Rice Lake AirStream Operation Manual

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AirStream

Wireless Modem

Operation

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Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Overview1......................................................................................... 1

Why Wireless? ....................................................................................................1

AirStream Technology ........................................................................................................2

Frequency Hopping .................................................................................................................. 3

Speed and Bandwidth .............................................................................................................3

Sessions and Links................................................................................................................... 4

Error Detection and Correction .................................................................................................4

Transmit Power Control ............................................................................................................ 5

Data Transfer Sessions ............................................................................................................ 5

Security.............................................................................................................................. 6

Transceiver Features ..........................................................................................................6

Using This Manual ............................................................................................................. 7

Assumptions ....................................................................................................................... 8

Getting Help........................................................................................................................ 8

Chapter 2: Installation and Speciﬁcations ....................................................9

Hardware Installation ........................................................................................................ 9

Installing Stand-alone Transceivers .........................................................................................9

Interface Requirements .................................................................................................. 11

Stand-alone Transceiver Pin Out .............................................................................................12

Serial Communications ................................................................................................... 13

Hardware Specifications ................................................................................................. 15

Software Requirements ................................................................................................... 16

Software Installation ........................................................................................................ 16

Configuration Manager ............................................................................................................16

Network Software Utilities ....................................................................................................... 17

Antennas ...........................................................................................................................17

Chapter 3: Point to Point and Network Topologies .....................................19

Point to Point Pair.............................................................................................................19

Networks ..........................................................................................................................19

Multi-Point Network ................................................................................................................ 20

Repeater Network ...................................................................................................................20

Broadcast Network................................................................................................................. 22

Network Software Utilities ...............................................................................................23

Speciﬁcations subject to change without notice.

February 2002

ComPort Intercept ..................................................................................................................23

TCP/IP Intercept .....................................................................................................................24

ActiveX Library ........................................................................................................................ 24

DOS Library............................................................................................................................ 24

Chapter 4: Conﬁguring Your Transceiver ........................................................25

Getting Status .................................................................................................................. 26

The Toolbar ...................................................................................................................... 27

Exiting the program .......................................................................................................... 27

Quick Configuration ................................................................................................... 27

Modifying Settings ..................................................................................................... 31

Applying and Storing Changes......................................................................................... 31

Generating Reports ....................................................................................................32

Power Management................................................................................................... 34

Passwords and Access............................................................................................... 36

Levels Of Access .............................................................................................................36

Passwords .......................................................................................................................36

Using Hop Tables......................................................................................................... 37

Entering Hop Table Numbers ...........................................................................................37

Validating the Hop Table.................................................................................................. 38

Specifying Hopping Parameters .......................................................................................38

Assigning IDs.............................................................................................................. 39

Signal Analysis .......................................................................................................... 41

Serial Settings ............................................................................................................ 41

Data Threshold ........................................................................................................... 43

Chapter 5: Setting up a Network with ComPort ..............................................45

ComPort Configurator ................................................................................................ 46

Advanced View ................................................................................................................48

Entering and Changing Information .................................................................................. 48

Adding Virtual Ports ......................................................................................................... 48

Setting Control Line Parameters ....................................................................................... 51

Tx Purge........................................................................................................................... 51

Remove Unit ID Number .................................................................................................. 52

Remove Virtual Communications Port............................................................................... 53

Renaming Virtual Ports ..................................................................................................... 53

Using ComPort Activator............................................................................................ 53

ComPort Activator ............................................................................................................54

Chapter 6: Setting up a Network with TCP/IP .............................................. 55

TCP/IP Configurator ..........................................................................................................56

Advanced View....................................................................................................................... 57

Entering and Changing Information ......................................................................................... 58

Adding TCP/IP Ports ...............................................................................................................58

Editing Ports ...........................................................................................................................60

Setting Control Line Parameters.............................................................................................. 61

Remove Unit ID Number .........................................................................................................61

Remove TCP/IP COM Port ......................................................................................................62

Renaming TCP/IP Ports ..........................................................................................................62

Monitoring Activity ........................................................................................................... 62

Using TCP/IP Activator..................................................................................................... 64

TCP/IP Activator ..................................................................................................................... 64

Chapter 7: ActiveX Network Applications 67

wCi_OPEN ........................................................................................................................67

wCi_Close ........................................................................................................................68

wCi_WriteDataEx .............................................................................................................68

wCi_GetDestinationID ......................................................................................................69

wCi_CheckRxQue ............................................................................................................. 69

wCi_SetOutputDeviceID ...................................................................................................69

wCi_StartStopPrinting ......................................................................................................70

wCi_GetSourceID .............................................................................................................70

wCi_SetGpioOutput ..........................................................................................................71

wCi_GetGpioOutput ..........................................................................................................71

wCi_GetGpioInput ............................................................................................................72

wCi_GetGpioMode ............................................................................................................72

wCi_Ping ..........................................................................................................................73

AboutBox ..........................................................................................................................73

NewMessage..................................................................................................................... 73

ActiveX Design Time Properties Page:............................................................................ 74

Chapter 8: Testing Your Units .......................................................................75

Terminal Mode Test .........................................................................................................75

What You Need .......................................................................................................................75

Performing the Test................................................................................................................. 76

Loopback Test ..................................................................................................................76

What You Need....................................................................................................................... 77

Performing the Test ................................................................................................................77

Viewing Data In The Rx And Tx Panes ....................................................................................79

iii

Using Hyperterminal ...............................................................................................................80

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting.............................................................................. 81

Chapter 10: Learning Exercises....................................................................... 83

Point to Point .............................................................................................................. 83

Materials Needed ............................................................................................................. 83

Procedure........................................................................................................................ 83

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept................................................................................... 86

Materials Needed ............................................................................................................. 86

Procedure........................................................................................................................ 86

Multi-Point TCP/IP Intercept ...................................................................................... 91

Materials Needed.............................................................................................................. 91

Procedure ........................................................................................................................91

Repeater TCP/IP Intercept ......................................................................................... 95

Materials Needed ............................................................................................................. 95

Procedure ........................................................................................................................95

Broadcast Remote-To-All .........................................................................................100

Materials Needed........................................................................................................... 100

Procedure ......................................................................................................................100

Broadcast Remote-To-Host ...................................................................................... 104

Materials Needed ........................................................................................................... 104

Procedure ......................................................................................................................104

Glossary........................................................................................................... 109

Warranty ..........................................................................................................110

Chapter 1: Overview

WHY WIRELESS?

Welcome to the AirStream Transceivers. These frequency hopping transceivers are supplied as a Stand-alone Transceiver that plugs into the RS232 port of an existing product and can be used to create wireless data networks in the licensefree band at 2.4 GHz. AirStream Transceivers can function in a wide array of network topologies. This manual provides the information you need to install, conﬁgure, and test this transceiver in a variety of these networks.

AirStream Transcei vers provide the ﬁrst practical and affordable alternative to wire for industrial and commercial applications where data must be transmitted reliably and securely in a wide range of indoor and outdoor environments. These applications are solutions for OEMs and Systems Integrators in need of reliable, secure, long-range, and low-cost alternatives to wire for commercial and industrial applications. There are hundreds of factory, ofﬁce, industrial, transportation, medical, ﬁnancial, and retail applications for which AirStream solutions are ideally suited.

™

family of wireless

In this Chapter

•Why Wireless

• AirStream Technology

•Frequency Hopping

• Security

•Transceiver Features

• Assumptions

• Using this Manual

• Getting Help

Wireless data connectivity offers many advantages over wire:

• Wireless systems are easier to install

• Wireless system installation and maintenance

costs are lower

• Wireless links are feasible in many locations

where wire is not

• Wireless installations can be reconﬁgured or

relocated easily

• Wireless products are mobile

AirStream User’s Manual

AirStream Technology

Overview

Reliability , security, range, and cost have been the traditional obstacles to widespread adoption of wireless data networks. But today frequency hopping technology provides reliability comparable to and security greater than wire. AirStream T ranscei vers ha ve been designed speciﬁcally for long range and low cost. Moreover, the license-free band at 2.4GHz allows wireless data connectivity solutions to be implemented without site licenses or carrier fees. These developments make wireless data networks more practical and affordable than wire for many applications.

AirStream wireless data connectivity solutions are more reliable, more secure, longer range, and lower cost than wire:

• More Reliable

AirStream Transceivers evaluated with industry standard test equipment have exceeded a bit error rate (BER) standard 100 times more rigorous than for 10 BaseT Ethernet and 1,000 times more reliably than cellular devices.

• More Secure

AirStream Transceivers utilize frequency hopping technology developed by the military and reﬁned by intelligence agencies to avoid interception and interference. It is more difﬁcult to intercept communications between AirStream wireless devices than to tap a wire.

• Longer Range

AirStream Transceivers operate through walls and ﬂoors up to 1,500 feet in most buildings, and line-of-sight to the horizon outdoors. For longer distances, networks of AirStream Transceivers can relay data packets to and from out-of-range devices to signiﬁcantly extend the range of a wireless data network.

• Lower Cost

Wireless devices are installed at prices that can be a fraction of the cost of wires. AirStream devices can be moved or reconﬁgured at no additional cost.

AIRSTREAM T ECHNOLOGY

AirStream uses Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology to ensure secure, reliable long-range data transmissions. AirStream utilizes this proven technology to provide OEMs and Systems Inte grators with a superior wireless data connectivity solution for many industrial and commercial applications.

AirStream User’s Manual

2.483

2.4

Transmitting Transceiver

Frequency Hopping

Interference

Receiving Transceiver

AirStream Technology

Overview

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum technology was developed by the U.S. military to prevent interference or interception of radio transmissions on the battleﬁeld. Frequency hopping devices concentrate their full po wer into a very narrow signal and randomly hop from one frequency to another within that spectrum up to 200 times per second. If they encounter interference on a particular frequency, the devices retain the affected data, randomly hop to another point on the spectrum, and continue transmission. There are always spaces without interference somewhere in the allotted radio spectrum. A frequency hopping device will ﬁnd those spaces and complete a transmission where other wireless technologies fail.

AirStream Transceivers operate in the license-free Industrial, Scientiﬁc, and Medical (ISM) band at 2.4GHz. No one owns or licenses these frequency bands. Consequently, anyone may operate a wireless network in a license-free band without licenses or carrier fees (unlike cellular technology), subject only to restrictions on how much power can be used (1 watt or less in the U.S.) and the type of radio signals transmitted (spread spectrum). The U.S. FCC and telecommunications regulators in many countries have designated this band for low-power license-free use.

Speed and Bandwidth

There is a common misconception regarding speed and data connectivity; speciﬁcally, that faster is better. In computer and telecommunications networks, higher speeds are unquestionably superior . Ho wever , this is not the case with wireless data connectivity. There are many circumstances where range, in-building penetration, and reliability are more important than speed.

Paying for more speed than what is necessary to implement a data connectivity application is not efﬁcient. The broader radio frequency (RF) bandwidth needed to transmit higher data rates dramatically reduces range. In contrast, the lower data rates used by AirStream allow narrow bandwidths to be used. This is ideal for intermittent, repetitive data transfer, where the premium is on accuracy and long-range transmission. AirStream products have been designed speciﬁcally to meet the requirements of such applications. A lower data rate enables AirStream Transceiv ers to operate within a narro w RF band o ver signiﬁcantly longer ranges than other 2.4 GHz Frequency Hopping or Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) products.

AirStream User’s Manual

AirStream Technology

Overview

Sessions and Links

AirStream Transceivers use demand-based frequency hopping where RF is only transmitted when there is data available to transmit. The initiating transceiver is termed the master and the recei ving transcei v er is called the slave. Any device (host or remote transceiver) can be a master or a slave depending on who initiates the data transfer. AirStream Transceivers transmit data using sessions and links. A session represents a complete data transfer cycle between two devices. The session lasts as long as it takes to transfer all of the data being sent. A session can be comprised of a number of links which represent the actual transfer of data between two devices. Radio interference can break a link but not end a session. It may take several links to complete a session. If a link is broken, it is the job of the master to reinitiate the link in order to complete the session. This strategy reduces the collision rate of packets and RF interference from adjacent devices.

Data going in and out of the transceiver via the serial port is (or can be) a continuous stream of information; whereas, data transmitted over the air is broken into frames. Links consist of these frames. The frame represents the physical data packet transmitted per hop between units.

The transceiver’s channel access (communications link) is based on the Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) protocol. This protocol has the advantage of requiring no special coordination between remotes and works best with a large or variable number of remotes transmitting infrequent bursts of data. Channel latency is exponentially distributed, meaning there is a wait cycle during interference. During interference, data is hopped to another frequency. Although there is a slight delay during each hop, data is not lost.

Error Detection and Correction

AirStream Transceivers provide CRC error correction, forward error correction, and transmission retry to ensure complete transmissions, even in the most demanding circumstances.

The transceiver uses the ITU cyclical redundancy code 16 (CRC-16) for error detection. Two separate CRC-16 checks are used within each packet frame:

• Header Section

• Data Section

AirStream User’s Manual

AirStream Technology

Overview

Most wireless systems experience single bit errors as the most common type of reception error. Forward Error Correction (FEC) can be used to correct for a speciﬁc number of bit errors within x -number of bits transmitted. AirStream uses a ‘Half Rate Coding’ algorithm which achieves a correction rate of 1 bit-error in 4 bits transmitted.

The transceiver maintains data integrity over the air by means of an internal automatic-repeat-request (ARQ) protocol, which will resend erroneous data until it is received correctly. The transceiver takes user data and breaks it into packets which are then transmitted at a much higher channel data rate. If the received packet has errors and is not correctable via the forward-error-correction (FEC) algorithm, the packet is rejected and resent until a valid packet is received. The transceiver maintains two 4kB buffers (transmit and receive) which helps to support continuous uninterrupted transfers even in noisy situations. See Broadcast Network on page 22 for details on how Broadcast Network behavior differs.

