Previously every Blastware connection auto-created files.
Now TCP mode works the same as serial mode:
- Start Bridge: proxy listens and forwards silently, no files written
- New Capture: opens raw_bw/raw_s3 files; pipe threads write to them
- Stop Capture: flushes and closes files, fires Analyzer callback
- No connection = no file; multiple captures per bridge session work correctly
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
Brings back the protocol-exp BridgePanel design:
- Single bridge session stays up; New Capture / Stop Capture create
labelled raw-file segments on demand (no files created at bridge start)
- Capture history listbox shows all segments; double-click reloads in Analyzer
- On capture complete: Analyzer auto-populates and runs analysis
TCP mode integrated into same tab (Serial/TCP radio toggle):
- Each incoming Blastware connection is automatically a capture segment
- Session appears in history list; Analyzer wires up live on connect
- Stop Capture disconnects current TCP session
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
Removes the separate 'TCP Capture' tab and folds TCP MITM capture directly
into the existing Bridge tab. A Serial/TCP radio selector at the top swaps
the connection fields (COM ports vs. listen port + device host:port) while
keeping the same Start Bridge / Stop Bridge / Add Mark buttons, capture
checkboxes, log dir, and live log — identical UX for both modes.
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
New 'TCP Capture' tab in seismo_lab.py: listens on a configurable local
port for an incoming Blastware connection, transparently forwards all
traffic to the real seismograph device, and saves both directions to
raw_bw_<ts>.bin / raw_s3_<ts>.bin in the same format the Analyzer already
understands. Session start wires up Analyzer live mode automatically via
the same on_bridge_started callback as the COM-port bridge.
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
Add 0x5A (BULK_WAVEFORM_STREAM) and 0xA5 (BULK_WAVEFORM_RESPONSE) to
SUB_TABLE so they display with real names instead of UNKNOWN_5A/A5.
Revert S3 checksum validation to checksum_valid=None (the original
intentional behavior). Large S3 frames (A5 bulk waveform, E5 compliance
config) embed inner DLE+ETX sub-frame delimiters; the trailing 0x03 of
the last inner delimiter can land where the parser expects the SUM8
checksum byte, causing false BAD CHK on every valid A5 frame.
protocol.py _validate_frame documents and ignores exactly this issue.
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
parse_s3 had the S3 terminator logic inverted vs the real S3FrameParser
in framing.py. It was terminating on DLE+ETX and treating bare ETX as
payload, which caused every bare 0x03 to be swallowed — bundling multiple
real S3 frames into one giant body until a DLE+ETX sequence happened to
appear. Result: 583-byte POLL_RESPONSE 'frames' containing many real
frames concatenated, all showing BAD CHK.
Fix: mirror S3FrameParser exactly —
- Bare ETX (0x03) = real frame terminator
- DLE+ETX (0x10 0x03) = inner-frame literal data (A4/E5 sub-frames),
appended to body and parsing continues
https://claude.ai/code/session_014NczSHUz9uTzCAf4cVASTJ
2026-04-26 20:23:18 +00:00
17 changed files with 670 additions and 3655 deletions
Ground-up Python replacement for **Blastware**, Instantel's Windows-only software for
managing MiniMate Plus seismographs. Connects over direct RS-232 or cellular modem
(Sierra Wireless RV50 / RV55). Current version: **v0.12.3**.
When new information about the protocol is discovered, please update the instantel_protocol_reference.md with the findings in addition to this document
(Sierra Wireless RV50 / RV55). Current version: **v0.12.1**.
