AAON USB-Link 2 Quick start guide

USB-Link 2
Technical Guide
USB-Link 2 Code: SS0073 Version 4.11 and up

TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION.................................................................................................. 3
USB-Link 2 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 3
System Requirements ............................................................................................................................. 3
QUICK GUIDE.................................................................................................................... 4
USB-LINK 2 DRIVER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ..................................................... 5
CONNECTION AND WIRING .............................................................................................. 6
FINDING THE COM PORT NUMBER .................................................................................. 7
PRISM 2 SETUP INSTRUCTIONS ...................................................................................... 8
COMMUNICATION SETTINGS AND LED DESCRIPTIONS ............................................... 10
USB-Link 2 Switch Settings................................................................................................................... 10
USB-Link 2 LED Descriptions................................................................................................................ 10
TROUBLESHOOTING....................................................................................................... 11
Troubleshooting Tips ............................................................................................................................. 11
www.aaon.com
This manual is also available for download from our website—
www.aaon.com/communicationdevices—where you can
always nd the latest literature updates.
AAON, Inc.
2425 South Yukon Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74107-2728
www.aaon.com
Factory Technical Support Phone: [phone]
Controls Support Phone: [phone]
AAON P/N: G019140, Rev. 01J
Copyright August 2019 AAON, Inc.
AAON®is a registered trademark of AAON, Inc., Tulsa, OK.
Windows®10 is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
AAON, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
This document is subject to change without notice.

OVERVIEW
3
USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
USB-Link 2 Overview
The ASM02244 USB-Link 2 is a portable device that is used as an
interface to connect your computer to AAON controllers without
the need for a CommLink.
The USB-Link 2 provides a direct link to enable you to view the
status and congure and adjust the setpoints of any controller on
the control system communications loop using Prism 2 software.
The USB-Link 2 is small in size and is powered by the USB port of
the computer it is plugged into, making it completely portable and
allowing connection to the system from any controller.
The USB-Link 2 is supplied with a USB cable, a mini-DIN male
communication cable, and two mini-DIN to terminal adapters. The
communication cable allows you to walk up to any controller that
has a communication socket and plug in the USB-Link 2 to gain
access to the system. The adapters are used for boards that do not
have a female mini-DIN plug connection.
System Requirements
To enable the USB-Link 2 to work with Prism 2, you will need:
• USB-Link 2 with USB cable, mini-DIN male
communication cable, and adapters for terminal and
modular connections (cables and adapters provided)
• USB drivers on CD-ROM (supplied with USB-Link 2 but
also downloadable from www.aaon.com/prism). Make
sure to install the drivers before connecting the USB-
Link 2 to your computer.
• PC with USB 1.1 or 2.0 port (supplied by others)
• Microsoft®Windows® 10 (installed on the PC you are
going to use)
• Prism 2 software version 4.0.4 or later (supplied with
USB-Link 2 but also downloadable from www.aaon.com/
prism)
Networked Systems Only
• CommLink(s) and/or MiniLink(s)
General Information
Figure 1: Top, Front, and Bottom Views of the
USB-Link 2

OVERVIEW
4USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Important Notes
Follow the included USB-Link 2 driver installation
instructions (page 5).
 Follow the connection and wiring instructions
(Figure 2,page 6) to connect and congure the
USB-Link 2.
Familiarize yourself with all system components and
review all documentation. Pay special attention to
“Cautions,” “Notes,” and “Warnings” since these may
keep you from experiencing unnecessary problems.
 If you encounter any problems, please refer to the
Troubleshooting section of this guide rst. If you
can’t resolve the problem, please call AAON
Controls Support at our toll free number—
1-866-918-1100.
Quick Guide
Quick Guide
Follow the six steps below to get your USB-Link 2 up and running
in no time.
WARNING: You must install the USB drivers (Step 3 below)
before connecting the USB-Link 2 to your computer (Step 4
below).
Step 1: Set your USB-Link 2’s conguration switch to Stand
Alone or Network (Figure 3, page 10).
Step 2: Set your USB-Link 2’s communication speed switch
to Low Speed or High Speed (Figure 3, page 10).
Step 3: Install the USB drivers from the included CD-ROM
onto your computer.
Step 4: Attach the USB cable to your USB-Link 2 and plug
the other end of the cable into your computer’s
USB port (Figure 2,page 6).
Step 5: Attach the communication cable to your USB-Link 2
and connect the other end of the cable to the
Controller’s communication port (Figure 2,page 6).
Step 6: Install the included Prism 2 software on your
computer (page 8).