Transmit Power Control

Wireless devices in close proximity often experience desensing or overloading. AirStream Transceivers minimize this problem by providing adjustments in the Power Level Feed-Back Control Loop based on the time-averaged Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values and the Actual Power Level Setting as shared between both devices during a communication session.

Data T ransfer Sessions

All units are in one of six possible sequential modes or phases of operation which cover the complete cycle of data transfer.

Idle

Unit listens and scans in each of the 75 channels in the hop table. No activity.

Link Acquisition

Data is present locally , unit be gins to ping (search) each frequenc y in hop table to ﬁnd the remote unit.

Synchronization

Units on both ends of data transfer synchronize their hopping patterns.

AirStream User’s Manual

Security

Overview

SECURITY

Data Transfer

In-sync units each alternate transmitting and receiving data in 32msec intervals (32msec Tx, 32msec Rx). Each 64 msec they hop to the next frequency.

Exit Phase

Data transfer is complete based upon the setting for number of frames of No Data speciﬁed in the transceiver’s conﬁguration.

End Connection

Data transfer is complete, units return to Idle mode.

Frequency hopping is inherently more secure than other RF technologies. In addition, each AirStream Transceiver has a Vendor ID set in the ﬁrmware shipped straight from the factory. As you conﬁgure each transceiver you may provide additional network ID numbers and assign varying hop tables for independent networks. The combination of ﬁrmware, software IDs, and frequency hopping technology ensures safe and secure data transmissions. AirStream Transceivers also support your data encryption software.

TRANSCEIVER FEATURES

AirStream Transceivers enable OEMs and Systems Integrators to integrate license-free 2.4GHz frequency hopping technology into their own products. Each transceiver includes a proprietary RF module with a frequency hopping transmitter and receiver, a Digital Control Module for RF Module and Application Interf ace management, and an interface (TTL or RS232) designed to communicate with a variety of products. The AirStream Transceivers employ a wireless interface designed to function as a virtual wire replacement.This offers some distinct advantages over wire. AirStream Transceivers:

• Enable mobility that may not have been possible before. And using

either the RS232 or RS485 serial connection, the transceivers can connect devices at long range—up to 1500 feet indoors, and line of sight to the horizon.

• Compensate for baud rate differences between devices, eliminating

the need for converters between older, slower devices and newer, somewhat faster ones.

AirStream User’s Manual

• Provide a GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) mode for enabling

• Provide both Software and Hardware Flow Control to enable pacing

• Enable efﬁcient timed or batched transmission of data through data

• Provide power control modes for power conservation.

• Provide asymmetrical data rates to accommodate large directional

• Provide the conﬁgurabilitiy to support a variety of network topologies.

• Can be upgraded in the ﬁeld.

USING THIS MANUAL

All AirStream software applications are Windows® based and adhere to Windows software conventions.

Using This Manual

Overview

communication of status and control information in addition to data. This ensures timely notiﬁcation of state changes such as an “out of paper” indication, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual checking for such conditions.

of data transmission between devices.

thresholding capabilities.

data transfers.

The conventions used for instructions in this manual are as follows:

Convention

bold

click Click with the button on the mouse and release. Left button always implied on

Control-e Hold down the Control key and press the E key. double-click Click two times quickly on the mouse button and release. right-click Click with the right button on the mouse and release. select This can mean to highlight (which is the action of changing a screen object’s

Shift-click Hold down the Shift key and click.

Definition

Bold is used to indicate something that should be typed exactly or an exact duplication of a window name or button.

Windows.

attribute to have an inverted look on the screen) icons or list items by clicking or by clicking a menu item and dragging the cursor over its options to choose that option or sub-item.

AirStream User’s Manual

Assumptions

Overview

ASSUMPTIONS

GETTING HELP

It is assumed that you are familiar with your Windows operating system. It is also assumed that your Windows operating system is operating in default mode (e.g., double-click to open). All instructions in this manual assume default mode (as delivered) operation.

Each software program has on-line help accessible through the help menu within the program. For Technical Support call 1-800-472-6703.

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 2: Installation and Speciﬁcations

This chapter discusses the physical installation of the transceiver and the installation of the software needed to conﬁgure each transceiver. All AirStream Transceivers need to be conﬁgured for a speciﬁc network topology. This process involves understanding how the equipment is physically installed and how the software is installed. Sequentially, all transceivers are conﬁgured on a Host PC prior to being physically attached to their designated device. Conﬁguration of the transceivers is discussed in Chapter 4, Conﬁguring your Transceiver on page 25.

HARDWARE INSTALLATION

Prior to installing your transceiver(s), please count all of the delivered equipment. Use your packing slip or purchase order for veriﬁcation. Each transceiver needs power and an antenna. It will be attached either internally or externally to a single device(e.g., PC, laptop, or printer).

In this Chapter

• Hardware Installation

• Interface Requirements

• Pin Outs

• Serial Communication

• Hardware Speciﬁcations

• Software Requirements

• Software Installation

• Antennas

Installing Stand-alone Transceivers

To Install Stand-alone Transceivers

1. Insert the power supply male connector into the

corresponding female connector slot on transceiver chassis.

Power

RS232 Antenna

2. Insert Power supply plug into power (i.e., power

outlet)

AirStream User’s Manual

Hardware Installation

Installation and Specifications

3. Attach the Antenna to the transceiver.

4. Attach the male connector on the RS232 cable to the matching serial port

5. Connect the other end of this cable to the matching serial port on the

Note: Prior to installation on the desired device, all transceivers must ﬁrst be

Verify LEDs 1 and 2 on front panel blink three times. LED 1 remains lit.

Note that the antenna connection is a reverse thread SMA connection. Y ou must turn it counter-clockwise to attach.

on the rear panel of the transceiver.

device.

connected to and conﬁgured with a PC. In the case of some network installations, it must be the Host PC.

AirStream User’s Manual

INTERFACE REQUIREMENTS

Design-in Stand-alone

Input Power Requirements Voltage +5.0 Volts, +/- 5% Greater than 6.5 Volts and

Ripple Less then 10mV(RMS) from DC to

1MHz

Current in Idle mode

Instantaneous Current in Tx mode

Time averaged (over 100mSec.) Current in Tx/Rx mode

Physical Interface Requirements

Electrical Interface Voltage Levels Input levels Low <1.5 Volts;

Output levels Low < 0.4 Volts;

Open Collector Output

~200mA ~200mA

550mA 550mA

~360mA ~360mA

PCB connector: 1x12 right angle connector; 0.025 square pin @ 0.1 spacing

Matching connector: AMP Part Number 2-87499-1 or equivalent

High > 3.5 Volts @ 20uA

High > 3.7 Volts @ 6 mA Low < 0.7 Volts @12mA N/A

Interface Requirements

Installation and Specifications

Less than 9.0 Volts (6.5 -32 Volts if Wide Input

model) Less then 250mV(RMS) from

DC to 1MHz

PCB connector: Standard DB-9(Female)

Low -3.0 to -30 Volts; High +3.0 to +30 Low < -5.0 Volts; High > +5.0 Volts @ 3mA

AirStream User’s Manual

Interface Requirements

Installation and Specifications

Stand-alone Transceiver Pin Out

Pin name I/O Function

1 DCD – Data Carrier Detect Output Session Status (True) 2 TxD – Transmit Data Output Data from transceiver to the attached

3 RxD – Receive Data Input Data into transceiver from the

4 DTR – Data Terminal Ready Input Data/Command Mode 5 Gnd -- Signal Ground 6 DSR – Data Set Ready Output Always Asserted (High) 7RTS – Request to Send Input HW Flow Control (internally pulled

8 CTS – Clear to Send Output HW Flow Control (default: asserted/

9 RI – Ring Indicate Output Status Change (default: de-asserted/

device

attached device

up)

High)

Low)

AirStream User’s Manual

SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS

In order to conﬁgure any transceiver, you must use a 9 pin RS232 cable. This is necessary because pin 4 is used to transmit the conﬁguration data into EEPROM and other pins are used during the conﬁguration process as well. AirStream provides a 9 pin RS232 cable with all Stand-alone Transceivers. A TTL to RS232 pin adapter is purchasable for Design-in Transceivers.

You must use the 9 wire cable in the following cases:

• When using the Conﬁguration Manager to initialize/setup a

transceiver.

• When the Host PC is using network utilities.

• When ﬁeld upgrading the transceiver.

Once conﬁguration is complete, you may opt to use a 3 or 5 wire cable during ﬁeld communication with Stand-alone transceivers. These cables are not provided by AirStream. They can be purchased from a number of sources.

Serial Communications

Installation and Specifications

To determine which cable you need in the ﬁeld

1. Evaluate which connections you need

Wire Type What’s Connected

3 Wire Connection Data (TxD/RxD) and Ground. Does NOT support Hardware Flow

Control; will work with no Flow Control or Software Flow Control

5 Wire Connection Data and Ground; with Hardware Flow Control (RTS/CTS)

(receive, transmit, ground, hardware ﬂow control). Required for Hardware Flow Control, will also work with no Flow Control or Software Flow Control.

9 Wire Connection All 9 pins are connected.

2. Determine whether you need a straight through or null cable.

The interface between the transceiver and the attached device is a Data Communications Equipment (DCE) or Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) connection requiring either a straight through or Null cable. The Null cable (or Null adapter) simply crosses the required pins to allow similar devices to communicate properly (e.g., DCE to DCE). In general:

• The AirStream Transceiver is always a DCE device.

•A PC is typically a DTE device.

• Remote devices (customer equipment) can be DCE or DTE depending on the device.

• DCE to DTE communications require a straight through cable.

AirStream User’s Manual

Serial Communications

Installation and Specifications

Note: The following diagrams assume that the DCE transceiver is sending data

• DCE to DCE communications require a null cable or adapter.

to the DCE or DTE device.

3 Wire Straight Through Cable

DTE

Pin 2 Pin 3

TxD Data

RxD Data

Pin 2 Pin 3

Device

Gnd

TxD Data RxD Data

Pin 5

Pin 2 Pin 3

3 Wire Null Cable

DCE

Pin 5

Pin 2 Pin 3

Device

Pin 5

Gnd

5 Wire Straight Through Cable (ﬂow control in use)

DTE

Pin 2 Pin 3

Pin 5

TxD Data RxD Data

Gnd

Pin 5

Pin 2 Pin 3

Pin 5

Device

Pin 7 Pin 7

RTS

DCE

Transceiver

DCE

Transceiver

DCE

Transceiver

AirStream User’s Manual

5 Wire Null Cable

DCE

Device

Pin 8 Pin 8

Pin 2 Pin 3

Pin 5

Pin 7 Pin 7

Pin 8

CTS

TxD Data

RxD Data

Gnd

RTS CTS

Pin 2 Pin 3

Pin 5

Pin 8

DCE

Transceiver

Hardware Specifications

Installation and Specifications

HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

Design-in Stand-alone

Transceiver Frequency 2.400 - 2.4835 GHz license-free ISM band in

U.S. (varies in other countries where

AirStream Transceivers have been certiﬁed) Radio Type Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum same Number of

Channels Data Rate 600bps to 9.6 kbps full duplex, up to 19.2kbps

Transmit Power Output

Indoor Range Up to 1,500 feet (457 m) in normal

Outdoor Range Up to 2 miles (3.2 km) with omni-directional

Protocol CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) same Flow control Supports Hardware, Software or None same Warranty 1 year parts and labor same Error Detection &

Correction

Certiﬁcation FCC Part 15 Certiﬁed, Industry Canada,

Electrical Electrical Interface Serial TTL Voltage Levels RS-232C Voltage Levels Physical Interface 1x12 right angle connector (header) Standard RS-232C DB-9 (female) connector Input Power Voltage: +5.0 V, +/- 5%

417 independent, non-interfering frequencies same

asymmetrical

10mW to 500mW nominal, self-adjusting

(lower maximum power output where

required)

construction

antenna

Up to 12 miles (19.3 km) with optional

directional antenna (line of sight to the

horizon)

Up to 75 miles (120 km) theoretical range

(line of sight to the horizon from towers above

the curvature of the earth)

CRC 16 error detection; forward error

correction can correct errors in 1 out of every 4

bits transmitted

Japan, Europe, Brazil

Other International certiﬁcations pending

Ripple: Less than 10mV (RMS) from DC to

1MHz

same

Shipped with a 115VAC power adapter providing:

Voltage: > 6.5 V and < 9.0 V Ripple: Less than 250mV (RMS) from DC to

1MHz

AirStream User’s Manual

Software Requirements

Installation and Specifications

Design-in Stand-alone

Input Current Draw Idle: 200mA

Transmit: 550mA instantaneous current Transmit/Receive (time averaged over

100msec): 360mA

Environmental Temperature Range -4°F to +140°F, -20°C to +60°C same Humidity 0% to 95% (non-condensing) same Physical Dimensions 0.75 inches height (19mm) x 2.35 inches

width (60mm) x 4.25 inches length (108mm)

Weight 2.3 ounces (65grams) 6 ounces (170 grams)

same

1.2 inches height (30mm) x 3.8 inches width (97mm) x 5.2 inches length (132mm)

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

• Windows® 95/98 or above (depending on software used)

• Pentium processor >233 MHz or higher

• 1 available RS-232 serial port

• Minimum 32 MB DRAM

• Maximum 20 MB hard disk space for Conﬁguration Manager Plus

necessary Network Software Utilities

• 1 parallel port (for hardware key used in certain networks only for

Developer Kits)

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

Conﬁguration Manager

This program is used to conﬁgure all transceivers.

