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<!-- saved from url=(0046)http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html -->
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<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>NQC FAQ</TITLE>
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<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1250"><!-- Copyright 1998 Dave Baum -->
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<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
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<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
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<H2>NQC FAQ</H2>
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<H3>General</H3>
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<UL>
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  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#nqc">What is 
11
  NQC?</A> 
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  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#mindstorms">What 
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  is LEGO MINDSTORMS?</A> 
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  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#RIS2">Does NQC 
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  support RIS 2.0?</A> 
16
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#firmware">How can 
17
  I get the RCX 2.0 firmware?</A> </LI></UL>
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<H3>NQC Compiler Usage</H3>
19
<UL>
20
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#dos">I'm using 
21
  Windows, and when I click on NQC a window with some text flashes on the screen 
22
  then disappears. What's going on?</A> 
23
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#-Trcx2">I'm using 
24
  the RCX 2.0 firmware but get errors when trying to call 2.0 functions (e.g. 
25
  SetUserDisplay). What's wrong?</A> 
26
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#errors">How can I 
27
  redirect errors to a file?</A> 
28
  <LI><A 
29
  href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#spiritinstall">Where is 
30
  Spirit.ocx? RcxCC complains that it is not installed.</A> </LI></UL>
31
<H3>IR Communication</H3>
32
<UL>
33
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#usb">How do I get 
34
  NQC to work with my USB IR tower?</A> 
35
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#control">How do I 
36
  use a computer to control the RCX?</A> 
37
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#irusb">How do I 
38
  use the IR tower with a USB Macintosh?</A> 
39
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#irdebug">Help, 
40
  RcxCC/MacNQC/NQC can't communicate with my RCX!</A> 
41
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#irlaptop">How do I 
42
  use my computer IR port with the RCX?</A> 
43
  <LI><A href="file:///Users/dave/WebSite/nqc/doc/faq.html#irxp">How can I get 
44
  the USB IR tower to work under Win XP?</A> </LI></UL>
45
<H3>Miscellaneous</H3>
46
<UL>
47
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#spirit">Why 
48
  doesn't NQC use the Spirit OCX?</A> 
49
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#vision">Does NQC 
50
  support Vision Command?</A> 
51
  <LI><A href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#build">What 
52
  computers/tools/etc do you use to develop NQC?</A> </LI></UL>
53
<P></P>
54
<HR align=left>
55
 
56
<P></P>
57
<H3><A name=nqc></A>What is NQC?</H3>
58
<P>NQC (Not Quite C) is a programming language for several LEGO MINDSTORMS 
59
products including the RCX, CyberMaster, and Scout. NQC's syntax is very similar 
60
to the C programming langauge, so experienced C programmers (and Java 
61
programmers) should find it very easy to get started with. Even if you aren't an 
62
experienced programmer, NQC is relatively easy to learn.</P>
63
<P>The two primary reasons people move up to NQC from the standard tools (RCX 
64
Code and Robolab) is that NQC is a textual langauge, and it is more powerful. 
65
Graphical languages are often easier to learn (no syntax errors!) but are 
66
generally more tedious to use than a textual langauge. The graphical metaphors 
67
of RCX Code (and to a certain extent Robolab) also significantly limit the types 
68
of programs you can write.</P>
69
<P>NQC uses the same firmware as LEGO's standard tools (RCX Code and Robolab). 
