For those of you who have received a new Serializer over the past three weeks, or have upgraded to version 1.5.0, we have found a bug that was introduced during the last release cycle.  Almost all object queries return the requested value, followed by an ACK.  We had some hidden code in the firmware to help us debug our Serializer Services code, and I decided to rip it out to make room for other functionality.  After I ripped it out, I got focused on getting the PWM ramping working well and fully tested, and I forgot to go back and test the removal of the debug code.   Dohh!

The bug has been fixed (and tested), and I'm sorry to say that if you have v1.5.0 on your Serializer, you'll need to perform a firmware upgrade to v1.5.1.   If you don't then you'll have problems w/ the .NET library, C++ library, and MSRS Services.

You can find Serializer Firmware Upgrade procedures in the Serializer WL User Guide.   A few tips to remember is that if Hypeterm fails to upload the firmware, try increasing the line delay and/or character delay.  This will take longer to perform the upgrade, but it WILL work.  This is especially important if you're using a USB to RS-232 adapter cable.  Also, make sure you have 6+ volts applied to the Serializer, since it's having to program the bits, and if the voltage hovers around 5V, then bits might not be programmed correctly.

Lastly you can download the firmware from the Serializer web page under the Docs/HowTo/Library tab.

       http://www.roboticsconnection.com/pc-16-5-serializer-net-robot-controller.aspx

Best Regards!