Radio TX and RX code

[Tim]

Hi Steve glad you got it going

Answers
Once you call the rx routine it should never return unless it has what it thinks is data. This you might think will never happen unless you send some data in the first place, but in real life if you looked at all the data flying around when the sensitivity is up high in the RF units you will be very surprised. There is more chance of random RF data writing the a volume of Shakespeare than the proverbial room of monkeys at type writers.

I digressed.. If the CRC comes back anything other than 0 then ignore it. It means nothing.

If your looking to indicate no data then I would put a small 8pin pic to the job of doing the RF. When it gets data set a pin high that's connected to the main pic and wait for it to flag that its ready to download the data.
The main pic can then do the display etc and if it has not seen any data for a while then it can say no data or what ever.

I would not recommend you constantly send out RF, the airwaves are full of chaff already no need to clutter it up with even more. In your app I would have it that on the probe end you press a button to send the data, no all the time.

A time out is possible but it would not be easy and require another timer and a some extra code. Not for the beginner!

You can send what ever you want as long as the Array is the right size, the CRC is applyed to the right no of bytes, and the No bytes to send is correct. Do the same for the other end also.

In the original app I always sent the current TX unit bat voltage.

Tony and the others I will send the code hopefully later today

[sdrguy]

Tim,



Are you going to make both the Schematics and Software available on
public website or anything?

I am interested in both.

[Tim]

sdrguy

When your a registered Proton and Labcenter user come back to me

[chuckieboy]

Thanks Tim for the pointers, I found out how to add the extra code and to get it included in the array to send out.

I just thought of if it seen no data or shouid I say the correct signal apart form the serial number then rather than dispaly blank LCD would be better but like you said I could use a 8 pin pic to do the job which is the better option

Keep up the good work

[chuckieboy]

Tim
Has you can see I've been playing all weekend with your code, Now I'm going for gold
How hard would it be to have a self learn feature added,
Is this one one it could be done

1. TX units have its own unique serial No. (which it already has)

RX unit.
1.have a learn button
2. Press & hold learn button receive serial number from TX unit then store it using ewrite.
2. Comfirm that Serial number been stored
3. Release the button
4. use eread to make sure that the RX unit is receiving the correct TX unit

I love this new adventure with RF the stuff you can do or add new features to projects is unreal.

Regards,

[Tim]

Hi Steve

You pretty much have it nailed, that is what I would have recommended.

The next stage for me is to make it a lib routine so you do not have to mess so much with variables and calls. Just have a set of remforwards and make the lib call

SymbolOut Array, Bytes

And then the Sub would do everything else like the CRC sending it x times etc etc.

[chuckieboy]

Oh yes that's right Tim
you want to get a libary made, Sorry Iw as getting carried away with myself

Well at the moment single channel logging system is working really well, I shall take it to work tomorrow and test in a noisey environment which last time a simple on/off one I did worked great around the huose but failed at work

I'll let you know how I get on

[chuckieboy]

Tim and all
I taken my RF boards to work and ran some extensive tests and the results where perfect never once did I not lose the signal or missed a beat. I managed to get about 200FT away, The TX unit was inside the building and I’d taken the RF unit outside inside is full of steel work and machines as well machines outside, I’m very happy with that. Also just to let you know how good Tim’s code is all this was done with a piece of solid 1mm 17 inch wire on the RX and 1mm 6 inch on the TX unit.

Has anybody else had any joy with it has there only seems to be me doing some work and feed back on it, I know you all might be busy but Tim has put a lot of work into this.

What’s next Tim do you need me to do anything else ?
My next challenge is to design PCB. Has far has I can tell it is best to design double sided PCB keeping ground plane on the underside and all RF track on top ?
Anybody got any pointers or the best metod of designing a PCB for RF has this is all new to me ?

[Tim]

Hi Steve

Do not worry about the others that fact your ok with it is good enough for me.

I will now then do another version where I make it all run from a macro system with CRC built in.

Will send you the code when I have it done.

Tim

[billyminor]

That's good news Steve that more than surpasses anything I had planned for it's use and as a bonus I now have 2 people I can annoy with question's if I get stuck (just kidding)
thank's for the encouraging news and a BIG THANK'S TO TIM for supplying the code.

