basic serial interface

[brianlloyd]

Does a basic serial interface device exist? I need to control a device by sending strings over a serial port. Very simple and I would think that such a generic device would exist but I can't find it, either as an intrinsic Indigo device, or a plug-in.

[FlyingDiver]

I don't think anyone has done a generic serial interface plugin, but if you just need to send strings to the interface, writing a Python script to do it isn't that hard. You could use the code in one of the plugins that does serial communication (Lutron, Pentair, Concord4, Cynical, etc.)

[FlyingDiver]

For example, all the serial communication in the Lutron plugin is encapsulated in this one class:

Code: Select all

########################################
class SerialGateway:
########################################

    def __init__(self, plugin, dev):
        self.logger = logging.getLogger("Plugin.SerialGateway")
        self.dev = dev
        self.plugin = plugin
        self.connected = False
        dev.updateStateOnServer(key="status", value="Disconnected")
        dev.updateStateImageOnServer(indigo.kStateImageSel.SensorOff)

        self.connSerial = None
        self.command = ''
        

    def start(self):
        self.logger.info(u"{}: Running Serial Start".format(self.dev.name))

        serialUrl = self.plugin.getSerialPortUrl(self.dev.pluginProps, u"serialPort")
        self.logger.info(u"{}: Serial Port URL is: {}".format(self.dev.name, serialUrl))

        try:
            self.connSerial = self.plugin.openSerial(u"Lutron Gateway", serialUrl, 9600, stopbits=1, timeout=2, writeTimeout=1)
            if self.connSerial is None:
                self.logger.error(u"{}: Failed to open serial port".format(self.dev.name))
                self.dev.updateStateOnServer(key="status", value="Failed")
                self.dev.updateStateImageOnServer(indigo.kStateImageSel.SensorTripped)
                return

        except Exception, e:
            self.logger.error(u"{}: Failed to open serial port".format(self.dev.name))
            self.dev.updateStateOnServer(key="status", value="Failed")
            self.dev.updateStateImageOnServer(indigo.kStateImageSel.SensorTripped)
            return

        self.connected = True
        self.dev.updateStateOnServer(key="status", value="Connected")
        self.dev.updateStateImageOnServer(indigo.kStateImageSel.SensorOn)

        # Disable main repeater terminal prompt
        self.send("#MONITORING,12,2")

        # Enable main repeater HVAC monitoring
        self.send("#MONITORING,17,1")

        # Enable main repeater monitoring param 18 (undocumented but seems to be enabled by default for ethernet connections)
        self.send("#MONITORING,18,1")

    def stop(self):
        self.logger.debug(u"Serial stop called")
        if self.connected:
            self.connSerial.close()
            self.connected = False
        self.connSerial = None  
       

    def poll(self):

        if not self.connected:
            self.start()

        try:
            s = self.connSerial.read()
        except:
            self.logger.error(u"{}: Error reading from serial port".format(self.dev.name))
            self.dev.updateStateOnServer(key="status", value="Failed")
            self.dev.updateStateImageOnServer(indigo.kStateImageSel.SensorTripped)
            self.connected = False
            return
            
        if len(s) > 0:
            
            if s == '\r':               # RadioRA 2 messages are always terminated with CRLF
                tmp = self.command
                self.command = ''
                return tmp
            else:
                self.command += s

    def send(self, cmd):
        self.logger.debug(u"Sending serial command: %s" % cmd)
        cmd = cmd + "\r"
        self.connSerial.write(str(cmd))

[brianlloyd]

Thanks Joe. I am a bit of a dinosaur. I haven't really hacked code for about 20 years. I don't know Python. The last languages I had full facility with were PL/M and Pascal, and that was back in the '80s.. I had started to pick up C and Java but got sidetracked on other things. I have a really steep learning curve ahead and, unfortunately, I can't quite read your code.

But I really do appreciate your reply.

[FlyingDiver]

Give this a try: https://github.com/FlyingDiver/Indigo-m ... /tag/0.0.1

Create a device, specify the serial port. Create an action with the string you want to send.

It's currently fixed at 9600, 1 stop bit. I'll make that configurable next. I don't have any serial devices I can easily test with.

[brianlloyd]

Works perfectly. I am using it to control my Somfy RTS roller shades with an URTSI-II interface. Their ZRTSI Z-Wave interface is supported by Indigo but is unable to send the STOP command to the roller shades. STOP selects the "down and closed" position so it can't be used to open and close the shades. The URTSI-II is only serial (RS-232 or RS-485).

Anyway, simple and straight-forward solution. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

[RobS]

Any chance of making that baud rate configurable?
I have a picky device that will only work at 38.4k.
I had been using Simple Serial, but that plugin is dead with the update.
Thanks!

[FlyingDiver]

Any chance of making that baud rate configurable?
I have a picky device that will only work at 38.4k.
I had been using Simple Serial, but that plugin is dead with the update.
Thanks!

Edit line 20 of the plugin.py file in the plugin wrapper and put whatever you want there.

[FlyingDiver]

On second thought, thanks to @Dave17, here's a pre-release that allows configuration per port device:

https://github.com/FlyingDiver/Indigo-m ... g/2024.0.1

[RobS]

WooHoo! That works perfectly!
Thanks guys!!