Reader Background

This section assumes the reader is experienced with the tools (LonMaker, NodeBuilder, etc.) and mechanisms needed program a Neuron processor from Echelon. What follows is an example that illustrates how to send and receive information through the NIM-6 inter-processor link.

Anchor
_Toc269456548 _Toc269456548

Example: Schema Setup

Anchor
_Ref222913058 _Ref222913058

Anchor
_Toc223176036 _Toc223176036

Anchor
_Toc224024233 _Toc224024233

Anchor
_Toc269456551 _Toc269456551

Anchor
_Toc278366154 _Toc278366154

Anchor
_Toc279736912 _Toc279736912

Anchor
_Toc278367732 _Toc278367732

Anchor
_Toc269456553 _Toc269456553

The figure above shows a LonTalk Input Operator linked to a NIM-6 module and transmitting a floating point value. The information flow from an analog input (Ain1) through a variable (fResTemp) to the Input Operator with a Link Key of 'Temp'. This information is to be transferred to the Neuron.
Note that both the data Type and Neuron Link Key settings are critical for the transfer to take place. The setting in the associated operator must match the settings in the Neuron C code.

Neuron Setup and Programming Overview

NodeBuilder

When setting up a project in Echelon's NodeBuilder tool, follow these general steps:

1. Select a project name
2. Set Transceiver type to TP/FT-10
3. Use the calculator function when setting the program ID. Below are the suggested values to start with:
   1. Manufacturer: Enter Number as 0
   2. Select Category, Device Class, and Usage as per your application. If you are not sure, use Industrial, Industrial (130.00), and Industrial.
   3. Select Channel type as TP/FT-10
   4. Use Model Number of 02
4. Choose the NIM6 as the device template. If the NIM6 is not in the list, select none for now and follow the directions in the next paragraph.
5. Finish new project creation

If you need to add the NIM6 as a template, right click on the User Templates in the Hardware Templates folder and select insert copy. Select the 'NIM6.NbHwt' file*. Right click on your device in the device templates folder, select settings, and choose the NIM6 for both the development and release hardware templates.

It is suggested that all the Fairmount Automation LonTalk files* are stored in the same directory as your *.nc source.

To add the Chameleon NIM-6 library file to your project, right click on the libraries folder in the device and select insert. Choose a custom library and select 'ChameleonAPILib.lib' file*.

To adding the Chameleon NIM-6 source files to your project, right click on the Source files directory and add both the 'ChameleonAPIlib.h' and 'fawhencode.nc' files*.

Required Additions to the Neuron C (.nc) Source Code

Your Neuron C source code will need to have the following modifications / additions to talk with the NIM-6 main processor through the inter-processor link:

• Suggest starting with the 'FADemoApp.nc' file* as a template for your Neuron program.
• Make sure the following is added: #include "ChameleonAPIlib.h"
• Define input and output variables and strings for each User structures to link to Chameleon. For example:
  • far FAVarBlock OutputOperatorTableName [xx];
  • far FAVarBlock InputOperatorTableName [xx];
• Define the inter-processor communications bus:
  • IO_0 parallel slave p_bus;
• The 'void LinkVars() function' sets the template of data to send to the Chameleon main processor (Up) or receive from the Chameleon main processor (Down):
  • ChameleonLinkVariableUp call
  • ChameleonLinkVariableDown call
• Include / modify the 'when(reset)' section of code with the following:
  • Initialize the interprocessor API with ChameleonInit(); call
  • Setup the variables to communicate with LinkVars(); call
  • Sync the latest information to the Chameleon processor with CHAMELEONREQUESTUPLOAD(); call
• Whenever the communication variables associated with the 'Up' direction need to be updated, then you must call CHAMELEONREQUESTUPLOAD();
• Need to define a global boolean bReceivedUpdate=FALSE;
• Insert #include 'fawhencode.nc' in the body of the source. This code will respond to the interprocessor bus activity

Include a 'when(bReceivedUpdate == TRUE)' function and in this function copy the variables from the 'Down' link (i.e. from the Chameleon main processor to the Neuron) and reset bReceivedUpdate to false.
*Note: All of the configuration, library, and example files referenced in this section are available for download at the Fairmount Automation software library website.

Example: Neuron C Code

The Neuron C code for this data transfer follows:

Anchor
_Toc278367733 _Toc278367733

Anchor
_Toc278367734 _Toc278367734

Anchor
_Toc278367735 _Toc278367735

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456559 _Toc269456559

Example Neuron C Application shell demonstrating Chameleon API
//

Anchor
_Toc269456560 _Toc269456560

Copyright 2005, Fairmount Automation Inc.
//

Anchor
_Toc269456561 _Toc269456561

All rights reserved
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456564 _Toc269456564

#pragma num_alias_table_entries 10
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456567 _Toc269456567

Header Files
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456569 _Toc269456569

#include <string.h>

Anchor
_Toc269456570 _Toc269456570

#include <mem.h>

Anchor
_Toc269456571 _Toc269456571

#include "ChameleonAPIlib.h"

Anchor
_Toc269456572 _Toc269456572

#include <float.h>

Anchor
_Toc269456573 _Toc269456573

#include <s32.h>

Anchor
_Toc269456574 _Toc269456574

#include <string.h>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456577 _Toc269456577

Network Variable Declarations
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456579 _Toc269456579

#pragma enable_sd_nv_names

Anchor
_Toc269456580 _Toc269456580

#pragma set_node_sd_string "Sample Neuron/NIM application program"
//

Anchor
_Toc269456582 _Toc269456582

Input variables

Anchor
_Toc269456583 _Toc269456583

network input boolean RemEstop;

Anchor
_Toc269456584 _Toc269456584

network output boolean LocalEstop;

Anchor
_Toc269456585 _Toc269456585

network output float_type Temp;

