OneTouch UltraSmart Communication via RS232 - Page 3

JasonJayhawk · #31 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006, 12:26 AM

I don't like the blood requirements for the OT either -- my insurance would cover it, but I'm happier with Aviva's 0.6 requirement. Freestyle was my first and favorite, but no coverage. (sigh)

I started on a 300 baud with a Commodore 64 (well, sort of -- I copied what I saw someone else do to log into local BBS's, although I didn't know what I was doing!). I remember dialing with the phone because the pulse dial was too slow, and then hanging it up after enabling the modem. I remember the terminal software having an option for 150 baud. I never thought BBS's would disappear like they did... I ran a MajorBBS system for a friend who must have poured thousands into the software before the collapse of the system into a ghosttown... he had 6 phone lines going into his house in the beginning, but kept reducing it down until it was just one line, and one call a week.

There was a website called www.bbsmates.com where you could look up old lists of BBS systems and even post messages if you were an old user, to try to find old friends.

Ironically, that website just went down two weeks ago, and I still haven't seen it up (though Google has it cached -- hopefully they just took a vacation).
Here's a link to an article that brings up those old days... *sigh*

Now I'm in a sentimental mood!

condensr · #32 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriOnH

Good idea Jason. I don't have any onetouch strips with me at work so i'll have to remember to bring some tomorrow from home. I soley use the Freestyle flash. Using the one touches here and there lately kind of bite imo. The amount of blood in comparison to the flash strips is quite noticable, and flash's size for function can't be beat. I wish more insurance companies would carry it in their coverage.

38400 bits per second baud rate. I remember when I started on a 150 bps modem and had to have a phone headset attached to the modem base. Ahh those were the days.

Thanks for contacting them like you said. Hope one of us hears back from them.

Thats the trick with the US: It DOES use flow control. Much of the garbage you see are flow control commands. The DMP command would be nice, but it looks as if the US requires the program to query every reading..

JasonJayhawk · #33 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 06:31 AM

Interesting. The only two forms of flow control I'm familar with are XON/XOFF and CTS (clear to send).

CTS is done by toggling a wire in the serial cable on and off; it's hardware flow control, so it won't display bits on the send/receive wires of the serial cable, so we would never see it in the data capture.

XON/XOFF (ctrl-Q, ctrl-S), or ASCII characters 21 and 23, and is controlled by software (and would show up in a bytestream). I couldn't identify any XON/XOFF data in the postings.

Do you think they use a flow control of their own design, then?

I find it hard to believe they would use software flow control with something at 38400 BPS, but I suppose it's possible.

My guess is they would dump it all out with a checksum value, and if the computer software detects a bad checksum, it requests it to be resent again, until it gets it right.

Hopefully Lifescan will reveal to us the real specs.

condensr · #34 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 11:19 AM

Yes, they are using a checksum on some replies as well. On my Ultra2 results from RS232, (similar to ultra results I assume) the last part of a data transmission is a checksum.

The command signalling in the US comm is (this is from memory of last night..) :
0x10 (Data Link Escape) 0x02 (Start of Text) 0x00 (Null) Hex Data Here 0x03 (End of Text) 0x10 (Data Link Escape)

The annoying thing is that there appears to be some form of checksum to send WITH any HR commands (that retrieve records), at the tail end. I need to figure out that pattern then we can request any record we wish from memory. Shouldnt take too long to figure this out.

Clint · #35 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 11:25 AM

a quick fix is to import the exported CSV file that the software exports. then it becomes easy to strip out things you dont want to have in there.

condensr · #36 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 11:29 AM

Well thats handy, but we want to communicate directly with the meter rather than using the OT software. Makes it as easy as possible for folks to upload their readings to the site.

BriOnH · #37 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by condensr

Yes, they are using a checksum on some replies as well. On my Ultra2 results from RS232, (similar to ultra results I assume) the last part of a data transmission is a checksum.

The command signalling in the US comm is (this is from memory of last night..) :
0x10 (Data Link Escape) 0x02 (Start of Text) 0x00 (Null) Hex Data Here 0x03 (End of Text) 0x10 (Data Link Escape)

The annoying thing is that there appears to be some form of checksum to send WITH any HR commands (that retrieve records), at the tail end. I need to figure out that pattern then we can request any record we wish from memory. Shouldnt take too long to figure this out.

Shane - You are the man. I bow down to your comm knowledge.

Looks like I should have the Ultra done this week.

condensr · #38 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 03:18 PM

Cool! I was going to do that one too, just make a base class for LifeScan meter then concrete implementations for each model that handle the comm and return data formatting. I'll probably hand you the data in XML, and also will probably convert all datetimes to GMT, or if you prefer, ticks. That would mean you'd need to convert back to local time for the user, though.

Clint · #39 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 03:26 PM

any chance I could get the source to this for my own personal use? I have an app that I built that I use personally that this would speed my input up alot.

BriOnH · #40 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by condensr

Cool! I was going to do that one too, just make a base class for LifeScan meter then concrete implementations for each model that handle the comm and return data formatting. I'll probably hand you the data in XML, and also will probably convert all datetimes to GMT, or if you prefer, ticks. That would mean you'd need to convert back to local time for the user, though.

Shane, if you could compile a lifescan class to support all their meters that would be truely awesome. I am not much of a windows app developer, as you can probably tell if you looked at the app I made to ul the flash data. I work on multiple OS's and prefer things web based when possible. Maybe we can work something out when you finish the class to take over the native app development. How is the time coming to you? Can the time be kept to the time that the meter recorded it?

condensr · #41 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 11:42 AM

Brian, indeed I'll make a class to download all the meters I can figure out.

We can make an app too, maybe an activex control or a one-click .net app.

Last night, I spent some hours stepping through disassembly to discern how the checksums for the ultrasmart meters are computed.

Pretty sure I got that nailed down now (can calculate checksums for both transmission and receiving), so after I determine how to break apart the ultrasmart data records (I'll be looking at this tonight), I'll be ready to make the classes themselves.

Sure we can keep the time as is.

BriOnH · #42 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by condensr

Brian, indeed I'll make a class to download all the meters I can figure out.

We can make an app too, maybe an activex control or a one-click .net app.

Last night, I spent some hours stepping through disassembly to discern how the checksums for the ultrasmart meters are computed.

Pretty sure I got that nailed down now (can calculate checksums for both transmission and receiving), so after I determine how to break apart the ultrasmart data records (I'll be looking at this tonight), I'll be ready to make the classes themselves.

Sure we can keep the time as is.

Right on Shane!! I was thinking an active X too. I tried building a Java applet as my first course of action but couldn't find a class or control to access the com port of a computer that way. I have a page as a oneclick .net app but am having problems publishing the app. I can't believe how fast you are on the US! Even if we don't make the 15th it's all good. The way I was headed the ultra would be the only one up by the 15th unfortunatly.

Cyborg · #43 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 03:58 PM

ActiveX is one of my specialties if you need some help...

condensr · #44 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 04:15 PM

Cool, might take you up on that Cyborg..

Brian, do you have an SSL cert for diabuddies that you can sign controls with?

BriOnH · #45 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by condensr

Cool, might take you up on that Cyborg..

Brian, do you have an SSL cert for diabuddies that you can sign controls with?

I don't have one, yet, but know I need too. I think I am going to put the whole site behind an SSL too since it's medical information. Anyone know where the best prices are for certs?

Sorry I have been lagging on updates. My two other jobs and some play have been taking up my time.