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Re: battery tester

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  Re: battery tester "Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@rtellason.com> - 2024-10-24 20:10 +0200
    Re: battery tester Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2024-10-24 22:50 +0200
      Re: battery tester <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-10-25 07:20 +0200
        Re: battery tester Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> - 2024-10-29 16:20 +0100
          Re: battery tester <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-10-29 16:30 +0100
            Re: battery tester tomas@tuxteam.de - 2024-10-29 17:40 +0100
              Re: battery tester Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> - 2024-10-29 20:10 +0100
              Re: battery tester Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2024-10-29 20:10 +0100
                Re: battery tester Charles Curley <charlescurley@charlescurley.com> - 2024-10-30 03:00 +0100

#274001 — Re: battery tester

On Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:14:52 am Jeffrey Walton wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 6:38 AM George at Clug <Clug@goproject.info> wrote:
> >
> > I have been following the comments on this topic.  From what I can tell, the company does not provide Linux drivers or software.
> >
> > A friend of mine managed to access a heart rate monitor by using DOS emulation and the original DOS software.
> >
> > Maybe you could use Wine to run the Windows "Printer_boxed.exe" software (see download page URL below) ?
> >
> > Not having Ancel BA101 battery tester, I am not able to test.
> >
> > https://www.anceltech.com/product/detail?id=1086074596467142656
> >
> > https://www.anceltech.com/Public/Uploads/filetxt/20211007/6638733e-2053-4706-b775-e85cc12931ed.pdf
> >
> > Here are a few words from the later (BA201) model's manual says:
> >
> > https://www.anceltech.com/Public/Uploads/filetxt/20211007/8f5feaf1-3a4d-4090-89cd-d655de60c21d.pdf
> >
> > This function allows you to update the tool software.
> > To update the tool, you need the following items.
> > 1. ANCEL BA201 Battery tester tool
> > 2. A windows PC or laptop with USB ports
> > 3. A USB cable
> >
> > 1) downloading the applications from ANCEL website.
> > www.anceltech.com
> > 2) run btlink.exe in your computer(Mac OS and linux does not compatible)
> >
> > 3.5 Print
> > The Print Data function allows printing out testing data recorded by the testing tool for or customized test reports.
> > To print out retrieved data, you need the following tools:
> > 1.The tester tool
> > 2.A windows PC or Iaptop with USB ports
> > 3.A USB cable
> > 1) download the applications from ANCEL website.
> > www.anceltech.com
> > 2) connect the tester tool to computer with the USB cable supplied
> > 3) run btlink.exe in your computer, as below
> 
> Installing software from a Chinese vendor does not give me a warm and
> fuzzy feeling.
> 
> Jeff

Just so.

Looking at log files,  the computer _does_ see the device when I plug it in,  telling me that it's seeing a CH340 chip.  In some messing around a while back,  I had two of these visible in terminal windows when I was playing with an ESP32 a while back.  I can't recall how I did that,  though.  Which is why I asked how one might do that in here...

I did hear from the company,  who gave me the very unhelpful advice to try the software on a windows box.  I informed them that there was no windows box at all here,  and that they were not addressing my question,  which was asking for technical details of what the device wanted.

When I plug it in to a USB port,  it does liight up.  I can scroll down to the print option and select that.  What it does at that point I don't know,  as I don't have anything looking at that port at the moment,   I just need a bit of refreshing my memory as to how...

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin

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#274014

On Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:10:53 -0400
"Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@rtellason.com> wrote:

