ABQINDUSTRIAL Rex EMS4 User manual

Rex EMS4 Remote Readout Data Collection Application
Distributed by: ABQ Industrial LP USA
Tel: [phone] eFax: [phone]
Web: https://www.abqindustrial.net E-mail: [email protected]
Distributed by: ABQ Industrial LP USA
Tel: [phone] eFax: [phone]
Web: https://www.abqindustrial.net E-mail: [email protected]

2
Contents
Features .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Hardware Overview .................................................................................................................................. 4
Quickstart Guide ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Android Application Operation..................................................................................................................... 6
Launching and Connecting........................................................................................................................ 6
Main Display.............................................................................................................................................. 7
Configuring Channels ................................................................................................................................ 7
Quadrature Devices .............................................................................................................................. 8
Digimatic Devices .................................................................................................................................. 9
External Data Connection ............................................................................................................................. 9
PC USB Connection ................................................................................................................................... 9
RS-232 Serial Connection........................................................................................................................ 12
Communication Protocol ........................................................................................................................ 12
Parameter List......................................................................................................................................... 13
File Transfer from Tablet......................................................................................................................... 14
Transfer via SD Card (microSD cards can be purchased from you local computer store).................. 14
Transfer via USB Connection............................................................................................................... 16
Transfer to Cloud Storage ...................................................................................................................16
Supplemental Information..........................................................................................................................18
Digimatic Interface.................................................................................................................................. 18
Signal Timing ........................................................................................................................................... 18
Data Ordering..........................................................................................................................................19
Digimatic Data Format ............................................................................................................................20
Quadrature Signal Format ...................................................................................................................... 21
Installing Unsigned Drivers in Windows 8 .............................................................................................. 22
Troubleshooting Android Connection Issues.......................................................................................... 27

3
Introduction
The Remote Display is a richly-featured measurement system that allows for the simultaneous
connection of up to four gauges and displays their current measurements on a connected Android
tablet. In addition, the Remote Display can connect to up to two external data consumers (desktop
computer, laptop, PLC, or any generic serial device) over RS-232 and USB.
The Remote Display has been designed to work with nearly any gauge that outputs data in Digimatic
format. In addition, device that output raw quadrature can be used as well.
As a standalone measurement system, the Remote Display provides a very intuitive and user-friendly
way to configure and monitor several gauges at once. Connecting the Remote Display to a computer or
other serial device makes data collection and statistical process control (SPC) simple and easy.
Features
Simultaneous connection of up to four measurement instruments
Both Digimatic or raw quadrature devices supported on all four ports
Nearly any Digimatic gauge –regardless of manufacturer –supported.
User-friendly and intuitive Android application for easy process monitoring.
Global footswitch makes triggering data updates easy
External USB and RS-232 connections facilitate simple SPC
Wide supply voltage range (9V to 24V)
USB power can be used instead of an external AC adapter
High quality, low profile enclosure and tablet stand
Bright LED power indication

4
Hardware Overview
The front panel of the Remote Display Mux Box contains the connectors for up to four gauge channels.
Each 10-pin connector supports both quadrature probes and any gauge that supports Digimatic
communications.
1
Global send footswitch for triggering updates on all connected channels.
2
Four 10-pin gauge channel connectors
The rear panel of the Remote Display Mux Box the power and communication interface
connectors, as well as a power indicator LED.
1
USB Type A port for connecting the supplied Android tablet
2
USB Type B port for connection to a computer
3
RS-232 port for connection to external data consumers
4
Power LED indicator
5
12V, 1.5A center-positive power jack

