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The CircuitWerkes Sicontroller Revision History
New Features & Revision Guide:
Version 1.23.07 (requires firmware version 1.45/1.46)
Fixes a software bug that failed to properly
set the maximum number of bad password attempts.
If the variable was set to zero, the Sicon-8
would answer and then instantly drop the
call.
Version 1.23.05 (requires firmware version 1.45/1.46)
CAUTION: Do not use this version of the software
to program any previous versions of the Sicon-8
(no FW older than 1.42) or they will not
work.
Fixes a bug in the e-mailing handler that
caused only one alarm to be e-mailed if multiple
alarms simultaneously occurred. Fixes two
bugs in the e-mailing of logs. One prevents
e-mailing of logs if the period between logging
is too long. The other caused duplicate entries
to appear in the logs.
Version 1.015 (requires firmware version 1.38)
CAUTION: Do not use this version of the software
to program any previous versions of the Sicon-8
(no FW older than 1.37) or they will not
work.
Added support to firmware updater for an
improved firmware bootloader that has been
added to firmware version 1.38 which is crash
resistant. The combination of firmware v1.38
and software version 1.15 allows the bootloader
to recover from a crash or failed upload
and to restart the bootload process, in an
emergency recovery mode, whenever an upgrade
fails. There are no other changes from v1.14
and v1.15 can be used with firmware 1.37,
except that the v1.37 bootloader cannot take
advantage of the crash recovery option.
Version 1.014 (requires firmware version 1.37)
CAUTION: Do not use this version of the software
to program any previous versions of the Sicon-8
(no FW older than 1.37) or they will not
work.
Added time restriction to emails alerts.
Increased channel email count from 5 to 20
& total emails from 20 to 50
Fixed email feedback messages and this info
is displayed in the log window now.
Added debug mode for Sicontroller. Debug
mode must be selected at program startup
& continues until whole program is exited.
Version 1.012 (requires firmware version 1.37)
Completely rewritten data storage method
of Firmware v1.37 requires a comparable change
in the software.
CAUTION: Do not use this version of the software
to program any previous versions of the Sicon-8
(no FW older than 1.37) or they will not
work.
Fixed a minor bug where some configuration
check boxes were not uploaded when the "Upload
changes only" option was used. These
were uploaded when "configuration only"
and "All" were selected.
Fixed a bug in the calibration data download.
Added debug window.
Dialout Timer was added.
Offline password merged with online password
Version 1.010 (requires firmware version 1.36)
Adds user access to several, previously hard
coded, timers.
Automatically downloads the hardware error
log and appends it to the general error log
if a hardware error is detected. Clears the
hardware error log after download.
Version 1.00.8
Adds support for setting controller level
relay restrictions.
Fixes a bug that can cause the software to
lock up when alarms occur during logging
operations
Adds optional e-mail and visual notification
of loss of connection with the Sicon-8.
Adds an optional forced reconnect that
will
cause the software to retry connection
every
30 seconds if the connection is lost.
Adds channel labels to the e-mailed alarm
notifications.
Adds units labels to software logging options
Adds independant labels for Status On/Off
conditions. Independant labels display in
software only.
Adds forced software logging to the event
scheduler
Fixes an e-mailed alarm bug that caused only
the first e-mail address on th elist to receive
the notification.
Adds the ability to play an optional sound
when alarms are detected.
Version 1.00.5
Adds spreadsheet style multi-site viewer
so that you can see all of your major site
data for multiple sites at a glance.
Adds the ability to change serial data rates
in conjunction with the version 1.32 Sicon-8
firmware.
Adds latching relay setup to the Event
sceduler.
Fixes a bug that crashed the software when
the "about" function or the multi-site
viewer were started.
Version 1.00.3
Adds "pips" and tooltips to the
meter and status displays that show and describe
how alarms are configured.
Adds support for External clock sync.
Adds user-defined PTT (push to talk) relay
option.
Adds ability to reverse DTMF relay commands
* and # from the software (can also be done
via DTMF).
Requires Firmware version 1.31, or newer.
