awtxscaletest Utility Program

Transcription

1 awtxscaletest Utility Program This document describes awtxscaletest, a free utility program provided courtesy of Salter Brecknell and Avery Weigh-Tronix to their customers to assist in verifying proper operation of scales, interconnect cables, and other settings for use with UPS WorldShip and FedEx Ship Manager. This software is not formally supported or maintained. Disclaimer: Information provided in this document, as well as 'freeware' and sample source code is provided free-of-charge to Avery Weigh-Tronix customers for their personal use. NO WARRANTIES: The free-of-charge software is provided as-is with no warranties expressed or implied. NO LIABILITY: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Avery Weigh-Tronix, its' suppliers or subsidiaries be liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the installation, use or inability to use the software provided, even if Avery Weigh-Tronix has been advised of the possibility of such damages. 5/4/2011 1

2 Installation» First, you must locate the Downloads page on the Salter Brecknell website. It is located at: If you computer is already connected to the web, you can simply click here to be taken directly to the site.» Click on the AWTXST zip file icon and download it to your desktop, or any other convenient folder on your computer. When the download completes, you will have the installation zip file called setup awtxscaletest (v1.0.0).zip (or newer version if released).» Right-Click on setup awtxscaletest (v1.0.0).zip and select Extract All.. Check the box that says Show extracted files when complete, then Click the Extract button. You should see three files and one folder resulting from the extraction as follows:» Right-Click on the setup file, then select Properties.» In the setup Properties window, Click on the Compatibility tab. You should see something similar to the following screen: 5/4/2011 2

3 » In the Compatibility Mode section, check the box that says Run this program in compatibility mode for: and then make sure the selection Windows XP (Service Pack 3) is displayed.» Next Click the Apply button, then the OK button. Now you are ready to perform the actual installation of the program as shown on the following page.» Double-Click the setup file icon to launch installation. 5/4/2011 3

4 » If you are installing on a newer computer running Vista or Windows 7, you may get a security warning screen similar to the following: This is perfectly normal and only indicates that Avery Weigh-Tronix has not gone through the formal process of obtaining a publishers certificate to accompany this free software utility. It is perfectly safe to download and install this software as long as you know it came from Avery Weigh-Tronix or one of its associated sites.» Click Install. 5/4/2011 4

5 When installation completes, the application should start automatically. If it does not, then simply locate the icon for awtxscaletest on your desktop and Double-Click on it to start the program. Operation is very simple. You will determine the type of test that you want to run and select that test from the Test Mode selection list. Then, set the Serial Port Settings to match the scale settings that you are using, select the send Mode for how often to send commands to the scale and then the RxD View for how you want the scale data to be displayed. Some of the main choices of operation are: Test Mode: Manual Settings-- Use this mode when you want to connect any scale, manually set the serial communications parameters, and send different commands to the scale. UPS WorldShip Use this mode when you want to verify a scale for operation with UPS WorldShip. If you already have WorldShip and the AWTX Scale Drivers for WorldShip installed, then you can simply choose your scale model from the Scale Driver selection list. This will automatically populate the Serial Port Settings and weight request string exactly as it will occur in WorldShip. FedEx Ship Manager -- Use this mode when you want to determine what the Response Format string for your scale is when used in the custom scale configuration of FedEx Ship Manager. 5/4/2011 5

6 Scale Driver: This selection list is available only in the UPS WorldShip test mode. If you already have WorldShip and the AWTX Scale Drivers for WorldShip installed, then the list will present all of the exact same Avery Weigh-Tronix scale model drivers that are available when running WorldShip. Miscellaneous: Save -- Allows you to save all of the text in the information display to a file and location of your choice. Clear -- Clears all of the text in the information display. Insert -- Allows you to manually insert individual as well as some common function/control-character combinations into the transmit buffer which will be sent to the scale. Send/Start -- The Send button causes the scale command string, in the TxD transmit buffer, to be sent to the scale one time when the Mode is set to Send Once and the serial port has been opened. You can continue to click on the Send button as often as desired. If the Mode is set to Continuous, then the button will be labeled as Start. Click the Start button once to initiate a continuous sequence of scale requests/scale responses and data display. Click on the Stop button to end the continuous session. Mode: Send Once-- The Send button causes the scale command string, in the TxD transmit buffer, to be sent to the scale one time when the serial port has been opened. Continuous-- The Start button causes the scale command string, in the TxD transmit buffer, to be sent to the scale repeatedly when the serial port has been opened. The Stop button terminates the continuous session. Loopback-- You can use this mode to verify that the serial loopback connections in the Avery Weigh-Tronix scale are correct as well as determine if the scale is securely connected at the scale and computer. In order to be able to use standard off-the-shelf serial RS-232 cables, Avery Weigh-Tronix scales implement the standard loopback connection inside the scale. This loopback test assures you that these connections are implemented and enabled. The test can also be used to verify that the connections at the scale and computer are secure. The loopback test is dynamic in that it continually interrogates the scale. If a connection is loose, it will be reflected in the graphic as a failed loopback line. 5/4/2011 6

7 For example; the following image shows the loopback test running with proper scale loopback lines enabled and the cable securely connected to the scale and the computer: Whereas, the following image shows the loopback test running with proper scale loopback lines enabled but with the cable connector (at the scale side), lifted slightly on one side causing a loss of signal. 5/4/2011 7

8 RxD View: HEX-- Use this to display the returned scale data in hexadecimal format. ASCII-- Use this to display the returned scale data in standard ASCII/control format. FEDEX-- Use this to display the FedEx Ship Manager format of the scales returned data. Here are some screenshot excerpts of a Model 6710 with a display weight of 0.000lb HEX: ASCII: FEDEX (Ship Manager Response Format): 5/4/2011 8

9 NOTES: 1) In order to send any command (and retrieve/display data) from a scale you must set all Serial Port Settings and click on the Open Port button. 2) If the Close Port button is clicked, Mode will revert to Send Once. 3) When Mode is set to Continuous, the RxD Rate will display a running average of the rate at which data is being read from the scale. The continuous mode attempts to acquire data as fast as the PC/scale combination allows. It immediately makes the next request to the scale after receiving and displaying the current data received. 4) When Mode is set to Continuous, the RxD Reads will display a running total of the number of scale reads that have occurred in the current continuous session. Clicking the Stop button clears the running session total. sales@salterbrecknell.com service@salterbrecknell.com /4/2011 9