Serial Comm Problem LabVIEW PDA HP Ipaq4700

[Antipholus]

I am using a Serial instrument connected to an HP iPAQ hx4700 PDA. I can download PDA LabVIEW code without difficulty.
However, I cannot seem to communicate with the instrument on the PDA. I have hooked the instrument up to COM1 of the PC and the software interacts with the instrument... so I know the instrument is alive and well
What I'm thinking is that there is a conflict with Active Sync (isn't it on Com1 of the PDA?) or Port Zero is the wrong port to use for PDA comm.
The PDA software runs... there's just never anything at the port to read.
Is active sync required to do LabVIEW downloads or can I uninstall it?
Anyone know why I am not able to communicate with the instrument?

[shahina]

Hi Antipholus,

Yes, ActiveSync is required to download LabVIEW applications to a PDA so you should not uninstall it. Which port are you using to communicate with the instrument? You need to make sure that ActiveSync is not using the same serial port.

Also you might find the following links helpful:
Can I Implement Serial Communication With My PDA Device?
Using the LabVIEW PDA Module (PocketPC) for Serial Communication

Good luck!
Shakhina Pulatova
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[Antipholus]

Thanks Shahina,
Well both the PDA and active sync want Comm 1...
However, I discovered the problem...

The PDA required 2 things that the PC did not, which need to be documented...
1. this may require more investigation to understand the exact reason, because it is not always true... My PDA application hosed the PDA until I put a 5-ms delay in the Data Acquisition loop. It didn't need this delay on the PC, but it would not work without it on the PDA...
2. My PDA application was 2 separate apps running independantly... One app designed to command the serial device. The other app designed to receive and decode from the device. Again, this worked fine on the PC, but on the laptop, I could command, but the receive app would not read the port... Solution... I combined the 2 apps into one... now it works.

There are many stupid bugs or issues in the PDA version of LabVIEW, I hope they get fixed eventually.
1 - I have a boolean slide switch... when the switch has key focus... the label disappears.
2 - If String Controls or indicators are not wide enough, the data is not visible, nor can you access the control to enter the string.
3 - Cluster contents are not visible
4 - Menu Ring Controls sometimes work... sometimes no matter what item I select, the menu ring will only allow ONE selection... I select the one I want, but the Ring does the one IT wants anyway. Usually, a recompile resolves this.
5 - Boolean Controls, (e.g. the okay or stop button).. you cannot tell the button has been pushed on the PDA. except by any response you may have programmed for the button push... The button displays the same appearance for either state.

and there are more.

[Antipholus]

I just saw error in my previous post. I referred to a laptop when I meant PDA.

also, thanks for the links... but I had already spent 2 days trying everything INCLUDING info from those links (which were helpful but did not solve the problem)

In case the inference wasn't clear. It turns out I was communicating with the serial instrument when I thought I wasn't. I was faked out because my receive app would not read ANYTHING on the serial port... but my Command app was actually programming the instrument... I simply couldn't tell that (because the instrument has no external visible readouts or anything else to indicate activity).

I figured it out when I hooked the instrument back up to the PC to try another experiment... and realized that one of the features had benn changed. It occurred to me that it was changed because I had programmed it through the Command App on the PDA. After a few experiments on that idea, I was convinced that the port was good and the Command app was working... It was just the Receive app that was not receiving.

After doing continuity checks of the receive wires and connectors (they were good)... that's when I tried the combination app that finally worked.

sheesh...

There are some issues here that sure ought to be included in any 'Designing Apps for the PDA' documents.

[Antipholus]

and finally,
you answered ONE of my active sync questions... that it is required to download to the PDA fine...
The other question though was whether or not ACTIVE sync (ON THE PDA) would interfer with the PDA attempting to access the comm port.

The reason I wondered about uninstalling was that on the PC, I HAD to uninstall active sync to use access the serial instrument on the PC's comm port. they both wanted Com 1... and I could not see how to change either of them to some other port. So, I couldn't get the serial instrument to communicate to the PC UNTIL I uninstalled active sync. Clearly BECAUSE they were both attempting to use Com 1.

So, the other question was whether this is a problem on the PDA as well, that is, if active sync is running, will it interfere with the serial comm on the PDAs com 1? The answer turns out to be NO. When I take the PDA out of its base (with active sync running)... it does not interfere with the serial instrument when I hook it up.

[everbits]

Hi,
I am developing an application for Himalaya Pocket PC. I use rs232. At the beginning I had the problem, that the COM1 was already blocked by an other application. I solved it installing the SafeMode application for Pocket PC, which can be found in the internet and downloaded for free.

good luck

[Trevor]

Antipholus,

Your post has given me an idea to solve a similar problem with a serial device I am working with. I have the same basic problem... I can command the device but get no responses back, or so it seems. I will try your solution and see if that works. I am posting because if you have ActiveSync 3.8.0 or later the option to disable the serial port is found in the File menu under the Connection Settings... option. You can enable/disable serial, USB and/or Ethernet connections there.

With the serial port disabled you can run your app from the desktop and, after downloading the app to your hx4700, removing it from the USB dock and plugging in the serial cable, from the PDA without having to change the port number.

Hope this helps you or others in the future.

Trevor

[nag123]

hi antipholous,

i want some information on pda application serial communication,

1. For Deploy the pda application into Pda how can confiure the active sync? Tell me steps wise

2. Which PDa Pocket Pc Model can support serial communication wit oter microcntroller which having the RS_232 inter face. Can u please tell me model , suitable connector.

[nag123]

hi, Can u plz tell in the below connector RS-232 (DB9) , can i use for serial communication  PDA ----> to-----> My Micro controller device. is it also work for sync purpose of  Pc -----> to Pda to deploy the application using  com port of pc. please tell me with ur experiance

http://www.cameraworld.com/product/EP5172521.htm

[nag123]

hi, Can u plz tell in the below connector RS-232 (DB9) , can i use for serial communication  PDA ----> to-----> My Micro controller device. is it also work for sync purpose of  Pc -----> to Pda to deploy the application using  com port of pc. please tell me with ur experiance

http://www.cameraworld.com/product/EP5172521.htm