[AG-TECH] APware behaviour

[Allan Spale]

Hello,

I was doing some reading in the AP400 manual the other day (concerning a
DB9 cabling issue that was mentioned in a previous thread), and I noticed
that it seeme like you could write your own control software to control
the Gentner by using built-in protocol commands or something to that
effect.

I know that there is some program somewhere that can run on Linux (we
tried it out at EVL) that had some of the major functionalities of the old
Audio Perfect Tools (the earlier version of Gentner control software) and
it seemed to do the job for most things (well, as far as just doing a
quick trial of use).

So, if people are dissatisfied with the current software and there is a
way to program the Gentner using some serial cable interface, maybe people
could get together to write their own "always-on" version of the AP-Ware
software (I hesitate to use the term "real-time" since that has other
meanings in software and I do not think the software absolutely requires
real-time (< some number of milliseconds) operation).  Just a thought.


Allan
EVL at UIC
node-op

On Tue, 19 Mar 2002, Osland, CD (Chris)  wrote:

> Thanks for that - I'll try using it as further ammunition for
> getting a laptop - I think I'm the only person in this area who
> hasn't even got access to one, let alone got one myself!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Chris
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Chris Osland                         Office tel: +44 (0) 1235 446565
> Digital Media and Access Grid      Medialab tel: +44 (0) 1235 446459
> BIT Department             Access Grid room tel: +44 (0) 1235 445666
> e-mail:   C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk               Fax: +44 (0) 1235 445597
> 
> CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Bldg. R18)
> Chilton, DIDCOT, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
> 
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> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Gates [mailto:mgates at sdsc.edu]
> Sent: 19 March 2002 16:44
> To: Osland, CD (Chris) ; Ag-Tech Mailing List (E-mail); ETF-ACCESSGRID
> (E-mail)
> Subject: RE: [AG-TECH] APware behaviour
> 
> 
> One of the things that we did here when we didn't have a control machine to
> run the gentner, was to load the software on a laptop and run the cable to
> the gentner to adjust audio levels real-time.  It's a small piece of
> software, and the laptop doesn't have to stay with the AG node.  Once the
> session is over, you can use the laptop for whatever else you need to do
> with it.
> 
> Just an Idea.
> 
> -Mike
> 
> ======================
> Michael Gates
> Information Technology
> Support and User Services
> mgates at sdsc.edu.edu
> 858.534.8369
> mgates at pager.sdsc.edu
> Room 265
> ======================
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
> Behalf Of Osland, CD (Chris)
> Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 7:28 AM
> To: Ag-Tech Mailing List (E-mail); ETF-ACCESSGRID (E-mail)
> Subject: [AG-TECH] APware behaviour
> 
> 
> I have just had the following response back from Gentner about the
> behaviour of APware:
> 
> "But the answer for today is
> that APWare will not work any better than the way it currently works.
> APWare does use a lot of resources.  It's main purpose is to configure AP
> units, not real-time operate AP units.  The design of the AP units limits
> the external control.  This has been much improved with the XAP units.  You
> can actually use G-Ware as the real-time controlling software but even that
> is limited by the RS232 interface.  This customer may have to go back to
> using a dedicated computer if they want to use APWare as a real-time
> operating system."
> 
> 
> Putting a fourth machine back into our rig just to drive the Gentner
> is not really an option - the rack enclosure, purchased for the project,
> is just about full!  Added to which, using a 1.4 GHz processor system
> just to control a 9600 baud line brings us to Alice in Wonderland
> territory (IMHO)!
> 
> I'll get back to Gentner with a comment along the lines that their
> comment that "APWare does use a lot of resources" is a little
> disingenuous - it uses every last cycle irrespective of CPU speed
> and actually impacts the ability of the machine it is running on
> to minimize or close the APware window itself, as far as I can tell -
> it certainly does if, by chance, you focus on another window
> while APware is running!
> 
> I haven't heard of G-Ware - is that for XAP units only?  Does
> it suffer the same way?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Chris
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Chris Osland                                               Office tel: +44
> (0) 1235 446565
> Digital Media and Access Grid                          Medialab tel: +44 (0)
> 1235 446459
> BIT Department                                     Access Grid room tel: +44
> (0) 1235 445666
> e-mail:   C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk                                       Fax: +44
> (0) 1235 445597
> CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Bldg. R18)
> Chilton, DIDCOT, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
> [The contents of this email are confidential and are for the use of the
> intended recipient only.
> If you are not the intended recipient do not take any action on it or show
> it to anyone else,
> but return this email to the sender and delete your copy of it.]
> 
> 
>