EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: Grandchuck on June 29, 2020, 07:09:18 pm
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Anybody had any luck with this software (either: PC or smartphone)?
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Very few luck so far.
Android app connects and displays the readout, but setup button doesn't work.
PC software detects COM-port, but doesn't connect.
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Same here with Iphone.
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After tinkering with it a little bit I still have no luck with it's original PC software from https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1c04afq923397/A3#m09i9bjv8703d (https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1c04afq923397/A3#m09i9bjv8703d)
BUT, after some googling I've found that it uses the same software/library that their older PX-100 model.
And there is an open source program from misdoro for PX-100 which actually works for DL-24, as well as the protocol description!
https://github.com/misdoro/Electronic_load_px100 (https://github.com/misdoro/Electronic_load_px100)
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Looks like the same phone app as used by the Atorch UD18. I just got a pair of those, but I haven't tried the app yet.
Forum member HKJ did a review of the UD18 and also couldn't get the app to communicate over Bluetooth
https://lygte-info.dk/review/USBmeter%20USB%20tester%20Atorch%20UD18%20%28Hidance%29%20UK.html
Maybe we can get him to add support in his TestController multimeter logging software...
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Thanks selim13! That link is very helpful. But, does not quite work here. It starts and displays the same screen shot that you showed (above), but in my case, it is not enabled (no check in the box) and the screen disappears after one second or so.
I tried different com ports. The software seems to find the load. Below is what is shown in Python when com 1 is used. :
instruments
swcccv_reset
ASRL1::INSTR
Any ideas?
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Here is another display which shows an error:
instruments
swcccv_reset
ASRL1::INSTR
SerialInstrument at ASRL1::INSTR
probe
err
ASRL5::INSTR
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I think the first time I've launched the program it showed me similar error.
But after program restart it connected successfully
python3 ./main.py
qt5ct: using qt5ct plugin
swcccv_reset
instruments
ASRL/dev/ttyS0::INSTR
SerialInstrument at ASRL/dev/ttyS0::INSTR
probe
no answer
ko
ASRL/dev/ttyUSB0::INSTR
SerialInstrument at ASRL/dev/ttyUSB0::INSTR
probe
found PX100
readAll
'is_on': 0.0, 'voltage': 0.0, 'current': 0.0, 'time': datetime.time(0, 0), 'cap_ah': 0.0, 'cap_wh': 0.0, 'temp': 29.0, 'set_current': 0.0, 'set_voltage': 0.0, 'set_timer': datetime.time(0, 0)}
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I learned that the code has not yet been tested on Windows. That would explain my results.
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Are you sure that the that the PX100 has the same protocol as BL-24?
I sniffed the protocol on RS232 (USB) and it seems rather different. My results were aligned with a blog that I found on the protocol (the unit continuously report 36bytes containing some data, like voltage, current, but I could not decode all of it)
Did you manage also to control the BL-24 via USB (rs232)?
Thanks and hopefully if this works, I will publish a python driver for it!
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Are you sure that the that the PX100 has the same protocol as BL-24?
I sniffed the protocol on RS232 (USB) and it seems rather different. My results were aligned with a blog that I found on the protocol (the unit continuously report 36bytes containing some data, like voltage, current, but I could not decode all of it)
Did you manage also to control the BL-24 via USB (rs232)?
Thanks and hopefully if this works, I will publish a python driver for it!
You can test the protocols with TestController: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/)
It support the ATorch protocols.
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Thanks, it just confirmed me that the protocol is completely different than the PX100. I tested it on DL24 (DL24P) is the same I guess just bigger fan.
The limitations in the control protocol is that you are limited to the functionality of some buttons. So it is not easy to set a specific current/voltage value (e.g. by sending an absolute value, without doing + - on the digits) or e.g. change it to constant resistance mode (long button press).
I will investigate more, maybe talk to the manufacturer. :)
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Is there any update about how to retrieve data from DL24/P?
By the way, I came across this product that's basically the same as DL24 and does seem to work. But it's 4x more expensive.
West Mountain Radio CBA IV
http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba4 (http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba4)
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By the way, I came across this product that's basically the same as DL24 and does seem to work. But it's 4x more expensive.
West Mountain Radio CBA IV
http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba4 (http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba4)
It is not the same, I have reviewed the small version and used the larger version. Both are fairly good and the supplied software has a lot of functions for battery testing, but cost money. My review: https://lygte-info.dk/review/PowerWest%20Mountain%20Radio%20CBA%20HR%20UK.html (https://lygte-info.dk/review/PowerWest%20Mountain%20Radio%20CBA%20HR%20UK.html)
An alternative is getting a regular electronic load and use it with either the supplied software or with TestController, neither will have the as many battery related functions, but with TestController you can get very close with a bit of work and you do not have to pay for it.
