Using HyperTerminal
(pdf version)

To communicate with any WET Lab’s serial data instruments, you may use the Windows-supplied terminal emulator program called Hyperterm or HyperTerminal.

1.      Find and start the program.

2.      Select a Connection Name and press OK. In the example, the name will be ATest.

3.      Select the COM port you want to communicate to the instrument with and then press OK. In this example, COM1 has been selected.

4.      Select the desired Baud Rate (shown as Bits per second), turn off the Flow control by setting it to ‘None’, and press OK. In the example, the baud rate has been set to 19200.

 

 

Typical baud rates for WET Labs’ sensors:

 ECO Gen 1 (DFL, FLS,VSF) :9600
ECO Gen 2 (everything else): 19200
*ac-9: 19200
*ac-s: 115200
WQM: 19200

 

After pressing OK, you will either get …

 

 

Disconnected showing in the lower left hand corner.

OR

Connected showing in the lower left hand corner. If you are connected you will start getting data as soon a test cable is connected to the computer and power is applied.

If you are Disconnected, make sure all other programs that might be using the COM port have been turned off, then cycle the two telephone icons on the tool bar:

This  is the disconnect icon, used to turn off the PC COM port and to stop communication with the sensor.

 This   is the connect icon, used to turn on the PC COM port and to start communications with the sensor.

 If you are connected and have data that looks like

You are all set.

If you are connected and get binary data that looks like this:

 You have selected the incorrect baud rate (unless you are looking for binary data such as for the ac-9 or ac-s). Change the baud rate (Step 5). 

If your meter is connected to the PC, powered on, the correct COM port is selected and you get a blank terminal screen, you might be able to use these two icons to cycle the COM port off and on to get communications started.

If you have everything selected correctly (baud rate, COM port, power is on, cable hooked up) but are unable to see any data, you may have to shut down the computer to reset the Windows driver for the COM port.

5.      Disconnect the port using the Disconnect icon.

·         Use the Properties icon () to bring up the Properties window shown above in Step 4. 

·         Change the baud rate to the next choice and press OK.

·         Use the Connect icon ( ) to reconnect to the instrument.

6.      To log data, select Capture Text, then

select a File (you may need to use the Browse button),

 and press Start.

 7.      Once you have collected your data file, select Transfer > Capture Text > Stop or Pause to stop or pause data logging.