5
Quickstart Guide
The following instructions will demonstrate how to operate the Remote Display with one Digimatic
indicator and one quadrature Probe.
1. Plug in the supplied power adapter to the Remote Display Mux Box (item 5 on page 3). The red
LED on the rear panel will light up.
2. Power up the supplied Android tablet. Press and hold the On Button (approx. 5 seconds) until
HP logo appears on screen and then release the On button. The display will take approx. 30
seconds to startup. Using the supplied USB Micro to USB Type-A cable (item 1 page 3 on Back
Panel), connect the Android tablet to the Remote Display Mux Box. Do not connect the tablet to
the USB Type-B connector, as this will not function properly!
3. The Remote Display application should automatically start on the Android tablet. If it does not
start, unplug the tablet from the gauge, wait a few seconds, and then reconnect.
4. Plug a quadrature probe into channel 1
a. The Android application defaults all channels to quadrature mode, so the gauge should
start reporting counts immediately after connecting. Confirm this by moving the spindle
of the probe.
5. Plug the device (with Digimatic output) into channel 2
To configure channel 2 for Digimatic communication mode, long-press on the CH 02. Channel 2
Properties page will appear on tablet. Scroll down to the setting for “Gage Type,” then make sure
Digimatic is selected. Press the back button on the tablet to return to the main display.
6. For all Digimatic devices, data can be manually requested by pressing the “Request” button for
the associated channel. Alternatively, data can be automatically updated at constant intervals
using the automatic update feature. To set an automatic update interval ( the Remote Display
will not update the Digimatic Data unless requested):
a. Long-press on the appropriate channel (CH 01, CH 02, CH 03, or CH 04)
b. Scroll down to the option titled “Auto-request interval”
c. Select the desired update rate ( fastest rates may not be supported by all devices)
Note that the “Request” button will no longer be visible for that channel. It is not possible to
manually request while the automatic function is active.

6
Android Application Operation
Launching and Connecting
The Remote Display Android application will automatically launch and connect when the tablet is
connected to the Remote Display Mux Box. Alternatively, the app can be launched by clicking on the
Remote Display icon from the App Drawer.
After connecting the Android tablet to the Remote Display Mux Box and launching the app, the system
will establish communication. The connection status text at the top-left corner the application will read
“Remote Display” as seen below.
If the device shows a status of “Disconnected” or “Error,” ensure that the Remote Display is powered
using the external AC adaptor and that the Android tablet is connected to the USB-A plug on the back of
the display. Refer to Hardware Overview section for more information about identifying the connectors.

7
Main Display
The main screen of the Remote Display application is shown below. As channels are enabled and
disabled, the screen will update dynamically to maximize the amount of screen area available. This
example shows two connected devices (channels 1 is a Quadrature “QUAD” instrument and channel 2 is
a Digimatic “DIGI” instrument. If Digimatic is chosen as “Gage Type” and no device is connected to that
channel, then TIMEOUT will appear on the display. The primary features of the main screen are
illustrated in the list below.
1. Clear Button (quadrature devices only) –Press and Hold the Clear Button to zero the displayed
measurement for that channel.
2. Hold Button (quadrature devices only) –Press Hold to toggle on or off hold function. To enable
/disable Hold function and configure (min, max, or freeze) go to Channel Properties page.
3. Log Data Button –Press to record current measurement
4. Request Button (Digimatic devices only) –Press to request reading from selected channel
5. Clear All Button –Press to zero all quadrature channels
6. Request All Button –Press to request reading from all Digimatic channels
7. Log All Button –Press to record current measurement for all channels
Configuring Channels
Regardless of the connected gauge type, all channels have a set of common settings. To access the
settings for a given channel, swipe from the left side of the screen towards the center of the tablet
(alternatively, press the back button on the tablet’s soft key menu), and then click on the name of the
appropriate channel.