70
This means it is possible to have RCX Code, Robolab, and NQC programs loaded 
71
onto the RCX at the same time. NQC also benefits from the stability and user 
72
interface (e.g. the View button) provided by the standard firmware. On the minus 
73
side, NQC must live within the constraints of the standard firmware. For 
74
example, since the firmware does not provide floating point support, NQC cannot 
75
provide it either. Other altermatives for programming the RCX (notably legOS and 
76
pbForth) do not have such restrictions.</P>
77
<P></P>
78
<HR align=left>
79
 
80
<P></P>
81
<H3><A name=mindstorms></A>What is LEGO MINDSTORMS?</H3>
82
<P>LEGO MINDSTORMS is a series of LEGO sets that use special programmable bricks 
83
to allow construction of robots. The most versatile programmable brick is the 
84
RCX, which can be found in the Robotics Invention System set. A simpler brick, 
85
the Scout, can be found in the Robotics Discovery set. The simplest brick, Micro 
86
Scout, is featured in two sets with a Star Wars theme: Droid Developer Kit, and 
87
Dark Side Developer Kit. Even though it is the most expensive, the RCX based set 
88
is still the best value due to the versatility of the RCX itself. The Scout is a 
89
bit more limited, but still can be programmed (using NQC) to do some interesting 
90
things. The Micro-Scout is extremely limited, and it useful mainly as an 
91
accessory to another programmable brick such as the RCX or Scout. Further 
92
information on MINDSTORMS sets can be found at the official site: <A 
93
href="http://www.legomindstorms.com/" 
94
target=_blank>http://www.legomindstorms.com/</A>.</P>
95
<P></P>
96
<HR align=left>
97
 
98
<P></P>
99
<H3><A name=RIS2></A>Does NQC Support RIS 2.0?</H3>
100
<P>The RCX in the RIS 2.0 is nearly identical to the 1.0 RCX. However, new 
101
firmware is used to give the RCX some new capabilities. Fortunately for existing 
102
RCX owners, this firmware is available for download from www.legomindstorms.com 
103
(as part of the RIS 2.0 SDK). NQC supports this new firmware (see <A 
104
href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#-Trcx2">here for more 
105
info</A>).</P>
106
<P>RIS 2.0 also uses a new IR tower with a USB connection (instead of the 
107
eariler RS-232 based towers). Support for the USB tower under Windows and Mac OS 
108
X is currently in <A 
109
href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/beta/index.html">beta test</A>. Support 
110
for Mac OS 9 will be added shortly and several other people are working on Linux 
111
support.</P>
112
<H3>
113
<HR align=left>
114
<A name=firmware></A>How can I get the RCX 2.0 firmware?</H3>
115
<P>The RCX 2.0 firmware is contained in a file named FIRM0328.LGO and is 
116
installed on your PC when you install the standard LEGO software. It is also 
117
installed as part of the Vision Command software and the 2.0 SDK.</P>
118
<P>Unfortunately, all previously mentioned sources for the firmware require 
119
software to be installed on a Windows computer. If you are using a different 
120
operating system, then you will need to download the earlier Beta version of the 
121
2.0 SDK which was packaged as a .zip file rather than a full installer. This 
122
.zip file may then be expanded to get the FIRM0328.LGO file. The SDK 2.0 Beta 
123
can be found at <A href="http://mindstorms.lego.com/sdk2beta/default.asp" 
124
target=_blank>http://mindstorms.lego.com/sdk2beta/default.asp</A>.</P>
125
<P></P>
126
<HR align=left>
127
 
128
<P></P>
129
<H3><A name=dos></A>I'm using Windows, and when I click on NQC a window with 
130
some text flashes on the screen then disappears. What's going on?</H3>
131
<P>NQC is a command line based tool - normally you run it by typing an 
132
appropriate command into an MS-DOS window. When you double-click the exe file it 
133
launches an MS-DOS console, runs NQC within it, then since NQC finishes almost 
134
immediately, the entire window disappears.</P>
135
<P>Some people prefer command line based tools because they allow you to use the 
136
text editor of your choice, etc. It also makes for identical behavior under 
137
Windows, Mac, and Linux. In order to use the command line version of NQC you'll 
138
need to do two things:</P>
139
<P>1) Use some sort of text editor (such as Notepad) to edit and save a source 
140
file for NQC to compile.</P>
141
<P>2) From an MS-DOS window type the appropriate NQC command. Its usually best 
142
to either put all of your programs and nqc.exe in the same directory, or make 
143
sure the directory containing NQC is in your command path. For example, to 
144
compile and download the program "test.nqc" using the default serial port you 
145
would type the following command:</P>
146
<P>nqc -d test.nqc</P>
147
<P>An alternative is to use the <A href="http://www.cs.uu.nl/~markov/lego/" 
148
target=_parent>RCX Command Center</A> by Mark Overmars, which is a familiar 
149
Windows style application that provides a front end to the NQC compiler.</P>
150
<P></P>
151
<HR align=left>
152
 
153
<P></P>
154
<H3><A name=-Trcx2></A>I'm using the RCX 2.0 firmware but get errors when trying 
155
to call 2.0 functions (e.g. SetUserDisplay). What's wrong?</H3>
156
<P>When NQC compiles a program it needs to know what kind of programmable brick 
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you want it to generate code for (this is called the <I>target</I> for the 
158
compile). By default, NQC assumes you are targetting RCX 1.0. If you want to use 
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RCX 2.0 features, you need to tell the compiler you are using an RCX 2.0 target. 
