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CR200X (CR211X) with RF401 (RF411) - comunication problems


Nico Sep 4, 2015 11:51 AM

I'm currently troubleshooting a CR211X with a RF411 radio (Australian frequencies).
The system was in the field and worked and the only change I can account for has been with the computer driving the RF411. I now have the system on my bench for troubleshooting with a pc (Loggernet 4.3) like this:

1) PC - RS232_A - RF411
2) PC - RS232_B - CR211X

Via DevConfig I can connect to the RF411 via RS232_A and to the CR211X via the RF411 OR RS232_B.
After the red LED on the RF411 flickers the green LEDs on both RF411 and CR211X start to flash and at some point the CR211X is accessible in DevConfig.. this means all should be well and I should be able to make connections to the CR211X with Setup or Connect, right, to download data and stuff.

But that doesn't work.. any idea why?

The RX LED on the RF411X doesn't start to flicker at all.
I think I set up everything correctly, see following list please:

Settings for RF411:
Setting Name Setting Value
Active Interface RS-232
SDC Address 7
RS-232 Auto Power Down RS-232 TX automatically powers down when no activity for 30 sec
RS-232 Parity None (default)
RS-232 Stop Bits 1 bit
RS-232 Character Lngth 8 bits (default)
Protocol PakBus Aware
RS-232 Baud Rate 9600
RF Standby Mode <24 mA always on
Long Header Time 82
RF Hop Sequence 0
AT Sequence Character 43
Sync Timer 0
Retry Count 7
Random Delay Slots 3
Pin Wakeup 1
Received Sig Strgth 111
RF Net 0
RF Address 0
Time to Sleep 0
Time to Long Header 78
Silnce Tme bef Comd Seq 10
Silnce Tme aft Comd Seq 10
AT Command Mode Timeout 100
Net Address Mask 31
Radio Address Mask 1,023
Transmit Timer 400
PakBus Address 1
Radio Firmware Version 1
Retransmit Failures 0
Serial Number 0
OS Version 4
PakBus Beacon Interval 60
PakBus Verify Interval 150
Central Router 0
Neighbors Allowed Begin Range End Range
ME Baud Rate 9600

Settings for CR211X:
Setting Name Setting Value
Version CR200X.Std.03
Max Packet Size 100
PakBus Address 1
Radio Installed 46,147
RF Network Address 0
RF Address 0
RF Hop Sequence 0
Ignore RF Power Mode 1
RF Power Mode 1 Sec
Company CSI
PakCtrl Command Codes 2 7 8 9 12
BMP5 Command Codes 9 23 24 26 27 28 29 30
Model Number CR2xx
RF Protocol PakBus Aware
Max Transmit Packt Sze 850
Serial Number 65535l

Settings for CR211X via RF411 in Loggernet (Setup Screen):
ComPort
- coms enabled
- advanced, extra respnse time 5s, delay hangup and delay both 0
RF400
- coms enabled
- max time 0
- attn char '_'
- advanced, max packet size 100
RF400Remote
- coms enabled
- max time 0
- netwk addr 0
- radio addr 0
- advanced, max packet size 100
PakBusPort
- coms enabled
- max time 0
- max baud rate 9600
- beacon intvl 1 min
- pakbus verfy intvl 0
- advanced, extra respnse time 5s, pakbus addr 4096 (greyed out)
CR211X
- coms enabled
- call back enabled
- pakbus addr 1
- advanced, max packet size 100, delay hangup 0

I somehow have the feeling as if DevConfig can do something with the RF411 that the normal Loggernet server doesn't do to connect to the CR211X..

* Last updated by: Nico on 9/4/2015 @ 5:54 AM *


Nico Sep 4, 2015 01:06 PM

totally forgot, I read in this post
https://www.campbellsci.com/forum/messages.cfm?threadid=101B1617-16DA-4236-ABF670ECA72C38C4
from a year ago that the RF411 can have some problem - never got the customer notice btw - with the power supply.
and just some minutes ago even DevConfig didn't wanted to connect to the RF411 via RS232_2, so it's not always working it seems..

Serial of the RF411 is 30689 - maybe it's affected by that bug?
Serial of the CR211X is 4809 for completeness sake.


Nico Sep 4, 2015 01:40 PM

trying to run the link in DevConfig (pc > RS232_2 > RF411 > CR211X) with both CR211X and RF411 set to Transparent mode doesn't work either:

Communication failed while device settings were being read

23:38:47.811
Fault
"PakBus framing error","Invalid low level signature"

...

* Last updated by: Nico on 9/4/2015 @ 7:42 AM *


Nico Sep 4, 2015 01:48 PM

Oh, and the original error message for failing to connect to the CR211X via the RF411 with the Setup Screen (Get Table definitions) does bring up these errors:

Failure: 04/09/15 23:29:14.796
delivery failure received","timed out or resource error
Failure: 04/09/15 23:31:27.261
delivery failure received","timed out or resource error
Failure: 04/09/15 23:36:16.362
open failed","serial open failed","5","Access is denied.
Failure: 04/09/15 23:36:16.362
Call-back wait failed
Failure: 04/09/15 23:43:04.164
open failed","serial open failed","5","Access is denied.
Failure: 04/09/15 23:43:04.164
Call-back wait failed
Warning: 04/09/15 23:46:23.175
RF400 Transparent Dialing
Warning: 04/09/15 23:46:38.557
RF400 Transparent Dialing
Failure: 04/09/15 23:46:53.938
transaction failure","unreachable destination","Get Logger Program Status
Failure: 04/09/15 23:46:53.938
transaction failure","unreachable destination","file receive - .TDF
Failure: 04/09/15 23:46:53.938
delivery failure received","timed out or resource error
Failure: 04/09/15 23:46:53.938
RF400 Transparent Dialing
Failure: 04/09/15 23:46:53.938
Dialing failed
Failure: 04/09/15 23:36:16.362
open failed","serial open failed","5","Access is denied.
Failure: 04/09/15 23:36:16.362
Call-back wait failed
Failure: 04/09/15 23:43:04.164
open failed","serial open failed","5","Access is denied.
Failure: 04/09/15 23:43:04.164
Call-back wait failed


JDavis Sep 4, 2015 05:34 PM

The Serial Open Failed error happens when another piece of software is trying to use the serial port. Likely, DevConfig was still open.
campbellsci.com/blog/communication-problems-serial-connections

The messages from Loggernet look like you have the radios configured for Transparent mode and have the RF400 radios added to Setup. It is highly recommended that you set both devices to Pakbus Aware mode. In Loggernet Setup, you will not add the radio.

You could factory default the RF411 and CR211X, then follow the instructions in the RF411 manual for setting up Loggernet. An alternative is to use Network Planner within Loggernet to configure everything.
https://www.campbellsci.com/videos?video=16


Nico Sep 5, 2015 03:29 AM

Thanks, JDavis.

DevConfig wasn't open anymore, no worries and they were set to PakBus aware..

Your bit about NOT having the RF411/RF400Remote in the Setup path was the solution.
Entirely not intuitive, but it works.
Now the entry in Setup looks like any logger directly connected to the machine running loggernet.. there is no awareness of this being a wireless connection - I can live with that.

I must have had the RF411/CR211X in Transparent mode when it was working back then..

Thanks!

* Last updated by: Nico on 9/4/2015 @ 9:31 PM *

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