To install the Conﬁguration Manager

1. Make sure all Windows applications are closed.

2. Insert the Installation CD-ROM or diskette 1 into the appropriate drive.

3. Open the contents of the drive in your usual manner.

You can use Windows Explorer or My Computer on the desktop, for example.

4. Double-click Setup.exe.

5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

AirStream User’s Manual

Installation and Specifications

Network Software Utilities

Intercept and Library Utilities

This installation process is required if you are conﬁguring transceivers in networks using ComPort or TCP/IP Intercept, ActiveX, or DOS Utilities.

To install Network Software Utilities

1. Insert the Installation CD-ROM or diskette 1 into the appropriate drive.

2. Open the contents of the drive in your usual manner.

You can use Windows Explorer or My Computer on the desktop, for example.

3. Double-click Setup.exe.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions

If installing ActiveX, make sure to install the sample ﬁles as these will provide the examples you need to create your own applications.

Antennas

ANTENNAS

Antennas must be connected to each transceiver for proper operation. Without an antenna, two units will not communicate. The higher the gain of the antenna, the longer the range of the transceiver signal.

AirStream Transceivers are designed to be used only with certain antenna products. AirStream offers the omni-directional antennas listed below as compliant with FCC Certiﬁcation for the transceiver. The AirStream Transceiver uses a unique mechanical connection (reverse thread SMA connector) for all external mount antennas to ensure that only compliant antennas are used with the transceiver . AirStream does not endorse the use of omni-directional antennas other than those listed below.

AirStream Part Number Description

Call 1dBi Omni-Directional Antenna (2”) Call 2dBi Omni-Directional Antenna (6”) 52375 3dBi Omni-Directional Antenna (5”) Call 5dBi Omni-Directional Antenna (9”)

Other higher gain directional antennas may be purchased through an approved Rice Lake Weighing Systems supplier. Contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems for additional information.

AirStream User’s Manual

Antennas

Installation and Specifications

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 3: Point to Point and Network T opologies

AirStream Transceivers support Point to Point Pairs and several Network topologies. Each AirStream Transceiver can be conﬁgured via its Conﬁguration Manager to work in any of these topologies. The transceiver’s Conﬁguration Manager controls how the transceiver transmits and receives data as connected to the device. The operation of the transceiver in the network topology is determined by its Network Software Utility.

POINT TO POINT PAIR

In a Point to Point topology, AirStream Transceivers are used to connect two devices (e.g., a bar code reader and a printer), or a PC with a single remote device. The

Point to Point topology can be considered a virtual

wire replacement (e.g., data in on one side equals data out on the other side). This is useful for machine to machine communications. All of the transceiver features listed in Transceiver Features on page 6 apply in Point to Point topologies.

In this Chapter

•Point to Point Pairs

• Networks

• Network Utilities

NETWORKS

Wireless data connectivity applications require a wide range of networking options. The AirStream Network topologies consist of more than two transceivers and may have a PC to host a network of devices. The host and network devices are each physically attached to a AirStream Transceiv er.

The following Network topologies may require Network Software Utilities. The required utilities are listed within each topology description and explained in detail in “Network Software Utilities” on page 23. Depending on the topology and network utility combination you select, some of the Transceiver Features on page 6 may not apply . This is e xplained for each topology.

AirStream User’s Manual

Networks

Point to Point and Network Topologies

Multi-Point Network

The Multi-Point Network enables data to be transmitted between as many

Note: Depending on the network utility used, GPIO may be available. If you

as 238 remote devices and a PC host. The transceiver connected to the

Host PC transmits and receives data from any other transceiver one at a time. Sessions may be initiated by any device on the network. De vices can

be dumb (accept data directly without recognition) or intelligent (recognize data transmission on a network and grab what applies). In a Multi-Point Network there is no direct remote to remote communication,

everything must go through the host.

As opposed to a Point to Point topology, where you have a machine to machine interface, Multi-Point networks are communicating at the application level. Depending on the utility chosen, these networks can communicate with one or more applications at a time. Multi-Point Networks can be created with the following Network Software Utilities.

• ComPort Intercept

• TCP/IP Intercept

• ActiveX Library

• DOS Library

assign GPIO mode to any remote on the network, the host must also be assigned GPIO mode. The Host has a GPIO register so it can detect which remotes are using GPIO.

Repeater Network

AirStream Transceivers in a Repeater Network function similarly to a Multi-Point Network. They expand the range of the Multi-Point Network by relaying data packets between otherwise out-of-range remote devices and a Host PC. The effecti ve transmission rate for data packets for de vices beyond direct connection with the host is reduced by one third. Data can be transmitted between as many as 238 remote devices and a Host PC. The transceiver connected to the Host PC transmits and receives data from any transceiver one at a time. Sessions may be initiated by any device on the network. Devices can be dumb (accept data directly without recognition) or intelligent (recognize data transmission on a network and grab what applies).

The most signiﬁcant advantage of a Repeater Network is the ability to extend range. This is advantageous when you have some remote devices that are not within direct range of the host. This network extends range in

irStream User’s Manual

Networks

Point to Point and Network Topologies

layers. These layers may overlap but you cannot go beyond 4 layers of range. Data travels through a single path to the receiving transceiver. This network works well in environments where you do not need to communicate large amounts of data but need to communicate over long range. In the diagram below there are four layers. Data is sent from the host through a path consisting of D, G, J, and M. This is the single path used to get the data from the host to M as M is out-of-range of the host.

Repeater Networks can be created with the following Network Software Utilities:

• ComPort Intercept

• TCP/IP Intercept

• ActiveX Library

• DOS Library

Note: GPIO, power management modes, and asymmetrical data ﬂow rates are

not applicable to Repeater Networks. Even though you can use GPIO with ComPort Intercept, you cannot implement this function on a Repeater Network.

AirStream User’s Manual

Networks

Point to Point and Network Topologies

Broadcast Network

In a Broadcast Network, data is sent out by one transceiver (sending

transceiver) and received by an unlimited number of remote devices

simultaneously. These devices must be intelligent enough to recognize relevant messages and reco ver lost or corrupted data. Broadcast Networks

operate solely as conﬁgured by the Conﬁguration Manager.

Remote to Host (4 wire)

Remote to All (2 wire)

The AirStream Broadcast Network has two modes of operation; Remote

To All and Remote To Host. In both modes all transmissions sent by the sending transceiver can be received by every remote unit in its associated network. The difference is in the way that transmissions by remote units are handled:

• In Remote To Host, transmissions by remote units can only be

received by the host.

• In Remote To All, transmissions by remote units can be received by

every other unit in the network that is within range.

Unlike other AirStream Network topologies, in Broadcast there is no session established between the units engaged in communication. This means that transmitted data is not acknowledged by the receiving side. If, for example, there is a momentary signal blockage at the receiving unit location, the affected receiving unit will miss any data transmitted during the signal blockage. Although signal impairments could cause data “dropouts” any data received over the wireless link is still checked and corrected (if possible) by the AirStream error detection/correction process. This ensures that data is error free.

Broadcast mode is especially useful to applications where you must transfer the same information to all units at once or where a polling protocol is employed to collect data from remote units. In polling applications, the sending transceiver sends a query message to each remote unit in turn, asking for any data that the remote unit has available. The remote unit then has a chance to send its data to the polling transceiver. In a typical polling arrangement, each remote must wait until it is queried by the sending transceiver before transmitting. In this way collisions between transmissions of more than one remote unit are avoided. If, when polling a number of remotes, a reply is not received within a predetermined time interval the sending transceiver can retransmit its query or simply move on to the next query on its list.

Broadcast mode is intended primarily to be a RS485 network wire replacement. It is especially useful in adding new equipment to older (legacy) systems where there is a 2 wire or 4 wire RS485 connection. The

irStream User’s Manual

4 wire connection is replaced with the Remote to Host mode and the 2 Wire connection is replaced with Remote to all mode. The AirStream RS232 to RS485 converter is needed to conﬁgure AirStream Transceivers for RS485 devices.

Note: The Broadcast Network does not support GPIO, data thresholding, or

power management and asymmetrical data rates are lower. Flow control was not intended for use in this topology.

Note: The sending transceiver’s link light will only turn on if a remote is

sending data. The remote transceiver’s link light will always be lit when synchronized on the network. The sending transceiver is always transmitting; however, other AirStream Networks will work when collocated with a Broadcast Network as long as their hop table assignment is different.

NETWORK SOFTWARE UTILITIES

Each network topology is supported by a combination of a Conﬁguration Manager which allows you to conﬁgure each individual transceiver for your network topology and a variety of available Network Software Utilities which allow you to arrange data transmission in your network. Although summarized here, usage of each of these utilities is described in detail throughout this manual.

Network Software Utilities

Point to Point and Network Topologies

Note that the network software utilities are optional; contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems for details.

ComPort Intercept

ComPort Intercept is a software program which provides all the

functionality you need to assign virtual ports (enabling transparent

communication) in your Windows System Registry for a small network conﬁguration of up to 16 devices (including the host PC). See Setting up a Network with ComPort on page 45 for information on using this software.

You can use this utility for the following network topologies:

• Multi-Point

• Repeater

AirStream User’s Manual

Network Software Utilities

Point to Point and Network Topologies

TCP/IP Intercept

TCP/IP Intercept is a software program which provides all the

functionality you need to route wireless data through a Host PC to and

from as many as 238 devices on a TCP/IP based netw ork. See Setting up a

Network with TCP/IP on page 55 for information on using this software.

You can use this utility for the following network topologies:

238

• Multi-Point

• Repeater

ActiveX Library

The Acti veX Library pro vides the standard Acti veX system calls you need to create applications which can link as many as 238 devices. See Acti veX Network Applications on page 67 for information on using this software.

You can use this utility for the following network topologies:

• Multi-Point

• Repeater

DOS Library

The DOS Library provides the standard DOS system calls you need to create applications which can link as many as 238 devices. This feature is currently being tested and will not be documented further in this version of the manual. You can use this utility for the following network topologies:

• Multi-Point

• Repeater

irStream User’s Manual

Chapter 4: Conﬁguring Y our Transceiver

The Conﬁguration Manager is used to conﬁgure all transceivers being used in all network topologies. The procedures in this chapter describe how to conﬁgure the transceiver to meet your speciﬁc needs. These instructions assume that your transceiver is in default OEM mode (as shipped) and correctly connected to a PC with the Conﬁguration Manager installed.

Note: All transceivers are delivered from the factory in

default mode with OEM privileges. If you have user privileges, some features may not be available.

Note: You cannot open Conﬁguration Manager if ComPort or

TCP/IP Activators are running.

To open your Conﬁguration Management Application

1. From the Start menu in Windo ws , select Progr ams and

then Conﬁguration Manager.

A splash screen appears with a Login dialog on top requesting username and password.

2. Enter the username: oem

3. Enter the password: oem

Note: oem is lower case.

In this Chapter

• Quick Conﬁguration

• Modifying Settings

• Generating Reports

•Power Management

•Passwords and Access

• Using Hop Tables

• Assigning IDs

• Signal Analysis

• Serial Settings

• Data Threshold

4. Click OK.

The Main Window appears. A Tip of The Day window also appears. A new tip of

the day will appear each time you open the conﬁguration program. You can turn this off by unchecking the box. Click OK to dismiss the window.

AirStream User’s Manual

Configuring Y our Transceiver

Menu bar Tool bar

Modification tabs

Getting Status

Status bar

Receive pane

Transmit pane

Status lights on the Status bar indicate the status of the control lines on the RS232 link between the PC and the transceiver being conﬁgured.

Abbreviation Name Definition

RI Ring Indicator A signal is coming into the host unit

from the transceiver at the remote unit.

DCD Data Carrier

Detect

DTR Data T erminal

Ready

RTS Ready To Send This is a hardware ﬂow control

CTS Clear To Send A hardware control indicator DSR Data Set Ready Reserved for future use

A connection has been established with another unit. This lets the PC know that communication between two units can take place.

Indicates that the unit is in Command Mode. This mode is utilized by the network software.

indicator

AirStream User’s Manual

In addition to the status lights in the Conﬁguration Manager, the LED’s on the Stand-alone transceiver also display status.

The Toolbar

Apply Store

Quick Configure

Clear RX

Quick Configuration

Configuring Y our Transceiver

RXPower Sync TX

Help

Refresh Reset Reload Change

Exiting the program

To Exit the Conﬁguration Manager

1. From the File menu, select Exit.

Note: It is important to note that any changes in any tab not Stored in EEPR OM

will be lost. See “Applying and Storing Changes” on page 31.

QUICK CONFIGURATION

This is the fastest and easiest way to conﬁgure a unit. Activation of Quick Conﬁguration loads settings directly into EEPROM. These settings will remain in effect until a unit is reconﬁgured.

To use Quick Conﬁgure

1. Click Quick Conﬁguration on the General tab, click it on the toolbar, or

select it from the Commands menu.

Clear Tx

Password

AirStream User’s Manual

Quick Configuration

Configuring Y our Transceiver

The Quick Conﬁguration wizard appears with the Operating Mode window displayed.

2. Select the desired Operating Mode.

Select Point-to-Point to conﬁgure two units for a direct one-to-one communication link.

Select H-to-M (Host) for a network conﬁguration of 3 or more transceivers. If host is conﬁgured ﬁrst, the wizard will provide options for conﬁguring remotes. This feature is used for Multi-Point Networks. The H-to-M (Remote) will follow after the host is conﬁgured.