> On Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:14:52 am Jeffrey Walton wrote:
> > On Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 6:38 AM George at Clug
> > <Clug@goproject.info> wrote:  
> > >
> > > I have been following the comments on this topic.  From what I
> > > can tell, the company does not provide Linux drivers or software.
> > >
> > > A friend of mine managed to access a heart rate monitor by using
> > > DOS emulation and the original DOS software.
> > >
> > > Maybe you could use Wine to run the Windows "Printer_boxed.exe"
> > > software (see download page URL below) ?
> > >
> > > Not having Ancel BA101 battery tester, I am not able to test.
> > >
> > > https://www.anceltech.com/product/detail?id=1086074596467142656
> > >
> > > https://www.anceltech.com/Public/Uploads/filetxt/20211007/6638733e-2053-4706-b775-e85cc12931ed.pdf
> > >
> > > Here are a few words from the later (BA201) model's manual says:
> > >
> > > https://www.anceltech.com/Public/Uploads/filetxt/20211007/8f5feaf1-3a4d-4090-89cd-d655de60c21d.pdf
> > >
> > > This function allows you to update the tool software.
> > > To update the tool, you need the following items.
> > > 1. ANCEL BA201 Battery tester tool
> > > 2. A windows PC or laptop with USB ports
> > > 3. A USB cable
> > >
> > > 1) downloading the applications from ANCEL website.
> > > www.anceltech.com
> > > 2) run btlink.exe in your computer(Mac OS and linux does not
> > > compatible)
> > >
> > > 3.5 Print
> > > The Print Data function allows printing out testing data recorded
> > > by the testing tool for or customized test reports. To print out
> > > retrieved data, you need the following tools: 1.The tester tool
> > > 2.A windows PC or Iaptop with USB ports
> > > 3.A USB cable
> > > 1) download the applications from ANCEL website.
> > > www.anceltech.com
> > > 2) connect the tester tool to computer with the USB cable supplied
> > > 3) run btlink.exe in your computer, as below  
> > 
> > Installing software from a Chinese vendor does not give me a warm
> > and fuzzy feeling.
> > 
> > Jeff  
> 
> Just so.
> 
> Looking at log files,  the computer _does_ see the device when I plug
> it in,  telling me that it's seeing a CH340 chip.  In some messing
> around a while back,  I had two of these visible in terminal windows
> when I was playing with an ESP32 a while back.  I can't recall how I
> did that,  though.  Which is why I asked how one might do that in
> here...
> 
> I did hear from the company,  who gave me the very unhelpful advice
> to try the software on a windows box.  I informed them that there was
> no windows box at all here,  and that they were not addressing my
> question,  which was asking for technical details of what the device
> wanted.
> 
> When I plug it in to a USB port,  it does liight up.  I can scroll
> down to the print option and select that.  What it does at that point
> I don't know,  as I don't have anything looking at that port at the
> moment,   I just need a bit of refreshing my memory as to how...
> 

The CH340 is a well-known device, and the usbserial module along with
something like cp210x should deal with multiple devices, assigning them
ttyUSBx device numbers. This should just happen when the adaptor is
plugged in. The stty command should allow setup of the device for baud
rate and parameters. Ancel should surely be able to tell you those
details. All you need then is a list of the commands the Ancel device
supports... 

I haven't dabbled with serial for a while, although I do have a CH340
plugged in permanently to my server, relaying outdoor temperature and
humidity though a pair of XBees, but that was all fit-and-forget some
years ago. My desktop does have CuteCom installed, so I think I used
that for getting it all working. It needs the serial parameters to talk
to devices, but it's fairly quick to try various values, probably
quicker than stty.

-- 
Joe

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#274027

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On Thu, Oct 24, 2024 at 09:44:55PM +0100, Joe wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:10:53 -0400
> "Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@rtellason.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:14:52 am Jeffrey Walton wrote:

[...]

> The CH340 is a well-known device, and the usbserial module along with
> something like cp210x should deal with multiple devices, assigning them
> ttyUSBx device numbers.

According to the logs posted elsewhere in this thread, that part is already
happening.

I doubt all that baud rate, stop bits and parity dance we know and love
from the RS232s of yore are necessary with TTYUSBs. We are talking to
an abstraction layer in the kernel anyway.

My hunch is at one protocol layer higher: the device is waiting for a
magic word to get things started. Kind of the AT protocol of those modems
(again, of yore -- rumour has it, tough, that baseband processors...),
which sit there, silent, waiting for an "AT" to which they then respond
"OK".

Cheers
-- 
t

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#274146

>> The CH340 is a well-known device, and the usbserial module along with
>> something like cp210x should deal with multiple devices, assigning them
>> ttyUSBx device numbers.
[...]
> I doubt all that baud rate, stop bits and parity dance we know and love
> from the RS232s of yore are necessary with TTYUSBs. We are talking to
> an abstraction layer in the kernel anyway.

