User manual

LPT port: Ground (pin 18 to 25)
The status of the external device will be recorded as inactive
(default) by connecting the DS wire to:
Serial port: Signal ground
(25 pin D-Shell: pin 7, 9 pin D-Shell: pin 5)
or negative lead
(25 pin D-Shell: pin 4, 9 pin D-Shell: pin 7)
LPT port: pin 3
(Note: Often the colors of wires through a modular connector,
such as found inside the adapter, are reversing). Modular and
D-Shell plugs, cords, jacks, etc., are readily available from
stores such as Radio Shack.
For example, to monitor the activation of a fan, connect the
DS wire to the pole of a SPDT relay. Connect the NC (nor-
mally closed) and the NO (normally open) connections from
the relay to the proper pins as explained above. Connect the
coil of the relay to the fan supply leads. (Note: relay coil
voltage should match fan supply voltage). Every time the fan
is activated, the coil of the relay will energize, connecting DS
to the appropriate pin.
Once every TBU (Time Base Unit, see below) the status of
the DS lead is checked. With the DS lead activated, the
software records the radiation data with a device active bit set.
When displaying the radiation data, the software draws a
scrolling bar chart, representing the radiation level. If the
device active bit is set for any point, the software will use a
special color or shade and special character to draw the bar,
thereby informing the user that the device was active at the
time the radiation level was recorded.
Note: Pull-up or pull-down current can be limited by insert-
ing a 2.2K ohm resistor in-line with the DS lead. If you do
extend the DS lead out of the computer, you should avoid
letting it float.
RUNNING THE SOFTWARE
The main software program included with the package is
AW-SRAD.EXE (AWare_Show_RADiation). It will monitor
any standard LPT (printer) port or COM (communication)
port for data from an RM-60. As mentioned, it will simulta-
neously monitor an external device, such as the operating
status of a fan, vent, etc. It will capture raw data to a file,
format raw data from a file, display raw data in strip chart and
scrolling bar chart format, and print formatted data to a line
printer, file or DOS device. The code also will sound an
alarm if the average radiation level exceeds a preset level.
Aw-srad should be used with DOS 2.0 or higher. After plug-
ging the RM-60 into the computer (see "Quick Instructions"
above) type "AW-SRAD" at the DOS prompt. Run through
the Setup selection, leaving the default values if you wish.
The only selection you must accurately make is the "Input
Port" selection. If you have trouble with this selection, try
trial and error and\or read the section below on ports "Select-
ing Input Port".
After running through Setup, you can save your selections to
disk by selecting the "Disk Write All Settings" option under
the Setup Menu or Misc. menu. This allows the program to
remember your settings so that next time you use the pro-
gram, it will initialize all the variables the way you want
them.
CAPTURING RAW DATA:
Aw-srad captures raw data from an RM-60 and an external
device in one of two ways:
1. Capture raw radiation data to a file and at the same time,
display the data in scrolling strip chart and\or bar chart for-
mat. This method displays the radiation level, accumulated
and averaged over any period desired. Also displayed is the
operating status (on or off) of the external device. This meth-
od also will save the raw radiation data to a file for later
formatting, averaging and viewing.
2. Install TSR (terminate but stay resident) code to capture
raw data to a file, while the computer is busy performing
other tasks. This method uses code (AW-MRAD.COM) that
runs in the background and allows the computer to run other
programs. See TSR section below for more information on
running the TSR code.
SETUP:
The Setup feature of Aw-srad allows changing strip chart/bar
chart parameters, printer parameters and input port. It offers
choices for the character(s) to use for drawing the bars and
points, during the activation and non-activation of the external
device. You can tell Aw-srad to use bios video writes with
snow checking when scrolling, for old noisy or snowy CRT
display cards. All parameters can be saved to disk.
You can elect to use a special display character string that
uses the actual microroentgens/hr. average for each point,
(num) during the activation of the external device (fan, vent,
switch, etc. on) and <num> during the non-activation of the
external device (fan, vent, switch, etc. off), for example (14)
or <14>. (14) would indicate an average rate of 14 micro-
roentgens/hr. for the point while the ( ) characters would
indicate activation of the external device, whereas <14> would
also indicate an average rate of 14 microroentgens/hr. while
the < > characters would indicate a non-active external device.
In addition, you can choose a unique color for the points and
bars to indicate the activation or non-activation of an external
device (monochrome displays use shades).
The Setup menus are straightforward. Only a few additional
points will be covered in the following descriptions.
SELECTING INPUT PORT:
When selecting the input port from the Setup option, the
program displays a list of standard port choices that include
a name, address and interrupt number for each choice.
If you are not sure which selection is correct, select the AU-
TO-FIND selection from the menu. The program will then
try to identify the port that the RM-60 is plugged into.
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