Problem in Rs232 Interrupt

NETMF & Gadgeteer
1

HI,
I am working with FEZ cobra. My application is to get sensor data periodically from Rs232 ports. I have made a class ComAccess to open, write and read from Rs232 port. I have used interrupt based reading in the class. I am creating two object of this class from another class and open two Rs232 ports for communication.

This code works properly. I am sending commands through Write method of ComAccess class and getting response in interrupt.

My problem is, after random time interval, GC executes and I am not getting response from one Rs232 port. Another port is working properly and getting data. I have check the status with the help of oscilloscope and found that signals at RX and TX pins are coming, but didnt get response in code through interrupt function.

The Code for ComAccess class is as under.



public class COMAccess
    {
        private string PortName;
        private int Brate;
        private int Stopbit;
        private int parity;
        private SerialPort serialport = null;
        string ClsName = "COMAccess";
        string ProsName = "";
        string Data = "";
        string Fnlstr = "";

        public COMAccess()
        {

        }

        public bool OpenPort(string Pname, string Brate, bool flgDataRec)
        {
            this.serialport = new SerialPort(Pname, Int32.Parse(Brate));
            this.serialport.Open();
            if (flgDataRec == true)
            {
                this.serialport.DataReceived += new SerialDataReceivedEventHandler(serialport_DataReceived);
            }
            return true;
        }

        private void serialport_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
        {
            int readcount = serialport.BytesToRead;
            byte[] rx_byte = new byte[readcount];

            readcount = serialport.Read(rx_byte, 0, readcount);
            char[] rechar = Encoding.UTF8.GetChars(rx_byte);
            string RecData = "";
            RecData = new string(rechar);
        }

        public bool WritePortData(string sendprotocol)
        {
            byte[] Buffer = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(sendprotocol);
            this.serialport.Write(Buffer, 0, Buffer.Length);
            //Thread.Sleep(500);
            return true;
        }

    }

Can any one help to resolve?

2

We don’t see how you create the COMAccess instances and keep the references. Sounds like one of them has been Garbage collected.

3

Thanks for quick reply. The COMAccess instances and references are as under.



    interface IPort
    {
        bool OpenPort(string Pname, string Brate, bool flgDataRec);
        bool OpenPort(string[] IPAddress, string[] PortAddress);
        bool ClosePort();
        bool WritePortData(string sendprotocol);
        string ReadPortData();
        string ReadPortData(string sendprotocol);
        string ReadPortData(string sendprotocol, Int32 Interval);
        string ReadPortData(string sendprotocol, Int32 Interval, string expdata);
        //string ManuallyReadingFromSerial();

    }

    class PortAccessAPI
    {
        public static int Com_Port = 1;
        public static string ClsName = "PortAccessAPI";
        public static string ProsName = "";
        public static string Data = "";
        public static string Fnlstr = "";

        public static IPort InitializePort(int ComType)
        {
            ProsName = "InitializePort";
            Data = "ComType:-" + ComType;

            IPort PortObject = null;
            switch (ComType)
            {
                case 1: //Comport
                    {
                        PortObject = new COMAccess();
                        break;
                    }
            }
            return PortObject;
        }
    }

    public class DAQConfigurable
    {
        static IPort objPort = null;
        static IPort objPortWS = null;
        static DispatcherTimer ThreadPollTimer;

        public DAQConfigurable()
        {

            objPort = PortAccessAPI.InitializePort(PortAccessAPI.Com_Port);
            objPort.OpenPort("COM3", 9600, true);

            objPortWS = PortAccessAPI.InitializePort(PortAccessAPI.Com_Port);
            objPortWS.OpenPort("COM1", 9600, true);

            ThreadPollTimer = new DispatcherTimer();
            ThreadPollTimer.Interval = new TimeSpan(hr, min, sec);
            ThreadPollTimer.Tick += new EventHandler(ThreadPoll_Tick);
            ThreadPollTimer.Start();
                        //objFile = StorageAccessAPI.InitializeStorageMemory(StorageAccessAPI.SDCard);
        }

        public static void ThreadPoll_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            bool flgWrSts = objPort.WritePortData("*MM90");
            bool flgWrSts1 = objPortWS.WritePortData("*XX90");
        }
    }

I am calling the DAQConfigurable from Program.CS.

4

If GC happens and you lose COM object response, then the likely cause is your object being discarded but you don’t know it yet. Something goes out of scope, stays around for some random time, then GC cleans it up and the event handler (it’s not an interrupt, really :)) no longer talks. That’s what I’d be looking for.

5

Thanks Brett. I can understand that GC cleans up the event handler, but what i am not getting is, why only one object’s only eventhandler is cleans up.

I have two object of same class and i have declare them in same pattern. After GC executes, One object work properly and in another object’s only “SerialDataReceivedEventHandler” is not getting response. The other methods of that object works properly like serial write method.

For trial an error, i have remove the “SerialDataReceivedEventHandler” from one object and getting data from serial read method and it works properly in overnight test though GC executes in between.

Can some one help me to understand the reason.