CONNECTION & WIRING
5
USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
USB Serial Converter and Serial Port
Driver Installation
The internal USB communication port of the USB-Link 2 uses a
specialized driver that must be installed on your Windows® PC before
communication to the device can be established.
NOTE: You may already have this driver installed on your PC if
you are using a CommLink 5.
1. Before you begin, you must determine if your computer
is running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows. Open the System
information by right-clicking the <Windows> icon and
then selecting <System>. Under System, you can view
the system type. Based on what type of system you have,
you will choose 32_Bit.exe or 64_Bit.exe from the list of
les shown in Step 10.
2. Insert the USB Drivers CD-ROM into your CD-ROM
drive or download the USB Drivers le from
www.aaon.com/prism. If using the CD-ROM, go to Step
7. If downloading the le, you will need to scroll down
the page until you nd “USB Drivers For All Products”
to download the driver les.
3. Right click on “Click Here.” Then click <Save Link
As> or <Save Target As> and select Desktop as the
destination.
4. Go to the “USB-DRIVERS-ALL.exe” le on your desk-
top. Double-click on this le and choose “Run” from the
options list. The following window will appear:
5. Select <Unzip> and the le will be unzipped to the
folder C:\Temp\WM-USB-Drivers folder by default.
6. Next, go to the C:\Temp\WM-USB-Drivers folder and
now go to Step 9.
7. Open the <File Manager> icon and nd the CD-ROM
drive in the left column.
8. Double-click on your CD-ROM drive. Open the Media
Files Folder.
9. Double-click the folder “USBLink NewSS0073”.
10. The following list of les will display. Choose 32_Bit.
exe or 64_Bit.exe based on what type of system you
determined you have in Step 1.
11. In the window that pops up, shown below, click <Next>
and the installation program will walk you through the
rest of the steps.
12. When successful installation has occurred, connect the
USB cable between the PC and the USB-Link 2. The
PC will automatically recognize the device and a COM
port will be assigned. Follow the procedures on page 7 to
verify the Comm Port.
USB Driver Installation

CONNECTION & WIRING
6USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Connection and Wiring
Figure 2: USB-Link 2 Connection & Wiring

CONNECTION & WIRING
7
USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Finding the COM Port Number
Finding What COM Port Number the
USB-Link 2 is Using (Windows®10)
1. Right-click on the Windows® icon, located on the bottom
left or top left of the Windows Tool Bar.
2. Select <Device Manager>.
3. Click on the plus sign next to Ports to see all of the
common ports.
4. Locate the USB Serial Port (COM#). The COM# in
parentheses is the port it is located on. Write this COM
port number down. You will need to know this when
setting up the Prism 2 software.

CONNECTION & WIRING
8USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Prism 2 Setup Instructions
Conguring Prism 2 for the USB-Link 2
1. Insert your Prism 2 software CD and follow the steps in the
readme.txt le to install the software.
2. The instructions will tell you to create a
Prism 2.exe shortcut on your desktop. Click
on this icon to open your Prism 2 software.
3. Click the <Login> button and type in the
level 3 User Name and password (default is
“admin, admin”). Click <Login>.
4. If Prism 2 is online, click the
<ON LINE> button to make it go
<OFFLINE>.
5. Click the <Job-Site> button to open the Job
Sites Window.
6. Click on any empty location in the Job-Site Selection
Window and type in a job name in the Selected
Location eld and press <Enter>.
6. In the Serial Port eld, click on the pull down box and
select the COM port number that the USB-Link 2 is using.
7. In the Type of CommLink selection box, select the radio
button next to “CommLink 5 or USB Link II”.
8. In the Network Conguration selection box, select the
mode for the USB-Link 2 you are using. If using stand
alone mode, select USB Link Stand Alone. If using network
mode, select USB Link Network. The position of the slide
switch on the USB-Link 2 must also be set to the mode you
are using (See Figure 3, page 10 for help in setting this
switch).
9. Click <Exit> to close out of the Job Sites Window.
10. Click the <OFFLINE> button to go
<ON LINE>.

CONNECTION & WIRING
9
USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
11. From the <Communications> menu on the main toolbar,
select <Search for Units>.
12. The Search For Units Window will appear. If you haven’t
performed a previous search, the Loop Selection eld
will read 01 and the Current Unit will read 00. You can
perform a selective search by entering the loop number
you would like to search and checking Search ONLY the
Selected Loop. The Check Unit Maps box will already be
checked. Do not deselect this box. Deselecting it will cause
the search not to work.
13. Click <Start Search> to initiate an automatic
detection of all installed controllers on your system.
14. If everything is working correctly, Units Found on this
Loop should increase. You will also see green boxes
indicating units that have been found.
Prism 2 Setup Instructions
15. If Units Found on this Loop stays at zero, check the
wiring to the USB-Link 2 and the controller and/or read
through these directions again to make sure all steps were
followed. Refer to the Troubleshooting Section in the back
of this guide for further help.
16. To stop a search, click <Cancel Search>.
17. Once you are done searching for units, close out of the
window or click <Exit>.
18. A window will pop up that asks, “Do you want to save
the search results?” Click <Yes> if you wish to save the
results. Click <No> if not.
19. You can now access any installed unit from the Main Prism
2 Screen by selecting a loop from the Loop Selection
Window with a single-click and by selecting the unit from
the Unit Selection Window with a double-click.

