User's Manual

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data out to the serial port, which then passes this data on to the Base station.
The Base station then broadcasts the message to the terminal, causing the
terminal to display the message to the user.
The Base station is not machine-sensitive (it needs a standard RS-232 serial
port) nor is it operating system dependent (you just need to be able to read and
write to the serial port as a separate device).
Connecting the Base station…
If you specified a 25 pin cable (part #F34) or a 9 pin cable (part #F36) when you
ordered your Base station, simply plug the RJ45 end of that cable into the
COMPUTER port on the Base station, and the 25 or 9 pin end into your
computer’s serial port. If you are not connecting to a PC, see Appendix C for
cable and serial pin-outs.
If your extension cable is over 80 feet long and you are running Windows, open
up the DB9 or DB25 connector on the base station side and cut the unused pins
(see Appendix C.).
For an extension cable, you can use existing network cabling already in
existence, but you must be certain that the Transmit and Receive data lines are
not in the same twisted pair.
If you are using an extension cable and are having problems, test the cable by:
1. Connecting the Base station without using the extension cable.
Simply plug in the F34 or F36 cable that came with the Base.
2. If the Base works with only the F34 or F36 cable in place, add in the
extension cable without changing the physical location of the
Base station. If the extension cable appears to be the culprit, check
to be sure that Transmit lines are connected to Receive lines.
Configuring the Base station…
After connecting the Base station to your serial port, you need to configure the
serial settings on the Base station to match those required by your software. We
recommend using the default settings when at all possible. The default settings
are:
• 9600 baud
• No parity
• 8 data bits
• 1 stop bit
• “None” protocol setting
If you have to change any or all of these settings, see Chapter 2 for details on
configuring the Base station using the R/F Terminal keypad.