Version 1.00.2
Interfaces more easily with the Sicon-8 alarm
system.
Works with the new long relay labels.
Adds the ability to read the Web server's
DHCP assigned IP address, which is displayed
in the configuration menu's Web server adress
box and in the "messages" box.
Adds a function to the configuration menu
for setting which relay will be assigned
for "Push to Talk" operations.
Adds a function to configuration that lets
you set a status input up to sync the Sicon-8's
clock to the nearest minute.
Implements a new data encryption method that
vastly improves the speed of data handling
in the Sicontroller software. The new encryption
means that previous versions of the Sicontroller
software cannot load or read workspace or
site files saved from this version.
Numerous internal changes to the software
to match housekeeping in the latest Sicon-8
firmware means that this version of the software
could be destructive if used with older versions
of the firmware. For that reason, the Sicontroller
software will not connect to an older firmware
version, except for the firmware updater
function.
This version of the software requires version
1.30, or higher, firmware. Cannot be used with firmware older than v1.30.
Version 0.995
Adds functionality for operating latching
relays via the software. Adds user-defined
"On" and "Off" labels
to each of the latchable relays.
Adds an indicator to each relay button showing
the state of the relay (green = on).
This software requires firmware v01.23 or
newer to operate.
Version 0.994
Right click here to download Sicontroller software installer
(version 0.994).
This is the last version of the Sicontroller
software that will fully work with firmware
v1.22 or 1.21. Users should upgrade their
firmware before using v.995.
Fixes a bug, introduced in v0.993, that prevents
users from calibrating their Sicon-8 meters
using the software. Changes the audio file
storage list to a universal export format
(this means that old audio lists won't load
or work anymore and have to be recompiled).
You can also send us your old file list and
we can convert it for you.
Version 0.993
Fixes a bug in deleting/saving alarms that
could result in a Sicon-8 lockup under multiple
alarm conditions. Changes the human interface
to deleting alarms. Fixes a bug in the way
telephone numbers are stored where an extra
DTMF digit was being dialed at the end of
the number string. Buttons and forms now
take on the look of the local operating system
(Vista, XP, 2000, etc.).
Version 0.990
A help file (pdf) is now included with the
script tool that lists the available dedicated
scripting command set.
E-mailing of logs and alarms can now be done
either directly from the Sicontroller software
or via Outplook Express. The Outlook Express
function is helpful when dealing with SMTP
servers that require secure logins. Note that OE must be already configured for
SMTP server, etc. Also you must uncheck the
warning "when other applications try
to send e-mail as me" box in the options
setup for Outlook Express. Does not work
with Outlook, just OE.
Version 0.989
Adds global variables to scripting. Global
variable values are stored while the script
is executing. They can be used to simplify
the process of executing a script one time
each time a specific event occurs.
Version 0.988
Allows setting the Sicon-8's internal scheduler
to automatically reset the internal Web server
at a user-defined fixed interval. This is
recommended and useful for any remote site
and especially wher ethe local router may
occasionally disconnect the Web server. Resetting
forces such routers to re-establish communications
with the Web server.
Adds e-mailing of software-kept logs on a
daily or weekly basis.
Changes formatting of software logs to make
them more readable.
Allows e-mailing of alarm notifications for
user-defined specific alarm conditions. Previously,
alarm e-mails were sent out on a per-channel
basis, but are now further divided by alarm
type within the channel structure. Each type
of alarm can initiate its own e-mail list.
Version 0.987
Fixes bug in the users setup that affected
everyone except super-administrators and
adds new restrictions to the forms accessible
to controller and reader levels.
Version 0.986
Fixed a serious bug that could cause data
to be incorrectly uploaded or downloaded
from the Sicon-8. Users of earlier software
revisions should migrate to v.986 immediately
to avoid possible problems.f
Version 0.985
Added support for manually assigning IP addresses
to the Ethernet Web server for use on networks
that do not support DHCP. Misc. minor bug
fixes. Improved scripting wizard.
Version 0.980, through 0.982
Improved support for scripting functions.
