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Serial Port Devices

Antares supports several RS-232 operating modes depending on the external accessory connected to the serial port.

The most common cases are:

  1. TAIP text devices that exchange commands and reports directly.
  2. MDT PAD mode for generic byte-stream transport.
  3. Dedicated accessory modes such as Technoton fuel sensors and serial cameras.

Only one serial mode can own the port at a time. Enabling a dedicated accessory mode disables the normal serial console until the mode is released or an escape path returns the port to console mode.

MDT PAD Mode​

This behavior is controlled by MT.

When MDT PAD mode is enabled:

  • The serial command console is disabled.
  • To return to command console operation, send the configured escape character.
  • Default escape character is 0x1B (ESC key), unless changed with MTE.

If the serial port does not respond to commands, it may still be in MDT PAD mode. Send the escape sequence to exit data mode.

PAD Criteria​

In PAD mode, Antares forwards accumulated serial data when PAD criteria is met. Criteria is configured with MT and includes:

  • PAD character 1
  • PAD character 2
  • PAD timeout
  • PAD size

When any configured criterion is reached, accumulated data is transmitted.

TX Message Flow​

Antares uses TAIP text messages (STX / RTX) to transport serial byte streams.

Example setup intent (Syrus reference style):

>SMTP010050T\03\FA\1B\FF;ROUTE=0<

After that, serial binary payloads are wrapped and forwarded as RTX... frames.

Example serial input (visualized):

[02]Test message...[03]

Forwarded payload:

>RTX\02Test message...\03<

Another serial input:

[02][10][1F][AB][AB][3B][12]ABCD[08][09][FC][03]

Forwarded payload:

>RTX\02\10\1F\AB\AB\3B\12ABCD\b\t\FC\03<

Reverse direction works the same way. A remote host can send STX with escaped bytes and Antares reproduces the original byte sequence on the serial port.

Example remote frame:

>STX\02\a\b\FC\AAxyz\F1<

This makes Antares transmit the corresponding binary sequence to the attached serial device.

Technoton Fuel Sensor Mode​

Technoton support is controlled with XATF.

  • XATFM enables or disables the dedicated fuel sensor RS-232 mode.
  • XATFP configures the evaluation window plus consumption and fuelling thresholds.
  • XATFF reports the last parsed sensor values.

Operational details:

  • Serial mode: FUEL_SENSOR
  • Baud rate: 19200
  • Related signals: G35, G36, G37
  • Related extended tag: FF

Use this mode when Antares is connected directly to a Technoton DUT-E sensor and you want the firmware to evaluate consumption and fuelling events locally.

Serial Camera Mode​

Serial camera support is controlled with XASC.

  • XASCM enables or disables serial camera mode and sets upload routing and image resolution.
  • XASCD reports camera diagnostics.
  • XASCI reports pending file information.
  • XASCC clears stored files.

Operational details:

  • Serial mode: SERCAM
  • Baud rate: 115200
  • Supported resolutions: 160x128, 320x240, 640x480
  • Related extended tag: PS

When camera mode is enabled, captured images are stored locally and can later be associated with outgoing events or uploaded through the configured FTP path.