Datasubscriber2 bug? (TwinCAT)

[bobobo]

Hi
My application gets unresponsive and for error tracking I made an experiment and got a result that I think indicates a bug in the component or driver...

I started a new Adv.HMI 3.99a project. I added only a basiclabel to see that plc communication is working.
Then I added a Datasubscriber2, a standard Timer (interval 1000) and a textbox.

Code: [Select]

    Dim rate As Integer

    Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
        TextBox1.Text = rate
        rate = 0
    End Sub

    Private Sub DataSubscriber21_DataReturned(sender As Object, e As Drivers.Common.PlcComEventArgs) Handles DataSubscriber21.DataReturned
        rate = rate + 1
    End Sub
The displayed rate indicates (approx) how many calls DataReturned gets per second:
1 valid PLCaddress in DataSubscriber: 4 events/s
2 valid PLCaddresses : 12 events/s
3 valid PLCaddresses : 24 events/s
2 valid PLCaddresses and 1 invalid PLCaddress : increasing slowly over 40sec to rate of 300-330events/s
13 valid PLCaddresses: 360 events/s
13 valid PLCaddresses and 1 invalid : increasing to about 2000 events/s

All above numbers with PollRateOverride (driver) at 500, and PollRate in DataSubscriber at 0.

(With one PLCaddress in DataSubscriber and a PollrateOverride at 100 I get 20 events/s (correctly 5 times above test)
With PollrateOverride 1000 I get 2 events/s.
Equal result if I change PollrateOverride to 0 and set 100/500 and 1000 at DataSubscriber PollRate.)


What do you think?

[Archie]

Keep in mind that Windows Timers are non-determistic, so you will get some jitter in your 1 second timer. This test will give you a bit more truer reading:

Code: [Select]

    Private sw As New Stopwatch
    Private EventsPerSecond As Integer
    Private RunningAverage, AverageCount As Integer

    Private Sub MainForm_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        sw.Start()
    End Sub

    Private Sub DataSubscriber21_DataReturned(sender As Object, e As Drivers.Common.PlcComEventArgs) Handles DataSubscriber21.DataReturned
        If sw.ElapsedMilliseconds >= 1000 Then
            Label1.Text = EventsPerSecond

            RunningAverage += EventsPerSecond
            AverageCount += 1
            If AverageCount >= 10 Then
                Label2.Text = RunningAverage / AverageCount
                RunningAverage = 0
                AverageCount = 0
            End If

            EventsPerSecond = 0
            sw.Reset()
            sw.Start()
        Else
            EventsPerSecond += 1
        End If
    End Sub

You will need to add 2 labels to your form.

The expected result should be

1000/PollRateOverride * (NumberOfElements in PLCAddressValueItems)

I tested with a 500 PollRateOverrides and 3 items and my running average was 6.x

1000/500 * (3) = 6

[Archie]

I added an additional invalid tag and I am still getting 6.x in my running average.

I am testing on the unreleased version of 3.99b and the EthernetIPforCLX driver which could possibly have an effect.

Which driver are you using?

[Archie]

Here is another variation on the test:

Code: [Select]

    Private sw2 As New Stopwatch
    Private Sub DataSubscriber21_DataReturned(sender As Object, e As Drivers.Common.PlcComEventArgs) Handles DataSubscriber21.DataReturned
          If e.PlcAddress = "DINTTag" Then
            Label4.Text = sw.ElapsedMilliseconds
            sw.Reset()
            sw.Start()
        End If
    End Sub

This will give you the number of ms in between updates of a particular tag

[bobobo]

As most of the time, really impressive quick answers!

Results with the code from your first test:
With 3 valid tags: 23.0

With 2 valid and one invalid: 334

...

[Archie]

Which driver are you using?

[bobobo]

Sorry, I wrote it in the first post, but then edited the text and accidently removed that info...
Twincat driver.

[Archie]

I did a quick test with the TwinCAT driver and see the abnormal results. I'll dig into this to locate the problem

[bobobo]

When I removed the first basiclabel from the form, so that I only have the Datasubscriber21, Label1, Label2 and TwinCatCom1 the number dropped from 23 to 17-17.3 with 3 valid addresses.

So it seems that also addresses not in the Datasubscriber trigger the DataSubscriber.Datareturned ...?

