User's Manual Part 1

THE READALL INTERROGATOR User Guide
Revised January 2001
Page 14 of 62
THE DETAILS – THE READALL OPERATION
THE READING CYCLE USING THE READALL
Using the ReadAll for meter reading is easy. The reading cycle consists of these steps:
• STEP 1 – Prepare the ReadAll to accept the route from the Route Management
software by pressing the Transfer Routes button from the Main Menu. On the
Transfer File Menu, press the Receive Route button. If a route is already loaded
into the ReadAll, the ReadAll will alert you to unload the current route before
loading the new route. If the ReadAll is ready to accept the route,
communications begins and the route is transferred from the Route Management
software to the ReadAll.
• STEP 2 – You can begin meter reading by pressing the Read / Program Meters
button. The ReadAll will display the Reading screen that allows you to
interrogate TRACE transponders and enter manual meter readings for those
meters without a TRACE transponder.
• STEP 3 – To begin the reading process for the meter shown on the Read screen,
press either of the two Read button, or press the information area on the Reading
screen. If the meter is monitored by TRACE, the ReadAll will interrogate the
transponder, report the reading, and display the next meter in the route. If the
meter is manually read, the ReadAll will display a numeric keypad, allowing you
to enter the reading manually.
• STEP 4 – The ReadAll is unloaded, when all the readings have been gathered, by
pressing Transfer Routes from the main menu, and then Send Readings on the
Transfer Readings screen. The ReadAll will communicate the readings to the
Route Management system on the PC.
Starting The ReadAll software
The ReadAll unit is a computer, and can be reset like a desktop computer. A desktop
computer can be reset by turning the power switch off and then on. The ReadAll can be
turned on and off with the On/Off button, but that does not take power away from the unit
(like turning off your desktop computer does). Replacing the ReadAll’s battery will have
the same effect as turning off your desktop computer.
Your desktop computer can also be reset by pressing three keys (Ctrl, Alt, and Delete), all
at the same time. You can reset the ReadAll by pressing three buttons at the same time:
the left Read key, the back arrow key, and the right Read key, all at the same time. (The
easiest way to do this is to place the ReadAll on a flat surface before pressing the keys.)
Whether you restart the ReadAll by changing the battery or by pressing the three restart
keys, the effect is the same. The computer restarts itself, performs checks to insure that it
can operate properly, and then starts the ReadAll software. Note that any route