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Atorch DL24 has a different protocol but also responds correctly to the full PX100 protocol. I personally vouch for this.
Never managed to access programmatically to the external NTC probe data.
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I can confirm that DL24 works with this software but newer on the first try.
For some reason it does not detect, or the device does not respond properly
on first connect.
Big warning for this device: If main power is not connected it tries to power
the whole device via USB and that can fry USB ports without overcurent protection.
Always connect the power first and when disconnecting, disconnect the USB first.
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Thanks for the heads up regarding the USB power.
The software glitches you found are software implementation specific. I found my personal software implementation rock solid. The device implements more than one protocols and automatically triggers an additional regular 1s interval report message. If the software dealing with all this is not robust enough it's natural to find some glitches.
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I have just uploaded to my website (www.hardandsoftware.net (http://www.hardandsoftware.net)) a Windows 10 application that does everything I can get it to do (and all I need). I think it is "approximately" professional quality. It is free. Download it using the Download Software link.
Dick
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The software cannot find the load. Tried with and without a USB cable and tried 3 different Win 10 computers. Did not try the Arduino. The computer does recognize the Bluetooth LTE and does connect.
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I'd recommend making sure the serial port shows up on your computer. It's a separate chip on the board from the MCU and should show up no matter what.
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This port is found when I connect the DL24: USB - SERIAL CH340 (COM3).
All that happens when I install or run the software is shown below.
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This port is found when I connect the DL24: USB - SERIAL CH340 (COM3).
All that happens when I install or run the software is shown below.
You can try an alternate software: https://lygte-info.dk/project/TestControllerIntro%20UK.html (https://lygte-info.dk/project/TestControllerIntro%20UK.html)
But it might be that the USB port is defective on your load.
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Would a bad serial port keep the Bluetooth from working? I am able to access the DL24 with the useless phone app. I would assume Richard L. Grier's software should find the DL24.
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Would a bad serial port keep the Bluetooth from working? I am able to access the DL24 with the useless phone app. I would assume Richard L. Grier's software should find the DL24.
I do not know if they use the same pins on the MCU, try following the traces from the USB connector on the PCB, look for shorts (Solder blobs) or missing soldering. Maybe refresh the soldering on the USB connector, if you can.
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It connects to the PC software via USB. Screenshot below.
I can't get it to work with Test Controller, either?
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Atorch DL24 is on COM3 and Device Manager reports it is working properly.
But, test controller is not happy:
;; COM3: Set params: 9600
;; COM3: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM3: Rx: timeout, in buffer: FF 55 77 DE 3C 92
;; COM3: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM3: Rx: timeout, in buffer: FF 55 77 DE 3C 93
;; Stopping thread for: COM3
;; COM3: Close
I have tried and retried reinstalling the driver; nothing changes. Any ideas?
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Atorch DL24 is on COM3 and Device Manager reports it is working properly.
But, test controller is not happy:
;; COM3: Set params: 9600
;; COM3: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
You have to add "ATorch DL24" on the "Load devices" page, set the com port, enable it and press Reconnect.
A checkmark in "Scan serial ports" only works with SCPI devices.
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Ahhh ... I set the COM port and it is working. Thick skull here |O
Thanks much!
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Ahhh ... I set the COM port and it is working. Thick skull here |O
You are not the first, the red background is obvious not enough, I will think about how I can improve it.
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sorry for reviving this old topic, jsut that I have purchased the DL24 (150w) and wondered what the difference between the two is. Firmware/hardware/both?
Cheers.
BTW the DL24 can be got on Ali-express for £22 delivered without the heatsink and fan which is a great deal to all those who have a pile of heatsinks stored at home!
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Accidentially plugged in USB power without power. It did cause USB to no longer work.
Does this just blow out the CH340G UART to USB chip?
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Just a bigger fan.
I soldered a 25 amp auto fuse across dual blocking diode. The blocking diode gets very hot. It is just for reverse polarity protection. I think with a fuse, the power MOSFET body diode would take reverse connection long enough to blow auto fuse.
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I've recently received my DL24P (180W 4-wire version with RGB cooler and Bluetooth integrated onto the main PCB).
I was first puzzled with the fact that I can only "listen" current status via the USB. Only after a while I've noticed that the same PC apps work OK with Bluetooth. My current guess this is that Bluetooth version is just hardwired like that.
It's a pity there's no clear error/warning message explaining this though (on the other hand, I've seen the same weird "silently ignore" behavior in the same situations with high-end instruments too).
