Motion Commander Version 3.02
Compatibility with the PMAC Executive
The 32-bit Motion Commander III for WinNT and Win95/98 has been enhanced to be compatible with the Delta Tau PMAC Executive program PEWIN32. Two new PMAC device "Communication Type" options, PComm32 and PcBus DT have been added that utilize Delta Tau's communications driver and thus allow both programs to be in communication with a PMAC at the same time. The remainder of this section describes all of the Motion Commander III PMAC device communication options, both old and new.
PMAC Device "Communication Type" Options:
PComm32:
This option uses Delta Tau's PComm32 library "PMAC.DLL" to communicate with PMAC over serial, PC-bus, or DPRAM. This option allows Motion Commander and PEWIN32 to communicate with PMAC at the same time. It uses the communication I-variable settings that work best with the Executive (I3=2, I4=0). The Delta Tau communications library must be installed on the computer (usually by an installation of PEWIN32) for this option to communicate.PcBus DT:
This option uses Delta Tau's ring 0 driver ("PMAC.SYS" under WinNT and "PMAC.VXD" under Win95) to communicate with PMAC over the PC-bus. This option allows Motion Commander and PEWIN32 to communicate with PMAC at the same time. It uses the communication I-variable settings that work best with the Executive (I3=2, I4=0). The Delta Tau device driver must be installed on the computer (usually by an installation of PEWIN32) for this option to communicate.PcBus:
This option uses Motion Commander's built-in PC-bus communication with PMAC under Win95 and uses the "WINRT.SYS" device driver (included on the Motion Commander diskette) to communicate with PMAC over the PC-bus under WinNT. Not only is this option not compatible with PEWIN32, but enabling DPRAM communication with Delta Tau's MotionExe utility actually blocks Motion Commander communication even if the Executive program isn't running! This option utilizes PMAC's most thorough handshaking and checksum modes (I3=3, I4=3). Communication speed is similar to PEWIN32 under Win95 but is much slower than PEWIN32 under WinNT because of inefficiencies caused by the use of the general-purpose device driver.COM1 and COM2:
These options use Motion Commander's built-in serial communication with PMAC. They are not compatible with PEWIN32. They are very robust since they utilize PMAC's most thorough handshaking and checksum modes (I3=3, I4=3). They are also two to three times faster than Delta Tau's "serial server" system. However, Motion Commander cannot be in communication with a PMAC at the same time as the Delta Tau PMAC Executive program when using these settings. Close communication in one program before opening it in the other.The PComm32 and PcBus DT options ignore the baudrate, base address, timeout, and checksum attributes of the Motion Commander PMAC device. Communication is configured instead by Delta Tau's MotionExe utility. Motion Commander PMAC device 0 will use the "Pmac0" setup in the MotionExe utility, etc. Note that the Delta Tau communications library only supports PMAC devices 0 through 5 at this time.
The PComm32 option is ideal for applications that require concurrent use of Motion Commander and the Delta Tau Executive program. I would use the COM1 and COM2 options in a serial communication situation where the Executive program is not required because of the advantage in communication speed and robustness. I would use the PcBus option under Win95 if the Executive program is not required because its use of checksums virtually eliminates the possibility of unsynchronized data getting into Motion Commander. The PcBus DT option is provided only as an alternative to PComm32 if any communication problems arise.