[chuckieboy]

Tim
Any joy yet with the macro vesrion ?
I know you have other stuff to do but just wanted an update

[Tim]

Hi Steve

Yes I have done the RX end and just have a couple of bits on the TX end to sort. I will mail you them later.

Your still the only one to have tried it, although one person was good enough to say there were busy so were unable to which was nice of them.

[Frizie]

Tim, I think your code is great, but I'm very busy with my new job (since 1 september, I don't have the time (yet) to test it .

[chuckieboy]

Originally Posted by Tim

Hi Steve

Yes I have done the RX end and just have a couple of bits on the TX end to sort. I will mail you them later.

Your still the only one to have tried it, although one person was good enough to say there were busy so were unable to which was nice of them.

I must say your code works like a charm and out of all the testing I have carried out it's never failed once even on distance, So yes it's a brilliant piece of coding, The stuff you can add to it or projects that you can use it in are endless, I’m adding it to my data logger I have done.

That’s a question I meant to ask Tim Will it work with using other interrupt routines with out screwing other things up ?

[Tim]

No interrupts allowed, timing is very critical so anything that changes it will kill the transmission. Remember also it uses TMR1

On the RX end you would be running a dedicated pic to interrupts would not be required.

[hassawfaa]

Hi, Tim

I am interested in your design.

Would you please PM me when you have free time.

[Tim]

Sure I will wait a day until I sort out the latest version though

[chuckieboy]

Thanks foe that Tim that explains why it did not work very well

That's not a problem anyway I can just send serial data to tx pic and then send it out to RX unit then send out serial data to main pic

thanks

[mikedownunder]

Hi Tim

I made a small hexapod walker a while back and tried controlling it with a couple of the 433mhz tx/rx modules. It works but is a bit hit and miss. If you can send me your code I'll give it a go if I can get some time in.

Mike

[Tim]

Sure Mike I have finished the latest enhancement now which makes it very easy to use.

I will send it out to you, Steve and hassawfaain an hour or two.

[chuckieboy]

Ok Thanks Tim I shall keep an eye out for it and already set up to rock and roll

[hassawfaa]

Ok, Thanks Tim

waiting for getting it, I appreciate your efforts.

[Tim]

hassawfaa

PM me your email address please

[chuckieboy]

I've got it Tim Thanks I shall give it a try tomorrow night
Has I need to get another project completed

Thanks

[chuckieboy]

Hi Tim
I have just started to read your code, I ca see how easy it is to understand and how to add to my array and how neat looking the code is, I've arleady started to add my other code to run some test's so hopefully I should be able to give you an update in a couple of hours.
Just one question so far, In version 1 you add all the config code and it's not in vesrion 2 does the same config in V1 need to be added to V2 ?

[chuckieboy]

Hi agan Tim
Just to show how easy it, It's all done and working well again, I shall take it to work tomorrow and carry out more testing like I did lsat time.
One thing I have noticed though it seems a bit slower in in recieving data or should I say updating the LCD compared to V1, I shall double check it out though just to make sure

Once again thanks for all your hard work and time
Next time I see you I owe you a pint or two

[chuckieboy]

Hi Tim
I carried out some testing at work yesterday and it still works very well,
It does seem to have a bit longer delay in recieving the data, Not that is much of a problem but just thought I'd let you know

What about the config is that required

[Tim]

Hi Steve

The config is pic related

If its slower then that sounds like an issue, can you explain more?

I will look into it.

[chuckieboy]

I have got it set up has a wireless meter sending out data continuous data out (I know it's not the best idea) but version one works ok, Well so does version 2 does
V1.
works like this has you adjust the voltage and look at the RX unit you can see it adjust more or less straight away .5 of a second I would say.
V2
works like this you adjust the voltage on TX unit then you can look at the RX unit at the smae time and there seems to be a 1.5 second delay or there abouts,
which is really not a problem but I just thought I mention it just in case I can send you the code but it's only the same has I done in V1. I use the easypic 3 for TX and proton board for the RX.

Has for the config you used
Config CPD_OFF,CP_OFF,BODEN_OFF,PWRTE_ON,WDT_OFF,XT_OSC
I now most of it is realted to the PIC but it was the PWRTE_ON affecting it or the watch dog

[Tim]

Ideally I would prefer a test were you send an incrementing counter once (not repeating it 3 x) every say second and at the RX end serialing the data it gets out or at least displaying it to see if any of the counts are missed.