Well, I've given Fremen's control software a good thrashing over the last two weeks and, functionally, it has stood up very well. Bugs were very few:
1. Run-time error 384 followed by crash if you try to minimise the window to the taskbar.
2. Run-time error 380 when trying to start software when FY6600 is already running (not every time, but persistent when it happens). Program starts, but fails to open COM port and shows extreme values in parameter boxes. Only cure is to close both program and FY600, then restart program followed by startup of FY6600 and manual instigation of comms. *** SEE BELOW ***
3. Run-time error 6 in Calibration, if out of range number is entered into "Ch1 L:0.5 Min" box (eg accidentally enter a +ve number). The value is saved, but the program shuts down when the message box is closed.
Every feature was tested for operation and works as it should (as far as I can tell, anyway); the only shortcut I took was to only partially test Ch2 with some random settings. Sweeps using VCO input were tested using an FY6800 feeding the VCO of the FY6600 (and kept me amused for hours watching the results on the scope).
The main improvements needed are now to the usability of the control software, some cosmetic, and some to the data entry method.
1. After seeing that popup box appear a thousand times when entering a new parameter, I would just love to see direct entry into the value boxes enabled! If the popup has to stay, then a bigger, bolder font is required to ease eyestrain.
2. Can a shortcut method of number entry be implemented, eg 50m instead of 50000000, 10.7m instead of 10700000, and 455k instead of 455000? Besides being difficult to read and decipher long strings of zeros, I think I'm getting RSI from bashing the zero key!
3. Remove all Chinglish from labels and popups, such as "Forth&Back" in the Sweep - Direction label (which strangely changes to the more usual Back&Forth once the Source has been changed to VCO and back to Time). As Forth, Back, and Back&Forth are not really descriptive of what happens in most of the sweep modes, "Increasing", "Decreasing" and "Alternating" may be better general terms. (Or Rising, Falling, Alternating ?) In the Waveform Window, the "Reset Waveform" button doesn't really describe what it does, ie "Clear Waveform" or "Erase Waveform", and the popup it opens is a good example of Chinglish gobbledegook, when it really means "Are you sure? Unsaved data will be lost."
4. Calibration window - it would be preferable if the first data entry popup opens as soon as the item buttons are pressed, as it's too easy to look away from the screen after clicking on a button and enter the first value from the DVM, only to then find that the popup window hasn't been open... Again, direct entry would be preferable to the popup.
5. Move the Waveform and Text windows to the RHS, so that the most used windows (Control and Configuration) are in their "natural" positions at the left?
6. Provision for naming uploaded waveform slots something other than "RandomXX" would be very good to have. How do you know what you put in Slot 51 a couple of weeks after the upload, let alone six months later?
*** This actually happened again while I was writing this tome, but this time it wasn't recoverable after an hour of trying different things. The only way back this time was a full bluepill erase and reprogram. The full error message showed "Invalid parameter value", and was there even after a simple reprogramming without erasure, so the problem appears to be corruption of the data storage area in the STM32 chip. The first time it happened was after I'd closed the software and turned off the boxes, although they were still connected to the PC which was left running overnight doing other things; the problem occurred the next day, for no apparent reason, when I turned the boxes and software back on again for another session but, as stated earlier, I managed to get everything up again pretty quickly and worked for several more hours without a hitch. This time I'd pressed "Send Data" in the Waveform Window when there was only a blank waveform on screen; wondering if I'd accidentally overwritten the factory sine wave in Slot 1, I went back to the Control Window to check, and error 380 appeared again. (Which reminds me - that "Send Data" button needs a confirmation popup along the lines of "Ensure selected Loading Area is correct. Send / Cancel" to stop accidental overwriting of uploaded waveforms.)
I think soundtec said he'd been struck by the same, or similar, error just a few days ago, but I don't know if he's overcome it yet. I'll keep playing with the software to see if I can find any clues as to what might be happening.
Regards,
Dave