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| Subject: From: Date: | Re: [ECS] Creating ECS interface to my Access Control System Bill Walters Tue, 24 Oct 2000 19:00:37 -0500 |
Kevin, Take a look at the archive site: ftp.gallops.com where I have a sample program using serial byte type to capture touchtones dialed from a Weeder device. Look for the file BWweeder.txt. I also posted a change when Mark modified how serial bytes are captured/tested in version 4.3 (I think?). Anyway, look around the archive and you'll find it. Bill Walters ----- Original Message ----- From: Kevin Trainor <kevin@thetrainors.com> To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 11:45 AM Subject: Re: [ECS] Creating ECS interface to my Access Control System > All: > > Does anyone have a code example that uses the serial-byte item to control a > device? If so, would you be willing to send me a copy so that I can get a > clearer idea of how to use it? > > Thanks. > > Kevin > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kevin Trainor" <kevin@thetrainors.com> > To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> > Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 11:55 AM > Subject: Re: [ECS] Creating ECS interface to my Access Control System > > > > Mark: > > > > I think that my biggest problem is that I have a difficult time reading > the > > program documentation for ECS. Features that are obvious to you and your > > more experienced followers are not seeming so obvious to me. > > > > I have two reservations about using the serial-byte interface. First, it > > isn't clear to me how the reading of the serial port works. I can't tell > > whether I get data a byte-at-a-time or if I get an entire message when I > > access the port. Second, I don't see much support for character string > > manipulation in ECS. I don't see the usual substring functions and I > don't > > see an array capability that would allow me to pick through a string and > > create substring functionality myself. I have fairly high confidence that > I > > will be able to issue commands to the access control system from ECS. I > > have low confidence that I will be able to recongnize the message that has > > been transmitted to ECS by the access control system so that I can > determine > > where I am in the dialog. > > > > If there is an example of someone having coded this kind of interface > using > > serial-byte, it would be a great help to me if I could see it. Can you > > suggest any place to look for that kind of code? > > > > Thanks. > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Mark Gilmore" <omnip@usit.net> > > To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> > > Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 7:50 AM > > Subject: Re: [ECS] Creating ECS interface to my Access Control System > > > > > > > I think this would make things QUITE complicated. > > > The SERIAL-BYTE Item would be MUCH easier. > > > -- > > > Mark Gilmore > > > Omnipotence (ECS home automation software) > > > http://omnipotencesoftware.com > > > 423-745-0026 > > > Hours: Mon-Sat, 9AM-8PM/EST > > > > > > > > > Kevin Trainor wrote: > > > > > > > > Mark: > > > > > > > > I have been wondering if I might be able to create a driver for this > > device > > > > using the Java interface to ECS. I know that the Java interface works > > for > > > > applets. I am wondering if it works for applications. Since I need > to > > get > > > > access to the serial port, I think that I would have to create an > > > > application. > > > > > > > > What are your thoughts? > > > > > > > > Kevin > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Mark Gilmore" <omnip@usit.net> > > > > To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> > > > > Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2000 5:12 PM > > > > Subject: Re: [ECS] Creating ECS interface to my Access Control System > > > > > > > > > Hi Kevin, > > > > > Why not use the SERIAL-BYTE Item ? > > > > > It may be a bit tedious to program, but it should do the job. > > > > > Otherwise, if you send me the spec, I can give you an estimate. > > > > > -- > > > > > Mark Gilmore > > > > > Omnipotence (ECS home automation software) > > > > > http://omnipotencesoftware.com > > > > > 423-745-0026 > > > > > Hours: Mon-Sat, 9AM-8PM/EST > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Kevin Trainor wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > I just bought an access control system for my house. It controls > > > > > > electric door strikes based upon inputs from proximity card > readers. > > > > > > I have been bench testing the system before installing it and, so > > far, > > > > > > everthing has gone well. > > > > > > > > > > > > What I want to do next is to interface this access control system > > with > > > > > > ECS. The access control system is programmed and controlled via a > > > > > > serial port and terminal emulation using my PC. The system has a > > > > > > character-based, menu-driven application that I access by using > > > > > > HyperTerm to emulate a VT100 terminal. What I would like to do is > > to > > > > > > replace the HyperTerm program with a connection to ECS via a > serial > > > > > > port. Then, I would like ECS to querry the access control system > to > > > > > > get its status. Further, I want ECS to be able to issue menu > > commands > > > > > > that cause the access control system to ulock doors, disable > > readers, > > > > > > etc. > > > > > > > > > > > > The big question: How do I do this with ECS? When I look at the > > ECS > > > > > > Client/Server serial interface, it doesn't seem appropriate. The > > > > > > stream of ascii text that the access control system puts out over > > its > > > > > > serial port is not structured for this kind of client/server > dialog. > > > > > > As an alternative, I have considered using the ECS serial port > > > > > > interface that allows you to read and write to the serial port a > > > > > > charcter at a time. While this seems promising, I think it would > be > > a > > > > > > rather inelegant approach. > > > > > > > > > > > > Are there any other ways to do this? Is it possible for me to > > define > > > > > > another device type and write a driver for it? Or, can this only > be > > > > > > done by Mark? > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks in advance to everyone for their comments and suggestions. > > > > > > > > > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > > > > > > >