COM Port number limitation

[boullusgoullus]

Hi,

I'm experiencing a big problem caused by the limitation of the number of COM I/O modules in the free version... so here's the context : I'm currently involved in a school project whose goal is to control the Lynxmotion AL5B Robotic Arm (through the electronic card) with a Xbox 360 Controller using Flowstone. The controller is well detected and I can use it without problem; what's more, controlling a single servo through the RS-232 serial COM port with Flowstone is no problem at all.

But there are 5 servos connected to the electronic card, and my Flowstone project has to be able to control 5 servos in the same time. Moreover, I have to communicate with the electronic card through the COM Port many times in the Flowstone project, but I can't see how I'm supposed to do since only 1 COM Port Module is usable in the free version of Flowstone which is installed at school. And I also need to get the returned text from the electronic card (for example to get the current position of the servos) to adapt my orders... the thing is that I need the COM module to behave like a function I could call from wherever in the project, but I don't know if it's really possible

Any ideas?
Thanks

[Embedded]

For what you are doing I think 1 x comport is enough.

You can only connect 1 x comport module to a single comport anyway, so even if you have the pro version instead of the free version it would be the same! Put another way once a comport is connected it is no longer available.

If you are controlling a LynxMotion Arm then there is already a fully functional FlowStone application written for you

Check out FlowBotics Studio : http://www.dsprobotics.com/support/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=416

If you need more than the free version there are also some great educational discounts: http://www.dsprobotics.com/academic-discount.htm

[orlandini1]

Hello BoullusGoullus,

I think you just need one com port in order to control the six servos of your robotics arm. All the orders are transmitted by the selected port. I think you don't have to get the servos positions because your robotics arm haven't got sensors, so it will return only the order you ahe sent and not the real position of each servo. The orders will have to be sent one after one. I hope this litte text will help you for your project. And excuse my english because i'm just a french teacher and i'm very limited in this language ( but my accent is not so bad!)

See you soon,

Jérôme.

[orlandini1]

Maybe you can ask your teacher i'm sure he will be able to help you.

[boullusgoullus]

Thanks to both of you, I'll try this
And actually, I should have asked my teacher... but I'm not sure he'd appreciate to be bothered on weekends!