Also, some apps (usually those that does not support this load well) leave it in a weird state, so that a normal app cannot connect. So, just to be sure, it's better to power cycle the board just before connecting.
While trying to understand what's happening, I've tested effectively all related software, so here they are:
- from "https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1c04afq923397/A3"
- "DL24-DL24P\PC soft\DL24 LOAD PC SOFT.zip" - good old minimalistic app, only implements CC mode, but so does others. Adequate logging. Adequate input. Probably the best choice.
- Electronic load software
- "DL24-DL24P\PC soft\01-DL24M DL24 electronic load software V1.0.2 version.zip\01-DL24M DL24 electronic load software V1.0.2 version\" (Build 2022-04) - seem to be the second best option: direct numerical inputs, logs all the data to csv to the specified folder (although splits them not very intuitively), everything in English. Only implements CC mode.
- "DL24-PCB\DL24 series electronic load software V1.1 version.zip\DL24 series electronic load software V1.1 version\" (Build 2021-12) - effectively the same, but does not save the language setting and got some warning dialogs in Chinese. There was some effort to implement modes other that CC, but it's effectively not working.
- "DL24EW\ATORCH-DC Load PC Software V2.0.8(DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW).zip\ATORCH-DC Load PC Software V2.0.8(DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW)\01-DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW electronic load software V2.0.8\" (Build 2023-02) - only able to display the values, unable to start/stop (somewhat expected, as the readme does not claim that DL24P is compatible).
- "DL24-DL24P\PC soft\E-Tester PC soft -V2.0.1.exe" - The "black app" commonly shown on Aliexpress seller images. Less convenient controls (cursor-based "remotely click hardware buttons") - does not make any sense to me.
- misdoro/Electronic_load_px100 release v0.1.2 (Windows) (https://github.com/misdoro/Electronic_load_px100/releases/tag/v0.1.2) - works OK, got additional "Software CC-CV" feature. Still a little awkward to use, compared to "DL24 electronic load software V1.0.2". Might be a good start for an own project though.
- Hardandsoftware (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/atorch-dl24-electronic-load-software/msg3577215/#msg3577215) - limited and less convenient manual control (cursor-based "remotely click hardware buttons"), plus additional features I don't quite understand.
- Android "E-test" app from google play (version 2.0) - miserable app that is barely able to display the current values (shows weird peaks time to time, broken stats, most buttons not working, ...). Useless.
The "DL24 LOAD PC SOFT" seem to be good enough for my use cases. Provided that all the listed software was never updated for about a year, I doubt there would be any more development on this. Anyone who's looking for a better app should probably be buying DL24EW - it's about twice the price but still fairly cheap.
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You can also try TestController, it supports many versions of the DL24 load.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/)
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"DL24EW\ATORCH-DC Load PC Software V2.0.8(DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW).zip\ATORCH-DC Load PC Software V2.0.8(DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW)\01-DL24M(Purple)_DL150_DL24EW electronic load software V2.0.8\" (Build 2023-02) - only able to display the values, unable to start/stop (somewhat expected, as the readme does not claim that DL24P is compatible).
Thanks for posting this. I purchased a DL24MP and was using an older version here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1c04afq923397/A#yhumeijk86fj8 (https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1c04afq923397/A#yhumeijk86fj8)
But your link is for a newer version: https://www.mediafire.com/file/jjy6gmms76t2jsw/ATORCH-DC_Load_PC_Software_V2.0.8%2528DL24M%2528Purple%2529_DL150_DL24EW%2529.zip/file (https://www.mediafire.com/file/jjy6gmms76t2jsw/ATORCH-DC_Load_PC_Software_V2.0.8%2528DL24M%2528Purple%2529_DL150_DL24EW%2529.zip/file)
This software works well - although I have only tested it in CC mode, it appears to support all other modes. I use the logging facility to CSV for battery testing. What is really confusing is that ATORCH don't seem to consistently update each folder in mediafire.
The V2.0.8 is dated 16th Feb 2023, so looks like is still in active development.
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You can also try TestController, it supports many versions of the DL24 load.
Indeed, TestController is an interesting tool in a sense of various instruments integration. I should not have missed it out of my list ::)
In a sense of DL24P built-in features support, though, it is just as limited as the other software tools I've tried. Thus, this is probably a firmware limitation (as compared to DL24MP and DL24EW).
The "Note" tooltip in TestController says:
These loads uses 3 different versions of the PX100 protocol, each defined load type will only work with one of the protocols. Duplicate #metadef and add V2 or V3 to the name when changing to a newer protocol for a already existing load.
At the current time V3 of the protocol is not complete, but mostly working.