160
If you are using a command line version of NQC, then add <TT>-Trcx2</TT> to the 
161
command line:</P>
162
<P><TT>nqc -Trcx2 -d foo.nqc</TT></P>
163
<P>If you don't want to type <TT>-Trcx2</TT> all the time, then just use the 
164
environment variable <TT>NQC_OPTIONS</TT> - NQC reads this environment variable 
165
and inserts any options in this variable at the front of the command line. For 
166
example, if <TT>NQC_OPTIONS</TT> was set to <TT>-Trcx2</TT> and you issued the 
167
following command</P>
168
<P><TT>nqc -d foo.nqc</TT></P>
169
<P>NQC would behave as if you actually typed</P>
170
<P><TT>nqc -Trcx2 -d foo.nqc</TT></P>
171
<P>The specifics of setting environment variables depends on your operating 
172
system and shell. For example, under Windows you could type the following in a 
173
command shell:</P>
174
<P><TT>set NQC_OPTIONS=-Trcx2</TT></P>
175
<P>If you want to always use RCX 2.0, then you can make this setting permament 
176
by editing the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and adding the above command to the end of the 
177
file. This way, the variable will get set every time Windows is started.</P>
178
<P>If you are using a GUI based version of NQC (such as MacNQC), then there 
179
should be some preference setting for the target - just make sure it is set to 
180
"RCX 2.0". Unfortunately, RcxCC does not have an "RCX 2.0" setting, but there is 
181
a workaround. Leave the target as "RCX" (which means RcxCC won't specify any 
182
target information and just rely on the fact that NQC defaults to RCX), then use 
183
the <TT>NQC_OPTIONS</TT> environment variable to specify RCX 2.0 (as described 
184
above).</P>
185
<P></P>
186
<HR align=left>
187
 
188
<P></P>
189
<H3><A name=errors></A>How can I redirect errors to a file?</H3>
190
<P>Compile errors are written to stderr, not stdout. This is to allow the 
191
calling program to separate errors from the program listing (-l option) that 
192
appears on stdout. The normal redirection facility of a shell only redirects 
193
stdout, thus the errors will still be printed to the screen. Most shells have 
194
additional syntax that allows the stderr stream to be redirected (use 
195
"option-&gt;" in MPW, or "2&gt;" for WinNT). I do not know of any mechanism to 
196
redirect stderr in Win95 command.com.</P>
197
<P>In addition, nqcc now supports (verion 1.1 b1) the ability to route error 
198
messages to stdout with the -E option.</P>
199
<P></P>
200
<HR align=left>
201
 
202
<P></P>
203
<H3><A name=spiritinstall></A>Where is Spirit.ocx? RcxCC complains that it is 
204
not installed.</H3>
205
<P>NQC has never used Spirit.ocx, but RcxCC used to require Spirit.ocx for 
206
communication with the RCX. Lego no longer supports Spirit.ocx as of RIS 2.0, 
207
but fortunately RcxCC has been updated to no longer require it. In addition, 
208
RcxCC has been renamed to BricxCC (due to trademark concerns from Lego). You can 
209
download the latest version of BricxCC <A 
210
href="http://members.aol.com/johnbinder/bricxcc.htm" target=_blank>here</A>.</P>
211
<P></P>
212
<HR align=left>
213
 
214
<P></P>
215
<H3><A name=usb></A>How do I get NQC to work with my USB IR tower?</H3>
216
<P>Presently, USB towers are only supported under Mac OS X and Windows. I will 
217
be releasing Mac OS 9 support shortly. Some other developers are working on a 
218
Linux solution.</P>
219
<P>USB support is in beta test and requires version 2.4a4 of NQC.</P>
220
<P><B>IMPORTANT</B>- you need to tell NQC that you want it to look for a USB 
221
tower, otherwise it assumes you have a serial tower and uses the default serial 
222
port for your operating system (e.g. COM1 under Windows). Add <TT>-Susb</TT> to 
223
the command line or set the <TT>RCX_PORT</TT> environment variable to 
224
<TT>usb</TT>. When adding a command line option, put it near the beginning of 
225
the command:</P>
226
