sentinel x-logger

hi.

i just wonder if the "sentinal-x logger" - see amistore - ever was finished? or is it still in development?

thanks and regards
michael

@MichaelMerkel

The software is working on an X1000. it is a combination of Amiga and Xena code that, when combined with some hardware, will capture and store Debug output on an SD card mounted on the Xorro card.

It "closes" the file on reboot, and then opens a new file on restart. Soft reboots continue the same file without interruption.

The files are saved as plain text, using a FAT file system on the SD card. The card MAY be removed and read, but it's far easier to just read the card from the Amiga command line. When retrieving a file, it is named by the date and time it was opened.

The "hardware" needed on the Xorro card is two circuits: A max3232 chip to create a serial port for Xena, and an SD card socket and card for file storage. Both of these circuits can also be re-used by other Xena projects when Sentinel is not running. Xena is quite versatile that way.

The Xena chip has no flash, she is RAM only. So after a hard reboot, the X-Logger software must be re-loaded before logging continues. The presence of the X-Logger code can be confirmed from the command line, and may be re-loaded from the command line as well. So it could be scripted easily.

My Xorro board, with the serial and SD ports, has been shipped back to AmigaKit. I _assume_ they want to be able to build the necessary parts for customers who request it. That is an assumption, and should be confirmed with them.

All the above information is the "current state" as best I can tell. But there is more to know if you're curious enough.

The XTools (command line tools for Xena) are being ported to the X5000. Not quite there yet. But I am confident they will be soon. I'm not the one doing the port, but I am quite excited to have some help with these.

The Xena design has been improved on the X5000. One of the improvements that I completely missed on my first inspection is the availability of program flash! Apparently it is possible to store a default program into flash, and have Xena load it on hard-boot, if enabled by jumper.

In the short term, it should allow running X-Logger automatically on power up. In a more developed state, it might even support more advanced software for multiple Xena task management.

Another improvement on the X5000 is the "Haze-Xorro" header. Using this, the MAX3232 serial chip is not needed to capture debug, and there is potential for significantly increasing the baud rate of the debug stream, which would reduce the "slow-down" of the system when debugging.

Jamie Kruger has begun a series of articles on Xena. I hope the details I have offered here will generate more interest in his writing. I can tell you he is doing lots of research, and working hard to get the facts as accurately as he can. His writing is a good read.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2 ... mH8VQ_0dMyj283K0XqHyjE2nw

@LyleHaze

Can't wait for the next article! :)

thanks for the information.
jamies article actually was the reason i asked
remembering about that project.

@amigakit
what about it? are you still plannig to sell it?
or aldeardy doing so on request?

regards...
michael