{"id":3310,"date":"2025-04-18T04:45:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T04:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webprojects.cloud\/wordpress\/splatco\/?post_type=spl_knowledgebase&p=3310"},"modified":"2025-06-10T09:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T09:23:23","slug":"multitrack-advanced-multiple-simultaneous-supertimers","status":"publish","type":"spl_knowledgebase","link":"https:\/\/webprojects.cloud\/wordpress\/splatco\/knowledgebase\/tutorials-application-notes-and-white-papers\/tutorial-multitrack\/multitrack-advanced-multiple-simultaneous-supertimers\/","title":{"rendered":"MultiTrack (Advanced): Multiple simultaneous SuperTimers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With MultiTrack each task gets a “free” SuperTimer for setting intervals. This was covered in an\u00a0earlier lesson<\/a>. But what if you need to have several timers running simultaneously within a task? You will need to manually create additional SuperTimers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember: When executed inside a MultiTrack task, instructions with built in timing (Pause<\/a><\/code>,\u00a0WaitOnT<\/a>,<\/code>\u00a0WaitOffT<\/a><\/code>\u00a0and\u00a0WaitOnKT<\/a>)<\/code>\u00a0use the task’s SuperTimer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To manually create SuperTimers within a task (or to use SuperTimers outside MultiTrack tasks) you need to set aside 3 bytes of normal\u00a0RAM<\/a>\u00a0(Data Memory<\/a>) for each timer. The directive for doing this is<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MyTimer:              defTIME24<\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Thereafter ‘MyTimer<\/code>‘ can be used to refer to the specific SuperTimer. defTIME24<\/code> sets aside 3 bytes (24 bits) of RAM to hold the time value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To start timing with a manual SuperTimer you use the instruction<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        STStart       MyTimer<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
What this does is to grab the current system time value and save it in RAM in the 3 bytes of MyTimer<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To determine if a certain amount of time has elapsed since the STStart<\/code> instruction was executed, you use the STTest<\/code> instruction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        STTest        MyTimer,1234567<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This will return True in\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0if the interval (1234567 times 10mS) has not yet expired, i.e. it is still timing the interval. This is consistent with the legacy timers and the\u00a0Test<\/a><\/code>\u00a0instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
This example is a little contrived, but it illustrates the point. When a start button is pressed, turn on output 7 and start timing a 1 minute interval. When the same button is pressed a second time, start flashing output 0 on for 500mS and off for 500mS for the remainder of the minute. At the end of the minute make sure outputs are off and repeat the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Click here<\/a>\u00a0for some tips for working around problems with copy and paste out of Internet Explorer and HTML-help\u00a0(.chm)<\/code>\u00a0files)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OverallTime EQU         6000                    ;1 minute in 10mS increments\nMyTime      defTIME24                           ;Memory for SuperTimer\n\nStart:\n        ResetK                                  ;Clear input latches\n        Off             7                       ;Turn off 1 minute indicator\n        WaitOnK         0                       ;Wait for 1st button press\n        On              7                       ;Indicate that we are timing\n        STStart         MyTime                  ;Start 1 minute over-arching timer\nLoop1:\n        GoIfInK         0,StartFlashing         ;Test for 2nd button press\n        STTest          MyTime,OverallTime      ;Test if the minute has expired\n        GoIfT           Loop1                   ;Keep trying if the minute is not up\n        GoTo            Start                   ;Timed out ... end of the game\n\n;Flash output 0 for the remainder of the minute.\nStartFlashing:\n        On              0                       ;Flash on\n        Pause           50                      ;Time the ON period\n        Off             0                       ;Flash off\n        STTest          MyTime,OverallTime      ;Test if the minute has expired\n        GoIfF           Start                   ;G\/ no longer timing\n        Pause           50                      ;Time the OFF period\n        STTest          MyTime,OverallTime      ;Test if the minute has expired\n        GoIfF           Start                   ;G\/ no longer timing\n        GoTo            StartFlashing\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This program has been coded without using MultiTrack. You will notice there are several tests for expiration of the 1 minute time interval. This is necessary because there are several places in the program where the program is in a loop but the minute could expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise 1:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Get the program running in the SPLat\/PC simulator. Hint: Reduce the time intervals to speed it up. You can also close the Pause<\/code> timer window to speed it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise 2:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Convert the program to a MultiTrack task and get it running. You will most likely get an error message first time you run it. Fix the problem. Notice that the Pause<\/code> timer window no longer appears. This is because when executed from inside a MultiTrack task Pause<\/code> is generated by the SuperTimer mechanism, but when not in a MultiTrack task it is generated by an older mechanism (a single, global Pause<\/code> timer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With MultiTrack each task gets a “free” SuperTimer for setting intervals. This was covered in an\u00a0earlier lesson. But what if you need to have several…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3299,"menu_order":7,"template":"","class_list":["post-3310","spl_knowledgebase","type-spl_knowledgebase","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMultiTrack (Advanced): Multiple simultaneous SuperTimers - SPLat Controls<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MultiTrack (Advanced): Multiple simultaneous SuperTimers - SPLat Controls\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With MultiTrack each task gets a “free” SuperTimer for setting intervals. This was covered in an\u00a0earlier lesson. 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