Accurate Technology ProScale User manual

Firmware version 1.0 and greater
User Manual
ProScale
RF Receiver

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 2 of 20
This document is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of
America. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means,
electronic or otherwise, without the expressed written permission of
Accurate Technology, Inc.
Firmware Version 1.000
P/N 800-1340-001, Revision A, Copyright © 2004-2005,
Accurate Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.
ATTENTION
The ProScale RF Receiver is only compatible
with ProScale General Purpose Displays that
are equipped with an integral RF transmitter
AND firmware version 2.1x or above.

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 3 of 20
FCC NOTICE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
•Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for
help.
Operation with non-approved equipment is likely to result in interference to
radio and TV reception. The user is cautioned that changes and modifications
made to the equipment without the approval of the manufacturer could void the
user’s authority to operate this equipment.

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 4 of 20
Table of Contents
SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION ...............................................5
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................5
WHAT THIS MANUAL CONTAINS .........................................................................6
TERMINOLOGY ..................................................................................................6
SECTION 2 INSTALLATION.................................................................7
SECTION 3 CONFIGURATION.............................................................8
COMMAND FORMAT ...........................................................................................9
OUTPUT MODES..............................................................................................10
Output mode 0 ..........................................................................................10
Output mode 1 ..........................................................................................10
Output mode 2 ..........................................................................................10
Output mode 3 ..........................................................................................11
Output mode 4 ..........................................................................................11
Output mode 5 ..........................................................................................12
DELETING A PREVIOUS MEASUREMENT RECORD ................................................13
SECTION 4 OPERATION...................................................................14
COMMAND FORMAT EXAMPLES ........................................................................14
System ID .................................................................................................14
Output Mode .............................................................................................14
Delimiter Character...................................................................................14
Echo Mode................................................................................................15
Record Start Marker .................................................................................15
Terminator Type .......................................................................................15
Baud Rate.................................................................................................16
Firmware Version ID.................................................................................16
Invalid Command......................................................................................16
DEFAULTING THE RECEIVER TO FACTORY VALUES ............................................17
SETTING RECEIVER FOR MASTER MODE ON THE SERIAL PORT..........................17
PRODUCT REGISTRATION ............................................................................19

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 5 of 20
SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the ProScale receiver system. This radio receiver
unit is designed to be used in conjunction with Accurate Technology, Inc.
ProScale™ linear measuring systems that are equipped with integral RF
transmitters (digital display firmware version 2.1 or above).
The purpose of this system is to provide a one-way wireless data
communication channel between a ProScale measuring system and a
computer or other computing device. Depending on the receiver model that
you have purchased, the unit has the ability to receive signals from either a
single ProScale display or several displays.
The receiver provides RS-232 serial data in standard ASCII text format and
may be configured for various output formats. In addition, the receiver will
support standard baud rates from 2400 to 115200 bits per second.
The following is a list of features for the ProScale RF receiver:
•Six output formats to support various data collection requirements.
•Programmable data field delimiter character.
•Programmable line terminator.
•Record start sentinel character enable/disable.
•Character echo enable/disable.
•Baud rate selection.
•System ID selection. Prevents interference from multiple Pro-RF
systems.
•Typical signal range: 50’ to 100’ depending on the environment.
•Serial output transmit/receive reversal via jumper selection (null
modem). Allows unit to switch from slave mode (PC use) to master
mode (for use with other devices).
•Receiver configuration is stored in non-volatile memory. Configuration
is completed using a standard terminal program such as
HyperTerminal™.

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 6 of 20
What This Manual Contains
This Manual covers only the ProScale-RF Digital Display Receiver
It is intended to supplement the ProScale manual part number
800-1097-001, covering the operation of the Wireless Digital Display.
Terminology
This section provides a brief description of terms used within this manual.
ASCII Text – Standard English text that is used in conjunction with computers.
This can include upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation.
Field – A field is an individual data element such as position, units or other
information.
Delimiter – A character that is used to separate individual fields from one
another, such as a space or tab.
Entry Record – A group of fields separated by delimiter characters that together
form an entry in a computer file.
Terminator – A special character(s) that is used to terminate an entry record.
Record Start Marker – A special character that is used to indicate the start of a
record being received. In this case, the marker is an asterisk (*).