[Archie]

Try this to see what effect it has:

- In Solution Explorer, open AdvancedHMIDrivers\TwinCAT\TwinCATCom.vb
- Go to line 729 and insert this one line of code as shown:


        '*************************************************************
        '* Next step is to prepare for Group Reads
        '*************************************************************
        GroupedSubscriptionReads.Clear()            'Add this line
        Dim i As Integer

[bobobo]

After your suggested change it seems to work as long as I only enter addresses to subscribe from in the designer property manager.

I would like to add variables from my code (since number of elements is not working it would be handy to subscribe to arrays by for-loops)
but then it starts making trouble again.

If I add ".var1" and ".var2" in the property manager and then add this code:

Code: [Select]

    Private Sub MainForm_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        DataSubscriber21.PLCAddressValueItems.Add(New AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem(".var3"))
        DataSubscriber21.PLCAddressValueItems.Add(New AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem(".var4"))
        sw.Start()
    End Sub

I set a breakpoint and Watch TwinCATCom1.SubscriptionList it looks like this:
(0): ".var1"
(1): ".var1"
(2): ".var1"
(3): ".var2"
(4): ".var2"
(5): ".var2"
(6): ".var3"
(7): ".var3"
(: ".var4"

The list seems to grow exponantially the more variables I add from code.

In above example I also get 45 insted of 8 or 16 datareturned-events per second with pollrateoverride 500.





This code has the same behaviour:

Code: [Select]

    Public Sub New()

        ' This call is required by the designer.
        InitializeComponent()

        Dim PlcAddressItem3 As AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem = New AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem()
        Dim PlcAddressItem4 As AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem = New AdvancedHMIDrivers.PLCAddressItem()
        PlcAddressItem3.LastValue = Nothing
        PlcAddressItem3.NumberOfElements = 1
        PlcAddressItem3.PLCAddress = ".var3"
        PlcAddressItem3.ScaleFactor = 1.0R
        PlcAddressItem3.ScaleOffset = 0.0R
        PlcAddressItem3.SubscriptionID = 0
        PlcAddressItem4.LastValue = Nothing
        PlcAddressItem4.NumberOfElements = 1
        PlcAddressItem4.PLCAddress = ".var4"
        PlcAddressItem4.ScaleFactor = 1.0R
        PlcAddressItem4.ScaleOffset = 0.0R
        PlcAddressItem4.SubscriptionID = 0
        DataSubscriber21.PLCAddressValueItems.Add(PlcAddressItem3)
        DataSubscriber21.PLCAddressValueItems.Add(PlcAddressItem4)

        ' Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call.

    End Sub

    Private Sub MainForm_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        sw.Start()
    End Sub



[Archie]

Edit TwinCATCom.vb, go to line 489 and make this modification:

Code: [Select]

            If UsedSymbols.Count > 0 Then
                For k = 0 To SubscriptionList.Count - 1
                    If String.Compare(SubscriptionList(k).Symbol.Name, plcAddress, True) = 0 And SubscriptionList(k).dlgCallBack = callback Then
                        SubExists = True
                        Exit For
                    End If
                Next
            End If


[bobobo]

It was not enough to change this row:
                    If String.Compare(SubscriptionList(k).Symbol.Name, plcAddress, True) = 0 And SubscriptionList(k).dlgCallBack = callback Then

But I tried to change also the first if-statement to this:

Code: [Select]

            If UsedSymbols.Count > 0 Then
                For k = 0 To SubscriptionList.Count - 1
                    If String.Compare(SubscriptionList(k).Symbol.Name, plcAddress, True) = 0 And SubscriptionList(k).dlgCallBack = callback Then
                        SubExists = True
                        Exit For
                    End If
                Next
            End If
Then there is no duplicates made in the subscription list.

I still have too many calls to DataReturned in my main application (test application seems to be ok now). But I ssupect my own written AlarmSubsctiption routine, so I have to dig more into it.


Another issue:
After working a while in the application (Happened in both my main app and my test app) I get following "Object does not match target type" in the Collection editor for plcadress in DataSubscriber2. I have got it working again in a few different ways, but the most effective and so far permanent solution has been to comment this row out:
'<System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter(GetType(PLCAddressItemTypeConverter))> _
from PLCAddressItem.vb

In the test app I have not made any new controls or changes to Adv.HMI code besides what have been discussed above in this forum-thread, but anyway I got the "Object does not match target type"

[Archie]

This is an issue with Visual Studio when modifying the drivers. Simply by exiting Visual Studio and opening again will resolve this.

[bobobo]

What do you think about my change to the IF statement? Does it make sense with regards to your intended use for each variables?