Loadstar Sensors DS-3000 Digital Load Cell Display & Controller - Manual (Page 37)

DS-3000U DS3000 User Guide
Loadstar Sensors, Inc. Page: 37 / 48 033-01419 Rev. 4
10 R
EMOTELY
C
ONNECTING TO THE
DS-3000.
The optional programmable relay and external trigger capability of the DS-3000U make it a very powerful
and versatile instrument to control laboratory experiments, process control equipment, production test
systems etc. In addition to the DS-3000s stand-alone control abilities, additional remote programming and
monitoring capability also come standard. This chapter introduces how to connect your PC to the DS-3000,
and subsequent chapters will document the remote capabilities.
The DS-3000U is accessed by your host PC using a standard virtual com port mechanism provided by your
OS. Either your custom application, or the LoadVUE software application available from LoadStar Sensors,
uses this same interface. In this chapter we use as example the most common computer configuration, a
windows based PC OS, running hyper-terminal such is found in all Windows XP PCs. If this does not
describe your PC, an equivalent product may be available for your operating system.
The approach demonstrated here, may be easily adapted to other terminal programs, and other Operating
Systems. The same data can be sent and received to the DS-3000 whether the application is a terminal
program, or any other user-written programs in high level programming languages or in virtualized
programming applications such as LabView, MATLAB, or EXCEL VBA.
10.1 Installing Virtual com port drivers
The DS-3000 is attached to your PC using a standard USB-Type A to USB Type B cable. This cable is
included in your DS-3000 package. Once connected to the USB port on your PC, you may find your PC
requires additional drivers. We recommend you download the latest driver version for your particular
operating system. They can be found at:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
additional information on installing these drivers can be found at:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/InstallGuides.htm
10.2 Communicating with the DS-3000 using Hyper-terminal
HyperTerminal is the most popular terminal program available on Windows PC’s since a basic version
comes preloaded with Windows XP. If you use a different OS, many terminal emulator programs are
available that support your OS. One such program is TeraTerm Pro that can be downloaded as freeware
from many locations on the Internet.
Before connecting your DS-3000 to your PC, open device manager and review the ports currently available
on your computer:
After connecting the DS-3000U a new port should appear, after the correct drivers have been installed: