IND256x

8 min

Review the following information for setting up and configuring the IND256x driver.

The driver connects Litmus Edge (LE) to an IND256x weighing scale over Ethernet (TCP or UDP) or Serial. It reads the scale's streamed output and parses it into predefined tags for values such as net weight, tare weight, gross weight, and units. It can also send commands to the scale, such as tare, print, clear, and zero.

Tags in this driver use one of the following interaction patterns:

Stream: A single byte-array tag that receives the scale's continuous output. The stream tag is the source for every predefined custom tag.

Custom tags: Predefined, read-only tags (such as NetWT, TareWT, and GrossWT) that the driver parses from the stream. You select these from a drop-down list when you add a tag.

Write: A tag used to send commands or requests to the scale.

How to configure the device

To set up and configure this device in Litmus Edge, you will need to do the following:

Step 1: Set up and configure the device

Step 2: Set up the device in Litmus Edge DeviceHub

Step 3: Configure the list of registers

Step 1: Set up and configure the device

Configure the IND256x scale to communicate over the transport you plan to use, then match those settings in LE.

On the scale, enable the communication port for your chosen transport (Ethernet TCP/UDP or Serial) and configure it to send its output.

For an Ethernet connection, note the scale's IP address or hostname and its port.

For a serial connection, note the scale's serial settings (baud rate, data bits, stop bits, and parity) so you can enter matching values in DeviceHub.

If the scale requires a command to begin sending data, note that command so you can enter it in the Connection Request field.

Note: Most IND256x commands require \r\n terminators, which the driver adds by default. Confirm the terminators your scale expects before you change this behavior.

Step 2: Set up the device in Litmus Edge DeviceHub

Configure the following parameters when you connect a device with this driver. Update default values to the specific setup of your device.

Parameter	Value
Type	Generic
Driver	IND256x
Transport	Select TCP, UDP, or Serial.
Network Address	Scale's hostname or IP address. Applies when Transport is TCP or UDP.
Network Port	Scale's port. Applies when Transport is TCP or UDP.
Device File	File of the serial port you are using. Applies when Transport is Serial.
Baud Rate	Serial baud rate: 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, 230400, 460800, or 921600. Applies when Transport is Serial.
Data Bits	5, 6, 7, or 8. Applies when Transport is Serial.
Stop Bits	1, 1.5, or 2. Applies when Transport is Serial.
Parity	Even, Mark, None, Odd, or Space. Applies when Transport is Serial.
Connection Request	Command the device requires to initiate the connection, if any.
Protocol Byte Order	Byte order for the protocol: BigEndian (bytes-little): BADC, BigEndian: ABCD, LittleEndian (bytes-big): CDAB, or LittleEndian: DCBA.
Data Byte Order	Byte order for the data: BigEndian (bytes-little): BADC, BigEndian: ABCD, LittleEndian (bytes-big): CDAB, or LittleEndian: DCBA.
Multiple Connections	Enable or disable multiple streams. Applies when Transport is TCP or UDP.
TLS	Enable or disable TLS encryption. Applies when Transport is TCP.

Step 3: Configure the list of registers

When you Add a Tag to the connected device, see the following Register Table and Tag Parameters sections.

See the following additional resources if necessary:

Organize Device and Tag Data by Using Metadata

Tag Formula Variables

Register table

Note: Add the Stream tag before you add any custom tags. Apart from the Stream and Write tags, the driver provides a drop-down list of all predefined tags available for the IND256x scale. The custom tags report data only when the Stream tag is present. The Write tag works even when the Stream tag has not been added.

Name	Value Types	Access Types	Description
Write	uint8, uint16, uint32, uint64, int8, int16, int32, int64, float32, float64, string, []byte	R/W	Sends commands to the scale, such as T, P, C, or Z, or changes a value
Stream	[]byte	R/O	Continuous output stream from the scale. Required for the custom tags to report data
NetWT	float64	R/O	Net weight
TareWT	float64	R/O	Tare weight
GrossWT	float64	R/O	Gross weight
Units	string	R/O	Weight units reported by the scale
InMotion	bool	R/O	Indicates whether the scale is in motion
IsUnderloadOverload	bool	R/O	Indicates an underload or overload condition
RoundingIncrement	uint8	R/O	Rounding increment applied to the reported weight
IsPrintRequest	bool	R/O	Indicates a print request from the scale
IsHighResolution	bool	R/O	Indicates whether the scale is in high-resolution mode

Tag parameters

Configure the following parameters when you add a tag.

Parameter	Value
Name	Register name from the drop-down list. Available options depend on the names in the register table.
Value Type	Data type from the drop-down list. Available options depend on the register name selected. Supported types are uint8, uint16, uint32, uint64, int8, int16, int32, int64, float32, float64, string, and []byte.
Polling Interval	Value in seconds. This determines how often the tag should poll the register for data.
Tag Name	Name for the tag.
Description (Optional)	Description for the tag.
Payload	For Write registers, the command or request to send to the device as a hex string or in ASCII format. For example, to send the command TARE with the terminator \r, enter "TARE\r", "TARE" 0D, or 544152450D. Make sure the value type is string.
Request Params	For Write registers, the request parameters formatted as JSON. Use this field to enter an address or area code to include in the request. Leave it empty if no request parameters are needed and you only need to send a command. For example: {"addr": "0007"}.
Response Index	Start index of the values within the response. Enter 0 if you only need to send commands.
Value Length	Length of a single value in bytes. Enter 0 for the entire response.
Response Terminator	Characters or byte sequence (for example, \r) that indicate the end of the device response. The driver adds \r\n by default because most IND256x commands require it. You can remove it, enter a different terminator, or leave it blank to match your device's requirements.
Include Terminator	Enable to include the response terminator in the value.
Response Max Length	Largest full response frame size the driver is allowed to read from the socket before parsing stops. Enter 0 for unlimited.
Override Transport	Defines an alternate endpoint for a single request. Note: The connection for an override transport is not persistent.
Tag Formula	Formula to process tag data. See Tag formula below.
Only Publish on Change of Value	Select the checkbox to publish NATS messages only when the value parameter changes to a new value. Change of Value only applies to boolean, numeric (such as int or float), and simple string data types. It does not apply to complex types, such as JSON or array. Poll-once topics are not affected by Change of Value settings. These topics will still only see a single message.
Meta Data	Metadata summarizes basic information about data. This feature allows you to define key-value pair data for the device output payload later on. It can then be used to find, use, and reuse particular instances of data. Note: If you use special characters in meta data key names, the special characters are replaced with underscore characters in the payload. This can cause two key names to be combined into one. For example, configuring the key names a**b and a&&b will cause only one key name to be created (a__b).

Tag formula

Enter a formula for the tag to process the generated data. Two variables are permitted: value (current tag value) and timestamp (current tag UNIX time in milliseconds). The following math functions are available:

Function	Description
sin	Sine
cos	Cosine
sqrt	Square root
tan	Tangent
power(x)	Performs the operation 10^x
log(x)	Natural logarithm (base e)
exp(x)	Performs the operation e^x