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#14945 - 04/04/03 05:56 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
ken-h ken-h active contributor Registered: 01/13/03 Posts: 106 Loc: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Ken Mitchel [QUOTE] ken-h, Thanks for your reply. If I understand correctly you don't really have to have multiple hosts connected at the same time, you just need to interrupt one connection long enough to do a download and some debugging. Would you really want Homeseer monitoring the device while you were downloading and debugging? If it was possible to have Homeseer close its connection and then re-establish it; would that do what you needed? Thanks for your input, Ken [/QUOTE]Yes I do want both at once. If I am trouble shooting I would need to see what Homeseer is seeing and what CMAX is seeing. _________________________ Ken H To Automate is all right.
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#14946 - 04/04/03 07:04 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	About multiple connections (before you guys get too excited): The device Jim Beersman is talking about is an ethernet to serial "bridge". At the PC end, a software driver emulates a serial COM port. The port emulating software establishes a connection to an IP address and a UDP or TCP port number. Since there is only one physical serial port on the device, there can only be one connection to the UDP/TCP port at a time. The way the driver works is by establishing the connection whenever the virtual serial port is opened by a program. Closing the port releases the IP connection at the same time. While this is convenient in allowing different PC's to connect to the port one at a time without any wiring changes, there can still be only one established connection at any given moment. If a second PC tries to open the port, you will likely get a pop-up window error message saying that the port is already open and/or that it can't open "COM x". _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14947 - 04/04/03 07:27 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Ken Mitchell Ken Mitchell newbie Registered: 01/14/03 Posts: 20 Loc: San Jose, CA	Thanks Guy. I didn't mean to take this thread off in another direction. I'm going to start a new thread to continue the discussion on having Homeseer and CMAX both talking to a controller at the same time. A request has already been sent to Rich at Homeseer by another Ocelot user that asks for an option that pauses the Homeseer plug-in to allow for new program downloads. Ken
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#14948 - 04/04/03 07:58 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
ken-h ken-h active contributor Registered: 01/13/03 Posts: 106 Loc: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Guy [QUOTE] While this is convenient in allowing different PC's to connect to the port one at a time without any wiring changes, there can still be only one established connection at any given moment. If a second PC tries to open the port, you will likely get a pop-up window error message saying that the port is already open and/or that it can't open "COM x". [/QUOTE]Yes I know. But at work we are using a very similar device and when using industrial protocals it will allow mutiple sockets and connections. I was just trying to find out if this one would as well. It has a better price. _________________________ Ken H To Automate is all right.
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#14949 - 04/18/03 06:45 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Neil Cherry Neil Cherry junior Registered: 01/17/03 Posts: 37	I've been playing with some terminal servers for exactly the same reason as others have suggested. I currently have 3 different Cisco terminal servers and a Xyplex unit (all won on ebay). Most of the terminal servers support a single connection to a port #. I've written software which works under nix & Windows that allows one or more connections to the serially attached devices (attached to the serial port of the nix or Windows box). I'm looking for a SBC that has an ethernet to allow multiple connections but it's hard to find anything that is cheap. There are dozens of devices like the one that started this thread (Multitech, Lantronixs XPORT etc. etc) but the SDK cost 3 times as much as the device and a cheap 386/486 SBC costs as much (running Linux or *BSD).
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#14950 - 04/18/03 08:44 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	Neil (and all the others interested in doing this), there are some good news coming soon about networking your ADI and other serial toys for really cheap, like in really really really cheap! If you go back in this thread, you'll see that I mentioned doing some experiments with a Lantronix print server...well that has finally played out and it works very well. I then tracked down a source for these things (via ebay) and when I told Jim Beersman about this, we both got together and bought 16 of these things, 8 for each of us, at $5 apiece! (did I mention they were cheap?). All we had to add were our own wall wart power supplies to get them going. We're still finalizing a procedure for updating the firmware on these units plus the various configuration options that need to be set. Jim Beersman, being the gentleman that he is, decided that he wanted to update the firmware on all 16 units before sending me my 8, so he'll be more experienced then anyone else. Stay tuned! _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14951 - 04/18/03 10:57 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Brian Raynor Brian Raynor addict Registered: 01/09/03 Posts: 454 Loc: Columbia, SC	Guy, Anyway you can send me the link to the eBay item? Would love to try this...
