterminal (assuming the correct port configuration) and see the PRINT statements from the program no matter how the program got started.
5) It IS a lot of fun, isn't it - technical but not too much

 

[danatomega]

I think you should check this document - it's 317 pages, so I only skimmed it:
http://www.*********.com/pdfs/ic693pcm301.pdf

Chapter 4 deals specifically with MegaBASIC and talks about :

A soft reset (pressing the Restart/Reset pushbutton for less than 5 seconds) will cause
MegaBasic to load and run a user program with the reserved name BASIC.PGM, if one
is present in PCM RAM. If there is no user program named
BASIC.PGM, MegaBasic behaves as if it had received a hard reset.​

So, you can see that without naming the file properly, you can reset the unit but nothing will run automatically...​

 

[Byron]

I was REAL CLOSE... all that was left was to get the program to run on power up. Whatever I did, OR module failure, I don't know. It started cranking out corrupt files and garbled characters. I've fought it ALL DAY. I'm uploading a 2 page PDF with some screenshots of what I'm talking about. I not only did hard resets, but pulled the battery and shorted the pins 6 times. I think I might need a new module.

PLEASE RESPOND IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. And what pray tell are these garbled machine code looking characters, weird,or what?