Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] Keypad Interfaces joerut.epix.net Sat, 05 Feb 2000 14:35:08 -0500

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Hello Kent

I would say as long as you keypad is sending out standard ASCII values
for keys pressed that a keypad session is probally your best bet because
it basically already knows how to handle the data. You can check this
out by monitoring the state of the serial byte item when you are sending
data from the keypad. I believe a "1" should be a 49 a "2" should be 50
Etc. As far a the TTS not found. In the keypad session item are you
setting "Voice help?" to "NO"? 

If your display will receive standard ASCII then set "Prompt port:" to
the com port that the display is attached.


I do not use keypad sessions for my displays because my displays send
ECS special codes to put them in different modes which a kepad session
will not recognize. I work STRICTLY with the serial byte item.


Later 
Joe Rut


Kent Noonan wrote:
> 
> Yea I have them attached serially.. Each to it's own individual port.
> I have a serial-byte item defined and can send and receive from the
> lcd's. I guess I just don't understand how to process what I recieve
> from them to make ECS do something. I didn't know if I needed to
> figure out the keypad-session or just interface them through the
> serial-byte item only.. I don't know if it is possible to do it or what
> (dis)advantages come from using keypad-session or not using it. If
> I do use it, how do I make "TTS not found" go away?? (other than
> defining TTS) I guess I just need to hack away at it a while longer
> and mayber it will "click" some time soon..
> 
> On 5 Feb 00, at 12:15, joerut@epix.net wrote:
> 
> > Kent
> >
> > How are they interfaced with ECS?? Serial Port??
> >
> > I had built some displays with keypads years ago. I also built a device
> > that would interface many (as many as you would like) of these displays
> > into ONE serial port. The keypad would send ECS macro values. I would
> > use the serial byte item to receive these values then set a macro
> > accordingly. I would also use the serial byte item to send messages to
> > the display. The top line of the display ALWAYS showed the current date
> > and time.(From ECS) the other 3 lines scrolled reminder type messages.
> > By using the serial byte item this can get a bit programming intense but
> > it actually works very well. The only downfall about the interface that
> > combines ALL the displays into ONE serial port is that only ONE keypad
> > can be active at a time and ALL of the displays will show the SAME data.
> >
> > Later
> > Joe Rut
> >

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