Micromod Micro-DCI: 53SU6000 COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - Manual (Page 21)

53SU6000 INSTALLATION AND SETUP GUIDE
Introduction 13
Testing the correctness of the Supervisor board installation can be performed after the Supervisor driver
and related software are installed. Supervisor software installation is discussed in
Section 3.5 .
3.4.2 Installing the Hardware Key
The 53SU6000 software is licensed by the company. The license is protected by a hardware key, shown in
Figure 3-7 , which must be attached to the PC’s parallel port. The hardware key does not functionally com-
promise the parallel port. When installed, the hardware key provides a female connector allowing a parallel
device to be attached to it. If a device (for example, a printer) is already connected to the parallel port,
remove the parallel cable connector, connect the hardware key to the port, and reconnect the cable to the
hardware key. Signals to and from the attached parallel device will be passed through the hardware key.
The hardware key must be installed for the 53SU6000 software to run.
Installation of 53SU6000 software and licenses ( Section 3.5 ) can proceed if the hardware key is not
attached; however, no 53SU6000 windows can be opened. Instead, a pop-up window will be displayed
which states:
Can’t read hardware key.
Key must be attached to parallel port.
If the wrong hardware key is attached to the parallel port, a pop-up window will display the following mes-
sage:
No valid 53SU6000 software license found.
If problems reading the hardware key persist, test the operation of the parallel port. This can be done by
attaching a printer to the port and attempting to print to it.
3.4.3 Connecting Micro-DCI Instruments to the Base PC
The connection necessary for this communication can be made in one of several ways:
• The computer’s COM port can be connected directly to the mini-DIN configuration port on the
front of the controller as described in
Section 3.4.3.1 .
• A COM port on the computer can be connected to a Datalink network using a special Interface
Terminal Board (ITB) that converts the RS-232 signals used by the computer’s COM port to
the RS-485 signals used by the Datalink instruments. This scheme is described in
Section
3.4.3.2 .
• If the computer contains Datalink SUPERVISOR cards, each card can be connected to a
Figure 3-7. Hardware Key for Use with 53SU6000 System Software