Comm Port and Command Line

[Karl]

Hello All

Is it possible to send the com port in the command line string to the unidownloader does anyone know?

So for example UniDownloader.exe   mydowloadfile  com1  *run'

Sometimes its not always the com port that programmed in the file when we make it.

I tried the above and it did't work..... 

 

Many thanks for reading....

 

Karl

 

[Bisku]

On 1/25/2019 at 5:38 PM, Karl said:

Hello All

Is it possible to send the com port in the command line string to the unidownloader does anyone know?

 

I contacted Unitronics support with the same question and they replyed there is no such option and there's no plan to include it in future releases.

[Karl]

Hello Bisku,, yes this is a pain. We use FTDI comm ports which can change their number if plugged into another port.  FTDI have an application that is suppose to stop this but to be honest its never worked that well for me.

[Bisku]

We have approx. 90 service technicans who belong to completly different and independend companies, which shell do updated to PLC used in our product .  So far, my best solution was to write a programm which identities the com-port the plc is plugged-in (we use Samba plcs and you can identify the port via the usb-driver unitronic uses). Thus I can raises a pop-up-window to give some instruction how to set up unidownloader - but nothing more.

Quite frustrating, that I can identify the correct port but I cannot handle over the data to the unidownloader software.

[Ausman]

HI Bisku and Karl,

I had some "fun" today looking into your issue, so haven't even got to play with UniDownLoader.  But one thing that immediately comes to mind is to think outside logical progression of com port naming.  If you get anyone who uses the program to use device manager and change the particular com port that they will use all the time to a number quite high, like perhaps 50, then this should get around things being varied across PCs and users etc.  I have a host of visible and hidden com ports, but I've never got anywhere near as high as 50.

Regarding FTDI changing numbers depending on what it is plugged into, years ago when "everything" routinely changed numbers around all the time, I used to get around this by a simple dot of whiteout/nailpolish etc on a particular port, which essentially meant "Use this one at all times for that adapter, stoopid".  That way things were always consistent without needing to look up a file etc.

cheers, Aus

[Karl]

Hello Aus, thanks for the info. As you say you haven't tried the downloader.  The Unitronics UniDownloader seems to only support 16 comm ports and it does not tell you which ones you have connected just 1 -16.   I was trying to provide a easy script for updating firmware in a similar way to most other devices.  I take your point of always plugging into the same port but this also assumes you use the same hardware with the same ID number which doesn't always occur as we have many sites and differing hardware. With the FTDI I can read the device string and I can read its  port number so I just bring a window up telling the operator what to select for downloading.

Thanks

Karl

[Ausman]

OK on the 16 comm ports.  I have never scrolled down that far in the port list to discover that 16 is the limit in the connection settings.  This limit appears to be right across the Vision system.  I have always kept my Unitronics serial connections on Com 1, regardless of what PC/laptop I'm using.   Mostly I only need serial for initial setting up or O/S updating.  Learn something new every day, even though you've used it for ages.

However, I've now had time to play with it all a bit more, and I am a little confused by your issue.  If I am using Designer to build the file, and select the tickbox to force the comms settings, the settings box comes up and I can choose whatever connection I want.  It defaults to the last one used anywhere, in the shown case Com 16 as I changed that as I built a test file.

I then went ahead and built the .UDC and ran it, but without anything connected.  At the very top the com port is clearly visible.

 

So I'm wondering whether you could do a variation of my suggestion, which perhaps you misunderstood anyway.

14 hours ago, Karl said:

which doesn't always occur as we have many sites and differing hardware.

I was meaning that it wouldn't be hard for your external operators to implement a specific layout and connection for doing any Unitronics serial work and set that as a specific port number.  Keeping in mind my comment, always make the downloader's port 16 and tell everyone to use device manager to set their "Unitronics only" port as 16.

They initially run Downloader without a connection present to check that the port is specified as 16, close, hook things up and go again.

I must be missing something here because to me this seems a straightforward thing to do.

cheers, Aus

[Karl]

Hello Aus thank you.  You are correct you are missing the wider issue  here.  You would need to be involved in the process to fully comprehend the issue.

Thanks you