---
@@ -27,9 +25,9 @@ CHANGELOG.md ← version history
---
## Current implementation state (v0.12.3)
## Current implementation state (v0.10.0)
Full read pipeline + write pipeline + erase pipeline + monitor log + call home config working end-to-end over TCP/cellular:
Full read pipeline + write pipeline + erase pipeline + monitor log working end-to-end over TCP/cellular:
| Step | SUB | Status |
|---|---|---|
@@ -45,8 +43,7 @@ Full read pipeline + write pipeline + erase pipeline + monitor log + call home c
| Event advance / next key | 1F | ✅ |
| **Write commands (push config to device)** | **68–83** | ✅ new v0.8.0 |
| **Erase all events** | **0xA3 → 0x1C → 0x06 → 0xA2** | ✅ new v0.9.0 |
| **histogram_interval_sec** | **uint16 BE at anchor − 4 (seconds); same offset in read & write** ✅ confirmed 2026-04-20 |
| record_time | float32 BE at anchor + 10 |
| trigger_level_geo | float32 BE, located in channel block |
| alarm_level_geo | float32 BE, adjacent to trigger_level_geo |
| geo_hardware_constant (adc_scale_factor) | float32 BE at **channel_label+28** in both read (E5) and write (SUB 71) payloads — reads **6.206053** on BOTH tested units (BE11529 and BE18189); identical across all geo channels (Tran/Vert/Long) and all captures. **Confirmed 2026-04-17 from Interface Handbook §4.5**: this is the **ADC-to-velocity scale factor** = 1/sensitivity = (in/s per V). Firmware uses it as: `PPV (in/s) = ADC_voltage × 6.206053`. Cross-check: `1.61133 V (ADC full-scale) × 6.206053 = 10.000 in/s` (Normal range ✅). Do NOT write this field — it is a hardware/firmware constant. |
| geo_range (sensitivity selector) | **uint8 at channel_label+33** in both read (E5) and write (SUB 71) payloads — **CONFIRMED 2026-04-20** from 4-20-26 geo sensitivity captures: `0x00` = Normal 10.000 in/s (standard gain), `0x01` = Sensitive 1.250 in/s (high gain). Present in all three geo channel blocks (Tran, Vert, Long). **NOTE: `channel_label+20` reads `0x01` on ALL captures regardless of range setting — it is NOT this field.** Note: the "SUB 71 write offset = +29" that appears in earlier analysis was an artifact of incorrect BW-style destuffing applied to write frame data — write frame data is RAW, so the literal `0x10` bytes in the channel block header are preserved, and the offset is the same as in the E5 read payload. |
| max_range_geo | float32 BE, adjacent to alarm_level_geo — **⚠ value and units UNKNOWN** (reads 6.206053 but doesn't match either UI range option; may not be the ADC full-scale — see GitHub issue) |
**Field layout relative to the 6-byte anchor (write payload / E5 read — noted where different):**
| Offset | Field | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| anchor − 9 | mode_prefix | uint8 | `0x00` for Single Shot / Continuous; `0x10` for Histogram (DLE prefix in E5 encoding) and Histogram+Continuous (actual config byte). See "compliance_raw DLE encoding" note below. |
| anchor − 8 | recording_mode | uint8 | **Same offset for both read and write** — confirmed 2026-04-21. `_encode_compliance_config` writes `buf[anc-8]`. NOTE: for Histogram (0x03), E5 encodes the value as `0x10 0x03` so compliance_raw[anc-9]=0x10, compliance_raw[anc-8]=0x03. |
| anchor − 7 | constant | `0x10` | Always `0x10` in both E5 read and BW write payloads (not a DLE marker — it is part of the sample_rate field area). Do NOT overwrite. |
| anchor − 6 | sample_rate | uint16 BE | same in read & write |
| anchor − 4 | histogram_interval_sec | uint16 BE | seconds; same in read & write ✅ 2026-04-20 |
### SUB 0C — Waveform Record (210 bytes = data[11:11+0xD2])
@@ -805,16 +701,16 @@ Fields visible in the Blastware Compliance Setup dialog — most are NOT YET dec
offsets in the raw 1A/E5 payload. Only fields with `✅` have confirmed offsets in the code.
