Notes on Firmware version 2 and above

Introduced in firmware version 2, I made a number of changes to the way in which the storage ZCAIM functions. A problem with the earlier firmware was that there was no way to be sure that it was really operating in STANDBY mode, because there was an ambiguity in the way the LEDs indicated the different operating modes. The new firmware addresses this and other issues, and adds other features which need to be understood.

 OPERATING MODES

 The storage ZCAIM under firmware version 2 and later operates in the following modes:

 Off

When no power applied. Switch to On by pressing the Power button.

Note that when the LEDs are turned off, most other modes cannot be distinguished from Off.

 Booting

Should only show briefly as the device boots up after power on.

Note that enhancements in the firmware introduced in version 2 should greatly reduce boot time in many situations.

 Delayed Start

All functions disabled until the Delayed Start time has lapsed. Normally, the ZCAIM would be switched off in this mode and would turn itself back on when the Delayed Start time has lapsed.

Only available when the Start Delayed option is activated and set on the CF card.

Will not be seen after the Start Delay time has lapsed.

Switch between this and Forced Record mode by pressing the Record/Standby button.

Switch to Forced Command mode through Forced Record mode and CF Status mode.

Going into CF Status mode directly will return to this mode.

 Standby

No recording taking place, bat detector switched off, ZCAIM running in low power mode with most functions disabled. Will always switch over to Timed Record mode when the Monitoring Begins time elapses. In firmware version 2, this mode is unambiguous so that the user can be confident the system will activate when it is supposed to.

Only available if the Monitoring Begins and Monitoring Ends options are activated and set on the CF card, and the current time is not between the Monitoring Begins and Monitoring Ends times.

Switch between this and Forced Record mode by pressing the Record/Standby button.

Switch to Forced Command mode through Forced Record mode and CF Status mode.

Going into CF Status mode directly will return to this mode.

 Timed Record

Recording taking place, bat detector switched on.

Only available if the Monitoring Begins and Monitoring Ends options are activated and set on the CF card, and the current time is between the Monitoring Begins and Monitoring Ends times.

Will switch over to Standby mode when the Monitoring Ends time elapses.

Not distinguishable, by looking at the LEDs, from Serial ZCAIM mode, but this shouldn't be a problem in any real situation.

Switch between this and Forced Record mode by pressing the Record/Standby button.

Switch to Forced Command mode through Forced Record mode and CF Status mode.

Going into CF Status mode directly will return to Forced Command mode.

 Forced Record

Recording taking place, bat detector switched on.

The ZCAIM will automatically start up in this mode if the Monitoring Begins and Monitoring Ends options are not activated on the CF card.

Will stay recording, irrespective of any settings on the CF card. A system left in this state will record continuously and will therefore not turn the detector off during the day.

Switch between this and Forced Command mode by pressing the Record/Standby button.

Going into CF Status mode directly will return to Forced Command mode.

 Forced Command

No recording taking place, bat detector switched off, ZCAIM active and can respond to commands sent to it via the serial port.

May be switched to Serial ZCAIM mode by a command sent via the serial port.

Pressing the Record/Standby button will always return from this mode to whatever mode the ZCAIM would start up in after booting up.

Going into CF Status mode directly will return to Forced Command mode.

 Command

No recording taking place, bat detector switched off, ZCAIM active and can respond to commands sent to it via the serial port.

The ZCAIM will automatically start up in this mode if there is no CF card installed. This mode will only be seen if there is no CF card installed.

May be switched to Serial ZCAIM mode by a command sent via the serial port.

The Record/Standby button has no effect in this mode.

 Serial ZCAIM

Records data from the detector, which is switched on, but sends data out the serial port instead of to the CF card.

Can be switched back to Command or Forced Command by pressing the Record/Standby button, but this isn't good practice in normal situations, because the state of the ZCAIM will then be out of synch with the state of the external computer controlling it.

Not distinguishable by looking at the LEDs from Timed Record mode, but this shouldn't be a problem in any real situation.

 CF status

If a CF card is installed, holding down the Record/Standby button will always put the ZCAIM into CF Status mode, which presents a display showing how many quarters of the available CF storage space have already been used. In this mode, the ERROR LED will always flash, indicating that this is the current mode. The STATUS, STANDBY and RECORD LEDs might also flash, depending on how full the CF card is with data. The more LEDs flash, the more data is on the card and the less space is available.

If only the ERROR LED flashes, this means that less than one quarter of  the card's data space has been used.

If 4 LEDs flash, this means that less than one quarter of the card's data space is still available.

When the Record/Standby button is released, the mode to which the ZCAIM will return, depends on the mode the ZCAIM would be in after power up.

 CF card full

 If the CF card is full, the ZCAIM goes into an ERROR condition where no further access is possible without removing the card. In this case, the ERROR, STATUS, STANDBY and RECORD LEDs will all be lit.

 Other Errors

 Other error conditions, which will almost always mean a problem with the CF card, are indicated by the ERROR LED being lit. The ERROR LED cannot be switched off with the LEDS ON/OFF button.

 RECORD/STANDBY BUTTON

 Note that PRESSING this button is not the same as USING it. The button can be pressed briefly, but it can also be held down so that the ZCAIM will go into CF STATUS mode if a card is installed. Depending on the current mode, it may be necessary to go into CF CARD STATUS mode briefly in order to switch to another particular mode. Thus, to get from one mode to another, it might be necessary to both press the button and hold it down long enough to go into CF Status mode.

 LED INDICATIONS

 The ERROR LED only ever lights when the CF storage system is unavailable. Usually this will be either because no CF card has been installed or because an installed card is full of data. Any other error is likely to mean that the card is faulty, but it is also possible that a ZCAIM hardware fault could occur and produce an error. The ERROR LED cannot be switched off with the LEDS ON/OFF button, which means that the situation can occur where only the ERROR LED is lit, but pressing the LEDS ON/OFF button would reveal other lit LEDs.

 The RECORD LED will only light when the ZCAIM is actively recording data. This  will also mean that any bat detector being controlled by the ZCAIM will be switched on.

 The DATA LED only lights when the ZCAIM is actively recording data and when actual data is being received.

 The different modes are indicated by different combinations of LEDs being lit.

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