Rank: Administration
Groups: Administrators, Beta Testers Posts: 3,096 Location: Auburn, GA Thanks: 997 times Was thanked: 497 time(s) in 412 post(s)
|
Version 9.1.36 of LOGic incorporates a new low-level serial port library.
The goal of this upgrade is to provide better support for USB=>RS232 adapters and other virtual Com ports that are not 100% compatible. Many of our users are using legacy radio and rotor interfaces left over from LOGic 8. They will sometimes work with marginal hardware when the new LOGic 9 non-legacy drivers will not.
Prior to this update, LOGic's non-legacy interfaces used the .Net framework System.IO.Ports class. We have replaced this library with direct WinAPI calls. This is similar to what the legacy interfaces use.
There is a feature of RS-232 ports called Overlapped IO. It permits simultaneous transmission and reception, theoretically resulting in better throughput. Unfortunately, many USB=>RS232 adapters do not support Overlapped IO. The .Net framework System.IO.Ports class apparently assumes this feature is available, which is probably the cause of failure and unreliability with some hardware.
LOGic still supports overlapped IO, but it is not used by default. This, along with using Polling for Icom, Kenwood, and Elecraft rigs uses only the simplest features of Com ports and should work as well or better than the legacy interfaces or any other software.
However, if you have FTDI-based hardware, the Overlapped IO feature will work. There is a new checkbox in radio and rotor setup, labeled simply OL to save space. Checkmark it to use overlapped IO. Overlapped IO also enables non-blocking writes. LOGic simply writes to the serial port and continues before the data is actually sent.
But, if you experience any problems with Overlapped IO turned on, turn it off. The amount of data involved with radio interfaces is minimal. You probably won't notice any difference. However, when buying hardware, choose FTDI-based devices. They have a well-deserved reputation for 100% RS-232 compatibility and simply working.
This update should be considered beta. We have tested it here on a limited number of radios. The changes to LOGic itself have been minimal, so we anticipate only minimal adjustments will be needed for the various radios and rotors that LOGic supports.
If you want to help us test this, it would be appreciated. Please post problems and successes below. We are especially interested in hearing from users of non-FTDI hardware. If you experience problems, simply reinstall the 9.1.35 update.
No change in settings are required. However, if you are using a legacy radio or rotor driver, please try the non-legacy option for your hardware. These settings are found in tools/setup/misc ham setup.
Thanks in advance!
Denns WN4AZY
|
Note: We receive a commission from Amazon when you purchase via this link. It does not affect your cost. Thank you!
|