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Switch from BrpDriver.dll to the SDK

The predecessor of the SDK, 2014_brp_driver_dll, is no longer maintained. To switch from BrpDriver.dll to the SDK in an existing project, you can use the legacy wrapper around the SDK's dynamic library brp_lib.dll.

Below, you learn how to replace BrpDriver.dll with the wrapper and which differences to keep in mind.

Please don't use the wrapper for new projects or when reworking existing ones.

Replace BrpDriver.dll

  1. Replace the existing BrpDriver.dll in your project with /binaries/winXX/Release/BrpDriver.dll.
  2. Place /binaries/winXX/Release/brp_lib.dll into the same directory as BrpDriver.dll.

Main differences between legacy wrapper and BrpDriver.dll

Removed deprecated protocols

The following protocols are no longer supported by BALTECH readers and have thus been removed:

  • BRP-NET
  • BRP-PCSC (not to be confused with PC/SC support per se)
  • BRP-USB (not to be confused with BRP-HID)

When you call the brp_open_*() functions, you'll get a BRP_ERR_GENERAL_IO error.

Features not yet implemented in the SDK

  • Alive message checking
    brp_set_alive_timeout() is ignored and will always return BRP_OK.
  • Custom interbyte timeout
    brp_set_interbyte_timeout() is ignored and will always return BRP_OK.

Removed features

  • Setting checksum
    brp_set_checksum() will always return BRP_OK without any action.
    Please keep in mind that this is only relevant for RS-232/UART connections, as all other connection types have checksums in the lower protocol layers.
  • Extending timeout after command was started
    brp_extend_next_command_timeout() will always return BRP_ERR_WRONG_PARAMETERS.

Other changes

  • USB HID devices are addressed differently
    When passing NULL to brp_open_hid_session(), it still opens the HID device if exactly 1 device is connected. To open 1 of multiple connected devices, however, you have to pass the serial number of the device instead of its windows device name now (you'll get a BRP_ERR_WRONG_PARAMETERS error in case you pass the windows device name).
  • Buffer sizes don't need to be set manually
    As buffers are allocated automatically now, brp_set_bufsize() and brp_get_bufsize() aren't needed anymore and will thus be ignored.
    brp_set_bufsize() will always return BRP_OK, while brp_get_bufsize() will return default bufsizes.
  • 2 DLLs are needed now
    Instead of a single library (BrpDriver.dll), 2 files are required now (BrpDriver.dll and brp_lib.dll)
  • brp_lib interplay added
    brp_open_brplib_session() and brp_get_brplib_protocol() have been added to allow partial conversion of existing applications to brp_lib, when certain modules are already using brp_lib while older ones still rely on BrpDriver. To make these 2 functions available, you have to set the BRP_SDK_COMPATIBILITY when integrating the driver in a C/C++ project.
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