Compumatic MINIDART v3 - Competition Management System; Description; Characteristics; Message Types

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12.1- DESCRIPTION
The system is based on the control and
management of 32 Minidart machines in
competition interconnected through an
electrical link type RS485 that communicates
with a PC that controls the game development.
12.2- CHARACTERISTICS
-The interconnected network functions
at 38400 bits/s.
-The bytes transmitted are made up of:
1 BIT OF START
8 BIT OF DATA
1 BIT OF STOP
NO BYTE PARITY IS USED
The general functioning of the communication
system is based on the constant interrogation
of the PC to the machines (one by one). The
general rules are:
-Each machine has a unique identification
number (that is programmed in the test,
in the ‘Num. Machine’ point. ( see pag. 44 ).
-The PC continually interrogates, in a cyclical
form, all of the machines (maximum 32).
-The PC detects, in consequence, the presence
or disconnection of the machines attending to
the answer of these interrogations.
-No machine directly addresses the PC. The
machine can only answer when the PC
sends it an interrogation command.
-According to the machines that the PC
considers connected, it will assign ‘MATCHES’
to each machine.
-The machines, once assigned a Match,
will play autonomously the group of games
and limit themselves to informing the
12- C OMPETITION M ANAGEMENT S YSTEM
COMPETITION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
12.1- DESCRIPTION
12.3- MESSAGE TYPES
PC of the data they generate, how the
darts are thrown and the winners of each
game. The assignment of a Match to a
machine has the following characteristics:
-Once the Match has started, it
cannot be cancelled by remote
form. If the command is sent to
free the machine from the PC, the
machine will send a blocking code.
-If once the Match has started, the
communication is lost, the games
will continue if the player notices.
When the connection is reestablished,
the data is sent to the PC.
-When the PC detects that it has reached
the end of the Match, it sends acommand
‘END MATCH’, that blocks the machine
until there is a new assignment.
12.3- MESSAGE TYPES
INTERROGATION MESSAGES
The PC continuously interrogates the
machines.
The machines can answer with:
-A simple message
-Information messages. These messages can be:
-Message informing the winner of the
game.
-Informing that player 1 has appeared
-Informing that player 2 has appeared
-Informing the start of a game
-Informing the darts thrown in a turn
If the machine returns a message with
information, wait during the next100 ms for
a confirmation message to be returned. In the
case that it is not received, it will be resent with
the next interrogation that the PC receives.