Stamp
by using APPEND.
CONTROL TEXT
ID
STYLE
FIXEDSTORE
VARSTORE
VALUE
MAXCHARS
APPEND
stat
FIXED
ROM
RAM
“OFF “
8
Now, we get to the controls that we’ll actually change
and will have an effect on our control program. The first is the
temperature setpoint. The controller logic will use this setpoint
— along with the operating mode and current temperature —
to determine which control outputs, if any, are active.
CONTROL NUMBER
ID
STYLE
OPTION
FIXEDSTORE
VARSTORE
TITLE
VALUE
CTL_MIN
CTL_MAX
setp
EDIT
SLIDER
ROM
RAM
“ Setpoint”
75
65
95
Notice that the setpoint is (logically) a NUMBER
control, but this time it is formatted as a SLIDER and its
STYLE is set to EDIT so we can change the value.
The next two controls mimic the slide switches on my
home AC controller. Both are SELECTION controls that
use the DROPDOWN option. This makes them look and
behave like a standard Windows dropdown selector. The
VALUE parameter selects the current position of the
SELECTION control. The ITEM parameters provide strings
for each available position in the control.
CONTROL SELECTION
ID mode
OPTION DROPDOWN
FIXEDSTORE ROM
VARSTORE RAM
VALUE 0
TITLE “Controls”
ITEM “System Off”
ITEM “Cool”
ITEM “Heat”
CONTROL SELECTION
ID fctl
OPTION DROPDOWN
FIXEDSTORE ROM
VARSTORE RAM
VALUE 0
ITEM “Fan - Auto”
ITEM “Fan - On”
APPEND
Okay, now that we have a VCP script, it’s time to
give it a run. Let me encourage you to test the VCP in a
stand-alone manner before adding any host (BASIC
JULY 2004
Stamp) interaction with the FlexiPanel module. If you
decide to make changes in your VCP script, be sure to
remove the host program so that it doesn’t interfere with
your FlexiPanel module reprogramming. This is not as
tedious as it sounds and will save you a bit of trouble as
you’re refining your FlexiPanel projects.
After connecting the circuit shown in Figure 3, make
sure that the BASIC Stamp is “blank” — that is, there is no
program running that attempts to access the FlexiPanel
module. The easiest way to do this is to download the
following single-line program:
END
After the circuit is powered up, bring it into range of
your PC’s IrDA port. If you don’t have an IrDA port built
into your PC, for about $30.00, you can get an IrDA
adapter that plugs into a USB port — that’s what I did and
it works great.
Once the PC acknowledges the presence of the
FlexiPanel module, start the program called
FlexiPanelConfig and then click the “Read Script” button.
A standard File Open dialog will be displayed. Select the
desired script (.rs file) and click the “Open” button. If all
goes well and there are no errors in the script, you’ll see an
Circle #144 on the Reader Service Card.
31