Select Repeater (Host) for a network conﬁguration of 3 or more transceivers on a Repeater Network. If host is conﬁgured ﬁrst, the wizard will provide options for conﬁguring remotes. The Repeater (Remote) will follow after the host is conﬁgured.

Select Broadcast (Host) for a network conﬁguration of 3 or more transceivers on a Broadcast network. The Broadcast (Remote to Host) allows the remote to talk directly (only) to the host. You can also conﬁgure a remote to talk to all remotes on the network. If host is conﬁgured ﬁrst, the wizard will provide options for conﬁguring remotes. See Broadcast Network on page 22 for a more detailed explanation of Broadcast modes.

Note: To operate transceivers in Multi-Point or Repeater modes you will need to

install a Network Software Utility.

3. Click OK.

AirStream User’s Manual

Quick Configuration

Configuring Y our Transceiver

The Unit Settings screen appears.

4. Enter the desired criteria.

Enter the desired identiﬁcation numbers. See “Assigning IDs” on page 39 for acceptable parameters. Select a Hop Table (0-100). The Hop Table selected must be the same for all transceivers in a Point To Point Pair or a Network. This number speciﬁes a table of predeﬁned frequencies, which the transceiver will use for transmitting and recei ving. If multiple separate networks exist in the same area, each network should have a unique Hop Table number to avoid RF collisions.

Note: Depending on which network you selected in the previous screen, certain

ID ﬁelds may be grayed and inaccessible.

5. Click Change in the Serial settings group

The Serial Settings dialog appears. This allows you to set the various serial port parameters.

AirStream User’s Manual

Quick Configuration

Configuring Y our Transceiver

Note: Depending on which network topology you selected, some parameters

6. Enter the desired settings

These should match the requirements for the device that the transceiver will be attached to once the conﬁguration is complete, not those of the computer you are using to conﬁgure the transceiver. See the equipment manufactures speciﬁcations for details. To use GPIO mode see “GPIO Mode” on page 42.

may be grayed and inaccessible. Some network topologies have required serial settings.

7. Click OK.

8. Click Submit.

A Conﬁguration Sequence dialogue box appears while the unit is being conﬁgured. This shows the sequence of conﬁguration steps as they are being executed. Upon completion, a Conﬁguration Status box appears with a checkbox option for report generation. All ﬁelds should read “OK” if the conﬁguration was successful. If you do not wish an ASCII report to be generated automatically, click Report generation to deactivate the selection.

9. Click Close.

A few more status dialogs appear. All entries are stored in EEPROM permanently.

10. Click OK to conﬁgure another unit or Cancel to discontinue.

11. Continue to conﬁgure as many transceivers as required.

Disconnect the transceiver attached to the computer. Connect a new one. Wait until this transceiver’s information is displayed. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: Transceivers can be reconﬁgured as needed.

AirStream User’s Manual

12. Select File and then Exit to exit the Conﬁguration Manager.

If Report Generation was checked, Quick Conﬁguration will automatically create and store a conﬁguration data proﬁle for each unit conﬁgured in the location speciﬁed in the Report Settings. See “Generating Reports” on page 32.

MODIFYING SETTINGS

You can run the Quick Conﬁguration wizard to modify settings or you can change entries manually in the ﬁelds in the modiﬁcation tabs provided. When manually changing entries, you must click apply and/or store for the changes to take effect. See “Applying and Storing Changes” on page

31.

To manually change data in ﬁelds

Modifying Settings

Configuring Y our Transceiver

1. Click the desired tab.

2. Click in and highlight the data to be changed.

3. Change the data.

4. Click Apply and/or Store.

Applying and Storing Changes

The following features can be selected from the Commands menu or you can click the appropriate button on the toolbar. These features write the information entered into temporary or permanent storage.

Host PC

Apply

Store

Transceiver

RAM

EEPROM

Note: Settings must be Applied before they can be Stored.

AirStream User’s Manual

Generating Reports

Configuring Y our Transceiver

Note: When you exit the conﬁguration program these changes will not remain in

Apply

This applies (transfers) changes from the all tabs into the attached transceiver’s RAM (temporary memory). This is useful when changing and testing settings you are not sure you really want.

effect. You must click Store for them to become permanent.

Store Applied Settings

Stores all Applied changes into the transcei ver’s EEPROM. These settings will remain in effect upon exiting the program. Stored changes are overwritten when new stored entries are made or when you load the default factory settings. You must Apply settings prior to storing them.

Reset Unit

Performs a soft reset of the attached unit returning the settings stored in EEPROM. An y conﬁguration settings Applied but not Stored to EEPR OM will be lost.

Load Default Settings

Reloads Factory Default settings into unit. All changes made previously will be lost.

Refresh

This queries a transceiver about its current settings. These settings will be displayed on the screen. It lets you go back to the last Stored settings before Apply w as selected. Settings will not be refreshed if Store has been selected.

GENERATING REPORTS

Reports can be generated during the Quick Conﬁgure (if the box was checked) or can be generated at any time using menu commands. Two types of reports can be generated. Information in each report can be cleared separately. Both reports generate text (.txt) ﬁles. The default

AirStream User’s Manual

Generating Reports

Configuring Y our Transceiver

location for reports is C:\Program Files\Conﬁguration Program. The RReport.txt ﬁle produces a formatted text ﬁle which can be viewed using any text reader or word processing program. For example, Microsoft Word ®. The DReport.txt produces a comma delimited ASCII report which can be viewed with any spreadsheet program, for example Microsoft Excel®. It can also be imported into a database program like Microsoft Access®.

To Add to an existing Report

1. From the File menu, select Ad d To Report.

The conﬁguration data proﬁle for the attached transceiver is added to the report in the location speciﬁed under the Report Settings command.

To change Report Settings

1. From the File menu select Report Settings.

A dialog appears showing the settings and location for storage of conﬁguration data proﬁles.

Location of file

2. Select the type of report desired or both.

Both ﬁles generated are ASCII ﬁles readable by any text reader. A readable report is formatted in ASCII with spaces and tabs to make it readable when opened in programs such as NotePad.

Comma delimited formatting is useful when you want to import the text into spreadsheet or database programs.

You can clear the contents of a report by clicking Clear Report. If you wish reports to be generated when you run Quick Conﬁguration,

the Report generation box must be checked.

3. Click OK.

AirStream User’s Manual

Power Management

Configuring Y our Transceiver

To View reports in ASCII form

1. From the File Menu, select Report Settings.

2. Locate the path to the desired report.

You can close this window and the Conﬁguration Manager if desired.

3. Using a text reader such as Notepad or a word processor, open the ﬁle.

To import reports into Microsoft Excel (for example)

1. From the File menu, select Report Settings.

2. Check Tab Delimited.

3. Open Microsoft Excel.

4. From the File menu, select Import.

The Text Import wizard appears.

5. Import the DReport.txt ﬁle.

6. Click Comma and Tab in the Delimiters box.

7. Click Next and ﬁll out the rest of the wizard as desired.

Each comma in the delimited ﬁle will be transformed into a column in the Excel spreadsheet.

POWER MANAGEMENT

There are three modes which can be used to manage the power in your transceiver . Each serv es a speciﬁc purpose and has an advantage in certain circumstances. For example, if you have a PC acting as a host to a bar code reader and printer, you can have all three transceivers in different power modes. The Host will be normal as it is always sending and receiving data. The transceiver attached to the printer can doze as it will

AirStream User’s Manual

Power Management

Configuring Y our Transceiver

only be receiving data and will wake up when it is needed to deliver incoming data to the printer. The transceiver attached to the bar code reader will only be sending so it can sleep until awakened by the reader when it needs to send data to the printer. It is possible to conserve power usage in this manner without sacriﬁcing efﬁciency of data transfer.

To change power modes

1. Click the Special Features tab.

2. Click the desired Power mode.

Mode Explanation

Normal Unit operates at full power. LED is a constant light. Sleep Unit will enter a Sleep mode with minimal power requirements.

The unit will not wake-up until data appears locally on the unit’ s serial port for transmission. During Sleep mode reception of data from another unit is not possible. This is practical for battery applications and other low power requirements. LED on unit will slowly blink on and off when unit is in Sleep mode.

Doze Unit will cycle the receiver on and off (at a 50% duty cycle).

Data can be received from another unit or transmitted from the local unit during the Doze mode. Response time in receiving data from another unit may be slightly longer than under Normal power. LED on unit will blink very rapidly when the unit is in Doze mode.

3. Click Apply and/or Store.

AirStream User’s Manual

Passwords and Access

Configuring Y our Transceiver

PASSWORDS AND ACCESS

Levels Of Access

There are two levels of access: OEM and USER. Each level has access to different sets of ﬁelds in the Conﬁguration Manager. A User has the lowest level of access and is only able to change parameters in some of the ﬁelds available to OEMs. OEMs have access to all functions.

All transceivers are shipped with OEM access. It is up to the administrator to assign user privileges from that point on.

Passwords

You can change your password as frequently as you desire. A password consists of any combination of numbers or letters up to 29 characters. If you forget your password, contact AirStream for a new password ﬁle. All units are shipped with security reasons to change your password from the factory setting.

oem as the password. It is recommended for

Depending on access level, you hav e User or OEM privile ges. The dialogs that appear and the options available vary by privilege.

Note: All units are delivered with OEM privileges.

User Functions

To change your password as a user

1. From the File menu, select Change Password.

Change password dialog appears.

2. Enter the desired criteria.

Enter your user name and new password. Retype the new password in Conﬁrm Password.

3. Click OK.

OEM Functions

All units are delivered with default OEM privileges. The system administrator must set units to User access.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using Hop Tables

Configuring Y our Transceiver

To access OEM privileges

1. From the File menu, select Change Password.

Change password dialog appears.

2. Select the desired User name from the list.

3. Change user permissions as desired.

Privilege Options

User privileges Assign privileges as OEM or User. They can also be assigned

Administrator privilege which provides the ability to change user privileges. If you are assigned as a User, you can not add other users or change the passwords of other users. Click update for these changes to take effect.

New Add a new user by typing in their name and password. You must

retype the password to conﬁrm it.

Change password Change the password of an existing user by typing in their name

and password. You must retype the password to conﬁrm it.

Remove users Removes the currently selected user.

USING HOP TABLES

A Hop Table is a listing of frequencies in a given spectrum that are used for communication. Data is sent to each frequency in the table in a hopping pattern. Hop Tables provide improved security and the ability to avoid localized noise sources. There are 100 possible Hop Tables in your transceiver (this number may vary for international transceiver models). These are subdivided into ﬁve completely independent, non-overlapping Hop Table sets, each with no more than three consecutive frequencies. Each individual network can only utilize one Hop Table.

Entering Hop Table Numbers

Hop Table numbers can only be entered or changed by using the Quick Conﬁguration wizard.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using Hop Tables

Configuring Y our Transceiver

Validating the Hop Table

Specifying Hopping Parameters

This command veriﬁes the integrity of the Hop Table stored within the transceiver. The Hop Table in the transceiver is compared to the Hop Table with the same number in the Conﬁguration Manager database. The Advanced Settings tab provides the selected Hop Table number and whether the Hop Table has passed validation and the ﬁrst and last indices used for the Hop Table. Index values are set to meet the requirements of the country in which the transceiver is deployed for a minimum number of hop frequencies. These values can not be changed to avoid violating country regulations. To validate the Hop Table, from the Commands menu, select Validate Hop Table.

You can customize Hop Table parameters by setting some features available from the Advanced Settings tab.

Max No Data

Max No Data is the number of hop cycles that must pass during which no data was received and no data was available for transmission before a session can be declared down. It is used as the trigger to end a session. After a certain number of Frames No Data between both units, the master will terminate the current session/link.

Max Bad Hop

Max Bad Hop is the number of data frames with errors received before a link is considered bad. This is the trigger to stop the current link and wait for a random standoff period (~0.5 to 3 seconds). This is due to the assumption that after 4 (system default but can be changed) consecutive bad hops, the link has been lost — either due to interference or lost synchronization. By waiting a small amount of time before attempting to reestablish the link, the obstruction (i.e., noise source) may have moved somewhere else.

Session Holdoff

This will only be enabled for a host transceiver and is required to manage the communication from multiple remotes. It prevents a host unit from

AirStream User’s Manual

ASSIGNING IDS

Assigning IDs

Configuring Y our Transceiver

starting a new session until it completes its current session. It keeps other devices from establishing a session with the host until the host has completed its current session with a particular device.

Permanent Link

This is only used in a Point to Point conﬁguration to keep a link between the two units active at all times.

Using a combination of ﬁrmware and software assigned IDs, the security of your data is ensured. Some IDs can be modiﬁed and others cannot depending on your privileges. IDs are all accessed either via Quick Conﬁguration or the General Tab.

ID Type Explanation

Vendor ID Assigned at the factory and burned into the ﬁrmware. This

Network ID A number that identiﬁes the network and makes it unique from

number is not modiﬁable. This ensures that no other AirStream customer can intercept data assigned to your ID. There are 64,000 unique Vendor IDs.

other networks in the area. All units in a network must have the same Network ID. The Network ID allows you to have multiple networks within the same transceiver space. There are up to 64,000 unique numbers. Units with different IDs cannot communicate with each other.

AirStream User’s Manual

Assigning IDs

Configuring Y our Transceiver

ID Type Explanation

Alias Network Name

Source Unit ID For Point to Point communication the source and destination IDs

Alias Source Name A descriptive name for the unit. Destination Unit

A descriptive name for the network.

must be the same number for both transceivers. For most network communication, the source ID = 0 for the host and the source IDs for the remotes are unique numbers from 1- 238.

