Christmas time is approaching and we do not want to pass this opportunity to spoil You, our trusted RTCU users, with nothing less than the BIGGEST release announcement since the introduction of GPRS support in our units!

Logic IO is committed to bringing you the most advanced and flexible platform for GSM Telemetry/Telematics applications and we are proud to end this year with a long list of new software and hardware features.
In the coming year we are going to focus on expanding the diversity and easy deployment of our products. At the same time we will also come out with new hardware products that will ensure us a place in the industry lead position - this is where we want to be! 

Today we are releasing a new version of the RTCU IDE and Firmware with many exciting new features. Please visit www.rtcu.dk

Multithreading has arrived!

This release of the Firmware for the RTCU A9i, RTCU M10 Series and RTCU M11 Series includes comprehensive support for multithreading. The multithreading extensions includes many important features that simplifies the development of complex applications on the RTCU platform, including:

• Dynamic creation of threads using the new THREAD_BLOCK structure.
• Explicit thread status flag that shows if a thread is running.
• CHANNEL thread communication mechanism for easy passing of data between threads.
• MUTEX support. Mutual Exclusion mechanism used for implementing critical sections.
• SEMAPHORE support. The classical thread synchronization mechanism is also available.

Multithreading your code can have many benefits, including:

• Support for THREAD, SEMAPHORE, MUTEX and CHANNEL.
• RTCU Gateway and Socket support in Simulator.
• The following functions added to Simulator, Wizard and online help
           - gsmCheckSMS()
           - voiceBusy()
           - boardWatchdog()
           - owButtonGetID(), owButtonEnableLED(), owButtonSetLED()
           - owSearch() and owTempGet()
           - gsmMakeCallX()
           - boardSetPassword()
           - gpsFix(), gpsDistance() and gpsDistanceX()
• Board serial number can now be changed in the simulator.
• Simulator 4 line LCD changed to correct 2 lines.
• Simulator back light intensity removed.
• Downgrade of large project to small is now possible in all cases.
• Enhanced handling of GPS simulator functionality.
• RTCU crash when simulator tries to show RTC time after year 2038 has been fixed.
• Bug fixed in type casting to a BOOL when upper 24 bit<>0 and lower 8 bits are 0.
• Problem where send SMS messages from the IDE over GPRS in some cases failed has been fixed.
• Enhanced on-line help.

For detailed information about specific features the RTCU IDE Manual is available here

RTCU A9i, M10 Series and M11 Series (Large) version 4.70:

• Multithread support with new construction THREAD_BLOCK / END_THREAD_BLOCK.
  Syncronization primitives: SEMAPHORE, MUTEX and CHANNEL.
• Query of GSM parameters is changed to non-blocking during initial startup of unit.
• Support for receiving SMS messages during a GPRS session with the new function gsmCheckSMS();
• SMS messages can now not be send during a CSD session. This is to avoid problems with the IDE communication.
• New function to check if pending voice messages are present: voiceBusy().
• New application software watchdog functionality: boardWatchdog().
• getBoardProfile, index 14 now returns whether on-board temperature sensor is present.
• sockSetTCPIP() bug fixed. Does no longer set the phonenumber when called.
• gsmMakeCall() problem where the caller hangs up immediately and the unit still indicates a connection has been fixed.
• gsmHangup() can now interrupt gsmMakeCall() during the dialling phase.
• serFrameReceiver() bug fixed where only sizeof buffer-1 bytes could be received when running in framed mode.
• Recovery of Siemens MC35i GPRS attach problem experienced in some rare cases with bugs in the GSM basestations.
• Switch to battery backup operation on the A9i will not automatically shutdown the DO,DI and VDC circuits.
• Support for ID-Button, ID-Button reader with LED.
• Support for 1Wire temperature sensor.
• Persistent memory operations are now fully multithread safe.
• New function to retrieve the SIM card number: gsmGetICCID().
• New gsmMakecallX() function giving more information about result of call than the present gsmMakecall() function.
  Can also suppress calling number identification
• Sleep(delay:=0) will now release the remaining part of the calling threads execution slice.
• Optimized driver code for Flash/FRAM access. Now up to 10 times faster access!
• serOpen() now includes the possibility to set the number of stop bits.
• Bug in GPRS RACP2 Authentication that makes debug messages stop over GPRS has been fixed.
• New gpsFix() function that returns more precise and detailed information than gpsInfo().
  gpsInfoZ() present in beta versions are no longer supported.
• New gpsDistance() and gpsDistanceX to supplement gpsFix()
  Use of gpsInfo(), gpsPosition() and gpsGreatCircle() is not recommended in new programs, even
  though they will be supported in future firmware releases.
• New real time kernel implementation with much faster taskswitch and less overhead.
• PowerDown() will now return to the applikation with an error code if powerdown is not successfully.
• sockConnect() / sockListen() will not fault in case of to many connections but return 0 instead.
• Number of available dynamic string changed from 200 to 400.
• Fix for negative return value in logGetNumberOfRecords() and logGetMaxNumberOfRecords() when value > 32767.
• Network status using gsmConnected() is now updated (every 10 minutes) during a GPRS session.
• Enhanced recovery of Siemens MC35i GPRS lock-up problem experienced in some networks.
• DeepSleep() will now degrade to a normal Sleep() operation when the unit is connected to the RTCU IDE

