Various questions, answers, and tips are available below. As questions arrive from clients, we try to post them here for the benefit of all.
Sorry to say it, but the best answer is for you to read the cmdBridge reference manual. The full syntax of the command translation file is at the end, along with an example.
To give you a sneak peak ahead of you reading the manual, here is a small configuration file example.
desc = “EPSON EB-535W to NEX NP-M302WA (mute example)”;
var mute = 0;
command {
desc = “Set Mute ON”;
source_cmd = “4D 55 54 45 20 4F 4E 0D”;
target_cmd = “02 10 00 00 00 12”;
reply {
desc = “Reply Mute ON OK”;
target_reply = “22 10 01 20 00 53”;
source_reply = “3a”;
set mute = 1;
}
}
command {
desc = “Set Mute OFF”;
source_cmd = “4D 55 54 45 20 4F 46 46 0D”;
target_cmd = “02 11 00 00 00 13”;
reply {
desc = “Reply Mute OFF OK”;
target_reply = “22 11 01 20 00 54”;
source_reply = “3a”;
set mute = 0;
}
}
command {
desc = “Get Mute status”;
source_cmd = “4d 55 54 45 3f 0D”;
reply {
desc = “Variable based reply, off”;
source_reply = “4d 55 54 45 3d 4f 46 46 3a”;
flag = conditional;
if (mute == 0);
}
reply {
desc = “Variable based reply, on”;
source_reply = “4d 55 54 45 3d 4f 4e 3a”;
flag = conditional;
if (mute == 1);
}
}
end
Good news, you do not need specialist software to edit configuration files. The file itself is just plain text, so even something like Notepad can be used to edit a file.
If you use the capture mode in a working system, cmdBridge will generate a template file for you. This will be pre-populated with the commands and replies from the live data.
However, be careful of some editors trying to be helpful, specifically by changing the " marks into snazzy open an closing quote marks. This will be a sure way to get a syntax error when uploading a config file.
No, it isn't. Whilst the console port is USB, it appears to your computer as a serial port. So you need to ensure you have the correct settings for everything to work as it should.
The settings you are looking for are 230400 baud, 8 bits, no parity.
No very long at all. By the time you have read this answer cmdBridge will have booted, read any stored translation file, setup the interfaces, and be ready to go.
The USB Mini-B console port can also supply power to cmdBridge, so no additional power supply is needed to configure it.
For deployment, a simple USB charger could be used to power if a dedicated 12v DC supply isn't available.
Some devices leave their USB ports powered, so you may be able to power cmdBridge from the replacement target device without the need for any additional sockets or supplies. Be sure to check the port doesn't go to sleep after a period though.
We recommend a couple of terminal emulation software packages, one for Windows and one for Apple Macs. We do this simply because these are the ones used throughout the development of cmdBridge, and we use them all the time. So we know they work very well.
For Windows users we recommend PuTTY ( https://www.putty.org ) which is free, and works on basically anything.
Apple Mac users the recommendation is Serial by Decisive Tactics ( https://www.decisivetactics.com/products/serial/ ), this is not however a free app. Although if you do anything with serial interfaces this is probably the best bit of software you can use. And no, we get nothing for recommending them, it's just great software.
So you have taken on support for a new customer.
You can save time by taking a cmdBridge into the most critical locations / systems and run it in Capture mode. With it installed exercise the control system (take note of what order you press the buttons). cmdBridge will then store the various commands and replies as the system operates. This can then be saved onto a USB memory stick in the format of a translation config file. The commands and replies are numbered sequentially as they are processed. Duplicates are not recorded, and the replies are context sensitive to the previous command.
You now have the existing system operation recorded. Add in the commands / replies for your loan stock items and you have a working translation ready to deploy. This can be stored internally in a cmdBridge for instant recall with the loan equipment.