Slow Updating Analog Zones on Expander Zones

[upstatemike]

It looks like Guy is proactively polling the input once per second which I assume would have the same effect as Spanky's proactive relay toggle. Is your rule forcing an update every second or so somehow?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

It looks like Guy is proactively polling the input once per second which I assume would have the same effect as Spanky's proactive relay toggle. Is your rule forcing an update every second or so somehow?

No, that's not the way it works. I'm doing the same thing as Guy. It comes down to the firmware not updating the same way.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

My setup is really straightforward: from main board to input expander, then to serial expander, and finally to keypad. Termination is installed at main board and at keypad.

The only difference in my setup (after I simplified it) is that I do not have a serial expander in place. Other than that our setups are identical.

 

[Guy Lavoie]

It looks like Guy is proactively polling the input once per second which I assume would have the same effect as Spanky's proactive relay toggle. Is your rule forcing an update every second or so somehow?

No, that's not the way it works. I'm doing the same thing as Guy. It comes down to the firmware not updating the same way.

...and I had it working ok even without the rule loaded in.

But that was still good creative thinking Mike.

 

[Spanky]

Polling for status does not cause the expander modules to send an update. The expanders send an update when a threshold voltage is crossed or the 30 second timer.

Guy, I was wondering if somehow you was crossing a threshold voltage in your test and causing an update from the input expander.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

How much tolerance is there in those low/high threshold numbers of 3.9 and 8.9? With the resistors Guy was using I doubt he came anywhere near those numbers, plus I believe he was using a multimeter and looking at the voltage directly.

Perhaps another test is in order, but use say 5.5 volt and 6.5 volt spans???

 

[Steve]

BSR, have you tried downloading and updating your expander's firmware?

Maybe it's just me (seem to be having one of those weekends) but I can't find the latest firmware/bootware for the M1XIN module.

I did find THIS technical document describing how to update the firmware, but that's all.

I'm also a little nervous since I also read two posts on their forums on how this procedure hung during installation rendering their boards useless.

1.3.8 should bve the latest firmware for the XIN. If you downloaded all the latest firmware it should be in ProgramFiles\ElkRP\Updates and the file is M1XIN_1.3.8.bin and the date is 8/2005. There are some issues with older versions of bootware code where if you do an update from behind a retrofit hub it will fail and trash the expander (would need to be sent back to Elk for reflash). If you just attach the expander to the control directly without the M1DBHR you should be fine.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

If you downloaded all the latest firmware it should be in ProgramFiles\ElkRP\Updates and the file is M1XIN_1.3.8.bin and the date is 8/2005.

This file is not included in the "all firmware" file.

 

[Guy Lavoie]

I also downloaded the "all firmware file" and don't see any M1XIN... files. The one place on Elk's dealer forum dealing with input expnader updates also doesn't list any files. There is something about differing flash files depending on the hardware version.

To respond to Spanky's question above: I was alternating the input voltage between 7.5v and 6.5v. That sounds quite far from the threshold values. Are the threshold values themselves adjustable?

 

[Steve]

Hmm, they must have been in an earlier release. If you need the files, I have then, just PM me.

 

[Spanky]

Currently the Threshold Values are fixed. There are two settings: 2 wire smoke which is higher values, and then everything else values.