Latest protocol specs

[bchapp]

Is there a spec sheet on the latest version of the protocol? Currently I am looking at the version 2 protocol from Vixen 1.1.11 and the latest PIC assembly, but not everything is apparent. Mainly I am looking for things like what the byte after the address byte is (the "command" byte? what are the command definitions? I think I read somewhere that one was a dimmer setting and another was an off bit mask, but I couldn't find it again). Also, I do see that the sync character was changed to 0 a while ago, but I do not know if the other ideas mentioned in the old picdimmer forum were implemented. (Also, the old forum seems to be down right now...).


I also have some questions about what the values of the x02 command are (assumming x02 is dimmer values). I was reading the output of vixen for a simple test sequence with 16 channels, first output should turn on channels 1, 2, and 4 @ 100% and leave everything else off. Here is what I got out of it (all in hex).


00 80 02 fd fd fe fd fe fe fe fe 00 81 01 ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff


It looks like xfd is 100% on and xfe is off. Is this true?


Anyway, could Phil, or someone close to the code please write up a new spec sheet on the current protocol that Vixen is implementing? The reason I ask is that I am designing custom hardware and am using the renard protocol for the implementation.


Thanks so much!


~Brian

[P. Short]

The August 29, 2006 entry in my blog http://pic-dimmer.blogspot.com describes version 2 of the protocol. As far as I know, though, nobody else is using this version of the protocol, since I have never released any PIC firmware that uses it. Additionally, nobody has ever tested the vixen plugin code for that version. This protocol may become more useful in the future, though, because the worst case performance is better than Version 1 of the protocol.

Other protocols to consider are DMX-512 and the Firegod protocol.

--

Phil

[frankv]

Hi Phil,

Is the information in this thread still true? i.e. http://pic-dimmer.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-on-protocols.html is the definition of the current Renard comms protocol?

Frank

[P. Short]

Nobody has implemented Version 2 of the Renard protocol in firmware, as far as I know, and nobody has tested the Vixen plugin code. Without any implementation or testing, it is hard to say if that spec is correct or not.

[frankv]

Thanks Phil... where can I find the definition of the standard Renard protocol?

[P. Short]

In the wiki - here (http://www.christmasinshirley.com/wiki/index.php?title=Renard#Protocol).

[frankv]

Thanks Phil. I have my code running now.

One thing that doesn't seem to be working quite right... sending dimmer values 7D 7E 7F. Can you clarify... if I want to set channel 1 to brightness 125, the packet I would send is 7E 80 7F 7D ?

Frank

[P. Short]

7E-80-7F-2F

Another reference is here (http://computerchristmas.com/christmas/link-how_to/HowToId-71/Simple_PIC-Based_8-Port_Dimmer)