Scripting now uses drop-down functions. Scripting
is now site independant so that a script
can operate more easily accross multiple
sites. Fixed a bug that sometimes interfered
with site saving when multiple sites are
used.
Version 0.978
Major Update. All users should change to the version
.978 (or newer) as soon as possible.
This version fixes a several bugs, including
a compiler bug that prevents the software
from saving workspace and site files. This
bug also causes Sicontroller to crash unexpectedly
when making configuration changes to the
Sicon-8. This release circumvents the compiler
problem by using pcode, which is actually
smaller and faster than the standard release
versions. Added the ability (experimental)
to select multiple files on the audio recorder
form and upload them or play them back in
batches. This function is preliminary and
probably contains bugs, but they should not
be anything too serious. Please let us know
if you encounter any strange behaviour using
this function.
Version 0.976
V0.976 changes the way meter alarms and min-max
scales are handled. Previously, alarms would
be defaulted if a warning alarm had a greater
value than the corresponding critical alarm.
For instance, it would be impossible to set
an upper critical alarm for a value of 5
if the upper warning alarm had a value of
6. If that happened, the Sicontroller software
immediately defaulted the alarms to the factory
settings. This change allows users to set
alarm values to anything they want. In addition,
it is now possible to set the meter min value
greater than or equal to the max value. If
you do, the analog meter won't work and will
display a warning message, but the software
will allow it.
Changed the way pauses are entered into telephone
dialing strings. Previously, users clicked
a pause button. They now use a hotkey and
assign a pause from the drop down menu. Pauses
are now visible in the dialing string as
well.
Fixed a bug in the site save/load routine
that sometimes prevented saved sites from
loading. This bug was caused by an encryption/decryption
problem where the file's password was not
properly encoded under some conditions.
Moved the "Status Alarm Enabled"
checkbox in the channel configuration menu
to a location away from the warning alarm
setup to avoid user confusion.
Version 0.975
NOTE: Version 0.975 * higher use a different configuration
format from previous releases of the Sicontroller
software. As a result, the previous installations
must be completely uninstalled, including
much of the data stored in the "data"
subfolder of the Sicontroller directory.
If you have used a previous version of the
software and wish to save your settings,
use the "export" function in the
"Site" menu to save the settings,
then perform the un-install process selecting
the option that removes configuration data.
After you have installed the current version
of the software, you can use the "import"
function to restore your configuration data.
If you have no data that you want to save,
then you may simply delete the contents of
your data subfolder prior to installing the
latest version of the software. For recent
versions of the Sicontroller, uninstalling
the old configuration data can be done by
making sure that the 'Delete all data' box
is checked in the uninstaller program. For
older versions of the Sicontroller, you will
have to manually locate the "sicontroller/data"
folder and delete all files except for those
with the .vsf and .txt extensions.
This version fixes several minor, but
longstanding bugs, including the ability
to store meter values as negative numbers.
It also fixes the invalid checksum
error that pops up occasionally when
uploading or downloading data from your Sicon-8.
This version uses a new format of .SFF
flash file for upgrading the firmware of
your Sicon-8. Previous versions of
the sff file will not work with this version.
A new universal site configuration format
has been developed for saving your site files.
This version is now indepenant of the
software version that you are using. Because
the formatting is now radically different,
you should use the export function to save
site data before installing the version 0.975.
You will have to re-enter your passwords
and user account names when you start the
new version, however, these will be portable
thereafter. You can then import your
old configuration data or you can download
the data directly from your Sicon-8 hardware,
if that is available to you. The export
and import functions will remain for those
that wish to export site configurations without
giving users access to their account information.
Among the many other new features of v0.975
are the following:
1. Allow the user to switch between
mouse-down to operate a relay and CTRL+Mouse-down
to operate a relay. This avoids accidently
operating a relay when using a touchpad type
of mouse.
2. Fixed a minor bug where the date overflows
the text box in the configuration menu if
the month has two digits.
3. Added the ability to display only
0, 1 or 2 digits after the decimal point.
Previous versions showed three decimal places.
