Homer Resets

A group of commands under the Tools|Reset menu item is used for returning the Homer to predefined states, including the factory (out-of-box) default. The commands are useful if you, for instance, confuse the Homer by uploading incorrect firmware files of any kind (as long as the files do not prevent Server from running) and need to remedy the situation.

The menu also enables one to create a user default which can later be used as an alternative to the factory default.

Another reset command enables the user to modify the Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg configuration files residing inside the Homer unit without manual editing, i.e., to redefine the Homer power-up behavior so that it corresponds to current settings made by HomSoft.

For all these changes to take effect, the DC power supply of the Homer must be switched OFF and ON, and HomSoft must be restarted.

If some of the files needed for a Reset are not available, a warning will be issued but otherwise the reset will still be executed.

Restart Server (F7)

Clicking Restart Server or pressing the F7 hot key terminates and immediately restarts the Homer internal server program SrvHo.exe. You should always restart HomSoft after a Restart Server action. See more details in the description of the Homer|More|Restart Server menu item.

Factory

The command returns the Homer device to the state in which it left the factory (out-of-box default) by way of copying the default firmware files from a specific Factory Default location to the Homer internal working directory. This helps resolve unwanted confusing situations, e.g., after an accidental upload of improper firmware files. The factory default files can be changed only by the manufacturer.

After performing this type of reset, the DC power of the Homer should be cycled and HomSoft restarted.

User-Defined

Similar to the Factory reset, this reset type returns the Homer to the state previously defined by the user using the Make command, described next. The corresponding firmware files are copied from a specific User Default location.

After performing this type of reset, the DC power of the Homer should be cycled and HomSoft restarted.

Make

The Make command copies all relevant firmware files from the Homer's internal working directory to a special User Default location, making them the source for the User-Defined reset. This is useful, e.g., after performing firmware upgrades, buying new options, or adapting the Homer behavior to your application (editing Hom.cfg, Tun.cfg). The Factory reset would eradicate all such changes.

Make does not update the internal Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg configuration files to reflect changes made by HomSoft commands (the HomSoft commands affect only the Homer volatile memory, not the cfg files). If you want the newly created user-defined default to also reflect settings made via HomSoft commands, apply the Create CFG command before the Make command.

Create CFG

After the Homer is switched on, its settings are governed by the internal Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg configuration files, defining thus the Homer power-up behavior. One way to change this behavior is to download these files from the Homer, edit them accordingly, then upload them back to the Homer. To do the editing, you have to understand the structure of these files (which is not that difficult).

When you start HomSoft, the Homer power-up settings are generally overridden first by the values stored in the HomSoft Ini File, and then by any subsequent commands (e.g., switching Waveform from CW to Rectified, etc.). HomSoft is actually the most convenient way to adapt Homer settings to your particular application. But all changes made are temporary: they last only until the Homer is restarted. To make your changes permanent, you have to modify the Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg files.

Now, instead of the above-mentioned direct editing, there is an easier way: click the Create CFG menu item. The command instructs the Homer to rewrite Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg based on HomSoft’s current settings.

After clicking, you are only asked to enter the Autorun item of Hom.cfg, governing Homer activity after power-up, i.e., the values of its Running and Sending flags. Possible Autorun values are summed up in the table below (the factory default is typically 1).

Autorun	Running	Sending	Comment
0	FALSE	FALSE	Homer neither running (continuously measuring & tuning) nor sending results
1	TRUE	FALSE	Homer running but sending no results (default)
2	FALSE	TRUE	Homer not running (hence cannot send results)
3	TRUE	TRUE	Homer running and sending results

For newly created cfg files to take effect, the DC power of the Homer should be cycled (restarting HomSoft is highly recommended, too).

After this, you may wish to store not only the two newly created files, but the complete set of firmware, as a User-Defined default. To do so, apply the Make command as described above.

Note:

As a protective measure, HomSoft cannot alter the incident power threshold for the Low Signal condition (see also Low Signal Warning). This can only be changed by editing the following line in Hom.cfg:

LowPowLvl_W=100;       Incident power threshold for "Low Signal" condition