Zone
Zone
TROUBLESHOOTING
10 USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Communication Settings and LED Descriptions
Figure 3: USB-Link 2 Conguration Switch, Communication Speed Switch, and LEDs
Communication Speed
The communication speed switch for low or high speed is found to the
left of the LEDs. See Figure 3 above. To set the communication speed
switch, insert a pen tip to move the switch up or down.
Low Speed -The switch should be set to LOW if using VCM-X or
older generation Orion Controllers, older generation Auto-Zone
Controllers, or VCB-X or GPC-XP Controllers that are set to Low
Speed.
High Speed - The switch should be set to HIGH if using Pioneer
Gold Controllers, VCCX2 Controllers, AZ2 Controllers, or
VCB-X or GPC-XP Controllers that are set to High Speed.
USB-Link 2 LED Descriptions
COMM - Indicates communication activity between the USB-Link
2 and the controller(s) that the USB-Link 2 is connected to.
When this LED is ashing, data is being exchanged.
USB TX & USB RX - Indicates communication activity between
the USB-Link 2 and the computer that the USB-Link 2 is
connected to. The LEDs will ash only when data is sent from
Prism 2 to the USB-Link 2 via USB.
NOTE: Whenever you change the conguration or
communication speed setting on the USB-Link 2,
you must cycle the power to the USB-Link 2 by
disconnecting and reconnecting the USB power
supply cable.
USB-Link 2 Switch Settings
Conguration Switch
The conguration switch for stand alone or network mode is found to the
left of the LEDs. See Figure 3 above. To set the conguration switch,
insert a pen tip to move the switch up or down.
Stand Alone - No MiniLink or CommLink -The slide switch
on the USB-Link 2 should be set to “Stand Alone” when you are
trying to talk to a stand alone controller or multiple controllers on
a loop without a CommLink or a MiniLink wired to the
communications loop.
Network - MiniLink or CommLink connection - The slide
switch on the USB-Link 2 should be set to “Network” any time
there is a CommLink or MiniLink wired to the communications
loop.

Zone
Zone
TROUBLESHOOTING
11
USB-Link 2 Technical Guide
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Tips
Problems with Prism 2 Software
• Verify that the correct COM port, created by the USB
connection, is selected in the Job-Sites Window. Verify
the COM port number by right-clicking on the Windows®
icon, selecting <Device Manager>, and viewing <Ports>.
• Verify that the radio button <CommLink 5 or USB-Link II>
is selected for the Type of CommLink in the Job-Sites
Window.
• Verify that the correct USB-Link 2 mode is selected
under Network Conguration in the Job-Sites Window.
Problems with USB Connection
• Verify that the USB-Link 2’s USB LEDs blink when you
perform a Search for Units or try to open a status screen in
Prism 2.
• If the USB-Link 2’s USB LEDs fail to blink, disconnect and
reconnect the USB connection.
• If the problem persists, check that the USB drivers
have been installed properly
Problems with RS-485 Wiring
• Make sure T connects to T, R to R, and Shld to Shld if
multiple boards are wired together on a loop.
• Make sure that the USB-Link 2 mini-DIN communication
cable is plugged into a controller or wired to the local
side of the loop.
Problems Viewing Controllers on a Network
• Make sure that in Prism 2, <USB Link Network> is
selected under Network Conguration in the Job-Sites
Window.
Support Information
AAON Controls provides Prism 2 installation and conguration sup-
port. Call [phone] for free, direct telephone support or (816)
505-1100 to talk to a Controls Support Representative. Support for all
telephone services is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00
PM central standard time.
NOTE: AAON Controls Support cannot troubleshoot
internal PC and/or Windows®-based operating system
problems.
NOTE: AAON Controls Support cannot troubleshoot
rewalls, routers, and/or problems on a customer’s
internal or external network. An IT professional may
need to be consulted.
WARNING: Older operating systems, while they still
might be capable of running Prism, are not recommended
due to security updates being obsoleted by Microsoft®.
We also do not support troubleshooting of any version
of Windows®operating the Prism program. Some new
models of laptops running the latest release of Windows®
10 have also experienced issues running Prism, and we
cannot troubleshoot customer computer issues.

8500 NW River Park Drive • Parkville, MO • 64152
Ph: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
AAON®P/N: G019140, Rev. 01J
Printed in the USA • © August 2019 AAON • All Rights Reserved
AAON Factory Technical Support: 918-382-6450
techsuppor[email protected]
AAON Controls Support: 866-918-1100
Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM
central standard time.
NOTE: Before calling Technical Support, please have the
model and serial number of the unit available.
PARTS: For replacement parts please contact your local
AAON Representative.