Anchor
_Toc269456586 _Toc269456586

network output float_type State;

Anchor
_Toc269456587 _Toc269456587

network output float_type Speed;

Anchor
_Toc269456588 _Toc269456588

network output float_type SetPt;

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456592 _Toc269456592

Chameleon Linked Variable Declarations
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456594 _Toc269456594

far char pKeysdi[1][15]={"RemEStop"};

Anchor
_Toc269456595 _Toc269456595

far char pKeysdo[1][15]={"LocalEStop"};

Anchor
_Toc269456596 _Toc269456596

far char pKeysao[4][15]={"Temp", "State", "Speed", "SetPt"};

Anchor
_Toc269456597 _Toc269456597

boolean FA_DigitalIn;

Anchor
_Toc269456598 _Toc269456598

boolean FA_DigitalOut;

Anchor
_Toc269456599 _Toc269456599

float_type FA_AnalogOut[4];
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456602 _Toc269456602

user structures to link to Chameleon
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456604 _Toc269456604

far FAVarBlock OutputOperatorTable[5];

Anchor
_Toc269456605 _Toc269456605

far FAVarBlock InputOperatorTable[1];
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456608 _Toc269456608

Timer Declarations
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456610 _Toc269456610

mtimer repeating looptimer=1000;
//

Anchor
_Toc269456611 _Toc269456611

timer optimer;

Anchor
_Toc269456614 _Toc269456614

IO_0 parallel slave p_bus; // slave A mode

Anchor
_Toc269456615 _Toc269456615

booleanbReceivedUpdate=FALSE;

Anchor
_Toc269456617 _Toc269456617

void LinkVars()

Anchor
_Toc269456618 _Toc269456618

{

Anchor
_Toc269456619 _Toc269456619

int i,j;

Anchor
_Toc269456621 _Toc269456621

for (i=0;i<1;i++){

Anchor
_Toc269456622 _Toc269456622

ChameleonLinkVariableUp(&InputOperatorTable[i], &pKeysdi[i][0], FA_DigitalIn);

Anchor
_Toc269456623 _Toc269456623

}

Anchor
_Toc269456624 _Toc269456624

for (i=0;i<1;i++){

Anchor
_Toc269456625 _Toc269456625

ChameleonLinkVariableDown(&OutputOperatorTable[i], &pKeysdo[i][0], FA_DigitalOut);

Anchor
_Toc269456626 _Toc269456626

}

Anchor
_Toc269456627 _Toc269456627

for (i=0,j=15;i<4;i+,j+){

Anchor
_Toc269456628 _Toc269456628

ChameleonLinkVariableDown(&OutputOperatorTable[j], &pKeysao[i][0], FA_AnalogOut[i]);

Anchor
_Toc269456629 _Toc269456629

}

Anchor
_Toc269456631 _Toc269456631

}
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456634 _Toc269456634

Initialize application in the reset task
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456636 _Toc269456636

when (reset)

Anchor
_Toc269456637 _Toc269456637

{

Anchor
_Toc269456638 _Toc269456638

int i;

Anchor
_Toc269456640 _Toc269456640

i=0;

Anchor
_Toc269456641 _Toc269456641

// initialize the API

Anchor
_Toc269456642 _Toc269456642

ChameleonInit();

Anchor
_Toc269456644 _Toc269456644

// link the chameleon variables

Anchor
_Toc269456645 _Toc269456645

LinkVars();

Anchor
_Toc269456647 _Toc269456647

// request an upload to synchronize the variable table

Anchor
_Toc269456648 _Toc269456648

CHAMELEONREQUESTUPLOAD();

Anchor
_Toc269456649 _Toc269456649

}

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456653 _Toc269456653

Post any updates of network variables up to Chameleon
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456655 _Toc269456655

when (nv_update_occurs)

Anchor
_Toc269456656 _Toc269456656

{

Anchor
_Toc269456657 _Toc269456657

// copy var

Anchor
_Toc269456658 _Toc269456658

FA_DigitalIn = RemEstop;

Anchor
_Toc269456660 _Toc269456660

// schedule a data upload to the module

Anchor
_Toc269456661 _Toc269456661

CHAMELEONREQUESTUPLOAD();

Anchor
_Toc269456662 _Toc269456662

}

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//

Anchor
_Toc269456666 _Toc269456666

handle processing for any variable update from Chameleon
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Anchor
_Toc269456668 _Toc269456668

when (bReceivedUpdate == TRUE)

Anchor
_Toc269456669 _Toc269456669

{

Anchor
_Toc269456671 _Toc269456671

// copy the values from Chameleon to the network variables

Anchor
_Toc269456673 _Toc269456673

if (OutputOperatorTable[0].bUpdated)

Anchor
_Toc269456674 _Toc269456674

LocalEstop = FA_DigitalOut;

Anchor
_Toc269456676 _Toc269456676

if (OutputOperatorTable[1].bUpdated)

Anchor
_Toc269456677 _Toc269456677

Temp = FA_AnalogOut[0];

Anchor
_Toc269456679 _Toc269456679

if (OutputOperatorTable[2].bUpdated)

Anchor
_Toc269456680 _Toc269456680

State = FA_AnalogOut[1];

Anchor
_Toc269456682 _Toc269456682

if (OutputOperatorTable[3].bUpdated)

Anchor
_Toc269456683 _Toc269456683

Speed = FA_AnalogOut[2];

Anchor
_Toc269456685 _Toc269456685

if (OutputOperatorTable[4].bUpdated)

Anchor
_Toc269456686 _Toc269456686

SetPt = FA_AnalogOut[3];

Anchor
_Toc269456688 _Toc269456688

bReceivedUpdate = FALSE;// clear update flag

Anchor
_Toc269456689 _Toc269456689

}