Instruction manual

PC208W 3.0 INTRODUCTION
PC208W, Version 3.0, Instruction Manual 3
Insert the first PC208W disk in drive A: or B:. In
Windows 95 or NT, select RUN from the Start
button. In Windows 3.1, Select FILE and then
RUN from the Program Manager Menu. Enter
A:SETUP or B:SETUP and select the OK
button. Follow the instructions given on the
screen. PC208W lets you choose a working
directory name and installs most of the software
into a subdirectory named BIN.
In the example below, PC208W was installed to
the C:\PC208W directory.
1.4.1 FOR USERS UPGRADING FROM PC208W
VERSIONS 2.3 AND EARLIER
Modem Configurations
PC208W 3.0 uses a new configuration for
modem setups, which should provide for more
reliable communication and fewer problems in
establishing remote communication links. If your
station setup uses a modem that is included in
PC208W's modem list, you won't need to make
any changes after installing PC208W 3.0.
However, if you previously set up a custom
modem instead of using an existing modem
configuration, PC208W 3.0 will leave the
modem pick list field blank. Choose the default
modem; in most instances, this setup should
work. If the default settings will not work with
your modem, you will need to refer to your
modem's user's manual to enter valid strings
(refer to Appendix B). Some items to look for
when developing a custom modem string are:
hardware flow control enabled, verbose result
codes (looking for “CONNECT” back from the
modem rather than a number), and error
correction enabled.
NOTE: PC208W won’t find your custom
modem on its WMODEM3.INI list so it will
display a blank field for the Modem Pick List
field and a warning in the SWF log until you
actually pick "default modem".
Directory Structures
In version 2.1 and greater, the main PC208W
directory is PC208W (unless you manually
change the default directory during software
installation). Two subdirectories exist under
PC208W: BIN and INIFILES. The BIN directory
is used to store nearly all of the files essential to
the operation of the PC208W program
(executable files, help files, etc.). The INIFILES
directory is used to store all of the *.INI files
associated with datalogger setups and PC208W
software execution.
Datalogger *.INI files are created/updated each
time a communication session with a datalogger
is closed, and PC208W's INI file is updated
each time it is closed. The files provide the
PC208W program with specific information so
your devices or program defaults do not have to
be configured before each PC208W session.
Versions of software prior to 2.3 stored the
PC208W .INI file in the working directory. This
INI file included information on all of the
dataloggers in the device map and setup
information on PC208W. If you are upgrading
from Version 2.2 or earlier, when the program is
installed, your existing PC208W .INI file will be
moved into the INIFILES directory. Then, the
first time a connection is made to each
datalogger that was set up in your original INI
file, the program accesses the INI file and
creates a new file from the information in the old
INI. This change in directory structure was
made to accommodate an INI file size limitation
inherent to the Windows operating system.
Datalogger Network Configuration Files
(*.DND files)
PC208W keeps the setup information in the
working directory in a DND file. (In PC208W 1.0
and earlier, this file was named TCOM.DND. In
versions later than 1.0, it was named
PC208W.DND.) If an existing DND file is found
during an upgrade installation, this file will be
renamed, if necessary, and updated to the
current DND format.
During the upgrade installation, you may choose
to install the new PC208W in a different
directory. If so, you can copy the old DND file
into the new directory. If the old file is named
TCOM.DND, rename it to PC208W.DND. By
copying this DND file, you will not have to set up
new network configurations (the device map) for
your existing datalogger stations.
Existing Data, Edlog, and Split Files
Your existing PC208W files can be used without
modification in PC208W 3.0 These file types
include: *.DAT, *.PAR, *.CSI, *.FSL, *.DLD.