STATUS_MESSAGES

[sblair]

The ACK_TIMER is supposed to indicate to the controller to "bugger off and leave me alone". Now that only applies to the specific PID. So if you ACK_TIMER me on GET DMX_START_ADDRESS, that doesn't mean I can't still ask you for other PID's, which you may ACK_TIMER as well.

ACK_TIMER is really only a partial solution as it requires the controller to remember all the questions it has asked and come back and ask them again later and hope for a reply. QUEUED_MESSAGES does a great job at closing the loop at providing the information to the controller when it becomes available.

I have not done a lot of experimentation with controllers and ACK_TIMER to see if they really do wait the amount of time that is included in the ACK_TIMER response before asking (if they ask again at all). All my implementations have used QUEUED Messages so that it negates that.