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Multiplex/Selector Quirks

For general discussion related FlowStone

Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:07 am

More than once now I've encountered issues where either a Multiplex or a Selector component won't update correctly. Right now I've got a Mutliplex linked in to an array of Selectors and none of the selectors will update unless I do something like scroll the view or drag the mouse across a link. Actually now that I think of it it may be the Multiplex that isn't updating (visually it is). I have another project where a Multiplex quits working permanently as soon as you disconnect a particular link (even though the visual link will update the output won't switch over properly).

So I'm just wondering if there are any identified quirks about these things and whether there are things to watch out for or ways to work around them. Have you noticed any such issues yourself?
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby tester » Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:15 pm

Visuals require trigger sent to "redraw" or "redraw area" primitive in order to update correctly. Remember to connect that primitive as the last one (connection order). Last visual V connection and last link to trigger "do it" input (usually you may send it from the same node you change the selector/multiplexer, values are automatically converted to triggers). I know, it can be confusing sometimes.
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:06 pm

Okay so values are interpreted as/converted to triggers (at a trigger node) whenever they change, is that correct?

That may explain the current issue, which is indeed graphical. The other project I mentioned is not related to graphics or draw functions, unfortunately. That may simply be a bug.

Thanks for the info.
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Nubeat7 » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:19 pm

it is difficult to say like this, because it depends also which kind of data you are using (stream, bus, green,...) and how the schematic is buildt, could you upload the schematic? would be interesting, i also had some situations where i needed to add a triggersignal to the selector to update properly, but with some rearranging of the schematic it wasn`t needed anymore...
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:36 pm

Hey, I just added in a redraw component and sent the appropriate signal (I'm actually just changing the color of a "bar slider" control between two values via a timer synced to tempo). I've noticed a difference, however it's still not working correctly. The thing is, the actual selector components, their little graphical connection thingy isn't updating, and the behavior I'm getting corresponds to that. As I mentioned, if I do something like click the mouse or drag it over a link, it will update, but then the selector will move to the "index 1" position and get stuck. So the redraw component is now redrawing the color as it should but the selector itself isn't updating.

I have a multiplex with integer '1' on the input and 8 outputs connected to 8 selectors' index values. Each selector has two different color values on the two inputs. So the multiplex cycles it's connection through the 8 selectors' indexes (indices?), sending a value 1 to each, and the selectors' index value should default back to 0 when the connection breaks. So if I send a value 0 to the multiplex index, selector 0 outputs the second color while the rest output the first color. If I send value 1 to the multiplex, selector 1 outputs the second color while the rest output the first color, and etc.

Edit: Attached image. You can see how all the selectors are stuck in index 1.
Holy crap the forum image size restrictions are ridiculous.
Attachments
MultiplexSelector.png
MultiplexSelector.png (128.67 KiB) Viewed 15551 times
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:56 pm

So I did two things just now. One, I attached a trigger counter to one of the multiplex's outputs, and it counted a trigger every time the connection was made through that output (and only then). Next I attached a ticker100 to the index of a selector, and that forced it to update continually (as I wanted, more or less). So apparently these selectors need to be forced to update with triggers because no trigger value is sent from the multiplex when the index changes and the connection is dis-connected, only when the connection is made.

Forcing it to update 100 times per second seems ugly though. Can't they make the multiplex send a trigger on connect and disconnect? :|

Edit: definitely need something other than the ticker as it's making things unstable (also the timing appears less than perfect). Unfortunately the multiplex won't update anything when it disconnects (which is really lousy) though, so I'm not sure what the most reasonable thing to do is. My sync clock output is putting out billions of triggers for some reason so I can't use that either.
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby tester » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:07 pm

Post an FSM example with the issue you have, my english has some difficulties to follow the words. :-)
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:38 pm

A solution has been found. I took advantage of the fact that Multiplex only outputs triggers to the new connection by routing the trigger from the next output in series to the previous Selector. I used the "Trigger div" component to route forward the trigger value (basically converting the output to just a trigger) and did this for every connection. So when the Multiplex connects to index 3, it sends an update trigger to Selector 3 automatically, then I routed that trigger to Selector 2 to replace the missing "disconnect" trigger. :)

It's a mess of wires but it should only send triggers exactly when I need them now.

tester wrote:Post an FSM example with the issue you have, my english has some difficulties to follow the words. :-)


Sorry friend; the issue ended up only being the fact that the multiplex only sends triggers when the index is set to an output, not when it disconnects from that output. I needed it to send a trigger on both connect and disconnect, otherwise it wouldn't update the components connected to them.\

Oh and big thanks for pointing out the redraw issue. That was a big piece of the puzzle.
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Nubeat7 » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:00 pm

if you want that the color canges back to the 0 color you need to sent 0 to the selector so the multiplexer maybe is the wrong solution...

try this:
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Re: Multiplex/Selector Quirks

Postby Perfect Human Interface » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:16 pm

Nubeat7 wrote:try this:

That works great. I bet it ends up more stable then my solution too. Thanks!
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