4. Added the ability to change the
color of the status lights on a per channel
basis. So, channel 1 might be our generic
green and dark, but channel 2 might be green
and red, channel 3 might be yellow and blue,
etc..
Version 0.972
Modem to modem communications is now supported.
It is possible to set up an auto-answering
modem on the Sicon-8 end, connected to its
serial port and then dial into the Sicon-8's
modem using our software. This is an alpha
release of the modem to modem functions and
is not guaranteed to function with all modems,
but it has worked with several that we have
tested in-house. The host PC to modem communications
must be set for 38,400b, N, 8, 1 with no
flow control. The actual connect speed of
the two modems is not critical. The modem
used at the Sicon-8 end must be an auto-answer
type and must not be set to require DCE/DTE
control from a terminal program. We have
tested the Sicon-8 using a US Robotics Sportster
modem with hardware switches to configure
the modem's mode, however, modems with serially
(software) controlled switches should work,
provided that they are set correctly in advance.
This version of the firmware also features
some additional enhancement of the communications
routines that improve the ability to stay
connected to the Sicon-8.
Saved configuration data from v9.71 or below
cannot be used for this version. If you have
a previous version of the software and want
to save your setup data, use the export function
in the "Site" menu to save your
configuration before upgrading to this software
version.
Version 0.970
Scripting is now enabled, but untested and
undocumented. Uses very powerful, but sometimes
complex, Visual Basic scripting. Virtually
anything can be done using scripting, including
complex tasks requiring monitoring of meter
and status values feeding decision trees.
If you can write VB scripts, feel free to
explore.
Version 0.961
The firmware updater program has been added
to the Sicontroller. There is no longer a
need to download or install a separate program
in order to upgrade your Sicon-8's firmware.
The new update feature uses Sicon firmware
Files (.sff).
Known or suspected bugs in the current software
release:
The Sicon-8 hardware does not correctly calibrate
the meters if the the meter minimum scale
value is something other than zero. This
is actually not a bug. It happens because
internally, the Sicon-8's meters are all
referenced to zero, as are almost all transmitter
related readings. The Sicontroller
software lets you set minimum scale values
below zero, but if the sensor output voltage
goes negative, the scale may be off.
A future revision of the Sicon-8's firmware
will allow for non-zero referenced metering
and the software will fully implement that
change when available..
Audio upload problem. Sometimes, one or more
audio files does not upload correctly. When
done uploading audio, simply play all of
the audio back and verify that it is okay.
You can do this by connecting an amplified
speaker to the audio out jack or by plugging
a phone into the front panel programming
port. Then highlight the audio track to test
in and push the playback button (the one
with the arrow). You will hear the recorded
audio played back to you. If you find a track
that failed to upload properly, just upload
any bad or missing audio again. This happens
only rarely.
Some new users have reported difficulty in
connecting to their Sicon-8s for the first
time. There could also be several (non-Sicon
related) reasons why this sort of thing occurs,
including a bad serial cable, wrong com port
selected, bad USB-to-serial adaptor (very,
very common), mistook the software password
for the hardware access code (see tips below)
and others. If the problem is not one of the afore mentioned
and you cannot seem to connect to your Sicon-8
for the first time, we would like to hear
about it. Please e-mail or call us.
Installation Tips and Tricks:
You can download the software and explore
it, even if you're not connected to the actual
Sicon-8. Labels and other configuration data
can be saved and then uploaded to the Sicon-8
when you are actually connected.
You will next use the software to connect
to the Sicon-8. Once connected, you can easily
reconfigure everything on the Sicon-8 in
just a few minutes.
When you get to the audio section of the
Sicontroller program, you will need to
upload
any custom or new audio to the unit. If
you
are upgrading from a 16 channel version
of
the firmware or are planning to upload
the
entire word array, it will take about 20
minutes and you will need to have downloaded
the audio WAV files and (optionally) the
audio configurations file below. The custom
wav files that had recorded can then be
dropped
onto the Sicontroller's audio grid and
uploaded
to the unit as well.
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