
Apex 1 to 5.5 kW Generator
Header
The first byte in each packet contains two pieces of information: five bits contain the packet address, and three bits contain the data byte count. If the message packet originates with the host computer (master), the address specifies the packet’s destination (to an Apex generator, for example). If the packet is going to the host, the address specifies the packet’s origin (from the Apex generator). The address section of the Header field is five bits long (bits
The remaining three bits (bits 0, 1, and 2) tell the receiving unit how long the Data field is so that the unit can determine when the entire message has been received.
Note: The value in these bits should refer only to the number of actual data bytes. Do not include the checksum byte when calculating the value for these bits (see “Checksum” on page
Command
This field contains a
Optional Length Byte
This field supplements the Header field and exists only when the length bits in the Header field contain a value of 7. Under those circumstances, the Optional field contains a
Data (Data Bytes)
The Data field can contain from 0 to 255 bytes of binary data, which are interpreted in various ways, depending on the value that appears in the Command field. The Data field typically contains data or a Command Status Response (CSR) (see “Creating an Ideal Communications Transaction” on page
If the value specified in the length bits of the Header field is 0 to 6, the Apex generator expects 0 to 6 bytes of data. However, if the value in the Header field is 7, the Apex generator looks for an additional