For detailed information about specific features the RTCU IDE Manual is available here

News in Firmware version 4.52 (Small)

RTCU D4,A6 and A5 (Small) version 4.52:

• Support for logGotoLinsec() on small RTCU units included.
• Query of GSM parameters is now unblocking during initial startup of unit.
• gsmMakeCall() problem where the caller hangs up immediately and the unit still indicates a connection has been fixed.
• gsmHangup() can now interrupt gsmMakeCall() during the dialling phase.
• serFrameReceiver() bug fixed where only sizeof buffer-1 bytes could be received when running in framed mode.
• D4 Display. displayXY() changed to better enforce the physical dimensions of the display.
• Persistent memory operations are now fully async safe.
• New function to retrieve the SIM card number: gsmGetICCID().
• SMS messages can now not be send during a CSD session. This is to avoid problems with the IDE communication.
• Optimized driver code for Flash/FRAM access. Now upto 10 times faster access!
• New real time kernel implementation with much faster taskswitch and less overhead.
• PowerDown() will now return to the applikation with an error code if powerdown is not successfully.
• Fix for negative return value in logGetNumberOfRecords() and logGetMaxNumberOfRecords() when value > 32767.
• DeepSleep() will now degrade to a normal Sleep() operation when the unit is connected to the RTCU IDE
   

The RTCU M11 Series and RTCU A9i includes support for connecting a broad range of OneWire devices. Initial there will be support for ID-Buttons and Temperature sensors.

The ID-Button (shown above to the left) can be read by a ID-Button reader (shown above to the right) connected to the RTCU unit for easy and secure identification of a person/item identified with a unique ID-button. This can be used for numerous applications: driver identification, turning alarm on/off, usage registration etc. The ID-Button itself is a strong and extremely durable coin-like metal container with a unique ID. The ID-Button is usually used with the ID-Button Fob (shown to the left), that holds the ID-Button in place so that it is conveniently available whenever needed.

The OneWire based external temperature sensor can measure temperatures from -55 to 125 degrees Celsius with a precision of 0.5 degrees celcius. Comes standard with 3 meter cable.

We are proud to announce that Vikingegaarden has won the prestigious award: "Best in Innovation, Europe Award" from Citect.
Vikingegaarden is using Logic IO for all its solutions, and the CitectSCADA "All-in-one" driver, that won the award from Citect, is specifically designed for use with Logic IO Products.
Citect is a global leader in industrial automation and information management. In terms of both revenue and market, it is one of the top 5 multi-national, Australian-owned technology companies.

Read the full press release here