Using DX30 with Xamarin Forms Android

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F Fred Morin 2 years 11 months ago
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Does anyone have experience with the DX30 and specifically making it work within a Xamarin Forms Project.
 
After pairing my Android (6.0.1) device to the DX30, I am able to connect to it using a bluetooth Connection.
 
I am not able to get a response from it when I try to send data to the unit.
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks

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5 Replies

R Ramiro Pez

I think we need an example from of how can we communicate with DX30 from Xamarin Forms. I have right now a TC65 that is paired to DX30 but we don't know how could it work with Xamarin Forms. Before this, we could communicate DX30 with a MC65 with Windows Mobile 6.5 and extract information from a vending machine. But now we are kind of lost. Can zebra put some example of how can it work?

Thank you!

F Fred Morin

I have a Dex cable into my window 10 and it works well when using another app with a special cradle to talk to the Store Front

I use a port sniffer and i see the bits sent and received throught the port.

I disconnect the cradle and connect the DX30.

I connect to it using a bluetooth connection on my custom Android App.

However, when I sent data, the store still gives me the unexpected control error and the sniffer shows nothing....

S Sean Kennedy

Hi Fred / Glenn.
On a related topic -- DEX testing for Android using a PC -- needs a DEX "Test Jack" connector that would be the logical opposite side of the Serial IO that would be considered the STORE endpoint jack. The DEX "Test Jack" Pinout is Tip-Ring-Sleeve -- to D9 Pin 3, Pin 2, and Pin 5.  (3-wire Pseudo Null-Modem - No Handshaking)

If you wanted to test any Android and a PC with a DX30 -- this worked for me:
*** snip ***
The SDK for the DX30 in non-Zebra modes -- is just the Bluetooth RFCOMM APIs from Android.
The SDK for BT Pairing -- I leave as an excercise for the BT App Developer to figure out pairing automation -- but the Barcode for the BT Mac address is only CODE39 and could be captured using a Camera barcode scan facility.

The RFCOMM API's that work you can suggest the Open Source from Blue Term found here:
GMS Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=es.pymasde.blueterm&h…
Open Source : http://pymasde.es/blueterm/
This would be sufficient to allow a moderate developer on Android Studio / Linux Android development to comprehend how to connect serial data to/from the DX30.

In my testing on Nexus 7 -- I had the DX30 Paired - Blue Term Connected to DX30.
DX30 was plugged into the DEX test JACK connected to my PC which was running the Desktop Version of PuTTY *(Minicom on Linux to the Serial Port, or TeraTerm for Windows - would work equally)*   The PuTTY Profile was connected to COM1: at 9600-8-N-1 (NO HANDSHAKING) {XON/XOFF as alternate}

On the Nexus I would see data when I type on the PC keyboard.
On the PC PuTTY Serial Session I would see data when I tapped keys on the Software KB on the Nexus 7 device)
*** /snip ***
Note: This is for testing purposes and the Data Exchanged is simply serial keyboard gibberish via a Serial Terminal Emulator and not DEX protocol data.

G Glenn Sayer

The DX30 is a pass thru product.  It needs to be connected to a store system to return data.

The DX30 uses the standard BT serial API commands to communicate.

F Fred Morin

thanks.. I am using DEX Store Front  from Intermec as the other side of the connexion.

i got a usb to serial cable on my windows 10 machine.  it detects, I connected it to a serial to 1/4 female jack connector

I then connect that to the DX30

Is there anyway I can test the DX30 to make sure its passing through the data its receiving.

right now my DEX Store Front tells me

Received did not respond

or

An unexpected control character was received

If you have any windows 10 tool/app which could echo what the DX30 is receiving, that would be a big help

again, thanks for taking the time to help me on this

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