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#14952 - 04/18/03 11:53 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	Here's the link to one of these from the same seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3019572813&category=20322 If you look at his conditions, he says he doesn't combine multiple items to save on shipping, so I sent him an email asking him about just selling directly in quantity as opposed to an auction. No problem. So that's how I got together with Jim and we ordered 16. I don't know how many of these he has... Jim did tell him that we might be sending him more business when we got these working so you can always mention that you got the lead from "the guys who bought 16 of 'em" and I'm sure he'll sell them to you at the same price. _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14953 - 04/18/03 01:12 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Jim Beersman Jim Beersman active contributor Registered: 01/09/03 Posts: 158 Loc: Springfield, MO	One word of warning... When we bought our 16, they were sold AS IS. The module we are talking about are used Lantronix ESP1 print server modules with 1 serial and 1 parallel port. I think both Guy and I thought if at least half of them worked we would still be getting a good deal. The EPS1 normally sells for around $245.00 so at $5.00 + shipping, you can see what a great deal this is. At this time I have been able to communicate and upgrade the firmware on all 16 that we purchased and have tested RS232 communication on 5 with no problems. We will be putting together step by step instructions on updating, configuring and wiring. Until then if anyone does purchase one of these little gems, I would be more than happy to help you configure and upgrade them. _________________________ Non Solum fumo speculisque, sed etiam tintinnabulis fistulisque factum est
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#14954 - 04/20/03 04:05 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Kirby Howell Kirby Howell junior Registered: 01/19/03 Posts: 39 Loc: Atlanta, GA	Guy/Jim, Are you planning to put one of these devices on the PC end as well as the ocelot end or are you planning on using a virtual serial port on the pc end? I am trying to do the same sort of thing with a TINI board but I haven't found any VSP software yet(for the right price - free). Kirby
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#14955 - 04/20/03 05:31 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	We're using a virtual serial port driver on the PC. In my experiments I wound up using the one that is supplied for the Tibbo net module that Jim was first discussing at the beginning of this thread. You can download it for free as part of the development software kit on the www.tibbo.com site. Lantronix also has a "redirector" software, but it only works with Windows NT, 2000, or XP (so I haven't tried this one). The Tibbo driver works with Win98 and up. In my search for a port redirector, I noticed that Win95 was never supported. The probable reason is that Win95 was still too close to DOS to reliably redirect a serial port. For quick testing, I was using a straight telnet to the IP address and raw port (port 3001). _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14956 - 04/20/03 07:14 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Kirby Howell Kirby Howell junior Registered: 01/19/03 Posts: 39 Loc: Atlanta, GA	Guy, I did notice that driver, unfortunately the license agreement prohibits its use with products other than theirs. I was hoping for a driver that was not tied to a vendor's hardware. Kirby
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#14957 - 04/20/03 08:01 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	That's a good point, especially if your intent is to use it mostly with C-Max (which needs a com port redirector) to communicate with the controller. In some of our own projects, we plan on using sockets directly in VB, eliminating the need for a redirector. For C-Max, the best option is probably the redirector Lantronix has on their web site, but it doesn't support Win98... _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14958 - 04/21/03 05:33 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Kirby Howell Kirby Howell junior Registered: 01/19/03 Posts: 39 Loc: Atlanta, GA	[QUOTE]Originally posted by Guy Lavoie: [qb] In some of our own projects, we plan on using sockets directly in VB, eliminating the need for a redirector. [/qb][/QUOTE]Right, In my case the majority of the interaction with the ocelot is via a HTTP post sending an XML packet. I just wanted to include the CMAX option so that I wouldn't have to switch the cable when the need for CMAX (or homeseer)arose. Kirby
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#14959 - 04/21/03 06:14 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	For a com redirector utility, there is also this program that I experimented with which appears to work ok for C-Max (and with Win95/98 too): http://www.xsi.com.au/cyc/nccyc.htm#software I don't know exactly how "free" is this freeware. At this stage, I'm more into experimentation then anything else. _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14960 - 04/21/03 08:05 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Kirby Howell Kirby Howell junior Registered: 01/19/03 Posts: 39 Loc: Atlanta, GA	Thanks, Guy For now I am going to work with the Lantronix redirector. It doesn't appear to have any usage restrictions and since I'm running XP, 95/98 compatibility isn't an issue. Kirby
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#14961 - 05/22/03 02:59 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Joe Thielen Joe Thielen journeyman Registered: 01/14/03 Posts: 64 Loc: Toledo, OH	Any more news on this stuff? Are you guys gonna sell this thing? I'm most definately interested in one of these, and I know someone else who is too. I have my Ocelot hooked up to my Linux PC most of the time, but I hate have to unplug it and then hook up my laptop for CMAX programming. In addition, I'd love to have CMAX loaded on both my laptop & my desktop. I could do it from either. None of these situations would require the system to be hooked up to more than one device at any time.
