DS2 Ethernet  Instruction Manual 
 
 
7.  AREAscan
TM
 DS2 SERIES – COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL 
7.1.  Packet description 
As mentioned, the communication protocol requires the presence of a client unit and of a master unit. 
The communication type is Ethernet. 
The exchange of information is made in the request-reply mode: the client sends a data frame to the 
master that replies sending another data frame to the client. 
 
7.1.1 Binary data packet structure 
 
A  binary  data  packet  is  composed  of  a  group  of  bytes  placed  in  a  well-defined  sequence,  that 
identifies it univocally. It presents a heading, body and an end. 
The heading and the end have a fixed length while the body has a variable length. 
 
 
 
 
  Packet beginning:  1 byte, STX ASCII code (‘0x02’) 
  Length:  1 byte, length in bytes of the Type field plus the Data field 
  Type:  1 byte, code identifying the packet type ( ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ ASCII code, etc.) 
  Data:  variable number of bytes (from 0 to 254) that form the packet information 
  Packet end:  1 byte, ETX ASCII code(‘0x03’) 
  Checksum:  1 byte, complement to one of the Length, Type and 
    Data field bytes sum. 
 
7.1.2. Short protocol binary data packet structure 
 
There is a binary data packet with reduced protocol composed by one byte. This format is reserved 
to trasmission of numeric type value only (for example one measure). 
 
 
 
Data:  1 byte with binary data packet 
 
7.1.3. ASCII data packet structure 
 
An ASCII data packet is composed of: 
 
 
 
 
 Packet beginning:  1 byte, ‘*’ ASCII code (0x2A) 
 Type:  1 byte, code identifying the packet type ( ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ ASCII code, etc.) 
 Data:  variable number of ‘0’-‘9’ ‘A’-‘Z’ ASCII codes (from 0 to 254) that form the 
    packet information 
 Packet end:  1 byte, CR ASCII code (0x0D)