Rice Lake MSI-9750A CellScale RF Portable Indicator - Manual (Page 54)

Page 54 MSI-9750A RF Remote Indicator • User Guide
9750A
HANDHELD RF REMOTE INDICATOR for
C
ELL
S
CALE
®
SECTION 9 – COMMUNICATION PORTS
INTRODUCTION
• The MSI 9750A is equipped with a single RS-232 serial input / output. The Comm Port is intended for inter- ® ®
facing printers, data loggers, scoreboards, and computers to the 9750A Meter. The real-time clock allows the
user to time and/or date stamp any data obtained from the 9750A. Planned for future release is an interface
to Bar Code Scanners.
• The data output is fully format able. The 9750A, under menu control will print control characters for easy
interfacing to any label printer. An initialize string combined with start string, product labels, user program-
mable data, weight data, and end strings, provides complete control over printed data.
• Many scales and weigh meters suspend weighing operation while printing and will not function until a print
job is completed. The MSI 9750A RS-232 output uses advanced DMA (direct memory access) techniques
for transmitting the print strings. This prevents long print jobs from interfering with scale operation.
Comm Port Function
The RS-232 output is used in conjunction with the SEND/PRINT key to output weight and total data to a printer.
In addition there are several automatic print modes including print on Total, when there is a weight change, or
when a set point is reached. Interval and continuous printing is available for data logging or interfacing Scoreboard
displays. The SEND/PRINT key can also trigger remote data output to other devices on the CellScale network.
ELECTRICAL CONFORMANCE
The electrical characteristics of the serial input / output conform to the EIA Standard EIA-232-D (downward
compatible with RS-232C). Comm Port 1 is confi gured as DTE. Cable connections include RXD (input), TXD
(output), Ground, CTS (input), RTS (output), and Shield Ground (also known as Frame Ground). CTS/RTS
handshaking is optional and the lines do not need to be connected. Bar Code enabled 9750A have 6-9 Volts DC
on pin 9. This voltage will not harm any standard PC ports, but its effect on the RI line
MATING CABLE
The 9750A uses a standard DE-9 Male connector, compatible with commonly available serial cables. To connect
the 9750A to standard PC’s use a 9 pin female to 9 pin female null modem cable.
DATA CONFIGURATION
The 9750A serial port is confi gured with the “Comm 1 & Strings” Menus. Standard data confi guration is:
Data Strings
A Data String is simply a collection of characters stored in memory, that are used to format the Comm Port output
or Data Logging memory. Data Strings are defi ned by the user. The length of the formatting strings are limited to
512 characters. However, since 3 or 4 character commands can cause an output of up to 99 characters in length,
the 512 limit does not represent the maximum size of the data output. The 9750A offers the programmer the abil-
ity to print or store any and all weight data, time and date stamp, and formatting controls suitable for even the
most complex bar code printer.
Data Format
Each transmitted reading consists of a number of programmable character strings. Data is completely user pro-
grammable and can include formatting characters, Time and Date, and text in addition to all weight parameters.
The End-of-Line string is used for Carriage Return or other end-of-line control characters. These are easily entered
through the Comm Ports menu or downloaded through a computer.
TRIGGER PRINT
The MSI 9750A serial port functions in any of 10 Trigger Print modes:
1) Continuously – The Data String can be transmitted continuously at the rate set in the Interval Menu. How
fast the weight data updates is determined by the transmission rate in the Master CellScale. “Motion Check”
determines if printing is allowed (Motion Check Off) or disallowed (Motion Check On) when the weight is
not stable.
2) Send / Print Key – This is a print on command mode which works when the Send / Print key on the front
panel is pressed. The Send / Print key is active in all modes unless disabled with the Function key setup or
the Lock Function. The “Motion Check” menu selection determines if printing is allowed or disallowed when