Instructions

Page 78
PSA-View
PSA-View is an additional PC application which can be used with the View-on-PC function of
the instrument when option U02 is installed. It enables the screen of the instrument to be
duplicated on the PC at any desired size.
The View on PC function places the instrument into a special mode in which the graphics of the
display are sent to a PC via USB. The screen can then be viewed at any size using the
PSA-View application which may be supplied on the CD accompanying the instrument or is
freely available from Aim-TTi website.
To communicate with PSA-View, the USB interface functions as a virtual COM port which can
be controlled by a PC as if it was an RS232 device. The instrument is supplied with a CD
containing a .inf file for the standard Microsoft drivers available in Windows 2000, XP, Vista and
Windows 7 and 8; the installation wizard will install the driver (32-bit or 64-bit) appropriate to the
PC’s operating system. Any updates are available via the Aim-TTi website.
Installation of the interface driver is achieved by connecting the instrument to a PC via the USB
cable supplied and selecting Setup/Functions > System/file Ops > System Utilities followed by
Status/System > Screen > View on PC. The Windows’ plug and play functions should
automatically recognise the addition of new hardware attached to the USB interface and, if this
is the first time the connection has been made, prompt for the location of a suitable driver. (If
this does not happen, it will be necessary to open Device Manager on the PC and force a
manual installation of the driver).
On installing the driver, Windows will establish a virtual COM port within the PC. The number of
the new COM port will depend upon the number of co-existing COM ports. The driver will
remain installed on the PC so that the establishment of a virtual COM port is done automatically
each time the instrument is connected to the PC via USB in the future. The instrument is
assigned a new virtual COM port when it is first connected and the same COM port will be
assigned each time that instrument is subsequently connected.
Once the driver is loaded, and with the instrument still connected to the PC, open the PSA-View
application on the PC. PSA-View will load with two windows open, the graphics window which
will initially contain the message "No Communication Link" and a control window. On the control
window COM Port dropdown select the COM port which is connected to the instrument.
To discover which COM port this is the user can look in Device Manager where the virtual COM
ports are displayed with the name of the device that they are connected to. e.g PSAxx05
Spectrum Analyser (COM8). Once the COM port is selected click on the Connect button and,
after a short delay, the instrument screen data should appear in the graphics window.
Thereafter changes on the instrument screen will also be seen in the graphics window.
Operation of the instrument will slow down a little due to the large volume of data now flowing to
the PC.
To stop viewing on the PC do any of the following:
Close the PSA-View application and disconnect the USB cable | or | Select View on PC again
and press Status in response to the information box | or |Power off the instrument | or | Set the
instrument into Link to PC mode.
Before using PSA-View and the View on PC function, it is advisable to read section 9.1.1 which
explains USB connections in more detail.
* Windows is a trademark of Microsoft, inc.