ModeSMixer2 with USB?

[DaveReid]

Partial success !!!

Thanks for the file - worked straight out of the box for SBS-3:

W:\SBShelp\ModeSMixer2>cmd /c .\20180616\modesmixer2 --inSerial COM1:3000000 --outServer sbs10001:10002
2022-05-02 13:18:54.799  INFO     ModeSMixer2 v.20180616
2022-05-02 13:18:54.799  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) started
2022-05-02 13:18:54.815  INFO     inSerial(COM1:3000000) connected
2022-05-02 13:18:54.877  INFO     inSerial(COM1:3000000) SBS-3 LOGIN OK
2022-05-02 13:18:54.877  INFO     SBS-3 S/N:999999   FW version: 116 FPGA: 2.01 UI Version: 1.16
2022-05-02 13:18:54.893  INFO     inSerial(COM1:3000000) SBS data stream detected
2022-05-02 13:18:54.893  INFO     inSerial(COM1:3000000) SBS-3 LOGIN OK
2022-05-02 13:18:59.737  INFO     Coverage area was determined
2022-05-02 13:18:59.737  INFO     Magnetic declination calculated
2022-05-02 13:19:24.119  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) 127.0.0.1:55816 connected
2022-05-02 13:19:29.048  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) 127.0.0.1:55816 SBS-3 LOGIN

Connecting the SBS-1eR still needs work ....

[Anmer]

Progress for some!

I wonder why your COM port has different Baud rate options and appears to be associated with the Kinetic driver?

[DaveReid]

Progress for some!

I wonder why your COM port has different Baud rate options and appears to be associated with the Kinetic driver?

Good question, to which I don't know the answer.  The PC to which my original SBS-1 is attached has the same limited range of baud rates in Device Manager and, like yours, the port is shown as simply as a Communications Port rather than a USB Serial Port.  That's a W7 machine, whereas the one I'm using for troubleshooting is a W10 laptop (both 64-bit) so maybe it's a Windows thing.

I haven't been able to replicate my ModeSMixer2/SBS-3 success with the SBS-1 (despite being able to see all the data scrolling from the latter with my terminal program).  I fear it may be a handshaking issue that BaseStation understands (and so can talk to both boxes) but ModeSMixer2 doesn't handle.  In other words, the client connecting to an SBS-1 needs to perform the challenge/response sequence that isn't necessary on the SBS-3.

That could also explain why SBS1XXX (which does understand the SBS-1 handshake) doesn't work with the SBS-3.

[Anmer]

Having trawled a bit further it does appear to be a Windows/hardware issue that's not fixable - more a "platform" thingy.

Mine's an original Win7 that's morphed into Win 10 over the last 7 years!

[egnx]

I was hoping to also have a try at this, but despite numerous attempts, I have not been able to manually install the FTD2XX drivers on my 64bit Win10 machine such that I can see the COM ports information in Device manager relating to SBS.

egnx

[DaveReid]

Sadly, a trawl through the mega-thread on ModeSDeco2/ModeSMixer2 has just come up with the following, from October 2018:

Hello Sergsero,

In version 20150825 you can use modesmixer2 for obtain data from SBS-3 receiver when it is plugged directly into a USB port. The new version of modesmixer2 20150528 in message #2 of this topic.

Has anything changed in newer versions regarding SBS1 connectivity?

It was working fine with versions in 2015 and 2016 but now I can no longer connect to SBS1 boxes. The SBS1-Er works fine on PC with Basestation. I have tried 2 different ones.

/root/modesmixer2 --inSerial /dev/ttyUSB1:921600:none --log-level 5
2018-10-21 18:29:29.908  INFO     ModeSMixer2 v.20170924
2018-10-21 18:29:29.912  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) connected
2018-10-21 18:30:14.493  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) disconnected
2018-10-21 18:30:14.493  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) Reconnect in 10 seconds
2018-10-21 18:30:24.496  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) connected
2018-10-21 18:33:28.541  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) disconnected

Tried a power cycle of the SBS. The USB interface goes down and up, ModeSmixer re-connects but no furter comm or data...

Downloaded the latest but no difference;

/root/modesmixer2 --inSerial /dev/ttyUSB1:921600:none --log-level 5
2018-10-21 22:26:32.614  INFO     ModeSMixer2 v.20180616
2018-10-21 22:26:32.617  INFO     inSerial(/dev/ttyUSB1:921600) connected


BR

/Marcus

So, unless anyone has a time machine that can take us back to 2015/2016, it seems we can forget about using ModeSMixer2 with the SBS-1. 

[Triple7]

So, unless anyone has a time machine that can take us back to 2015/2016, it seems we can forget about using ModeSMixer2 with the SBS-1. 

If you are looking to test an older version, the screen grab below is all the versions of MSM2 - windows I have. If any are of interest, just drop me a PM with an email address that accepts .zip files and I'll send them across.

Tim

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

[Anmer]

Thanks Tim.

Using ModeSMixer2 v. 20150825 with an SBS-1eR I get a similar result.

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

[Oblivian]

I'd be surprised if it is correctly detecting a USB based com attached if assigned to 1.
Older windows usually hard-code COM1 and reserve it. (or if the motherboard has an older onboard 9-pin, it will also reserve it)

If you have a true FDTI driver attached to the com port. It tends to pick 3 as the starting default. And will display the USB stuff in the heading too - per https://ftdichip.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AN_119_FTDI_Drivers_Installation_Guide_for_Windows7.pdf

Normally the baud rate in that case is ignored and can be set via software triggering (aka modesmixer) or via the 'advanced' button in Dev manager properties.