**Recording Setup tab:**
- Recording Mode: Continuous / Single Shot / Histogram / Histogram+Continuous ✅ (uint8 at anchor−3 in write, anchor−4 in read; 0x00=Single Shot, 0x01=Continuous, 0x03=Histogram, 0x04=Histogram+Continuous) — confirmed 2026-04-20
- Record Stop Mode: Fixed Record Time / Auto / Manual Stop (enum) ❓ (byte near recording_mode; data[40] in E5 sf1 changed 0x01→0x00 alongside Continuous→Single Shot — may be this field)
- Recording Mode: Continuous / Single Shot / Histogram (enum)
- Record Stop Mode: Fixed Record Time / Auto / Manual Stop (enum)
- Sample Rate: Standard 1024 / Fast 2048 / Faster 4096 sps ✅ (anchor−2)
- Record Time: float, seconds ✅ (anchor+10)
- Histogram Interval: 2s / 5s / 15s / 1m / 5m / 15m ✅ (uint16 BE seconds at anchor−4, same in read & write; mode-gated to Histogram/Histogram+Continuous) — confirmed 2026-04-20
- Chan 1-3 Maximum Range: Normal 10.000 / 1.25 in/s (enum) ✅ (`geo_range` uint8; **CONFIRMED 2026-04-20** from 4-20-26 geo sensitivity captures: offset = `channel_label+33` in both E5 read and SUB 71 write payloads (same bytes, round-tripped verbatim); `0x00` = Normal 10.000 in/s, `0x01` = Sensitive 1.250 in/s; applied to Tran/Vert/Long channel blocks). **IMPORTANT: `channel_label+20` reads `0x01` on ALL captures and is NOT this field** — it is a constant flag. The float32 at `channel_label+28` = 6.206053 is the ADC-to-velocity scale factor (hardware constant, do NOT write).
- Chan 1-3 Maximum Range: Normal 10.000 / 1.25 in/s (enum) ❓ (`max_range_geo` — offset found, reads 6.206053 which matches neither UI value; units and meaning unknown — do NOT use as ADC full-scale)
- Microphone Channels: Enable all microphones (bool), Trigger Source (bool)
- Chan 4 Trigger Level (dB or psi depending on units)
@@ -1039,148 +935,12 @@ call-home.
---
## Auto Call Home config (SUBs 0x2C / 0x7E / 0x7F) — confirmed 2026-04-20
Full read/write pipeline confirmed from `bridges/captures/4-20-26/call home settings/`
(10 BW TX write frames diffed against the S3 read response).
Accessible in Blastware: **Remote Access → Setup Unit**.
### Protocol
**SUB 0x2C — Call Home Config READ (response 0xD3)**
Standard two-step read: probe offset `0x0000`, data offset `0x007C` (124).
Returns 125 raw bytes (one more than DATA_LENGTH) because the device encodes
num_retries value `3` as `\x10\x03` on the wire — S3FrameParser preserves both
bytes literally, shifting all subsequent field positions by +1.
**SUB 0x7E — Call Home Config WRITE (response 0x81)**
Write format (only BW_CMD `0x10` doubled on wire; DLE-aware checksum).
**Note:**`dial_string` is read-only in the current implementation (omitted from POST
body) because writing a dial string may require DLE escaping for embedded control characters.
---
## What's next
- **Database** — SQLite store for events + monitor log entries; dedup by key; queryable
- **Histograms** — decode histogram-mode A5 data (noise floor tracking)
- **Blastware-compatible file output** — `write_blastware_file()` and `write_mlg()` implemented. `blastware_filename()` generates correct Blastware filenames (AB0 for direct, AB0W/AB0H for ACH). **Confirmed working for Continuous mode events (2026-04-23):** SFM-generated file opens in Blastware, shows correct PPV/waveform/timestamp. File is ~200 bytes shorter than BW (missing last ADC tail slice) — all measurements correct. Histogram+Continuous mode deferred (5A stream for those events embeds histogram interval records that create spurious STRT markers in the body). Extension mapping: **CONFIRMED FALSE 2026-04-21** — extensions encode timestamp (AB0T for ACH, AB0 for direct), NOT recording mode. Filename format: `<prefix_letter><serial3><4-char-base36-stem><ext>`
**Serial encoding (CONFIRMED 2026-04-22):**`prefix_letter = chr(ord('B') + floor(serial_numeric / 1000))`, `serial3 = f"{serial_numeric % 1000:03d}"`. Examples: BE6907→H907, BE11529→M529, BE14036→P036, BE17353→S353, BE18003→T003. The prefix letter encodes the production generation (batch of 1000 units).