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 7 of 20
SECTION 2 INSTALLATION
The ProScale RF receiver is simple to install and connect to a PC.
1. Connect the low voltage DC power supply (provided) to the rear of
the receiver. Plug the power supply into an AC outlet. The top
green LED on the front of the receiver will illuminate.
2. Connect the male (pin) end of the DB-9 serial cable (provided) to
the rear of the receiver. Connect the female (socket) end to the PC
serial port. Note: If using a newer laptop computer, there may be
no RS-232 port installed on your PC. In this case, it is
recommended that you purchase a USB/Serial adapter from your
local office supply store.
3. Set the receiver in a location that is centrally located to receive
signals from your ProScale display(s). Do not place the receiver
next to large metal objects such as a filing cabinet as this may
significantly reduce the receiving range.
Serial Connection
Power
Connection
Power
Indicator
Valid Data
Received

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 8 of 20
SECTION 3 CONFIGURATION
Depending on the receiver model you have purchased, the unit has
the ability to receive signals from either a Single ProScale RF
display or from Multiple ProScale RF displays.
After the receiver is connected to the computer and power applied, the unit can
be configured for operation.
Start a terminal emulation program such as HyperTerminal™. Configure the
terminal program for the serial port being used to communicate with the
receiver.
The following are the default port settings of the receiver:
•9600 baud
•8 data bits
•No parity
•1 stop bit.
•Flow Control: None
Although the receiver can be configured for different baud rates, the other
communications parameters are fixed and cannot be altered.
When the serial port has been configured and opened, the user can test the
communications by requesting the receiver’s firmware version. This is
accomplished by typing the command letter v or V followed by the ENTER key.
The receiver will respond with: “ProScale Receiver V1.000” or similar
message.

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Command Format
The receiver uses a standard format for all configuration commands.
1. A single command letter. Lower case letters allow the current
parameter state to be viewed without modification. Upper case letters
allow the user to change the parameter configuration.
2. One or more characters are used when modifying configuration
parameters. They have no effect when parameters are viewed (lower
case command letters).
The following is a list of command letters and their meanings:
V– Firmware version ID. No parameters.
S– System ID. Used to configure the receiver to only accept signals
from ProScale-RF displays that have the same system ID. This
prevents signals from other ProScale-RF displays with different
system ID’s within radio range from being received. The default is
0.
O– Output mode. Formats the record text for the desired data
content. See Output Modes on page 9 for more information. The
default is mode 3; position, units and display ID.
D– Configures the delimiting character that is used to separate fields
within a record. The default is a space.
E– Enables or disables the character echo when typing in data from
the terminal program. The default is ON.
M– Record Start Marker. Enables or disables the use of the new
record start (sentinel) character, which is an *. When enabled,
each new record received starts with an asterisk (*). The default is
OFF.
T– Record Terminator. Each record can be terminated with either a
carriage return or carriage return and line feed. The default is
carriage return and line feed (CR/LF)
B– Baud Rate. Sets the baud rate used to communicate with the
receiver. The default is 9600 bits per second.
See a list of command examples beginning on page 14.

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 10 of 20
Output Modes
There are six output modes available on the ProScale RF receiver. The first
five are ASCII text formats and the sixth mode is a binary data mode that
provides partial message emulation for Accurate Technology’s ProRF™ two-
way radio system. This provides backward compatibility for applications that
were designed using the ProRF system.
Mode Description
0 Position only
1 Position with units type (MM or IN)
2 Position with display (transmitter) ID
3 Position with units and display ID
4 Full Message Display
5 Binary Mode ProRF emulation
(Use this mode when interfacing with TigerStop™)
In the case of output mode 0, an ASCII position is provided followed by the
programmed terminator; carriage return or carriage return and line feed (CR or
CR/LF). In the other text modes, each field is separated by the programmed
delimiting character (<space> by default). The entire line or record is then
followed by the programmed terminating character.
The following are examples of output modes 0 through 3:
Output mode 0
Position<terminator>
Example:
inches: 5.637
millimeters 28.35
Output mode 1
Position<delimiter>Units<terminator>
Example:
inches with <space> delimiter: 5.637 IN
millimeters with <space> delimiter: 28.35 MM
Output mode 2
Position<delimiter>ID<terminator>
Example:
inches with <space> delimiter, unit ID 3: 5.637 3
millimeters with <space> delimiter, unit ID 2: 28.35 2