<P><TT>nqc -Susb -d test.nqc</TT></P>
227
<P><B>Windows only:</B> NQC uses the USB driver installed by the Lego RIS 2.0 
228
software, so you will need to install the RIS software and run it once with the 
229
USB tower connected in order for the driver to be correctly installed.</P>
230
<P><B>Mac OS X only:</B> NQC talks directly to the USB tower. There is no 
231
driver, so you'll never see the tower show up in /dev.<BR></P>
232
<P><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">FreeBSD (unoffical port):</SPAN> As of NQC 
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2.5 a5, the USB tower is supported when running a FreeBSD build from 02/28/03 or 
234
later (the upcoming FreeBSD 5.1 will work).<BR></P>
235
<P></P>
236
<HR align=left>
237
 
238
<P></P>
239
<H3><A name=control></A>How do I use a computer to control the RCX?</H3>
240
<P>There are two basic ways to do this: send raw commands to the RCX, or send 
241
'messages' which are then listened to by a program running on the RCX.</P>
242
<H4>Sending Messages</H4>
243
<P>This is generally the simplest way to interact with the RCX. First you write 
244
a program for the RCX that continuously checks for received messages (using the 
245
Message() and ClearMessage() calls) and then dispatches the messages 
246
accordingly. The messages may have any value between 1 and 255. There is no 
247
predefined meaning for these messages - your program can do whatever it wants 
248
with each message.</P>
249
<P>There are several ways to send the message. You can use another RCX (or a 
250
Scout) by calling the SendMessage() function. You can also use the nqc command 
251
with the -msg option, for example to send message #3:</P>
252
<P>nqc -msg 3</P>
253
<P>You can use the LEGO remote control to send messages 1, 2, or 3. It is also 
254
possible to send the message by sending the appropriate command packet (see 
255
below)</P>
256
<H4>Sending Raw Commands</H4>
257
<P>Sending raw commands gives you complete control over the RCX. The commands 
258
(a.k.a. opcodes or bytecodes) and the general packet format are unofficially 
259
documented at <A href="http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/rcx/" 
260
target=_parent>http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/rcx/</A>. For example, to 
261
make the RCX play system sound #3 (upward tones), you would send a two-byte 
262
command (shown in hex):</P>
263
<P>51 03</P>
264
<P>Messages are just a specific type of command - F7 followed by the message 
265
value, so message #4 would be the packet</P>
266
<P>F7 04</P>
267
<P>If you are using NQC, you can let NQC take care of all the details of packet 
268
formatting, getting an acknowledgement from the RCX, and retrying if a failure 
269
occurs. You do this with the -raw option, which takes a single parameter listing 
270
all of the bytes (in hex format) for the command:</P>
271
<P>nqc -raw 5103</P>
272
<P>If you are writing your own program, you can build up the packet yourself. A 
273
suitable packet (for the plays sound command) would be:</P>
274
<P>55 ff 00 51 ae 03 fc 54 ab</P>
275
<H3>
276
<HR align=left>
277
<A name=irusb></A>How do I use the IR tower with a USB Macintosh?</H3>
278
<P>Since a USB version of the IR tower doesn't exist (yet), you will need a USB 
279
to serial converter (such as the Keyspan TWIN adapter). If the adapter provides 
280
a 9-pin serial connector, then you should be able to use the standard Mindstorms 
281
cable between the adapter and the IR tower. If the adapter provides mac-style 
282
serial connector, then you will also need an appropriate cable as desribed <A 
283
href="http://www.baumfamily.org/lego/macmind/cables.html">here</A>.</P>
284
<P><I>Note: I have heard several reports of the Palm USB adapter not working. I 
285
am not sure if this is a problem with the adapter itself, or some unusual 
286
interaction between it and the OS. If you have been able to use a Palm USB 