The numeric ID of the unit that the transceiver being conﬁgured will communicate with. For Point to Point communication, the destination ID will match the source ID. For a Multi-Point network, the host will have a destination ID = X. The remotes will each have a destination ID = 0 (the host source ID number).

The way source and destination IDs are assigned differs between Point to Point and Network conﬁgurations. In Point to Point the source and destination IDs between the two units must match. Any unit with a different ID will not be able to communicate.

Transceiver 1

Source=15

Dest.=15

Transceiver 2

Source=15

Dest.=15

Transceiver 3

Source=20

Dest.=20

In a Multi-Point Network the Source for the Host PC is always zero and destination corresponds to the transceiver it is trying to communicate with in each session. It is a dynamic number. The remote units have the matching destination of zero but source numbers are unique.

Host PC

Transceiver 1

Source=1

Dest.=0

Source=0

Dest.=X

Transceiver 2

Source=2

Dest.=0

AirStream User’s Manual

SIGNAL ANALYSIS

Signal Analysis

Configuring Y our Transceiver

There are a number of features which can help you analyze the strength and consistency of your data signal. They are available via the Advanced Settings tab.

Feature Explanation

Tx Power The transmit power of the unit relative to the possible power

levels.

Power Ctrl Upper Value

Power Ctrl Lower Value

Temperature The operational temperature of the unit as reported by the

Local timeaveraged RSSI

Local instantaneous RSSI

D/A / A/D Loopback

The upper RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) threshold which when surpassed causes the unit to reduce its transmit power.

The lower RSSI threshold which when surpassed causes the unit to increase its transmit power.

thermistor in fractional volts. The RSSI averaged over the last 16 transmissions. Used in

analyzing the strength and quality of the transmit signal. The value of RSSI for the last transmission. Used in analyzing

the strength and quality of the transmit signal. Factory Diagnostic.

SERIAL SETTINGS

The Serial Settings tab allows you to select the serial port, baud rate, ﬂow control, data bit size, parity, and stop bits settings. Each side of the communication link need not have the same serial settings. Serial Settings can also be entered via Quick Conﬁguration. These settings are how the transceiver communicates with the device attached to it.

Setting Explanation

Port The particular serial port number to be used. The default setting

is COM1.

Baud Rate Speed of the serial connection for the device to which the

transceiver will be connected. Available options: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600 full duplex and 14,400 and 19,200 for asymmetrical data transfer. The asymmetrical rates will automatically default back to 9600 full duplex during periods of peak bi-directional data exchange. The default setting is 9600. For a Host transceiver the setting must be 9600. Supported values are: 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600.

AirStream User’s Manual

Serial Settings

Configuring Y our Transceiver

Setting Explanation

Flow Control A method of temporarily suspending the ﬂow of data between

two devices. Available options: None, Hardware (RTS/CTS) or Software (Xon/Xoff). The default setting is None. Software ﬂow control is not available for a Host transceiver. Flow control is a means of temporarily suspending the ﬂow of data between two devices. The most popular methods are called hardware and software ﬂow control. Hardware ﬂow control uses the RTS/CTS lines. Software ﬂow control uses special characters, often called tokens (Xon/Xoff) to achieve the same result. Hardware ﬂow control is typically the more common of the two methods. When using asymmetrical data rates, hardware control should be used to ensure data buffers are not ov erﬁlled which can result in a loss of data. Supported values for Flow Control are: None, Hardware, or Software.

Data Bits Represents the number of bits within each piece of data.

Available options: 7 or 8. The default setting is 8. A host transceiver must be set to 8.

Parity Traditionally used as a method of detecting data errors. A v ailable

options: None, Odd, Even, Mark, or Space. The default setting is None. A host transceiver must be set to N.

GPIO Mode When enabled this allows for a General Purpose Input and

Output pin to be assigned on the RS232 connector (e.g. RTS & CTS). This provides additional beneﬁt for contact closure applications such as opening/closing, turning on/off, notifying when speciﬁc events have occurred. When this function is enabled, Hardware Flow Control will be automatically disabled.

NOTE: You must assign control lines in your network utility software for GPIO mode to take affect.

Stop Bits Available options: 1 or 2. The default setting is 1. A Host

transceiver must be set to 1.

Supported combinations for Data Bits, Parity, and Stop Bits are:

Note: When setting up a Host device within a Network setting, the conﬁguration

program will automatically preset the serial parameters to: 9600, 8, N, 1. These settings are required for the Network Software Utility to ensure the best possible data transfer speeds.

AirStream User’s Manual

--- 7, None, 2 8, None, 1 7, Odd, 1 7, Odd, 2 8, Odd, 1 7, Even, 1 7, Even, 2 8, Even, 1 7, Mark, 1 7, Mark, 2 8, Mark, 1 7, Space, 1 7, Space, 2 8, Space, 1

DATA THRESHOLD

To set data threshold

1. Click the Special Features tab.

2. Click Enabled.

3. Enter Time and Size criteria.

Data Threshold

Configuring Y our Transceiver

This feature allows a predetermined time to elapse or amount of data to accumulate before a data transfer session is initiated. It is accessed through the Special Features tab.

Setting Explanation

Time A number (from 1 to 65,535) will specify the number of

100msec increments that must elapse between the initial receipt of data (locally) before a data transfer with another transceiver is initiated. This will provide up to 109 minutes of time that data can accumulate before a transfer. The time must be set to ensure that no more than 4K (the size of the data transfer storage buffer) of data collects before a transfer occurs. If the buffer were to ﬁll up before a transfer, all additional data would be lost.

Size Up to 4096 bytes of data can be collected before a data transfer is

initiated.

AirStream User’s Manual

Data Threshold

Configuring Y our Transceiver

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 5: Setting up a Network with ComPort

Note that network software utilities are optional;

contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems for details.

ComPort Intercept™ is a Windows communication driver (software application) that intercepts all RS232 trafﬁc and automatically reroutes it to/from the host transceiver. It allows up to 16 transceivers to be

conﬁgured in a network topology. One transceiver is

designated as the host and is connected to a local personal computer with up to 15 remote units in the network. The remote units can be dumb or intelligent.

In this Chapter

• ComPort Intercept

• ComPort Conﬁgurator

• ComPort Activator

• Virtual Ports

•Physical Ports

The Host PC must be running a Microsoft W indo ws 95 or 98 operating system. ComPort Intercept allows the host transceiver to be conﬁgured to provide the network management functions. It can have multiple applications on the host communicating through the virtual ports at the same time. It can be used for MultiPoint or Repeater Network topologies.

This chapter discusses the conﬁguration of the small network. It assumes that the ComPort Intercept software has been correctly installed.

ComPort Intercept consists of two components which are designed to hook into Windows serial communication trafﬁc and transparently reroute the data through a Multi-Point or Repeater Network. The Conﬁgurator component is used to conﬁgure the Windows System Registry, by creating virtual communications devices. The Activator component is the actual loader/driver that will run in the background of the operating system and capture any conﬁgured serial data trafﬁc and reroute it to the assigned remote transceiver and application program.

The host transceiver needs to be assigned to a physical communication port (typically COM1 or COM2). Virtual ports are created and assigned a remote Unit ID which corresponds to a particular remote transceiver’s Source ID Number thereby creating a logical association between each virtual COM port number and a remote transceiver within the network.

AirStream User’s Manual

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

Note: The ComPort Intercept program will work with various client programs

that communicate via COM ports (e.g., HyperTerminal) with serial rates of greater than 115K baud. While "over the air" data rates are effectively 9600 full duplex, the ComPort Intercept process will buffer data to each application according to its particular requirements. Internal buffer space for each virtual port is 8K Bytes.

Note: You can not activate ComPort Activator if any other application is

currently using the Physical COM port that has been conﬁgured for the host transceiver on the network (e.g., Conﬁguration Manager).

COMPORT CONFIGURATOR

Microsoft Windows requires that all physical and virtual ports be registered within the System Registry for proper operation. ComPort Conﬁgurator is used to create and conﬁgure virtual ports and assign them to the host.

You can make changes to ComPort Conﬁgurator options either by clicking the appropriate icon or clicking the right mouse button and selecting the desired topic. All instructions given are based on clicking an icon.

To run ComPort Conﬁgurator

1. In Windows, select Start then ComPort Intercept Program and then

ComPort Conﬁgurator.

AirStream User’s Manual

Setting up a Network with ComPort

The ComPort Intercept main window appears.

ComPort Configurator

Toolbar

Physical Port Window

Assignment Arrows

Virtual Port Window

Note: For Developer Kits only, the hardware key must be connected to the

parallel port of the computer for the ComPort Conﬁgurator to run. The Physical Port window shows:

• all physical COM ports as contained within the Host PC (this will include any modems or other assigned ports)

• the one serial port assigned to the host transceiver

•any assigned virtual ports (if this is the ﬁrst time you are running the ComPort Conﬁgurator program, no virtual ports will be shown)

The Virtual Port window lists all available virtual ports that hav e not been assigned to a particular physical port (e.g., a temporary storage/ maintenance area). If this is the ﬁrst time that you have used the Port Conﬁgurator program, this area should be blank.

When the program is opened, only the Add Virtual Port icon and Help icons on the Toolbar are active. Other icons are deactivated.

AirStream User’s Manual

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

Advanced View

This check box allows you to change the ﬁelds displayed in the main window. Advance view provides more detailed information and options by adding new columns. These include Input, Output, and Tx Purge which are all described in this chapter.

Entering and Changing Information

Adding Virtual Ports

AirStream User’s Manual

You can use the left and right assignment arrows to move items between the Physical Port and Virtual Port windows or you can drag and drop items. There are also items available on the right-click pop-up menu.

You will need to add a virtual port for each device in your small network. New port numbers are created in numerical order. Up to 15 virtual ports can be created; howev er, the actual number will be limited by the number of physical COM ports that are assigned. If the Physical Port window shows more than the host transceiver as a physical COM port, the available virtual ports will be decreased from 15 accordingly.

The number of virtual ports can vary depending on network size (15 remotes maximum) and the number of physical ports in use (if 4 Physical Ports are in use, the maximum number of virtual ports will be 12).

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

To Add Virtual Ports:

1. Click Add Virtual Ports on the toolbar.

You can also right-click and select Add Virtual Port from the menu. This applies to many features in this application.

The Add Virtual Ports dialog appears.

2. Enter the number of ports you wish to add.

This number should equal the amount of devices on your network (not including the host machine)

3. Click OK.

A message appears asking you to restart the computer.

4. Click NO.

5. Select a virtual port.

6. Click Assign Unit ID Number.

The Assign De vice ID dialog appears which allo ws you to enter a Remote Unit ID number for the selected virtual port. The Remote Unit ID Number is equal to a remote transceiver’s Source ID number. You can select a number between 1 and 238.

7. Enter the desired number.

8. Repeat steps 6-8 for each port added.

Note: Using standard W indows methods, you may also change the name of each

port while it is selected.

9. Select the virtual port(s) in the Virtual Port window.

Note: You can shift-click the ﬁrst and last port to select all virtual ports or

control-click to select a varying group of ports, or you may do each port individually.

10. Select the appropriate physical COM port in the Physical Port window.

This will be the COM port to which the host transceiver is connected. The left assignment arrow is enabled. You can now associate each virtual port with a physical host port as

displayed in the Physical Port window.

11. Click the Left Assignment arrow.

This will transfer the virtual ports to the host transceiver and establish the virtual communication link between the host transceiver and remote devices.

AirStream User’s Manual

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

If your PC has more than one physical port, make sure you assign the virtual ports to the correct physical port number.

Attach to Host is available on the right-click pop-up menu in the Virtual Port window. When invoked, the currently selected port is moved to the Physical Port window under the last selected host. available on the right-click pop-up menu in the Physical Port window. When invoked the currently selected port is moved to the Virtual Port window . These can be used instead of the drag and drop or the assignment arrow features.

Note: If you have selected multiple ports, it is more efﬁcient to use the drag and

drop method to assign them.

Detach from Host is

Note: Virtual ports can not be associated with a physical port until the Remote

Unit ID number has been assigned.

12. Click Exit.

13. Restart Windows.

Each time a virtual port is Added or Deleted, a message asking if you want to restart windows will be displayed. Windows must be restarted when virtual ports are added or deleted (this is a Microsoft Windows requirement).

AirStream User’s Manual

Setting Control Line Parameters

Available in Advanced View, this feature allows you to assign Input and Output lines. You must have GPIO mode turned on for the host and at least one remote on the network. This is assigned in the Conﬁguration Manager as shown in “GPIO Mode” on page 47. An y remote device using GPIO mode can not use hardware ﬂow control. GPIO mode will only work in Point to Point and some Network topologies.

1. In Advanced View, click the Set Control Line icon.

A dialog appears.

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

You can also select Control Lines from the right-click menu.

2. Click the desired radio buttons.

Select the desired input and output lines.

3. Click OK.

The assigned input and output lines are displayed in the Input and Output columns in the main window.

Tx Purge

Available in Advanced View, this feature allows you to create a buffer within the ComPort intercept program for outgoing data. If the host is sending but the remote is not ready to receive, this can be a useful tool. You can set the buffer size and the amount of seconds before time-out. By default, Purge Control is enabled with a maximum threshold (8192 bytes) and a timeout setting (1000 seconds).

1. Select the desired port.

2. Right-click.

AirStream User’s Manual

ComPort Configurator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

3. Select the Set Purge Control from the pop-up menu.

4. Select the desired criteria.

You can select the buffer size (Threshold) between 1 and 8192 and amount of seconds between 1 and 1000 before time-out. Clicking the checkbox will turn this criteria on. The check will also be displayed in the main window view.