**Stem encoding (FULLY CONFIRMED 2026-04-22):** stem = 4-char base-36 of `floor(total_seconds / 1296)` where `total_seconds = (event_local_time − 1985-01-01T00:00:00_local)` in seconds. Epoch = `1985-01-01 00:00:00` device local time — confirmed against 3,248 files from 10-year production archive with zero errors. Decode: `event_time = datetime(1985,1,1) + timedelta(seconds=stem_int*1296 + ab_int)`. Example: P036L318.C80H → BE14036, 2025-05-26 15:00:08, Full Histogram.
- **Blastware filename extension — NEW FIRMWARE FULLY DECODED (confirmed 2026-04-21, further confirmed 2026-04-22 from 10-year production archive frequency analysis):**
Extension format = `AB0T` (4 chars):
-`AB` = 2-char base-36 encoding of `total_seconds % 1296` (seconds within the 21.6-min window, 0–1295); `A = value // 36`, `B = value % 36`
-`0` = always literal digit zero (third character, invariant)
-`T` = event type: `W` = Full Waveform, `H` = Full Histogram
Combined with the 4-char stem, the full filename encodes a complete second-resolution timestamp. Verified against three S353L4H0.{3M0W,8S0H,9X0W} events (all match to the second) plus large-scale frequency analysis of a 10-year archive.
**3-day cycle property (confirmed 2026-04-22):** A unit recording at a fixed daily time cycles through exactly **3 extensions** with a 3-day period. Each calendar day shifts `total_seconds % 1296` by 864 (since `86400 % 1296 = 864`). The cycle repeats every 3 days because `gcd(1296, 864) = 432` and `1296 / 432 = 3`. The three extension values are spaced 432 seconds apart. Confirmed from 10-year archive: the top 3 extensions overall were `CE0H` (95 files), `0E0H` (93), `OE0H` (91) — all three are the 3-day cycle of a 06:00:14 daily call-in time (seconds-in-window = 14, 446, 878; all three have `E` as second character because `14 = E` in base-36 and adding 864 never changes `value % 36` since `864 = 24 × 36`).
**B character invariance:** For a unit recording at a fixed time of day, the second character `B` of the extension (`value % 36`) **never changes** — only the first character `A` cycles through 3 values. This means same-time-of-day files from different dates all share the same `B` character.
**Old firmware (S338, 3-char extensions ending in `0`):** encoding unknown. Extension is NOT recording mode. `blastware_filename()` returns `.N00` as a placeholder for old-firmware units.
**Micromate Series 4** uses a different extension format entirely (observed: `IDFH`, `IDFW`). The `AB0T` formula applies only to MiniMate Plus / V10.72 firmware.
- Compliance config encoder — build raw write payloads from a `ComplianceConfig` object
- **Test Histogram recording mode (0x03) write via SFM** — confirmed working for Single Shot / Continuous / Histogram+Continuous; Histogram (0x03) needs a live test from a non-Histogram starting state (bare 0x03 in write vs BW's DLE-escaped `10 03`)
- **Compliance write anchor-9 cleanup** — when changing recording_mode via SFM, the byte at anchor-9 is not explicitly managed. A spurious `0x10` may persist after Histogram→other mode transitions. Does not affect device operation but differs from BW's byte-perfect output.
- Locate "Sensor Check" byte in compliance config (need capture with Disabled vs Before-monitoring)
- Call Home — map time slots 3/4 offsets; add dial_string write support; confirm `modem_power_relay_enabled`
- Modem manager — push RV50/RV55 configs via Sierra Wireless API
- RV55 DCD/DTR issue — newer RV55 firmware doesn't assert DCD by default; units don't
resume monitoring after call-home disconnect (`--restart-monitoring` flag deferred)
## BW capture reference
`bridges/captures/` contains the following BW TX + S3 response captures for protocol analysis: