Rain Check Interval Bug

Would there be a way to ask Pat to just do the compile? I could test and have a couple other folks too who are tied to ASCOM world. Anyway thanks to your help I will try as well!

Best,

Ron

The weird thing is that when I load the PDMDome.sln win Visual Studio Express 2015 (I need it to compile my X2 plugin for Windows...) it says the

PDMDome solution is unavailable and doesn't show me any of the file in it and shows an error : [Failure] Could not find file 'E:\src\Dev\Astro\PMNexDome\PDMDome\PDomeConsole\Program.cs'.

So I wonder if some extra ASCOM stuff is needed to do ASCOM dev ... :(

I'll spend some brain cells tomorrow trying to sort out ASCOM compile and if I survive will check it out. Thank you for stepping into a painful box Rodolphe!

Ron

Final code should look like this :

private void OnStatusUpdateTimer(Object source, EventArgs e)

{

SendSerial(POSITION_ROTATOR_CMD);

SendSerial(HOMED_ROTATOR_STATUS);

SendSerial(SEEKSTATE_GET);

SendSerial(SLEW_ROTATOR_STATUS);

if (slowUpdateCounter >= 30)

{

tl.LogMessage("Slow update","Get");

if (canSetShutter == true)

{

SendSerial(POSITION_SHUTTER_GET);

SendSerial(STATE_SHUTTER_GET);

}

SendSerial(RAIN_ROTATOR_GET);

SendSerial(VOLTS_ROTATOR_CMD);

slowUpdateCounter = 0;

if (canSetShutter) SendSerial(VOLTS_SHUTTER_CMD);

}

slowUpdateCounter++;

}

This way we still update most thing on a 1 second interval except for the shutter stuff which is then every 30 seconds

That is quite reasonable. It takes ~120 sec for shutter to open/close. Not like we are going to miss anything.

ok one idea, move this code :

            if (canSetShutter == true)

            {
                SendSerial(POSITION_SHUTTER_GET);
                SendSerial(STATE_SHUTTER_GET);
            }

inside the if (slowUpdateCounter >= 30) under it, this will make it only check the shutter status every 30 seconds.

Also changing that value change the overall pull timer for all the dome values.

I'm trying to separate the rotator update from the shutter update.

Same here ... need to figure out how to compile that $h1T

I'm adding a fix for this in the ASCOM code in 2.0.0.0 (you can't even imagine the pain I feel right now .... ASCOM coding :( )

in Driver.cs :

            StatusUpdateTimer = new System.Windows.Forms.Timer();
            StatusUpdateTimer.Tick += new EventHandler(OnStatusUpdateTimer);
            StatusUpdateTimer.Interval = 1000;
            StatusUpdateTimer.Enabled = false;

The timer interval is 1000 ms = 1 seconds .. that's why it's doing that shutter status request every seconds.

Agreed ... someone need to take care of the ASCOM part .... . . . . .

Awesome! Thank you! Makes good clear sense. It will be good when we get ASCOM driver in sync with 2.0.0 alpha so that we all can check stuff.

The rain check log you see every 30 seconds in the ASCOM log is probably from the ASCOM driver, not from the shutter talking to the rotation controller .. these won't show in an ASCOM log.

So I cheked the code on 2.0.0.0 :

	if (Shutter.isConfiguringWireless == false && SentHello == true)
	{
		if (Shutter.rainCheckInterval > 0)
		{
			RainCheck();
		}
	}

no issue here.

In 0.5.2.3 that check doesn't exist in the main loop and a check that seems wrong is done in the Raincheck function, and if it's set to 0 it basically check ALL the time.. thus slowing down the rest of the code. So this is indeed a 0.5.2.3 bug :

void RainCheck()
{
	if (millis() > nextRainCheck)
	{
		DBPrintln("Asking for rain status");
		Wireless.print(String(RAIN_SHUTTER_GET) + "#");
		nextRainCheck = millis() + Shutter.rainCheckInterval;
	}
}

nextRainCheck is never initialized so it can be anything.. probably 0 y default after a power cycle.

If rainCheckInterval is set to 0 , nextRainCheck = millis() + Shutter.rainCheckInterval; set nextRainCheck to millis()

Next time around .. if (millis() > nextRainCheck) is always true and check every time.

The rain check actually doesn't' talk to the shutter as the rain sensor is connected to the rotation controller. The Shutter controller queries the rotation controller about the rain sensor on regular interval (the one you set to 0 or 30 seconds). In term of who sends commands to who for the rain check :

Computer (ASCOM, X2) --> Rotation Controller <-- Shutter Controller

Changing the check interval shouldn't affect the shutter speed ... unless this actually change the interval at which the shutter queries the rotation controller this slowing dow in run loop, which slows down the stepper.

"ShutterState is asked for and received once a SECOND!!!!" -> ASCOM dos this, not the firmware.. it's probably in the NexDome ASCOM driver. I'm not saying it's right, just that it's not the firmware doing this, the firmware on the rotation controller only replies to command sent by the computer.

Now as it checks once a second (ASCOM), it could interfere with some communication until we figure out the XBee communication issue.

I'll check the code to see why when you set it to 0 it's slowing things down on the shutter instead of stopping the check (sounds like a bug to me :) ).

Thanks for the update Ron. FYI - I set up my dome rotator power supply from the WebPower switch to disconnect the USB hub along with the 12v power and have had no problems with the shutter for the past few days. Clearly there are a few mysteries lurking in the firmware!