Strange behaviour Slider Channel 1

[Arne]

Hi,

I already wrote a post about the PWM outputs : https://www.robo-tank.ca/forum/Thread-No...ht-outputs

I found another strange thing and I'm curious if I'm the only one expierencing this.

When you go to light settings, there are 4 modes.
Take a close look at the Channel 1 Slider...

Go to any mode but "Moon" and set the Channel 1 slider in any position.
Output 1 sends out pwm pulses according to the slider setting.

Now go to "Moon" and set Channel 1 slider in any position.
Output 1 sends out pwm pulses according to the slider setting in "Moon" mode.

Now switch to the other previous set mode and look at slider Channel 1.
It represents the setting you made before.

Now switch to "Moon"...
Please have a look at Channel 1 slider.
In my case it 's position is 0, eventhough I have set it to another position.
The output keeps on producing the pwm pulses that fits the previous "Moon" setting of Channel 1, but the slider drops to the bottom... in my case I mean... ;-)

So normaly you will not notice, light works as it should.

Am I the only one having this issue?
I'm running V2.3 original.

Kind regards,

Arne.

[august]

In DISPLAY_RoboTank_V2_3
Find:

Code:

save2(336,352,200,204,208,213,currentColor.Red);

Replace:

Code:

save2(336,352,200,204,208,212,currentColor.Red);

[Arne]

I will try that August, thanks!

Does this mean this is a known problem?

Kind regards,

Arne.

[august]

I will try that August, thanks!

Does this mean this is a known problem?

Kind regards,

Arne.

Today I reported this problem.

[Arne]

Works!

Was this a color related (Red) problem?
Or was it Channel related?

Kind regards,

Arne.

[august]

red is only label of channel 1

[fietsenrex]

funny, had the same thing...
I just swapped channel 1 with an empty channel and it worked for me

[Arne]

Yeah, your correct August.
But, I'm not 100% sure, but when you change color of Channel 1 the problem remains...

[Rob F]

Hi, that was a nice find August, I'll update the download package later. I'm surprised I've never noticed this, I use channel one and have worked out those settings, guess I don't see it because I have moon mode at 0. Did this get you going Arne?

[Arne]

Yes Rob, I have modified the code according to what August sugested.
That works.

You need a couple of good testers Rob... ;-)

[Rob F]

Awesome, August saved the day. :) There are a lot of scenarios now so something could still be hiding. Quite a few using it so there can't be to many left. There's a couple visual issues but have nothing to do with functionality. I'm working on an update, no date when it'll be ready but I'm working.

[Arne]

Rob,

Any idea about the other issue, the pwm output?

[Rob F]

Did you change that line of code in 2 locations?

Those functions do control the output of channel one, doesn't matter the color you have on the slider, even though it says red in the code. The moon setting was being saved in the wrong location so what you're experiencing sounds like it is this code. Its saving to location 213 but reading from location 212 which never changes.

[Arne]

Yes Rob, I changed it at two locations.
I'm not a programmer Rob but this issue with "touching" also applied to the other channels...

[Rob F]

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean by "touching" issue?

[Arne]

Well Rob, at the first startup I noticed there were outputs not working.
That' what started this thread: https://www.robo-tank.ca/forum/Thread-No...ht-outputs
And then, for some reason, they were working like you can see on the scope pics.

The reason for the outputs to start working is that you have to touch the slider of that channel once.
So eventhough the slider might be in the mid position, no pwm output was generated.
Just a quick touch makes it work... ;-)

I noticed this on multiple channels.
Could it have to do with a value in eeprom at initial startup Rob?

Do you know what I mean now?

[Rob F]

That makes it difficult, I think I know what you mean but if its happening on channel 1 to 7 then I can't imagine it. Those are the channels I use and my lights have never acted up. If I go to settings and lights it'll show the mode I'm currently in, if I change the mode the sliders change and the lights go to that mode. I've never had to press a slider to get it working.

When you open the lights settings page it looks to see what mode your in and loads the settings from the eeprom and sends the values to the PWM chip. When you change a mode it reads the eeprom again for that mode and loads the settings and sends those values to the chip. This happens anytime the lights are adjusted or controller restarted. That's why it made sense with your first issue because that's exactly what should have happened.

Maybe its the scope that's not reading it properly because I've never seen or head of anything similar, that's what makes it difficult.

[Arne]

Well Rob, just browse a little up and read what Fietsenrex has to say about this...

The point is that this only happens when the software has been installed and Robo-Tank starts up the very first time.
What I could think of, as a non-programmer, is that at that moment there's not a proper value in eeprom yet.

Please Rob, stop saying it might be the scope !

---

I have read your reply again, it looks like you don't know what I mean...

[Rob F]

Sorry to blame your scope, I thought this was a problem you were still experiencing. I can understand that happening with a fresh install, I'll have to look at restore default function as this sets up the eeprom for the first time. Now you have it setup you shouldn't experience that again. With the new updates you don't lose any settings.

[Arne]

Rob, I will try to explain it once again.
First of all, we are writing in this thread but in fact this is not the thread where I first described this problem.
Here's the thread where it all started: https://www.robo-tank.ca/forum/Thread-No...ht-outputs

When I installed the software and wanted to check the pwm outputs, I couldn't measure a pwm signal on ANY of the outputs.
That's why I started the above mentioned thread.

After your tip to try it with a voltmeter a had been playing around a little and the outputs worked, also on the scope.
At that time a didn't realise what had happened, that's why I wrote that I hate it when I can't figure out what's happening...

I connected the scope on different channels and the were more than one channel that showed no output at all.
I ask you to stop blaming the scope because this same scope shows output signals on other channels and, of the record, this scope has been doing more difficult measuring than only a pwm signal...

At first startup, it doesn't matter what light mode you're in, just choose one.
Eventhough the slider of the channel your measuring is somewhere in the mid position, NO signal is produced at the output.
When you just touches the slider output signal is produced...

Nothing is happening with settings getting lost what so ever, yeah channel 1 in Moon mode, but let's forget that for a moment.
Everything is working as it should but at the very early startup, there's no signal at the pwm outputs.
Yes, when you play around a little or touches the slider once, so it can easily be overseen.

I think that touching the slider writes the actual value to eeprom and from that moment all is working okay.
So my guess is that when everything is just starting up for the very first time, the value in eeprom doesn't make sence to the pwm chip.