Troubleshooting

These are some of the common pitfalls encountered when using the RTCU IDE program and the VPL programming language.

RTCU IDE Integrated Development Environment:

1) I get errors when I try to upload my project to my RTCU device.

There can be several reasons why this happens. Usually there is a problem with the serial port (COM). Either it is not the COM port that is specified in the Setting menu, or if you are using a laptop PC the serial port may sometimes disable itself to save power. Alternatively it could be because the port is configured for IRDA (infrared) communication.

Also check that your programming cable is intact and firmly secured both to the PC and the RTCU device. Please also make sure that the RTCU is powered and is running.

2) Why can I not send SMS messages and make voice calls by using the RTCU device?

You must make sure that the RTCU device you are using has the GSM module installed. You must also make sure that you have a valid SIM card installed in the SIM card reader of the RTCU device. The RTCU device needs an external antenna, and this must be an antenna that matches the requirements listed in the technical documentation for your actual RTCU device. If this does not help, try the SIM card in a mobile phone and make sure that the mobile phone can connect to a base station and that you can actually make/receive calls by using the SIM card.

A common error is to forget to turn on power to the built-in GSM module by using the gsmPower function. Please also note that if a PIN code is required for your SIM card, this code must be set on the Device-> Configuration -> GSM Parameters -> PIN code page. The GSM module will always be switched on when the program starts. If needed, it can then be switched off and on via the program and gsmPower functions.

You must also make sure that the RTCU device is connected successfully to a GSM base station. A common error is to switch on the power to the GSM module (by using gsmPower) and then immediately try to send an SMS or make a voice call. After the gsmPower function, a number of seconds must elapse before the GSM module is actually connected with a GSM base station. This amount of time depends on the type of GSM network as well as the general traffic on the GSM net. A safe method to check for this is to monitor the gsmConnected function. When the gsmConnected function returns true, the GSM module is connected successfully to a GSM base station.

Another possible error, although seldom seen, is if you use a 5 Volts SIM card. The RTCU devices will only work with 3 Volts SIM cards. Some older SIM cards exist that are only able to work at 5 Volts so please make sure that your card can work at 3 Volts.This is also a problem that ordinary mobile phones today face and is therefore not specific to the RTCU devices.

3) I get an error when I try to register the RTCU IDE program by using "Send via Email".

This is usually because you do not have a "MAPI"-compatible mail program installed, or it may be that it is not configured properly for the RTCU IDE to use it.

4) I get an error when I try to send my project by using the "Send Project via Email".

This is usually because you do not have a "MAPI"-compatible mail program installed, or it may be that it is not configured properly for the RTCU IDE to use it.

5) I got an email saying that a new firmware version is available. What do I do?

It all depends on the message in the email. When we make new features available, we will normally make a new version available of the RTCU firmware for you to download. The message in the email will tell you in detail what the new features are, and under what circumstances it would be beneficial for you to upgrade your RTCU devices with the new firmware version. The email will also tell you step-by-step how to upload the new firmware to your RTCU devices. Please note, however, that it is very rarely that you will need to upgrade the firmware. Generally most of the new features will be available in the RTCU IDE, which is available for download from www.logicio.com

6) I have uploaded my project to the RTCU device. While doing so, I lost communication with the device.

In this case, it is possible that the RTCU device will be left in a state where it is not able to execute the RTCU program. Normally you just upload the project again and everything will then be fine. If, for some reason, you are unable upload your project to the RTCU device after such an error, you can always activate the recovery switch present on all RTCU devices. This will prevent any execution of the RTCU program, and then you can upload your project again.

7) When I send an SMS message by using gsmSendSMS, it will not always be delivered.

This error can have several causes. This can happen when the GSM network is busy - for example not enough signal strength. Another potential problem can be if the GSM provider delivers an acknowledgment every time someone sends an SMS message by using their net. Some providers allow you to suppress this acknowledgment by using some specific prefix before the SMS message text. This extra acknowledgment message can sometimes interfere with the transmission of SMS messages from the RTCU device. To overcome this, always check the return code from the gsmSendSMS() function call. This will tell you whether the transmission was all right or not. If you got an error, you can send the message again. Typically, these errors will resolve themselves very quickly and will only last a few seconds.

8) I am not able to receive SMS messages on the RTCU from certain mobile phones/numbers.

The SIM card used in the RTCU device must have its phone book cleared. If the sender of an SMS message exists in the phone book of the SIM card in the RTCU, all SMS messages from this number are discarded. A simple solution is to make sure that the SIM card used on the RTCU device is empty.

9) When I try to use gsmIncomingPDU, it always returns 3 in the status field.

When using the gsmIncomingPDU(), you must set the "message" field to the address of the buffer you want the message to arrive in before the instance of the gsmIncomingPDU() is called (this will be called either explicit by writing "name()" where "name" is of type gsmIncomingPDU() or when the BEGIN statement is executed.)

10) Transferring a large amount of data from the RTCU takes a very long time.

If the program in the device is sending a massive number of debug messages, this will make the communication very slow.

Another reason can be that the program in the device is overloading the processor with too many threads that never sleep or block.