PVA PVA2000 - Getting Started; Necessary Skills; Hardware & Software Requirements; Installing Pathmaster

PathMaster® Manual Rev. H 6/03
- 12 -
Getting Started
Necessary Skills
The Dispensing System operator must be familiar with Windows
®
and its most common features. This
includes Notepad (or a similar text editing program), Explorer (or File Manager) and how to cut-and-paste
information from one place to another. It is STRONGLY recommended that personnel be thoroughly
versed in these subjects before attempting to program the machine.
Hardware & Software Requirements
PathMaster
®
requires a Pentium processor and at least 32 MB of RAM for Windows
®
95, 98, NT, 2000,
me, or XP operating systems.
Installing PathMaster
®
To install PathMaster
®
, first close any applications that may be open. If the install is done via 3½” disks,
take disk #1 of the PathMaster
®
installation disks and place it in the floppy drive, making sure it is secure.
Run setup.exe and follow the instructions on the screen. For CD-ROM installations, insert the CD into the
CD drive. Run setup.exe on the CD drive and follow the instructions on the screen.
NOTE: PVA recommends installing the software in its default directory (c:\Program Files\PVA).
Tutorials
In the tutorials directory of the PathMaster
®
CD-ROM are a number of audio/visual tutorials. These can be
accessed via the Help
→ Contents option in PathMaster
®
or the pathmaster.hlp file.
NOTE: If the computer in use does not have a sound card or the card is not installed properly, the audio
portion of the tutorials will not function.
Communications
The Dispensing System communicates with a computer using the EIA RS-232C standard. The computer is
the Data Terminal Equipment (DTE Device) and the controller is the Data Communications Equipment
(DCE Device). A programming port is located on the front of the machine. The controller baud rate and
handshaking function are set with dip switches on the controller inside the Dispensing System enclosure.
The settings for the controller and the computer must be the same.
WARNING The computer must be at the same ground potential as the machine. Damage to
the machine or computer may result if the ground potentials are different. Use the Dispensing
System service outlet for computer power.
DMC-1500 Dip Switch Settings
The main RS-232 port on the DMC-1500 controller must be configured as follows to communicate with the
PathMaster
®
software.
Table 1 – DMC-1500 Dip Switch Settings for PathMaster
®
Switch Position Description
MRST OFF Master Reset Switch
1200 OFF Baud rate