The CH340 is a real USB<->serial converter, so somewhere inside the
device is a real serial connection which speaks at a specific speed and
the CH340 probably has to match that speed if we want to get valuable
output, I suspect.  IOW, I think it's not "just an abstraction layer".


        Stefan

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#274147

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On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 11:13:28AM -0400, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> >> The CH340 is a well-known device, and the usbserial module along with
> >> something like cp210x should deal with multiple devices, assigning them
> >> ttyUSBx device numbers.
> [...]
> > I doubt all that baud rate, stop bits and parity dance we know and love
> > from the RS232s of yore are necessary with TTYUSBs. We are talking to
> > an abstraction layer in the kernel anyway.
> 
> The CH340 is a real USB<->serial converter, so somewhere inside the
> device is a real serial connection which speaks at a specific speed and
> the CH340 probably has to match that speed if we want to get valuable
> output, I suspect.  IOW, I think it's not "just an abstraction layer".

Hmmm. An interesting point. Yet another rabbit hole =:-o

Cheers
-- 
t

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#274152

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On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 04:28:14PM +0100, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 11:13:28AM -0400, Stefan Monnier wrote:

[...]

> > The CH340 is a real USB<->serial converter, so somewhere inside the
> > device is a real serial connection which speaks at a specific speed and
> > the CH340 probably has to match that speed if we want to get valuable
> > output, I suspect.  IOW, I think it's not "just an abstraction layer".
> 
> Hmmm. An interesting point. Yet another rabbit hole =:-o

Yep, after thinking a bit and poking the interwebs for good measure, I'm
convinced now that you are right. The stty sets the UART "at the other
end" of the USB. So it better be right.

Of course one might hope it starts up with a sensible value, but hey.

Cheers
-- 
t

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#274156

> Yep, after thinking a bit and poking the interwebs for good measure, I'm
> convinced now that you are right.

Miscreant!


        Stefan

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#274157

On Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:36:18 +0100
tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 04:28:14PM +0100, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:
> > On Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 11:13:28AM -0400, Stefan Monnier wrote:  
> 
> [...]
> 
> > > The CH340 is a real USB<->serial converter, so somewhere inside
> > > the device is a real serial connection which speaks at a specific
> > > speed and the CH340 probably has to match that speed if we want
> > > to get valuable output, I suspect.  IOW, I think it's not "just
> > > an abstraction layer".  
> > 
> > Hmmm. An interesting point. Yet another rabbit hole =:-o  
> 
> Yep, after thinking a bit and poking the interwebs for good measure,
> I'm convinced now that you are right. The stty sets the UART "at the
> other end" of the USB. So it better be right.
> 
> Of course one might hope it starts up with a sensible value, but hey.
> 
> Cheers

If the serial parameters are wrong, garbage characters will appear,
there won't be nothing at all. You play with the numbers until it isn't
garbage any more. This does require that the unknown source provides
continuous or at least frequent transmissions without getting proper
returns or handshaking.

There are systems which will automatically recognise baud rate by
assuming the shortest mark or space represents the rate, but this needs
fairly good signal strength and reasonable jitter to work. It generally
can't be done well through the UART, it needs a separate comparator to
bypass the UART's processing. 

These days serial is usually one wire in each direction and a ground,
in earlier days it might be necessary to deal with hardware handshaking
lines, which had standard functions in the telephone business but were
often used elsewhere for proprietary signalling.

I once needed to deal with a serial remote control system which used
the parity bit as a flow control system, something which utterly chokes
a standard UART. I needed to convert this to standard usage to send it
through a conventional serial link and back again at the other end.

-- 
Joe

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#274161

On Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:06:08 +0000
Joe <joe@jretrading.com> wrote:

> There are systems which will automatically recognise baud rate by
> assuming the shortest mark or space represents the rate, but this
> needs fairly good signal strength and reasonable jitter to work. It
> generally can't be done well through the UART, it needs a separate
> comparator to bypass the UART's processing. 

Or you could look at gpsd's code to see how it auto-baud-rates its
serial ports.

-- 
Does anybody read signatures any more?

https://charlescurley.com
https://charlescurley.com/blog/

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