And the set of the available commands is:
ATDL24P: ATorch DL24P on COM3
*idn?
capacity?
current?
energy?
on
on?
reset
setCurrent
setCurrent?
setTime
setTime?
setVoltage
setVoltage?
temperature?
time?
voltage?
#...
=
This set is the same for both "Protocol1" and "Protocol2" and the "Protocol3" seem to not work.
Thus, there's still just CC mode available. No external temperature reading. Maybe something else missing. The actually working feature set the same as in the "DL24 LOAD PC SOFT".
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Indeed, TestController is an interesting tool in a sense of various instruments integration. I should not have missed it out of my list ::)
In a sense of DL24P built-in features support, though, it is just as limited as the other software tools I've tried. Thus, this is probably a firmware limitation (as compared to DL24MP and DL24EW).
TC integration is done by a couple of different people, mostly focused on their needs.
I believe that the TC implementation mostly supports the known protocols of DL24, but that is not the same as fully supporting its functions for two reasons:
1) The protocol do not support all functions.
2) There is no documentation about the protocol.
1) is a significant reason, but there might also be something form 2).
Basically anybody can add devices to TC (I try to help with that), this means support for many devices, but not always perfect support.
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I have just uploaded to my website (www.hardandsoftware.net (http://www.hardandsoftware.net)) a Windows 10 application that does everything I can get it to do (and all I need). I think it is "approximately" professional quality. It is free. Download it using the Download Software link.
Dick
Just installed your program. Connected the dl24 to my laptop via bluetooth (bluetooth pin was 1234) and it just worked. Top stuff 👍
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Hello, is it possible to use applications not only for discharge, but also for charging. Is it possible to connect a charger to it to observe the charge graph?
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You can also try TestController, it supports many versions of the DL24 load.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/program-that-can-log-from-many-multimeters/)
Hi HKJ,
Thanks for your excellent work. I am using DL24M-P version and chineese programs fail 2 cycle test data. I am using your program, it was hard to get it work for me because only DL24-old can connect with my load. Everything is perfect for my needs except Voltage parameter only gets only one digit after dot 4.2V I have edited Device files and add more digits but no luck to get more digits I see 4.200V now. I think it can be set on driver level but I have no knowledge about it. Could you advise about what I can do for more accurate reading only for voltage other Current and Capacity readings are correct.
Thanks for your time.
Scan Mode sees these devices, COM4 is DL24M-P and COM6 is Riden RD6012P model
;; jSerialComm version: 2.10.3
;; Start thread for: COM3
;; Start thread for: COM4
;; Stopping thread for: COM3
;; Start thread for: COM6
;; COM3: Close
;; COM6: Set params: 9600
;; COM6: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM6: Rx: timeout
;; COM6: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM4: Set params: 9600
;; COM6: Rx: timeout
;; Stopping thread for: COM6
;; COM6: Close
;; COM4: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM4: Rx: timeout, in buffer: FF 55 28 63 88
;; COM4: Tx: <*IDN?.> 2A 49 44 4E 3F 0A
;; COM4: Rx: timeout, in buffer: FF 55 28 63 B6
;; Stopping thread for: COM4
;; COM4: Close
PS: I added screenshots,
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I am using DL24M-P version and chineese programs fail 2 cycle test data. I am using your program, it was hard to get it work for me because only DL24-old can connect with my load.
Hello MONO_ArGe,
Any progress getting Test Controller to work better with DL24MP??
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Trouble is with a bells and whistles gizmo like this, with its flaky s/w - can you trust it to perform unattended, with its potential to fail to cut off giving you overcharge or over discharge states - we know what that can mean.
I found it a bit of a faff setting it up - IMHO NOT FOR UNATTENDED OPERATION
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Sorry but no luck.
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My testing has taken a huge step forward, by binning the Atorch crap and moving on to the ZKE ap20, great pc s/w worked out of the box, one click operation for a repeatable cycling program. Nuff said - no sponsor
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Hi guys!
I just bought a DL24M battery tester and it does connect to the Android phone, but on Windows I cannot pair the bluetooth. Adding a new bluetooth device does not find the DL24M-SPP serial port. I cannot pair with it at all.
Does anyone else managed to pair?
I need to generate graphs and save the data from testing.
Any thoughts?
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Well I just made an account to answear your question.
Assumption: You are running Windows 11.
You have to do this https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-20605/?spm=a2g0s.imconversation.0.0.1bc53e5fxjqqCb (https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-20605/?spm=a2g0s.imconversation.0.0.1bc53e5fxjqqCb) with slight modification by making (choosing) outgoing connection.
PS few days ago I have argued with Atorch support that W11 is supported without any additional drivers from their side. They were about to add this information to their manuals.