CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonserial-portevaluate
Bryan Hooper
Bryan Hooper

Reputation: 1

Reading a serial port and storing the data in a Dictionary

I'm fairly new to Python and so I'd like some feedback on the code I've written. The code is written to send and receive data from a ham radio. The code opens a serial port to the radio, then writes commands and reads the answer. The answer is saved in a dictionary for later use. This will be a part of a larger program that will allow the user to import the radio's configuration data to the app, then make modifications and send it back to the radio. It will also be able to save the data to a file so that different radio configurations can be saved and downloaded to the radio for use in different situations. I've copied the code below.

import serial

def Read_Radio():
   # Configure the serial port
     ser = serial.Serial(
        port='COM4',       
        baudrate=38400,     
        parity=serial.PARITY_NONE,
        stopbits=serial.STOPBITS_ONE,
        bytesize=serial.EIGHTBITS,
        timeout=1
     )

    # Function to send a command to the device
    def send_command(ser, command):
        ser.write(command.encode())
        response = ser.readline().decode()
        return response

    menu_data = {}

    try:
        # Read all Menu items and store in dictionary
        for m in range(1, 15):                    # Limited to 15 for testing.
            ID = f"{m:03}"                        # formats the ID to 3 characters
            command = "EX" + str(ID) + ";"        # creates the command to be sent
            response = send_command(ser, command) # sends the command
            raw = response.lstrip("EX")           # strips the leading characters 
            raw = raw.rstrip(";")                 # strips the trailing character 
            P1 = raw[0:3]                         # pulls first three characters
            P2 = raw[3:]                          # pulls after first 3 letters
            menu_data.update({P1:P2})             # Saves the data pairs in a dict 
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
    finally:
        print(menu_data)
        # Close the serial port
        ser.close()

Read_Radio()

SAMPLE DATA OUPUT: {'001': '0300', '002': '0700', '003': '3000', '004': '0', '005': '1', '006': '0', '007': '1', '008': '08', '009': '2', '010': '050', '011': '050', '012': '3', '013': '0', '014': '30'}

The results are as I expected. I'm trying to make sure that I have the data in a useful format and that my code is efficient or can it be simpler. Is there anything in my code that may be slowing it down.

Upvotes: -2

Views: 46

Answers (1)

Subir Chowdhury
Subir Chowdhury

Reputation: 331

In my testing the script below can reduce a lot of time:

import serial
import time

def Read_Radio():
    ser = serial.Serial(
        port='COM4',
        baudrate=38400,
        parity=serial.PARITY_NONE,
        stopbits=serial.STOPBITS_ONE,
        bytesize=serial.EIGHTBITS,
        timeout=0.2  # Reduced timeout for faster response
    )

    def send_command(ser, command):
        ser.reset_input_buffer()  # Flush buffer before sending
        ser.write(command.encode())  # Send command
        time.sleep(0.05)  # Small delay to allow device processing
        response = ser.readline().decode().strip()  # Strip spaces/newlines
        return response

    menu_data = {}

    try:
        for m in range(1, 15):  # Limited to 15 for testing.
            ID = f"{m:03}"
            command = f"EX{ID};"
            response = send_command(ser, command)
            
            if response:  # Check if response is valid
                raw = response.lstrip("EX").rstrip(";")
                if len(raw) >= 3:
                    P1, P2 = raw[:3], raw[3:]
                    menu_data[P1] = P2

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

    finally:
        print(menu_data)
        ser.close()

Read_Radio()
  1. Reduced Timeout (0.2 seconds) – Avoids unnecessary waiting.
  2. Flushed Input Buffer (reset_input_buffer()) – Prevents stale data issues.
  3. Added a Small Delay (time.sleep(0.05)) – Allows time for processing.
  4. Response Validation – Ensures only valid responses are processed.

Upvotes: 0

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