Worth Data 5000 - Manual (Page 90)

89
Serial mode troubleshooting
The following problems pertain mostly to TriCoder‟s setup in serial mode.
Using the 5 volt power adapter, the TriCoder does not beep when turned on…
Plug something else into the wall outlet to make sure the outlet is working or plug the TriCoder‟s power adapter into an outlet that is
working with something else. If the outlet is good, either the power adapter or the TriCoder is not working correctly. If you have more
than one TriCoder, try the other TriCoder with the suspect power adapter. If you find a problem with either the TriCoder or the power
adapter, call for repair or replacement.
The TriCoder beeps, but nothing appears on your computer screen…
Recheck the installation instructions – Chapter 6: TriCoder Connection – to make sure all cables are properly connected. If you are
connecting directly to a serial port on a PC, use the following checklist:
1. What kind of computer and port are you plugging into?

A 25 pin female port is a parallel port.

PC – Male 9 pin port. A 9 pin female port is a video port.

Laptop COM ports are almost always 9 pin male.
2. What cable are you using?

C24 –9 pin female Serial cable

If you have a C24 9-pin cable and only have a 25pin COM port on your computer you can get a 9 to 25 adapter at most
computer stores.
3. What I/O Interface (Computer Interface) is the TriCoder set for?
 “3” is the correct setting for RS-232
4. What Baud Rate, Parity and Start and Stop bits are you using?

Make sure the settings on the TriCoder match what the host program is expecting. When all else fails, try the default
settings.
The TriCoder reads one bar code and stops reading after that…
Double-check the I/O Interface setting.
The TriCoder transmits data to your screen or serial port but some characters are garbled or
missing…
Check your serial parameters. Does the baud rate, parity, start and stop bits match on both the TriCoder and the serial port?
Make sure you have selected the correct Data Format. RS-232 ASCII is the most commonly used.
If you are using your own software to read the serial port, consider that not all software can keep up with the serial port at the highest
baud rate. Try setting the TriCoder and serial port to a lower Baud Rate. If you have cables over 100 feet long, try lowering the baud rate.
I can’t communicate with my RS-232 port on the host…
This is one of the most common problems we hear. Check your cables first. Get rid of all cables and connectors except the Worth
Data cable. If that works, your cables are suspect.
The TriCoder transmits a few messages then hangs…
If you are using a terminal/ host configuration and are using XON/XOFF protocol on the terminal, disable XON/XOFF on the
TriCoder – it may be missing the XON after intercepting a XOFF.