287
adapter with MacNQC or NQC, please let me know. I would like to get a definitive 
288
answer on whether this adapter can be made to work. Personally, I use the 
289
Keyspan Twin adapter (USA-28X), and I've heard that both the Keyspan PDA adapter 
290
(USA-19) and Xircom PortGear USB also work.</I></P>
291
<P>If you are using MacNQC, then the popup menu in the Preferences dialog box 
292
will list all available serial ports (including those provided by USB 
293
converters).</P>
294
<P>If you are using the MPW version of NQC, then you will need to specify the 
295
serial port either on the command line (using the -S option) or in the RCX_PORT 
296
environment variable. Both methods require that you know the name of the serial 
297
port driver. The easiest way to make this work is to use the adapter's control 
298
panel to configure the serial port to "emulate the printer port". This will 
299
cause the serial port to be named "B", thus you could do either of the 
300
following:</P>
301
<P><TT>nqc -SB -d foo.nqc</TT></P>
302
<P>or</P>
303
<P><TT>set -e RCX_PORT B</TT></P>
304
<P><TT>nqc -d foo.nqc</TT></P>
305
<P>If you choose the second option, the <TT>set</TT> command only needs to be 
306
executed once per MPW session - adding it to a Startup file will make life 
307
simpler.</P>
308
<H3>
309
<HR align=left>
310
<A name=irdebug></A>Help, RcxCC/MacNQC/NQC can't communicate with my RCX!</H3>
311
<P>In most cases, problems like this boil down to a configuration issue, bad 
312
cable, or dead battery. Here are some troubleshooting tips.</P>
313
<P>If the program says it cannot open the serial port, then this is almost 
314
certainly a configuration problem. For MacNQC, make sure you have a valid serial 
315
port selected in the Preferences dialog box. For NQC, make sure you have 
316
specified the appropriate serial port name (default is modem port, "B" is the 
317
printer port, see <A 
318
href="http://www.baumfamily.org/nqc_old/doc/faq.html#irusb">above</A> for USB 
319
based macs). For RcxCC, I suggest trying once with auto-detection, and if that 
320
fails, then manually set the serial port in the RcxCC program.</P>
321
<P>If the program reports that it cannot communicate with the IR device, then 
322
either the program is talking to the wrong serial port (see the previous item), 
323
or there's a problem with the cable and/or battery. Make sure you have a fresh 
324
9v battery installed in the IR tower, and if possible use the cable supplied by 
325
Lego.</P>
326
<P>If the program reports that it cannot communicate with the RCX, then 
327
communication with the IR tower is probably OK, and the problem is between the 
328
tower and the RCX.</P>
329
<UL>
330
  <LI>Certain light sources (bright sunlight, certain projection TVs) can cause 
331
  interference...try using a towel or other item to shield the IR tower and RCX 
332
  from other light. 
333
  <LI>The tower and RCX should be about 6 inches apart. Tty the switch on the 
334
  front of the tower in both positions - some people report better success with 
335
  "near" mode, and some with "far" mode. 
336
  <LI>Make sure you have firmware downloaded into the RCX. If the display only 
337
  shows "1" on it, then firmware isn't installed yet...download the firmware 
338
  using the Lego software or the -firmware option for NQC (the firmware itself 
339
  must be copied from the Lego CD or downloaded from <A 
340
  href="http://www.legomindstorms.com/" 
341
  target=_blank>http://www.legomindstorms.com/</A>). Once the firmware is 
342
  installed you should see something like "00.00 1" on the display. </LI></UL>
343
<P>If you have a terminal program (e.g. HyperTerminal for Windows, Zterm for the 
344
Mac), then you can check the IR tower directly. Open up a session to the 
345
appropriate serial port at 2400 baud, 1 stop bit, odd parity, and 8 data bits. 
