User guide

LA Stand-Alone Product User Guide
Revision A7
Page 24
3 Establishing Communications
The LA StandAlone amplifier communicates via a RS232 port or USB port at 19200 baud.
A serial communication program such as HyperTerminal can be used for communications. The standard
settings are 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and no hardware or software handshaking.
Settings  Emulation = ANSIW. ASCII Setup  No boxes checked, 100msec delay,
HyperTerminal Note: When changing baud rates or establishing communication for the first time use the
call\disconnect and then call\call tab prior to cycling power to the controller.
3.1 RS232 Serial Interface
The controller can communicate with a host via RS-232 using a standard three wire DTE to DTE cross
over serial cable as shown below. Note that the J3 RS-232 interface pins (2 & 3) are disabled if the USB
port is being used, but the signal pins remain active.
NOTE: Do not attempt to use RS-232 and USB at the same time. Remove the USB connector when
using RS-232.
Figure 8: Serial Data Cable Diagram
3.2 USB Interface
As an alternative to RS-232, USB can be used for communication. The connection is a standard USB
Type B connector. The easiest way to use the USB interface is to establish a virtual com port (VCP) using
the driver provided by Future Technology Devices, Inc. which can be found at
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
This driver allows the USB port to be configured as a COM port by the operating system. Application
software can access the USB device in the same way as it would access a standard COM port with of the
same settings.
Be sure to set the baud rate for the VCP to 19200 When an active USB cable is plugged into the USB
port, the RS-232 communication on J3 is disabled.
NOTE: Do not attempt to use RS-232 and the USB at the same time. Remove the RS-232 connector
when using USB.