5. Click OK.

This information is added to the TX Purge column for that port.

6. Toggle the purge feature on and off by checking/unchecking the box for

that port.

Remove Unit ID Number

This button will remove the Remote Unit ID number associated with a selected virtual port. Remember that the Remote Unit ID Number is equal to a remote transceiver’s Source ID number.

To remove ID numbers

1. Highlight desired port.

2. Click Remove Unit ID.

The ID is removed. If an ID is removed and you are letting the program increment IDs, the ID removed will be skipped and not reassigned. You will have to reassign it manually, if desired.

AirStream User’s Manual

Remove Virtual Communications Port

This button will remove the selected virtual port from the system registry.

To remove a virtual port

1. Select the desired port.

2. Click Remove Port.

The port is removed from the display and from the system registry.

3. Remove all desired ports.

4. Restart Windows.

The port will not actually be removed until Windows is restarted.

Renaming Virtual Ports

The system will automatically name each virtual port sequentially. You can rename the virtual ports to a more conventional notation.

Using ComPort Activator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

To rename a virtual port

1. Select the virtual port.

2. Right-click and select Rename.

The name ﬁeld is now editable.

3. Edit the name of the port.

You may use up to 20 characters for the name. A descriptive name such as “Printer”, may help you remember what equipment each port represents.

USING COMPORT ACTIVATOR

To complete the setup of the Small Network, the ComPort Activator program must be activated. This program resides in the lower right hand of the computer task bar as represented by its icon. ComPort Activator runs in the background, captures virtual port trafﬁc, and reroutes it as speciﬁed by ComPort Conﬁgurator.

Note: The Conﬁguration Manager will not work if the ComPort Activator

program is running in the background. Suspend or unload ComPort Activator when using the Conﬁguration Manager to make changes.

Note: For Developer Kits only, the white hardware key must be connected to the

parallel port of the computer for the ComPort Activator to run.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using ComPort Activator

Setting up a Network with ComPort

ComPort Activator

To run ComPort Activator

1. Double click the ComPort Activator icon in the right hand corner of your

desktop or click Load Driver in the Conﬁgurator Main window.

You may also select Start> Programs> ComPort Intercept Program> ComPort Activator .

The icon now appears active and ComPort Activator is running in the background. All serial communication trafﬁc is redirected between the host transceiver and remote transceivers according to the network of virtual ports created with the ComPort Conﬁgurator program.

Note: If you right click the icon, a list of several options will be displayed (Load

& Unload ComPort Acti vator, Load with Windows [at start-up] and Exit). You can also open your ComPort Conﬁgurator from this menu.

Note: Once ComPort Acti vator is running, restrict all application programs from

using the physical serial port which has been assigned to the host transceiver.

To stop ComPort Activator

1. Double click the ComPort Activator icon.

2. A red symbol indicates that ComPort Activator is now inactive.

To start ComPort Activator when you start windows

1. Right-click the ComPort Activator icon.

2. Select Load With Windows.

ComPort Activator will automatically start each time you restart Windows.

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 6: Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

Note that network software utilities are optional;

contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems for details.

TCP/IP Intercept™ is a software package that provides all the functionality you need to route wireless data packets through a Host PC to and from as many as 238 devices. The remote units can be dumb or intelligent.

238

The Host PC must be running a Microsoft W indo ws 95

or 98 operating system. TCP/IP Intercept allows the

In this Chapter

• TCP/IP Intercept

• TCP/IP Conﬁgurator

• TCP/IP Activator

• TCP/IP ports

host transceiver to be conﬁgured to support the network management functions. This chapter discusses the conﬁguration of the TCP/IP network. It assumes that the TCP/IP software has been installed. TCP/IP enables multiple applications in various locations on the network to communicate. Remote units can send data to the host transceiver one at a time while the host can send to many applications on the PC all at once depending on the network topology. TCP/IP Intercept can be used with Multi-Point and Repeater Network topologies.

TCP/IP Intercept consists of two components which are designed to hook into TCP/IP communication trafﬁc and transparently reroute the data through a Multi-Point or Repeater Network. The Conﬁgurator component is used to assign TCP/IP post addresses to multiple devices on a network. The Activator component is the actual loader/driver that will run in the background of the operating system and capture any conﬁgured TCP/IP trafﬁc and reroute it to the assigned remote transceiver and application program.

The host transceiver needs to be assigned to one physical communication port (typically COM1 or COM2). TCP/IP ports are created and assigned a remote Unit ID Number that corresponds to a particular remote transceiver’s Source ID Number thereby creating a logical association between each TCP/IP port and a remote transceiver within the network. The entire network consisting of a host and multiple remotes must reside on one physical COM port.

AirStream User’s Manual

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

Note: The TCP/IP Intercept program will work with various client programs

Note: You cannot load TCP/IP Intercept any other applications are currently

Note: All functions will be disabled in the Conﬁgurator if the Activator is

Note: You cannot implement GPIO mode on TCP/IP networks. Note: The base IP address used by the TCP/IP Intercept Program is that of the

that communicate via TCP/IP assignable ports (e.g., HyperTerminal or Telnet) serial rates of greater than 115K baud. While ‘over the air’ data rates are effectively 9600 full duplex, the TCP/IP Intercept process will buffer data to each application according to its particular requirements. Internal buffer space for each TCP/IP port is 8K Bytes.

using the physical COM port you have conﬁgured for your network (e.g., Conﬁguration Manager)

currently loaded.

Host computer. See your local system administrator if you are unsure of the number.

TCP/IP CONFIGURATOR

This program is used to create and conﬁgure TCP/IP ports and assign them to the host.

You can make changes to TCP/IP Conﬁgurator options either by clicking the appropriate icon or clicking the right mouse button and selecting the desired topic. All instructions given are based on clicking an icon.

To run TCP/IP Conﬁgurator

1. In Windows, select Start then Programs then TCP/IP Intercept Program

and then TCP/IP Conﬁgurator.

If you already have TCP/IP ports conﬁgured, you can also open this program by right clicking the TCP/IP icon at the bottom right of your desktop and selecting Show Conﬁgurator.

AirStream User’s Manual

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

The TCP/IP Intercept main window appears with the Design tab open.

Change View

Physical Port Window

Assignment Arrows

TCP/IP Port Window

Load/Unload Activator

The Physical Port window shows:

• all physical COM ports as contained within the Host PC (this will include any modems or other assigned ports)

• one serial port assigned to the host transceiver

Toolbar

The TCP/IP Port window lists all available TCP/IP ports that have not been assigned to a particular physical port (e.g., a temporary storage/ maintenance area). If this is the ﬁrst time that you have used the TCP/IP Conﬁgurator program, this area should be blank.

When the program is opened, only the Add TCP/IP Port icon and Help icons on the Toolbar are active. Other icons are deactivated.

Advanced View

AirStream User’s Manual

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

Entering and Changing Information

You can use the left and right assignment arrows to move items between the Physical Port and TCP/IP Port windows or you can drag and drop items.

Adding TCP/IP Ports

You will need to add a TCP/IP port for each device in your small network. New port numbers are created in numerical order.

To Add TCP/IP Ports:

1. Click Add TCP/IP Port on the toolbar.

You can also right-click and select Add TCP/IP Port from the menu. This applies to many features in this application.

The Add TCP/IP Port dialog appears.

AirStream User’s Manual

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

2. Enter the desired criteria.

Enter the number of ports you would like to add. The total number of ports should equal the amount of remote transceivers on your network (not including the host machine). The maximum number of ports allowed with the TCP/IP Conﬁgurator is no more than 238.

Enter the starting port number (these will be incremented by 1). The TCP/ IP port numbers available are between 1024 and 10,000. Enter the maximum number of connections you would like to allow for each port. The maximum number of connections cannot be greater than 8. These connections should be the number of concurrent applications that will be logged into the TCP/IP Intercept.

The Auto Assign feature allows you to automatically increment the Remote Unit ID number as you are creating multiple TCP/IP ports. The start window will allow you to choose the Remote Unit ID number you wish to start with. This feature will be of particular use when conﬁguring a large network from the beginning. Remember the Remote Unit ID number must match the Source ID number of the remote transceiver.

You can also use the two buttons in the toolbar to Assign Unit ID Number

of Remove Unit ID Number.

Note: Using standard W indows methods, you may change the name of each port

while it is selected.

3. Click OK.

4. Select the port(s) in the TCP/IP Port window.

Note: You can shift-click the ﬁrst and last port to select all TCP/IP ports or

control-click to select a varying group of ports, or you may do each port individually.

5. Select the appropriate physical COM port in the Physical Port window.

This will be the COM port to which the host transceiver is connected. The left assignment arrow is enabled. You can now associate each TCP/IP port with a physical communications

port.

Note: All devices in the network must reside on one physical port.

6. Click the Left Assignment arrow.

This will transfer the TCP/IP ports to the host transceiver and establish the TCP/IP communication link between the host transceiver and remote devices.

If your Host PC has more than one physical port, make sure you assign the TCP/IP ports to the correct physical port number.

AirStream User’s Manual

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

Attach to Host is available on the right-click pop-up menu in the TCP/IP Port window. When invoked, the currently selected port is moved to the Physical Port window under the last selected host. Detach from Host is available on the right-click pop-up menu in the Physical Port window. When invoked, the currently selected port is moved to the TCP/IP Port window. These can be used instead of the drag and drop or assignment arrow features.

Note: If you have selected multiple ports, it is more efﬁcient to use the drag and

drop method to assign them.

Note: TCP/IP ports can not be associated with a physical port until the Remote

Unit ID number has been assigned.

7. Click Exit.

Editing Ports

You can change the assigned TCP/IP port number and the maximum amount of connections at any time.

1. Select the desired port.

2. Right-click.

3. Select the Edit TCP Port from the pop-up menu.

4. Select the desired criteria.

5. Click OK.

AirStream User’s Manual

Setting Control Line Parameters

Available in Advanced View, this feature allows you to assign Input and Output lines. You must have GPIO mode turned on for the host and at least one remote on the network. This is assigned in the Conﬁguration Manager as shown in “GPIO Mode” on page 47. You can not use this feature in conjunction with Hardware Flow Control.

1. In Advanced View, click the Set Control Line icon.

A dialog appears.

TCP/IP Configurator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

You can also select Control Lines from the right-click menu.

2. Click the desired radio buttons.

Select the desired input and output lines.

3. Click OK.

The assigned input and output lines are displayed in the Input and Output columns in the main window.

Remove Unit ID Number

This button will remove the Remote Unit ID number associated with a selected TCP/IP port. Remember that the Remote Unit ID Number is equal to a Remote transceivers Source ID number.

To remove ID numbers

1. Highlight desired port.

2. Click Remove Unit ID.

The ID is removed. If an ID is removed and you are letting the program increment IDs, the ID removed will be skipped and not reassigned. You will have to reassign it manually, if desired.

AirStream User’s Manual

Monitoring Activity

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

Remove TCP/IP COM Port

To remove a TCP/IP port

1. Highlight desired port(s).

2. Click Remove TCP Port.

Note: The port can only be removed while it resides in the TCP/IP port window .

Renaming TCP/IP Ports

To rename a TCP/IP port

1. Select the TCP/IP port.

2. Right-click and select Rename.

3. Edit the name of the port.

This button will remove the selected TCP/IP port.

The port is removed.

The system will automatically name each TCP/IP port sequentially. You can rename the TCP/IP ports to a more conventional notation.

The name ﬁeld is now editable.

You may use up to 20 characters for the name. A descriptive name such as “Printer”, may help you remember what equipment each port represents.

MONITORING ACTIVITY

You can monitor communication port, TCP/IP port, and connection activity on your network.

To Monitor activity

1. Open TCP/IP Conﬁgurator.

2. Click Load Driver (if the Activator is not already loaded).

AirStream User’s Manual

3. Click the Control Tab.

Monitoring Activity

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

4. Double-click the Communication port.

Information about the port is displayed on the right side of the window. The TCP/IP ports are displayed.

5. Double-click the desired TCP/IP port.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using TCP/IP Activator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

6. Double-click the desired connection.

Information about the port is displayed on the right side of the window. The connections (IP addresses) are displayed.

Information about the connection is displayed on the right side of the window.

USING TCP/IP ACTIVATOR

To complete the setup of the network, the TCP/IP Acti v ator program must be activated. This program resides in the lo wer right hand of the computer task bar as represented by its icon. TCP/IP Activator runs in the background, captures trafﬁc from TCP/IP port as assigned by TCP/IP Conﬁgurator.

Note: You cannot load the TCP/IP Activ ator if an y other application is currently

using the physical COM port you have conﬁgured for the network. Suspend or unload TCP/IP Activator when using the Conﬁguration Manager to make changes.

Note: For Developer Kits only, the green hardware key must be connected to the

parallel port of the computer for the TCP/IP Activator to run.

TCP/IP Activator

To run TCP/IP Activator

1. Double click the TCP/IP Activator icon in the right hand corner of your

desktop or click Load Driver in the Conﬁgurator Main window.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using TCP/IP Activator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

The icon now appears active and TCP/IP Activator is running in the background. All serial communication trafﬁc is redirected between the Host transceiver and remotes according to the network of TCP/IP ports created with the TCP/IP Conﬁgurator program.

Note: If you right click the icon, a list of several options will be displayed (Load

& Unload TCP/IP Activator, Load with Windows [at start-up] and Exit). You can also open your TCP/IP Conﬁgurator from this menu.

Note: Once TCP/IP Activator is running, restrict all application programs from

using the physical serial port which has been assigned to the Host transceiver.