346
Turn off local echo. Start typing a few characters. A green LED on the front of 
347
the IR tower should light up, and the characters you typed should be echoed back 
348
to the screen (with an occasional mistake depending on how much interference 
349
there is).</P>
350
<P>If you are using the command line version of NQC, then you can have it log 
351
any serial communication. This is helpful in trying to isolate where 
352
communication is failing. A good general-purpose test is</P>
353
<P><TT>nqc -v -raw 10</TT></P>
354
<P>Please include the output of this test in any e-mail to me regarding IR 
355
communication problems.</P>
356
<P></P>
357
<HR align=left>
358
 
359
<P></P>
360
<H3><A name=irlaptop></A>How do I use my computer IR port with the RCX?</H3>
361
<P>You can't. At least not easily.</P>
362
<P>Most computers use the IrDA protocols for IR communication. The RCX uses a 
363
proprietary protocol developed by Lego for communication. Quite simply, these 
364
protocols are incompatable.</P>
365
<H4>What about IrCom? Doesn't that let me use the IR port as a regular serial 
366
port?</H4>
367
<P>Yes and no. From an application's point of view, IrCom looks like a serial 
368
port (complete with hardware handshaking and control lines). However, the IrCom 
369
layer actually resides on top of normal IrDA communication, so what appears to 
370
the application to be async serial communication, is in fact a bunch of IrDA 
371
packets getting sent back and forth. Since the RCX doesn't understand IrDA 
372
packets, it can't understand IrCom either.</P>
373
<H4>What if I access the hardware directly?</H4>
374
<P>Even if you bypassed the IrDA protocol stacks on the computer and somehow 
375
managed to control the hardware directly (a task that is likely to be different 
376
for different computer vendors), it still may not be possible. The Lego 
377
protocols encode bits using a 38kHz carrier frequency. This frequency is 
378
generated an filtered in hardware. IrDA doesn't really use a carrier frequency, 
379
and the actual specs on bit times provide a lot of lattitued to device 
380
manufacturers. As a result, it is difficult to get generic IrDA hardware to 
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generate the required 38kHz carrier reliably. Filtering the recieve side is even 
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more problematic.</P>
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<P>I would hesitate to say that this problem is "impossible" to solve, but 
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people have been asking about this for over a year, and to my knowledge no 
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general solution has emerged. There are, however, specialized solutions for 
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specific pieces of hardware (usually PDAs or other handled devices such as a 
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Palm III).<BR></P>
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<HR align=left>
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<H3><A name=irxp></A>How can I get the USB IR tower to work under Win XP?</H3>
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<P>There appear to be some timing related difficulties when using NQC with the 
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USB tower under Windows XP.&nbsp; If you are having difficulty downloading 
393
programs, open the LEGO USB Tower control panel, select the Advanced Tab, and 
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set the Read Timeout to 300 msec.&nbsp; This generally fixes the 
395
problem.<BR></P>
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<H3>
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<HR align=left>
398
<A name=spirit></A>Why doesn't NQC use the Spirit OCX?</H3>
399
<P>The Spirit OCX is only available on the PC. My personal preference is to use 
400
a Macintosh, so I needed to have a platform independent means for communicating 
401
with the RCX.</P>
402
<H3>
403
<HR align=left>
404
<A name=vision></A>Does NQC Support Vision Command?</H3>
405
<P>Vision command programs run in two places...all of the image processing 
406
software runs on the PC, then sends messages to a program running on the RCX. 
407
The messages that are sent are ordinary RCX messages, and by using Message() and 
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ClearMessage(), NQC programs can respond to them. Mike Gasperi calls this "<A 
409
href="http://www.plazaearth.com/usr/gasperi/vcsensor.htm" target=_blank>Using 
410
Vision Command as a Smart Sensor</A>".</P>
411
<P>Note that I have never tried this myself (Vision Command doesn't run on Mac), 
412
so I can't really help if things don't work as expected.</P>
413
<H3>
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<HR align=left>
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</H3>
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<H3><A name=build></A>What computers/tools/etc do you use to develop NQC?</H3>
417
<P>All of the NQC development takes place on my Macintosh PowerBook. I use 
418
Metrowerks CodeWarrior to write and debug the code as a Macintosh 
419
application.</P>
420
<P>The Code Warrior project also has targets to build the MPW version of NQC as 
421
well as the Win32 version. Regression tests on the compiler are done on the PPC 
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version of the MPW tool (via a couple of MPW scripts and a bunch of sample 
423
programs). Some minimal testing of the Win32 version is done from within Virtual 
424
PC - I just make sure that the build went fine and that the serial port works 
425
since that is really the only code custom to Win32.</P>
426
<P>For the source release, I boot into Mac OS X, copy over the NQC source tree 
427
and build it (using make, gcc, etc). A simple test (again just to make sure the 
428
serial port code for Unix is working) is performed. I then use a shell script to 
429
create a source release tree, strip out any unwanted binaries, and package the 
430
entire thing up as a .tar.gz. Recently, I've also been packaging up a Mac OS X 
431
binary version.</P>
432
<P>So there you have it...development for Mac, Windows, and Unix all done on my 
433
trusty PowerBook.</P>
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<P></P>
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<HR align=left>
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