All XL200 controllers

Enhancements

SCN 5388: XL2; Debug code added to help troubleshoot loss of memory

We have a customer complaining that several of their controllers are resetting and powering up with loss of memory, reporting that the configuration has changed.

The most likely cause is that a power or software glitch is causing the reset. Something in the software is apparently corrupting settings or Global Back data, which requires a memory clear.

To help determine what software is losing control, we added a switch-on diagnostic that arms the 386's hardware breakpoints on the backup copy of the setup table. If anything writes to it unexpectedly, the controller records a task error with a code (0x000F0002) and a stack trace pinpointing the offending code — the tool to catch, in the act, whatever is corrupting configuration on the affected customer machines.

In addition, every powerup, the controller reports to the debug console which copies of the setup and global data passed their integrity check. If a "configuration changed" ever happens again, this tells us exactly which data went bad (setup table vs. order/global data) so a targeted fix can follow. No effect on machine operation — it's reporting only.

If the Global Data backup is being corrupted, a new error message will be displayed to distinguish it from the Setup Data. Knowing which block of data that is being corrupted will help us target that memory with more debug resources, if necessary.

Bug Fixes

SCN 5386: XL2; Debug Logger Class bugs.

Fixed three long-standing bugs in the debug console's formatted-print routine so numbers print with the right size and column width. Debug/diagnostic output only — no effect on how the machine runs.

SCN 5387: XL2; Engineering Build (BAYCB) Setup Protection Bug.

On engineering controllers — which have no model/options programmed into the chip and are configured at the bench — the main copy of the setup table was being wiped and rebuilt on every powerup, leaving only the backup copy valid. That left those units one glitch away from a "configuration changed." This change preserves the configured model on those units so both copies stay valid, while still bringing up the model-select screen when a model genuinely needs to be chosen (fresh unit or after a flash/memory clear). Production controllers behave exactly as before.