To stop TCP/IP Activator

1. Double click the TCP/IP Activator icon.

2. A red symbol indicates that TCP/IP Activ ator is now inactive.

To start TCP/IP Activator when you start windows

1. Right-click the TCP/IP Activator icon.

2. Select Load With Windows.

TCP/IP Activator will automatically start each time you restart Windows

AirStream User’s Manual

Using TCP/IP Activator

Setting up a Network with TCP/IP

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 7: ActiveX Network Applications

Custom

Application

238

Note that network software utilities are optional;

contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems for details.

The ActiveX Library provides a number of API system calls which can be used to create custom network

In this Chapter

• Location of sample ﬁles

• ActiveX API

applications which can link as many as 238 devices in Multi-Point and Repeater Network topologies. One application controls the entire network. The ActiveX

driver may be used for Windows NT as well as Windows 95/98 and above.

You can use any Windows compliant compiler, however, the examples provided in the following functions are speciﬁc to Visual C++, Visual Basic, and Visual J++. The sample code placed on your system during installation is also based on these three compilers. These ﬁles have been modularized to emphasize the unique properties of each of these compilers and the various system calls. Please use these examples as your instructional material for creating an application template. They are located in C:\Program Files\Zeuswireless\Samples. These samples include a simple Host to Multi-point application, a ping application, a background printing function, and complex example that incorporates all of these. This chapter provides the entire ActiveX API.

WCI_OPEN

Note: GPIO transactions are performed on a per device basis.

This function is used to open a communications port (handle) and establish a connection with the host transceiver. The speciﬁc Serial Port number is assigned within the properties screen of the ActiveX device, this is a design time variable assignment.

Syntax

lHandle = wCi_Open() as long;

Return V alue

> 0 handle of the communication, < 0 Failure to connect the port.

AirStream User’s Manual

wCi_Close

ActiveX Network Applications

WCI_CLOSE

This function is used to close the communications port, which was previously opened with the wCi_Open function.

Syntax

void wCi_Close(long lHandle)

Parameters

WCI_WRITEDATAEX

This function is used to write the data buffer to a speciﬁc destination ID.

Syntax

lHandle The handle of the communication returned

from wCi_Open.

Result = wCi_WriteDataEx(VARIANT WriteBuf, long WriteLen, long lDestID, long lHandle) as long;

Parameters

WriteBuf The data to be transmitted. WriteLen Number of bytes contained in the string. lDestID The identity of the destination unit that data will be

lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result > 0 The length of transmitted data.

transmitted to.

= 0 No data was transferred. < 0 No transceiver is available to transfer.

AirStream User’s Manual

WCI_GETDESTINATIONID

This function is used to get the current identity of the destination unit as contained in the host unit.

Syntax

Result = wCi_GetDestinationID(long lHandle) as long;

Parameters

lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result The ID of the destination unit.

WCI_CHECKRXQUE

wCi_GetDestinationID

ActiveX Network Applications

This function is used to check the number of incoming messages contained within the receive queue.

Syntax

Result = wCi_CheckRxQue(long lHandle) as long;

Parameters

lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result Returns the number of the incoming messages

WCI_SETOUTPUTDEVICEID

This function is used to set the output device to log all incoming data. All data received from any remote device will be passed up to the application program as well as forwarded to the listed devices.

Syntax

currently in the receive queue.

void wCi_SetOutputDeviceID(short iPrintID, long lHandle);

AirStream User’s Manual

wCi_StartStopPrinting

ActiveX Network Applications

Parameters

iPrintID The ID of the output device. lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

WCI_STARTSTOPPRINTING

This function is used to start and stop the logging of the output device.

Syntax

void wCi_StartStopPrinting(short iStatus, long lHandle);

Parameters

iStatus The status of output device. ‘True’ starts logging.

‘False’ stops logging.

lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

WCI_GETSOURCEID

This function is used to get the host transceiver’s ID.

Syntax

Result = wCi_GetSourceID(long lHandle) as long;

Parameters

lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result Returns the host transceiver’s ID.

AirStream User’s Manual

WCI_SETGPIOOUTPUT

This function is used to set the GPIO output line on the speciﬁc device.

Note: GPIO must be enabled on the host transceiver as well as the listed device

contained in this function call. GPIO is enabled via the Conﬁguration Manager as described in Quick Conﬁguration on page 27.

Syntax

wCi_SetGpioOutput(short iStatus, long lDestID, long lHandle);

Parameters

iStatus Output status which can be 0 or 1. lDestID The destination ID. 1Handle The handle of the communications port being used.

wCi_SetGpioOutput

ActiveX Network Applications

WCI_GETGPIOOUTPUT

This function is used to read the current GPIO output status line on the selected devices.

Note: GPIO must be enabled on the host transceiver as well as the listed device

contained in this function call. GPIO is enabled via the Conﬁguration Manager as described in Quick Conﬁguration on page 27.

Syntax

Result = wCi_GetGpioOutput(long lDestID, long lHandle) as short;

Parameters

lDestID The destination ID. lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result Returns the status. 0 is OFF, 1 is ON.

AirStream User’s Manual

wCi_GetGpioInput

ActiveX Network Applications

WCI_GETGPIOINPUT

This function is used to read the GPIO input status line on the selected device.

Note: GPIO must be enabled on the host transceiver as well as the listed device

contained in this function call. GPIO is enabled via the Conﬁguration Manager as described in Quick Conﬁguration on page 27.

Syntax

Result = wCi_GetGpioInput(long lDestID, long lHandle) as short;

Parameters

lDestID The destination ID. lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result Returns an integer which denotes the status. 0 is OFF

WCI_GETGPIOMODE

This function is used to verify that GPIO has been enabled.

Note: GPIO must be enabled on the Host transceiver as well as the listed device

contained in this function call. GPIO is enabled via the Conﬁguration Manager as described in Quick Conﬁguration on page 27.

Syntax

Result = wCi_GetGpioMode(long lDestID, long lHandle) as short;

Parameters

lDestID The destination ID. lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

1 is ON.

Result Returns a 1 if GPIO is enabled.

AirStream User’s Manual

WCI_PING

wCi_Ping

ActiveX Network Applications

This function is used to check if a particular remote device is available.

Syntax

Result = wCi_Ping(long lDestID, long lHandle) as short;

Parameters

lDestID The destination ID. lHandle The handle of the communications port being used.

Return V alue

Result Returns the following possible status results.

0 - Not available 1 - Available

ABOUTBOX

Syntax

NEWMESSAGE

Syntax

2 - The host device is currently too busy to perform this check

This function is used to display the About message box (i.e., version number).

void AboutBox();

This is an event/callback function that occurs whenever a new message has been received from the driver.

void NewMessage(short iStatus, long lDestID, VARIANT DataInfo, long Datalen);

AirStream User’s Manual

ActiveX Design Time Properties Page:

ActiveX Network Applications

Parameters

iStatus Predeﬁned message types:

0 – Data received 1 – Time-out or error condition 4 – GPIO event, remote input when low

5 – GPIO event, remote input when high lDestID The destination ID. DataInfo The string that has been received. Datalen Number of bytes contained in the DataInfo string.

ACTIVEX DESIGN TIME PROPERTIES PAGE:

CommPort The speciﬁc Serial Port connected to the host

transceiver. Range: 1, 2, 3 and 4. Timeout A global timeout value (in seconds) used when

attempting to communicate with a remote device.

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 8: T esting Your Units

You can test the operation of transceivers in a variety of ways using the Conﬁguration Manager. The instructions in these chapter assume that the Conﬁguration Manager is correctly installed and the transceiver is properly connected to your PC. These tests include:

• Terminal mode

• Loopback test (Stand-alone model only)

TERMINAL MODE TEST

The Terminal Mode tab provides a simple terminal interface from which data can be sent between two units conﬁgured as a Point to Point Pair. Anything typed in the input ﬁeld of transceiver 1 will immediately be transferred to transceiver 2. The data is displayed in the transmit pane for transceiver 1 and the receive pane for transceiver 2. (Note you will only see received data if the destination transcei ver is connected to a PC with Conﬁguration loaded and open or if the destination PC’s transceiver has a loopback connector.)

In this Chapter

•Terminal Mode

• Loopback

• Rx and Tx Panes

• Using HyperTer minal

What Y ou Need

• Two transceivers (A and B) conﬁgured as a Point to

Point Pair

The Source Unit ID of unit A equals the Destination Unit ID of unit B and vice-versa. In addition, both units must have matching Vendor ID numbers, Network ID numbers and Hop Table numbers.

• One of these units is connected to a PC with the

Conﬁguration Manager loaded.

AirStream User’s Manual

Loopback Test

Testing Your Units

Performing the Test

To test communications between units:

1. Open the Conﬁguration Manager.

See Conﬁguring your Transceiver on page 25.

2. Click the Terminal Mode tab.

3. In Test String, enter some text.

4. Click Resent.

The test string is transmitted to the Destination Unit

LOOPBACK T EST

The Loopback Test screen allows you to perform two functions; to test that two units can communicate and to determine the best placement of one unit relative to another based on received signal strength. This test is only used for stand-alone models.

AirStream User’s Manual

What Y ou Need

• Two transceivers (A and B) conﬁgured as a Point to Point Pair

The Source Unit ID of unit A equals the Destination Unit ID of unit B and vice-versa. In addition, both units must have matching V endor ID numbers, Network ID numbers and Hop Table numbers. Transceiver A is connected to a PC loaded with the Conﬁguration Manager,

• Loopback connector

Transceiv er B (the one not connected to the PC running this program) must have a loopback connector (pins 2 and 3 of the serial port tied together) on the serial port of the remote unit.

Performing the Test

To test communications between units

1. Open the Conﬁguration Program.

See Conﬁguring your Transceiver on page 25.

2. Click the Loopback T est tab.

3. In Test String, enter some text.

4. Enter the desired criteria in other ﬁelds in this group.

The default values are recommended for this type of testing. 100 msec is minimum for Repeat Every.

5. Click Start.

The test string is transmitted to the Destination Unit and looped back to the Source Unit.

The RX Pane shows the test string as received by the transceiver connected to the computer after being loopbacked from the remote transceiver. If no data is received within the timeout period the message !Timeout! is printed in the RX Pane. The TX Pane sho ws the test string as typed in the dialogue box.

Loopback Test

Testing Your Units

To test the placement of a unit:

1. Click the Loopback T est tab.

1. Click Test.

2. Click Instantaneous RSSI.

3. In Test String, enter some text.

4. Enter the desired criteria in other ﬁelds in this group.

The default values are recommended for this type of testing.

5. Click Start.

AirStream User’s Manual

Loopback Test

Testing Your Units

AirStream User’s Manual

Viewing Data In The Rx And Tx

Testing Your Units

6. Move one or both units until the greatest RSSI v alues f or local and remote

are achieved. The optimization of the unit placement does not have to be too exact. An RSSI value above the half mark is acceptable.

VIEWING DATA IN THE RX AND TX PANES

These display areas show the data being transmitted and received during tests. The RX panes shows data being received into the transceiver. The TX pane shows data being transmitted from the transceiver. All data sent will be displayed and at times the pane may become cluttered. You can use the Clear buttons on the toolbar or the commands in the Edit menu to clear the panes of data. T o clear data in the panes, select Clear RX Pane or Clear TX Pane.

AirStream User’s Manual

Using Hyperterminal

Testing Your Units

USING HYPERTERMINAL

On every Windows system there is a terminal program called HyperTerminal. The following instructions show how to use HyperTerminal to test data communication for Point to Point or Multipoint networks.

To use Hyperterminal

1. Select Start> Program Files> Accessories> Communications>

HyperTerminal.

2. Double-click HyperTerminal.exe.

The main window appears with a session window active.

3. Enter a name for this session and click the ﬁrst icon (red and yellow

telephones).

4. Click OK.

The Connect To window appears.

5. Select a connection option.

6. For Point to Point and ComPort Intercept select the direct Com port. (This

is the COM Port used to connect the transceiver in the Conﬁguration Manager). Fill out the

Conﬁguration Manager.

For TCP/IP select TCP/IP(winsock).

7. Enter the Begin Typing and watch for the results.

Note: If you type but do not see the characters on screen and wish to see them,

select File> Properties> Settings> ASCII setup> Echo Typed Characters Locally.

serial settings to match what you have set in the

AirStream User’s Manual

Note: If you are testing Multi-Point or Repeater with ComPort Intercept or TCP/

IP Intercept their Activators must be running.

Chapter 9: T roubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Possible Solution

“(?) Timeout” messages are displayed in the Conﬁguration Manager general tab ﬁelds.

Antenna cannot be threaded onto the antenna connector.

In Network mode a link gets stuck on—that is, LEDs 1 & 2 stay lit.

LED 1 not lit Power is not being

LED 1and LED 2 ﬂashes 3 times

Open the Conﬁguration Manager and get an error message

Point to Point or remote transceiver in a network is malfunctioning with a 9 wire cable

The Conﬁguration Program will not start

The equipment is not connected properly.

Wrong serial port is selected.

Antenna and antenna connector have “lefthanded” threads.

The application program running on the host PC is writing to the physical COM port which is attached to the host transceiver, instead of writing to a virtual COM port.

supplied to unit.

Normal operation. No need to troubleshoot.

Outdated DLL. Run 401COMUPD.exe included

The device to which the transceiver is connected is activating the pin utilized by the Zeus Network Software Utility.

ComPort or TCP/IP Activator program is running in the background.

Check that all connections are secure. Make sure transceiver has power (LED 1 is lit).

Select the correct serial port in the Serial tab of the Conﬁguration Manager.

Turn antenna connector counterclockwise to attach to transceiver.

Power off the host transcei ver and ensure that the mapping of virtual COM ports to a physical COM port is correct. Make sure that the ComPort Activator is running. Make sure that the application program is not writing data to the PC’s physical COM port which is attached to the transceiver.

Check power supply connection into unit and outlet. Make sure supply of power is active.

in program disk to install COMCTL32.DLL in your C:\Windows\System directory.

Try replacing the 9 wire cable with a 5 wire cable. If this corrects the problem, utilize the 5 wire cable.

Suspend or unload Activators when using the Conﬁguration Program to make changes.

In this Chapter

• Problem

•Possible Cause

• Solution

AirStream User’s Manual

Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Possible Solution

Unit is being sent data but is not receiving

User applications report a “timeout” while waiting for a response from another user-supplied device (e.g. printer or computer) connected to the remote transceiver.

Power mode settings (sleep) can prevent the transfer of data.

Longer data propagation delay compared with cable.

Use Conﬁguration Manager to place unit in normal power mode.

Increase the period that the user application waits before declaring a “timeout.” (Suggest 1500 to 2000 msec.)

AirStream User’s Manual

Chapter 10: Learning Exercises

Note: These procedures are written for Stand-alone Models.

POINT TO POINT

Materials Needed

The following exercises guide you through the steps of the setup, conﬁguration, and test for Point to Point and Network wireless operation. These procedures rely on the assumptions that you have adequate power, peripherals, and host devices.

This exercise provides a demonstration of all the steps needed to have a direct wireless communication

between two transceivers.

• 1 PC

• 2 transceivers

• 2 Antennas

• 2 Power sources (outlet and/or surge strips) and 2

power supplies for transceivers

• 1 other peripheral (must have a RS232 connector)

• Conﬁguration Manager software

• 2 RS-232 cables

In this Chapter

•Point to Point

• Multi-Point

• ComPort Intercept

• TCP/IP

• Repeater

• Broadcast

Procedure

Install Software

1. Power up your PC.

2. Insert the Conﬁguration Manager CD into the

appropriate drive.

3. Using your usual method (Windows Explorer, My

computer etc.) to view the contents of the drive.

4. Double-click Setup.exe.

5. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the

installation.

AirStream User’s Manual

Point to Point

Learning Exercises

Connect the Transceiver

6. Attach the power supply to transceiver 1.

7. Plug the power supply into power source.

8. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver blinks 3 times and

remains lit.

9. Attach an antenna to transceiver 1.

10. Insert the RS232 cable connector into the serial connector in the back of

the transceiver.

11. Attach the other end of this cable into the serial port on the back of your

computer.

Conﬁgure T ransceiver 1

12. Select Conﬁguration Manager form the Start menu in Windows.

The Main window appears.

13. Click Quick Conﬁguration.

14. Click Point-to-Point.

15. Click OK.

16. Enter the information as shown in the dialog below.

17. Click Submit.

Generate a Report (if desired)

18. Click Report Generation.

19. Click Close.

AirStream User’s Manual

Point to Point

Learning Exercises

Connect and Conﬁgure T ransceiver 2

20. Click OK.

21. Click OK to conﬁgure another Unit.

22. Disconnect serial connector from transceiver 1. (You can leave it on the

computer.)

23. Attach power supply to transceiver 2.

24. Plug power supply into power source.

25. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver blinks three times

and remains lit.

26. Attach an antenna to transceiver 2.

27. Insert the RS232 connector into the serial connector in the back of the

transceiver.

Note that all of the ﬁelds are grayed out except Alias Source name.

28. Click Submit.

29. Uncheck Report Generation.

30. Click Close.

View the Report

31. In your Windows Explorer, open C:\Program Files\Conﬁguration

Manager\RReport.txt.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept

Learning Exercises

Test Operation

32. Connect transceiver 1 to a peripheral device. Note power supply,

connector and antenna connections must all be made.

33. On the Host PC, Click the Terminal Mode tab in the Conﬁguration

Manager.

34. In Test String, enter some text.

The test string is transmitted to the Destination Unit as shown in the TX and RX panes.

35. Select Exit from the File menu.

MULTI-POINT COMPORT INTERCEPT

This exercise demonstrates how you can have three transceivers

conﬁgured on a small Multi-Point Network communicate without wire.

This network topology can support up to 16 transceivers (including one at the Host PC).

Materials Needed

• 1 Host PC

• 3 Transceivers

• 3 Antennas

• 2-3 Power sources (outlet and/or surge strips) and 3 power supplies

for transceivers

• 2 other peripherals (must have a RS232 connector)

• Conﬁguration Manager software

• ComPort Intercept software

• 3 RS232 cables

Procedure

Install Software

36. Power up your Host PC.

37. Insert the Conﬁguration Manager software into the appropriate drive.

38. Using your usual method (Windows Explorer, My computer etc.) view the

contents of the drive.

39. Double-click Setup.exe.

40. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.

41. Insert the ComPort Intercept Software into the appropriate drive.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept

Learning Exercises

42. Using your usual method (Windows Explorer, My computer etc.) to view

the contents of the drive.

43. Double-click Setup.exe.

44. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.

Connect the Transceiver

45. Attach the power supply to transceiver 1.

46. Plug the power supply into power source.

47. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver blinks 3 times and

remains lit.

48. Attach an antenna to transceiver 1.

49. Insert the RS232 cable connector into the serial connector in the back of

the transceiver.

50. Attach the other end of this cable into the serial port on the back of your

Host PC.

Conﬁgure T ransceiver 1

51. Select Conﬁguration Manager from the Start menu in Windows.

The Main window appears.

52. Click Quick Conﬁguration.

53. Click Host to Multi-Point (Host)

54. Click OK.

55. Enter the information as shown in the dialog below.

Host

56. Click Submit.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept

Learning Exercises

57. Click Report Generation.

58. Click Close.

59. Click Yes.

60. Click OK.

61. Disconnect serial connector from transceiver 1. (You can leave it on the

62. Attach power supply to transceiver 2.

63. Plug power supply into power source.

64. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver blinks three times

65. Attach an antenna to transceiver 2.

66. Insert the RS232 connector into the serial connector in the back of the

Generate a Report (if desired)

Connect and Conﬁgure T ransceiver 2

computer.)

and remains lit.

transceiver.

Note that all of the ﬁelds are grayed out except Alias Source name and Source Unit ID.

Make sure that Auto increment is checked.

67. Click Submit.

68. Uncheck Report Generation.

69. Click Close.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept

Learning Exercises

Connect and Conﬁgure T ransceiver 3

70. Click OK.

71. Disconnect serial connector from transceiver 2. (You can leave it on the

computer.)

72. Attach power supply to transceiver 3.

73. Plug power supply into power source.

74. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver remains lit.

75. Attach an antenna to transceiver 3.

76. Insert the RS232 connector into the serial connector in the back of the

transceiver.

Note that all of the ﬁelds are grayed out except Alias Source name and Source Unit ID. Make sure that Auto Increment is checked.

77. Click Submit.

78. Check Report Generation.

79. Click Close.

80. Click Cancel.

81. Select Exit from the File menu.

View the Report

82. In your Windows Explorer, open C:\Program Files\Conﬁguration

Manager\RReport.txt.

Set up Virtual Ports

83. Select ComPort Conﬁgurator from the Start Menu under ComPort

Intercept.

The Comport Conﬁgurator Main Window appears.

84. Click the Add Virtual Ports Icon.

85. Enter 2 and click OK.

A message appears asking to restart your computer.

86. Click No.

87. In the Virtual ports window, right-click the ﬁrst listed Virtual port.

88. Click Assign Unit ID.

89. Enter 1 and click OK.

This will be assigned to the remote called Device 1.

90. Right-click the second virtual port.

91. Click Assign Unit ID.

92. Enter 2 and click OK.

This will be assigned to the remote called Device 2.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point ComPort Intercept

Learning Exercises

Note: The host device is not assigned to a virtual port as it is physically

93. Highlight both virtual ports.

94. Drag them to the physical Port window under Comm Port 1.

95. Click Exit to exit the ComPort Intercept program.

96. Restart your computer.

97. Select Start then Programs and then Comport Activator.

98. Connect transceivers 2 and 3 to peripheral devices. Note power supply,

99. Send data from the Host PC to a peripheral device.

connected to the Host PC.

Note that this is most likely your comm port but others may be listed.

Test Operation

connector, and antenna connections must all be made.

Transceiver 1 must remain connected to the Host PC.

For example, if you had a printer (with a serial connection) that you have been using (i.e., drivers are already set up) you could write a short memo in a word processor on the Host PC and select File>print. The information would be printed out on the printer just as if it had been connected by wire. This would work for any existing wired connection on a local LAN.

Another example would be to use HyperTerminal. This requires that your peripherals are also PCs or that you use a loop back connector to see the data sent returned in your HyperTerminal Window.

Note: If you are using hyperterminal, remember to connect the Virtual Port

AirStream User’s Manual

number and not the physical port number (COM1). You will need to open two HyperTerminals to connect to both remote transceivers at the same time.

MULTI-POINT TCP/IP INTERCEPT

This exercise demonstrates how you can have 3 transceivers conﬁgured

on a TCP/IP based Multi-Point network communicating without wire.

Multi-Point TCP/IP Intercept

Learning Exercises

Materials Needed

• 1 Host PC

238

• 3 Transceivers

• 3 Antennas

• 2-3 Power sources (outlet and/or surge strips) and 3 power supplies

• 2 other peripherals (must have a RS232 connector)

• Conﬁguration Manager software

• TCP/IP Intercept software

• 3 RS232 cables

for transceivers

Procedure

Install Software

1. Power up your Host PC.

2. Insert the Conﬁguration Manager software into the appropriate drive.

3. Using your usual method (Windows Explorer, My computer etc.) view the

contents of the drive.

4. Double-click Setup.exe.

5. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.

6. Insert the TCP/IP Intercept software into the appropriate drive.

7. Using your usual method (Windows Explorer, My computer etc.) view the

contents of the drive.

8. Double-click Setup.exe.

9. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.

Connect the Transceiver

10. Attach the power supply to transceiver 1.

11. Plug the power supply into power source.

12. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver blinks 3 times and

remains lit.

13. Attach an antenna to transceiver 1.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point TCP/IP Intercept

Learning Exercises

14. Insert the RS232 cable connector into the serial connector in the back of

15. Attach the other end of this cable into the serial port on the back of your

16. Select Conﬁguration Manager form the Start menu in Windows.The Main

17. Click Quick Conﬁguration.

18. Click Host to Multi-Point (Host).

19. Click OK.

20. Enter the information as shown in the dialog below.

the transceiver.

Host PC.

Conﬁgure T ransceiver 1

window appears.

AirStream User’s Manual

21. Click Submit.

Generate a Report (if desired)

22. Click Report Generation.

23. Click Close.

24. Click Yes.

25. Click OK.

Connect and Conﬁgure T ransceiver 2

26. Disconnect serial connector from transceiver 1. (You can leave it on the

computer.)

27. Attach power supply to transceiver 2.

28. Plug power supply into power source.

Multi-Point TCP/IP Intercept

Learning Exercises

29. Verify that LED 1 on front panel of transceiver blinks three times and

remains lit.

30. Attach an antenna to transceiver 2.

31. Insert the RS232 connector into the serial connector in the back of the

transceiver.

Note that all of the ﬁelds are grayed out except Alias Source name and Source Unit ID.

Make sure that Auto Increment is checked.

32. Click Submit.

33. Uncheck Report Generation.

34. Click Close.

Connect and Conﬁgure T ransceiver 3

35. Click OK.

36. Disconnect serial connector from transceiver 2. (You can leave it on the

computer.)

37. Attach power supply to transceiver 3.

38. Plug power supply into power source.

39. Verify that LED 1 on the front panel of the transceiver remains lit.

40. Attach an antenna to transceiver 3.

41. Insert the RS232 connector into the serial connector in back of the

transceiver.

Note that all of the ﬁelds are grayed out except Alias Source name and Source Unit ID. Make sure that Auto increment is checked.

42. Click Submit.

43. Check Report Generation.

44. Click Close.

AirStream User’s Manual

Multi-Point TCP/IP Intercept

Learning Exercises

45. Click Cancel.

46. Select Exit from the File menu.

47. In your Windows Explorer, open C:\Program Files\Conﬁguration

48. Select Start> Programs> TCP/IP Intercept Program.

Note:

49. Right-click the TCP/IP Activator icon in the lower right corner of your

50. Select Show Conﬁgurator.

51. Click the Add TCP/IP Ports Icon.

52. Enter 2 and a start from value.

53. Click OK.

54. Highlight both virtual ports.

55. Drag them to the Physical Port window under COM Port 1.

56. Click Hide to hide the TCP/IP Conﬁgurator and keep the Activator

View the Report

Manager\RReport.txt.

Set up TCP/IP Ports

If you receive a message requesting you set up TCP/IP ports, click OK.

Desktop.

The TCP/IP Conﬁgurator Main Window appears.

The value here refers to your machines TCP/IP port number. values range from 1024 to 10,000, make sure that the value in the units section is 1.

Unit IDs are automatically assigned.

Note that this is most likely your COM port but others may be listed.

running.

Test Operation

57. Connect transceivers 2 and 3 to peripheral devices. Note power supply,

connector, and antenna connections must all be made.

Transceiver 1 must remain connected to the Host PC.

58. Send data from the Host PC to a peripheral device.

Another example would be to use HyperTerminal. This requires that your peripherals are also PCs or that you use a loop back connector to see the data sent returned in your HyperTerminal Window.

AirStream User’s Manual

Rice Lake AirStream Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual