This is the description of the Delphi/Lazarus API bindings for the DMX Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the DMX Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.
An installation guide for the Delphi/Lazarus API bindings is part of their general description.
The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 | program ExampleSimple;
{$ifdef MSWINDOWS}{$apptype CONSOLE}{$endif}
{$ifdef FPC}{$mode OBJFPC}{$H+}{$endif}
uses
SysUtils, IPConnection, BrickletDMX;
type
TExample = class
private
ipcon: TIPConnection;
dmx: TBrickletDMX;
public
procedure Execute;
end;
const
HOST = 'localhost';
PORT = 4223;
UID = 'XYZ'; { Change XYZ to the UID of your DMX Bricklet }
var
e: TExample;
procedure TExample.Execute;
begin
{ Create IP connection }
ipcon := TIPConnection.Create;
{ Create device object }
dmx := TBrickletDMX.Create(UID, ipcon);
{ Connect to brickd }
ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT);
{ Don't use device before ipcon is connected }
{ Configure Bricklet as DMX master }
dmx.SetDMXMode(BRICKLET_DMX_DMX_MODE_MASTER);
{ Write DMX frame with 3 channels }
dmx.WriteFrame([255, 128, 0]);
WriteLn('Press key to exit');
ReadLn;
ipcon.Destroy; { Calls ipcon.Disconnect internally }
end;
begin
e := TExample.Create;
e.Execute;
e.Destroy;
end.
|
Since Delphi does not support multiple return values directly, we use the
out
keyword to return multiple values from a function.
All functions and procedures listed below are thread-safe.
TBrickletDMX.
Create
(const uid: string; ipcon: TIPConnection)¶Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: |
|
Creates an object with the unique device ID uid
:
dmx := TBrickletDMX.Create('YOUR_DEVICE_UID', ipcon);
This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.
TBrickletDMX.
SetDMXMode
(const dmxMode: byte)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the DMX mode to either master or slave.
Calling this function sets frame number to 0.
The following constants are available for this function:
For dmxMode:
TBrickletDMX.
GetDMXMode
: byte¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the DMX mode, as set by SetDMXMode
.
The following constants are available for this function:
For dmxMode:
TBrickletDMX.
WriteFrame
(const frame: array of byte)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Writes a DMX frame. The maximum frame size is 512 byte. Each byte represents one channel.
The next frame can be written after the OnFrameStarted
callback was called. The frame
is double buffered, so a new frame can be written as soon as the writing of the prior frame
starts.
The data will be transfered when the next frame duration ends, see SetFrameDuration
.
Generic approach:
OnFrameStarted
callback.OnFrameStarted
callback.This approach ensures that you can set new DMX data with a fixed frame rate.
This function can only be called in master mode.
TBrickletDMX.
ReadFrame
(out frame: array of byte; out frameNumber: longword)¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the last frame that was written by the DMX master. The size of the array is equivalent to the number of channels in the frame. Each byte represents one channel.
The next frame is available after the OnFrameAvailable
callback was called.
Generic approach:
ReadFrame
to get first frame.OnFrameAvailable
callback.ReadFrame
to get second frame.OnFrameAvailable
callback.Instead of polling this function you can also use the OnFrame
callback.
You can enable it with SetFrameCallbackConfig
.
The frame number starts at 0 and it is increased by one with each received frame.
This function can only be called in slave mode.
TBrickletDMX.
SetFrameDuration
(const frameDuration: word)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the duration of a frame.
Example: If you want to achieve 20 frames per second, you should set the frame duration to 50ms (50ms * 20 = 1 second).
If you always want to send a frame as fast as possible you can set this value to 0.
This setting is only used in master mode.
TBrickletDMX.
GetFrameDuration
: word¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the frame duration as set by SetFrameDuration
.
TBrickletDMX.
GetFrameErrorCount
(out overrunErrorCount: longword; out framingErrorCount: longword)¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the current number of overrun and framing errors.
TBrickletDMX.
SetCommunicationLEDConfig
(const config: byte)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the communication LED configuration. By default the LED shows communication traffic, it flickers once for every 10 received data packets.
You can also turn the LED permanently on/off or show a heartbeat.
If the Bricklet is in bootloader mode, the LED is off.
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
GetCommunicationLEDConfig
: byte¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the configuration as set by SetCommunicationLEDConfig
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
SetErrorLEDConfig
(const config: byte)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the error LED configuration.
By default the error LED turns on if there is any error (see OnFrameErrorCount
callback). If you call this function with the Show-Error option again, the LED
will turn off until the next error occurs.
You can also turn the LED permanently on/off or show a heartbeat.
If the Bricklet is in bootloader mode, the LED is off.
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
GetErrorLEDConfig
: byte¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the configuration as set by SetErrorLEDConfig
.
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
GetSPITFPErrorCount
(out errorCountAckChecksum: longword; out errorCountMessageChecksum: longword; out errorCountFrame: longword; out errorCountOverflow: longword)¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the error count for the communication between Brick and Bricklet.
The errors are divided into
The errors counts are for errors that occur on the Bricklet side. All Bricks have a similar function that returns the errors on the Brick side.
TBrickletDMX.
SetStatusLEDConfig
(const config: byte)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the status LED configuration. By default the LED shows communication traffic between Brick and Bricklet, it flickers once for every 10 received data packets.
You can also turn the LED permanently on/off or show a heartbeat.
If the Bricklet is in bootloader mode, the LED is will show heartbeat by default.
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
GetStatusLEDConfig
: byte¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the configuration as set by SetStatusLEDConfig
The following constants are available for this function:
For config:
TBrickletDMX.
GetChipTemperature
: smallint¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the temperature as measured inside the microcontroller. The value returned is not the ambient temperature!
The temperature is only proportional to the real temperature and it has bad accuracy. Practically it is only useful as an indicator for temperature changes.
TBrickletDMX.
Reset
¶Calling this function will reset the Bricklet. All configurations will be lost.
After a reset you have to create new device objects, calling functions on the existing ones will result in undefined behavior!
TBrickletDMX.
GetIdentity
(out uid: string; out connectedUid: string; out position: char; out hardwareVersion: array [0..2] of byte; out firmwareVersion: array [0..2] of byte; out deviceIdentifier: word)¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.
The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.
The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.
TBrickletDMX.
SetFrameCallbackConfig
(const frameStartedCallbackEnabled: boolean; const frameAvailableCallbackEnabled: boolean; const frameCallbackEnabled: boolean; const frameErrorCountCallbackEnabled: boolean)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Enables/Disables the different callbacks. By default the
OnFrameStarted
callback and OnFrameAvailable
callback are enabled while
the OnFrame
callback and OnFrameErrorCount
callback are disabled.
If you want to use the OnFrame
callback you can enable it and disable
the OnFrameAvailable
callback at the same time. It becomes redundant in
this case.
TBrickletDMX.
GetFrameCallbackConfig
(out frameStartedCallbackEnabled: boolean; out frameAvailableCallbackEnabled: boolean; out frameCallbackEnabled: boolean; out frameErrorCountCallbackEnabled: boolean)¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the frame callback config as set by SetFrameCallbackConfig
.
Callbacks can be registered to receive time critical or recurring data from the device. The registration is done by assigning a procedure to an callback property of the device object:
procedure TExample.MyCallback(sender: TBrickletDMX; const value: longint); begin WriteLn(Format('Value: %d', [value])); end; dmx.OnExample := {$ifdef FPC}@{$endif}example.MyCallback;
The available callback properties and their parameter types are described below.
Note
Using callbacks for recurring events is always preferred compared to using getters. It will use less USB bandwidth and the latency will be a lot better, since there is no round trip time.
TBrickletDMX.
OnFrameStarted
¶procedure(sender: TBrickletDMX) of object;
Callback Parameters: |
|
---|
This callback is triggered as soon as a new frame write is started. You should send the data for the next frame directly after this callback was triggered.
For an explanation of the general approach see WriteFrame
.
This callback can be enabled via SetFrameCallbackConfig
.
This callback can only be triggered in master mode.
TBrickletDMX.
OnFrameAvailable
¶procedure(sender: TBrickletDMX; const frameNumber: longword) of object;
Callback Parameters: |
|
---|
This callback is triggered in slave mode when a new frame was received from the DMX master
and it can be read out. You have to read the frame before the master has written
the next frame, see ReadFrame
for more details.
The parameter is the frame number, it is increased by one with each received frame.
This callback can be enabled via SetFrameCallbackConfig
.
This callback can only be triggered in slave mode.
TBrickletDMX.
OnFrame
¶procedure(sender: TBrickletDMX; const frame: array of byte; const frameNumber: longword) of object;
Callback Parameters: |
|
---|
This callback is called as soon as a new frame is available (written by the DMX master).
The size of the array is equivalent to the number of channels in the frame. Each byte represents one channel.
This callback can be enabled via SetFrameCallbackConfig
.
This callback can only be triggered in slave mode.
Note
If reconstructing the value fails, the callback is triggered with nil for frame.
TBrickletDMX.
OnFrameErrorCount
¶procedure(sender: TBrickletDMX; const overrunErrorCount: longword; const framingErrorCount: longword) of object;
Callback Parameters: |
|
---|
This callback is called if a new error occurs. It returns the current overrun and framing error count.
Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.
TBrickletDMX.
GetAPIVersion
: array [0..2] of byte¶Output Parameters: |
|
---|
Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.
TBrickletDMX.
GetResponseExpected
(const functionId: byte): boolean¶Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: |
|
Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.
For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled,
because those functions will always send a response. For callback configuration
functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by
SetResponseExpected
. For setter functions it is disabled by default
and can be enabled.
Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.
The following constants are available for this function:
For functionId:
TBrickletDMX.
SetResponseExpected
(const functionId: byte; const responseExpected: boolean)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and callback configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.
Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.
The following constants are available for this function:
For functionId:
TBrickletDMX.
SetResponseExpectedAll
(const responseExpected: boolean)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Changes the response expected flag for all setter and callback configuration functions of this device at once.
Internal functions are used for maintenance tasks such as flashing a new firmware of changing the UID of a Bricklet. These task should be performed using Brick Viewer instead of using the internal functions directly.
TBrickletDMX.
SetBootloaderMode
(const mode: byte): byte¶Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: |
|
Sets the bootloader mode and returns the status after the requested mode change was instigated.
You can change from bootloader mode to firmware mode and vice versa. A change from bootloader mode to firmware mode will only take place if the entry function, device identifier and CRC are present and correct.
This function is used by Brick Viewer during flashing. It should not be necessary to call it in a normal user program.
The following constants are available for this function:
For mode:
For status:
TBrickletDMX.
GetBootloaderMode
: byte¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the current bootloader mode, see SetBootloaderMode
.
The following constants are available for this function:
For mode:
TBrickletDMX.
SetWriteFirmwarePointer
(const pointer: longword)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Sets the firmware pointer for WriteFirmware
. The pointer has
to be increased by chunks of size 64. The data is written to flash
every 4 chunks (which equals to one page of size 256).
This function is used by Brick Viewer during flashing. It should not be necessary to call it in a normal user program.
TBrickletDMX.
WriteFirmware
(const data: array [0..63] of byte): byte¶Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: |
|
Writes 64 Bytes of firmware at the position as written by
SetWriteFirmwarePointer
before. The firmware is written
to flash every 4 chunks.
You can only write firmware in bootloader mode.
This function is used by Brick Viewer during flashing. It should not be necessary to call it in a normal user program.
TBrickletDMX.
WriteUID
(const uid: longword)¶Parameters: |
|
---|
Writes a new UID into flash. If you want to set a new UID you have to decode the Base58 encoded UID string into an integer first.
We recommend that you use Brick Viewer to change the UID.
TBrickletDMX.
ReadUID
: longword¶Returns: |
|
---|
Returns the current UID as an integer. Encode as Base58 to get the usual string version.
BRICKLET_DMX_DEVICE_IDENTIFIER
¶This constant is used to identify a DMX Bricklet.
The GetIdentity
function and the
TIPConnection.OnEnumerate
callback of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier
parameter to specify
the Brick's or Bricklet's type.
BRICKLET_DMX_DEVICE_DISPLAY_NAME
¶This constant represents the human readable name of a DMX Bricklet.