EPICS: Allen Bradley
Driver and Device Support
Release Notes
Argonne National Laboratory - Advanced Photon Source
Release 2-3
Minor changes for 3.14.11 and to fix compiler warnings.
Release Notes January 2004
This release requires base 3.14.5 or later. The following changes have
been made since the last release.
- module_types.h
This is no longer used. If you used module_types.c to change the
AB_xxx definitions you will now have to use the abConfigVme command.
- Building applications
Only the 3.14 configure rules for building applications is supported.
This greatly simplifies building. The allenBradley.html manual gives
details.
Release Notes August 2003
This is the first release that works only with the 3.14 releases of EPICS
base. It requires release 3.14.3 or later.
Release Notes April 2003
- License is an EPICS open source license.
- 1771DCM
- Field DCMT has a new option PLCMultislot. See the EPICS
allenBradley documentation for details.
- get_float failed on a powerPC. Now fixed.
- 1771IFE - ab1771IFERecord posted monitors on OUTM even when output
message did not change. Now fixed.
- 1771IX - ab1771IXRecord posted monitors on OUTM even when output
message did not change. Now fixed.
- drvAb
- Changed method of deciding if interrupt is from command or from a
block transfer completion.
- Improved debug messages. ab_debug=1 should now display a message
whenever something fails, e.g. times out, etc.
Release Notes March 2002
- ab1771NRecord
- If an error occurs when communicating with the 1771NSeries I/O
module, the module is reinitialized.
- Many fatal errors are now just abError.
- devAB1771IXE - Old IXE support
- This now uses menuConvert.h to find the thermocouple type
Release Notes July 2001
- 1771DCM - put_short did not work.
- ab_reboot_hook - Only delete task if link is initialized.
Release Notes August 2000
- 32 bit digital output modules were not addressed correctly if 1 slot
addressing is used.
- ab_reset did not work if "smart" records were active, i.e. records that
issued block transfer requests
- ab_reset_link now accepts two argumants
ab_reset_link(firstLink,lastLink)
Release Notes July 2000
- ab1771NRecord - Module is not initialized until first time record is
processed. This alows outputs output setpoints to be restored before the
module is initialized.
- 1771DCM - The longin and longout records now retrieve data as short
rather than unsigned short.
Updated: december 1999
Release Notes December 1999
- Changed ab_reboot_hook so that a busy loop waits for the AB scanner to
stop talking. Previously this was a taskDelay which allowed active tasks
to run.
- Changed ab_intr to allenBradleyIntHandler and made it global. When
veclist is executed it is now obvious which interrupt vectors are used by
allenBradley.
Release Notes August 1999
- Changed <top>/config so that it uses files are very simple
- Moved from unbundled to modules/bus
- Made release notes a separate document
Release Notes January 1999
- PROMS - Allen Bradley has not yet fixed a problem with the 6008-SXxR
proms. At APS we are using version 1.1 proms. We make copies of these and
replace the proms in each new scanner.
- Special support is now provided for the 1771-IFE module.
- drvAb now automatically retrys failed block transfer requests (10
retrys before failure).
- ab1791Record no longer has fields RTRY and NTRY.
- Each special record type that issues block transfer requests
includes field LOCA (Loss of Communication Alarm).
- Rules for one slot and half slot addressing are completly different.
The abConfigScanListAscii allows the user to define the logical
addressing for each rack. The old rules will still work if the user does
not specify the logical addressing or lies and says that a rack isd using
2 slot addressing even if it isn't. Users are strongly encouraged,
however, to switch to the new rules.
- The source is now distributed as a completely separate <top>
level application.