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#14962 - 05/23/03 06:31 AM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Jim Beersman Jim Beersman active contributor Registered: 01/09/03 Posts: 158 Loc: Springfield, MO	Joe, we do not have plans to sell any of the Lantronixs devices (I think I speak for myself and Guy on this). The purpose of the post was to share information about products that would allow you to put your Leopard/Ocelot on the network and could be found on EBay or other sites for very little cost. We were not doing this to make money. Our goal was to help others find these hidden gems and help get them configured to work with HA setups. The hope was to post specific instructions on updating firmware, configuration options and 3rd party software options. I was just about ready to post the instructions that I had put together when I took a Lighting hit. My new mother board finally came in and I setup it up last night, so I now have my computer back (note computer withdrawel syndrome). As for my Leopard and SECU16-I they are still in the shop for repairs. My temperature sensors that I have around the house, which are controlled by a Peter Anderson kit, also appear to have been damaged by the Lighting strike. Now that my computer is working again I can see what else was affected. So my HA setup is currently missing it's main componets and even the wife is missing some of the automated features. I do hope this helps to explains our intent. _________________________ Non Solum fumo speculisque, sed etiam tintinnabulis fistulisque factum est
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#14963 - 05/23/03 12:42 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
Guy Lavoie Guy Lavoie Beyond All Hope Registered: 12/21/02 Posts: 6406 Loc: Montreal, QC, Canada	Jim got it 100% right, no intent to sell anything...except perhaps to "sell" the idea that this can be done by the DIYers that we all are! I've got 3 of these babies installed so far and they have worked quite well. I need to find more 12V wall warts to keep going! Jim seems to have taken quite a few notes as he tested the load of units the we bought so I'll let him lead into this, as far as starting an upgrade of the firmware from scratch. In the meantime, just look for Lantronix EPS1 print servers on ebay or elsewhere. They are often sold with the wall wart missing, so I can tell you right now that you need to get a 12 VDC. 1 Amp adaptor with a positive tip polarity. The plug is just like the ones we see on things like US Robotics modems, etc. _________________________ "If you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly..."
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#14964 - 05/23/03 02:10 PM Re: Networking LeopardOcelot
John Warner John Warner old hand Registered: 01/09/03 Posts: 817 Loc: Port Perry, Ontario, Canada	Hey Guy! I don't know if you are aware of a place called Princess Auto or not? Unfortunately, the closest one to you is in Ottawa so I don't know if you get there ever? You can order online though. That's where I get a lot of my HA stuff CHEAP. Much of their stuff is farm/mechanical (which I also like) but they also have electrical/electronics. They have a surplus area where you can get cheap wall warts, solenoids and other such things. That's where I got my 12vdc 1.5a switching power supplies for about $4.99 each. The 24vdc solenoid I use for my home-brew watercop was $3.99 (and that's Canadian $ !) The regular prices are good but as well, they have a new sale every 2 to 3 weeks where prices are even better. Eventually, pretty much everything in their full 450 page catalog comes on sale! Here's a link to their site where you can view the current flyer and/or download the full catalog: Princess Auto Enjoy!
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