Be advised there has been versions of FDTI drivers blacklisted, or trigger AV software to think they are malicious.

[Anmer]

Thanks.

In Device Manager I only see COM1.  In its Properties -> Advanced I see COM3 & COM4 "in use".

I installed the FTDI drivers from the link shared by DaveReid but nothing changed.

[attachment deleted reduce file load]

[DaveReid]

I'd be surprised if it is correctly detecting a USB based com attached if assigned to 1.
Older windows usually hard-code COM1 and reserve it. (or if the motherboard has an older onboard 9-pin, it will also reserve it)

COM1 certainly works on my laptop (which doesn't have any discernable RS-232 ports) and I can see the data stream from both the SBS-1eR and SBS-3 with my terminal program, as per the screenshots in posts #4 and #24.

The problem with ModeSMixer2 not being able to talk to the SBS-1eR is almost certainly nothing to do with virtual comm port assignment.

[DaveReid]

Progress !

With many thanks to Triple7, I've been playing with older versions of ModeSMixer2 in an attempt to find one that will work with an SBS-1 via USB.

The good news is that there appear to be a number of earlier versions that do.

Here's the output from v.20151226:

W:\SBShelp\ModeSMixer2>Hist\20151226\modesmixer2 --inSerial COM1:921600 --outServer sbs10001:10002
2022-05-03 15:35:47.796  INFO     ModeSMixer2 v.20151226
2022-05-03 15:35:47.843  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) started
2022-05-03 15:35:47.859  INFO     inSerial(COM1:921600) connected
2022-05-03 15:35:47.890  INFO     inSerial(COM1:921600) SBS data stream detected
2022-05-03 15:35:48.062  INFO     inSerial(COM1:921600) SBS-1 LOGIN OK
2022-05-03 15:35:49.328  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) 127.0.0.1:54012 connected
2022-05-03 15:35:51.547  INFO     Coverage area was determined.
2022-05-03 15:35:51.547  INFO     Magnetic declination value was calculated
2022-05-03 15:35:54.312  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) 127.0.0.1:54012 SBS-3 LOGIN
2022-05-03 15:46:34.585  INFO     outServer(sbs10001:10002) 127.0.0.1:54012 disconnected
2022-05-03 15:46:34.616  INFO     Closed successfully

It's interesting to note that there are two login actions - ModeSMixer2 logging into the SBS-1, and BaseStation logging into ModeSMixer2.

I was confused to see "SBS-3 LOGIN", since there is no SBS-3 on the scene, but that appears to be what ModeSMixer2 sends to BaseStation, along with a dummy serial number 123456 and an equally fictitious firmware version 1.19.

Issues to resolve:

Sometimes ModeSMixer2 won't connect to the SBS-1 and omits the "SBS data stream detected" and "SBS-1 LOGIN OK" lines, jumping straight to "SBS-3 LOGIN".  That results in no traffic on the BaseStation screen.  Toggling BaseStation from Network to USB and then back to Network appears to fix this.

ModeSMixer2 seems reluctant to output more than one "sbs10001" stream (via different ports, obviously).  It will output other stream formats: msg, sbs30006, avr, etc.

Apologies if some of the above is old hat to long-time ModeSMixer2 users, as I'm a newbie in that respect.  I'll report back on any further findings, or if I've been able to resolve the above issues.

Once again, many thanks to Triple7.

Dave

[Anmer]

Well done Triple7 and DaveReid.

I may try this on an old laptop and see if I can get it to work there.

[Triple7]

Once again, many thanks to Triple7.

You are very welcome and I am glad that you have made some progress.

I'm a bit like those folks you see on TV that hoard stuff from ages ago, so you can hardly get in the door. The only difference is all my hoarding is just 1's and 0's that take up no more space than a few 3.5" HDD's 

Tim

[Oblivian]

COM1 certainly works on my laptop (which doesn't have any discernable RS-232 ports)

And that'd likely be why.

If there isn't one to reserve it against, it can generally be overridden.

I was more pointing at Anmer showing what appears to be a reserved or non USB based (physical 9 pin present?) one currently. Or I expect it would feature all the usual FTDI traits.

What the root cause I suspect across the board that you have since discovered has only partial support between versions
Will be the stream that Kinetic has output. Which has also caused issues with various incarnations of FR24 feeder over time too when they changed models. (note you have to be specific to what range/model in their SW too..) It's somewhat proprietary format (And once upon a time used to falsify and time-delay outputs if I recall until eventually removed?)

If you tend to go into Basestation directly, and then hook output of that instead of direct to an intermediate like modesmixer. Is generally easier going.

Or I expect we would see more than the very few able to actively attach the stream directly.

http://www.kinetic.co.uk/DownloadFiles/Assorted/BaseStationRawDataSocket_103.pdf

Since the models were/are capable of other 'stuff' besides just ADSB, but also audio, AIS and other procedures. I believe it's bundled into a tight stream

Not like the normal strings that many decoders focus on like AVR
*8D75805B9944F033C0045DA67C63;
*8D75805B58C392AC308A95C63185;
*8D75805B58C392AC7A8A80C6EFBA;

or MLAT enabled AVR
@016CE3671C7423FFE7AB7BFCAB;
@016CE3671AA8A800199A8BB80030A8000628F400;
@016CE3671C747700;

SBS decoded
MSG,8,111,11111,C816FE,111111,2016/01/29,20:26:58.197,2016/01/29,20:26:58.222,,,,,,,,,,,,0
MSG,8,111,11111,C816FE,111111,2016/01/29,20:26:59.361,2016/01/29,20:26:59.399,,,,,,,,,,,,0

Or predictable beast binary