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Regardless of the type of connected device (Quadrature or Digimatic) there are several settings that are
always available. These settings are summarized in the following list:
Setting
Notes
Channel Enabled
Enables/Disables channel. Disabling a channel will hide it from the main display.
Gage Type
Selects the channel function between Quadrature and Digimatic modes.
Unit Type
Selects measurement unit between Inch, Millimeter, and Hidden
Mode
Selects indication mode between Incremental (default), Absolute, and Total
Indicated Runout (TIR). TIR is only available for Quadrature Devices
Absolute Offset
Entry of absolute offset (ABS mode only)
Travel Direction
Selects between forward and reverse travel direction.
Tolerance
Enables/Disables tolerance mode. If this mode is enabled, the analog indication
for this channel will turn red when the measurement falls outside of the
specified bounds.
High Tolerance
Sets the maximum allowable tolerance value for this channel.
Low Tolerance
Sets the maximum allowable tolerance value for this channel.
Ratio Mode
Enabling Ratio mode will scale the current value by the value of the “Ratio
Value” setting.
Ratio Value
Scale multiplier for current gage measurement.
Automatic Log
Enables automatic data logging on an interval
Log Interval (s)
Sets the logging interval if Automatic Log is enabled
Show Analog Scale
Enables display of the analog scale in addition to the readout value
Analog Scale
Selects the maximum value to display on the analog scale readout.
Show Leading Zero
Enables/Disables leading zeros on current measurement.
Quadrature Devices
By default, channels are set up in quadrature mode, which provides a real-time display of the current
indicator’s measurement. The following settings are only available for quadrature channels:
Setting
Notes
Hold
Turns on/off hold mode for this chancel. This setting can be accessed by
pressing the “Hold” button for the current channel on the main screen.
Hold Mode
If Hold is enabled, this setting selects between the available hold modes: Min,
Max, and Freeze
Encoder
Resolution
Set the Encoder Resolution of the device (for example .00005” or .0001”)
Encoder Unit Type
Selects the unit type of the encoder glass scale (Metric or Imperial)
Resolution
Sets the display resolution of the remote display
Show Min/Max
Enables display of min and max readings in addition to the readout value

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Digimatic Devices
Channels can also be set up to read output from Digimatic devices. These devices need to be polled for
their current data. The following settings are only available for Digimatic channels:
Setting
Notes
Log on Request
If enabled, a timestamped entry will be made to the data log every time the
data is refreshed manually
Auto Request
Enables/Disables automatic data refresh.
Request Interval (s)
Sets the data update interval if Auto Request is enabled.
External Data Connection
The remote display supports data connections over both USB and RS-232 communications.
PC USB Connection
The device may work with older operating systems but only Windows 7 and 8 are supported by the
manufacturer. When connecting the Remote Display to a host computer over USB, the Remote Display
will function as a Virtual COM Port (VCP), which emulates a standard RS-232 serial connection. To use
this feature, follow these steps to establish communication between the display and the host PC (these
instructions assume that host computer is running Windows 7):
1. Install the USB drivers that were bundled with the Remote Display. Be sure to install the correct
drivers for the version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit) that you are installing on. This can be
determined by opening the System properties (Control Panel -> System and Security -> System)
and checking the System Type field.
2. Power the Remote Display Mux Box using the supplied AC adapter. The red LED on the rear
panel will light up to indicate the device has turned on.
3. Connect the Remote Display Mux Box to the host computer by plugging a USB cable between
the USB Type B connector on the rear panel of the Remote Display and a USB port on the host
computer (this cable can be purchased at your local computer store).
4. If the drivers have been installed correctly, Windows will recognize the Remote Display and will
show a notification that the device has been connected.
Now that the PC USB has been properly established, the VCP can be opened either by data logging
software or manually through a terminal client.
Most terminal clients that support standard serial communications will be compatible with the Remote
Display. One free application, PuTTY, is the recommended application to use with the Remote Display.
You can download it using the following link
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

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To install PuTTY, follow this procedure:
1. Once on the Putty website scroll down to “Site map” and click on Download PuTTY!
2. Scroll down to Windows Installer for everything except PuTTYtel click on Installer: putty-0.63-
installer.exe.
3. When the installer finished downloading, double-click on it to start. Follow the prompts to
complete the installation.
To open the VCP and query the Remote Display for the current gauge reading on channel one, follow
these steps. This guide will assume the user is using PuTTY to make the connection.
1. Open the terminal client and under “Connection type” check the circle marked “Serial”.
2. Enter the COM port number in the “Serial Line” box. If this is not known, it can be found in the
Device Manager:
a. Open the Start menu (or press the Windows key on the keyboard)
b. Type “Device Manager” and then press enter
c. Expand “Ports (COM & LPT)”
d. The Remote Display will appear as “Virtual COM Port (CDC) (COMnnn)” where “nnn” is
the port number.