Getting Started ContrexHost 3 3200-2022 Suite of Serial Communications Applications for Contrex Motion Controls Copyright © 2002 Contrex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents Section 1 Installing ContrexHost 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Typical Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 Installing ContrexHost 3 System Requirements • • • • • • • Personal Computer or 100 % compatible 90 MHz Pentium or higher microprocessor (or equivalent) 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM minimum 64 MB or more RAM recommended 12 MB of hard disk space for a typical installation A VGA monitor A CD-ROM drive Microsoft® Windows® operating system Windows 98 Windows NT Windows Me Windows 2000 Windows XP An IBM® Installation Overview • • • Typical Installation This installation selection installs the entir
Installation Overview continued • RS-485 “RTS Control” Driver An RTS line control driver is required for ContrexHost to operate properly under Windows NT type operating systems, such as Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional. This driver will be installed with ContrexHost. This driver will only be used by ContrexHost and will not affect normal serial port operations. Installation Procedure • < ContrexHost Installation To run setup for installing ContrexHost 1.
button. Select the CD-ROM drive that contains the ContrexHost CD. Select the file “CXHDrv.sys” and hit “OK” until Windows installs the driver. 6. Select the “Finish” button – You are now ready to run ContrexHost. < Windows Me Instructions -1. Reboot your system leaving the ContrexHost CD in the CD-ROM drive. Windows should recognize the “RS-485 Converter” as “New Hardware Found” and activate the “Add New Hardware Wizard” 2. Leave the “Automatic search” selection selected, and select the “Next” button.
a. Select the “Have Disk” button, then the “Browse” button. 6b. Select the CD-ROM drive with the ContrexHost CD in it. Find the “CXHDrv” (,inf) file, select it, and select “Open”, then select “OK” until you see the “Models” list displayed. 7. The “Models” list should display “RS-485 Converter”, select it, then select the “Next” button twice to install the driver. 8. Select the “Finish” button – You are now ready to run ContrexHost. < Windows XP Instructions – 1.
SECTION 2 Getting Started Steps to successful operation < Serial Communications configuration RS-232 to RS-485/RS-422 wiring Use shielded cable and connect signal commons wherever possible.
Connection examples continued Refer to the manual for the specific motion control for more detailed wiring information. Serial Communications setup Make sure all Contrex motion controls, that are connected to the same serial port, have the same settings for baud rate, parity, data bits, and stop bits. All CX-Series controls must have the “CRC Enable” parameter set to “ON”. All M/MB/ML/MLP-Series controls communicate using an ASCII protocol.
What is a ContrexHost network configuration ? A ContrexHost network configuration consists of a set of Contrex motion control devices that are connected to computer by one or more serial ports. Each control that is connected to a specific serial port has a unique “Device Address”. A network configuration is required for ContrexHost to be able to communicate with the connected Contrex motion controls. Open the “Network Builder” application to build a network configuration of controls for ContrexHost.
SECTION 3 ContrexHost Applications Overview Network Builder is used to configure ContrexHost with the Contrex control products connected to your RS485/422 serial communications network. The Auto Configure feature queries your network to identify product models and software revisions and builds a ContrexHost network configuration for you. Control Monitor is the primary ContrexHost module used to setup your Contrex control products to meet your application requirements and monitor syatem performance.
ContrexHost Applications overview continued Database Editor is provided to assist with the maintenance of the Contrex control product parameter database. Custom software versions of Contrex control products can be made compliant with ContrexHost through simple database modifications. Serial Link Debugger can assist you with troubleshooting problems with your RS485/422 serial communications link. This software utility allows for the entry and monitoring of character records transmitted on your serial link.
Contrex, Inc. 8900 Zachary Lane North Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369 www.contrexinc.com Document Information: PN: Revision: Date: SK1674 1.