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 11 of 20
Output mode 3
Position<delimiter>Units<delimiter>ID<terminator>
Example:
inches with <space> delimiter, unit ID 3: 5.637 IN 3
millimeters with <space> delimiter, unit ID 2: 28.35 MM 2
Output mode 4
Full Message Display
The full message display mode provides two types of messages depending on
the type of signal received.
•Position Information
•Status Information
When position information is received, the resulting message output is:
Position<delimiter>Units<delimiter>ID<delimiter>Signal Strength<terminator>
When status information is received, the resulting message output is:
Drift status<delimiter>Battery status<delimiter>ID<delimiter>Signal
Strength<terminator>
The position information is similar to Output Mode 3 with the addition of a signal
strength indication. Signal strength is represented by a value from 0 to 7 where
0 is a very weak signal and 7 is a very strong signal. This can be used for
verifying the quality of signal reception from a particular transmitter location.
The status information is used in conjunction with the drift monitor feature of the
ProScale General Purpose display. If the drift monitor is enabled on the display
and movement is detected outside the drift tolerance range, the display will
indicate a drift condition and a drift signal will be sent on the RF channel. If a
low battery condition is detected, this will also be indicated in the status
information.
In the case of the Full Message Display option, the “delete previous
measurement” message (see: Deleting a previous measurement record) is in
the format:
DEL<delimiter>ENTRY<delimiter>ID<delimiter>Signal Strength<terminator>,
where DEL is substituted for the position and ENTRY is substituted for the
units.
Example (position information):
inches with <space> delimiter, unit ID 3, signal strength 5: 5.637 IN 3 5
millimeters with <space> delimiter, unit ID 2, signal strength 7: 28.35 MM 2 7

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 12 of 20
Output mode 5
Binary mode output, ProRF emulation
This output mode is intended to be used with applications that were designed
for the ProRF two-way radio interface system. The output from this receiver is
a small subset of the functionality from the ProRF. Since the ProScale RF
receiver is one-way only, no acknowledgment signal can be sent back to the
display.
The binary message packet reports a combination position/status message
This message packet is described below in an outline format. For detailed
information regarding the ProRF communication format, review the document
entitled: “ProRF System Definition and Communications Protocol Architecture”
available from Accurate Technology, Inc.
Measurement Sample:
Receiver’s
Address
[255] (Base)
Sender’s
Address
[1 –254]
Command
Header
[‘A’]
RSSI
Value
[‘1’ – ‘7’]
1 = low
signal
7 = high
signal
Message
Packet
ID
[0 – 255]
Number of
Data Bytes
[13]
Byte 1 Byte 2 Byte 3 Byte 4 Byte 5 Byte 6
Module
Type
[1]
Module
Status
[0 – 0xFF]
Encoder
Status
[0 – 0xFF]
Data Capture
Latch
[0 – 0xFF]
Units of
Operation
[0] = mm.
[1] = in.
ASCII
Position Data
[‘0’ – ‘9’ ‘.’ ‘-‘]
Byte 7 Byte 8 Byte 9 Byte 10 Byte 11 Bytes 12 - 19
Note: In the ProScale RF emulation mode, bytes 7 through 10 of the message
are fixed at 1, 0, 1, and 1 respectively.

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 13 of 20
Example:
Position packet message, position 8.537 inches from display unit ID 1, signal
strength 5, message 34.
Byte Number Value Description
1 255 Destination address (receiver)
2 1 Display address ID
3 ‘A’ Position command character ASCII A
4 ‘5’ Signal strength ASCII 5
5 34 Message ID
6 13 Number of data bytes to follow
7 1 Always 1
8 0 Always 0
9 1 Always 1
10 1 Always 1
11 1 1 = inches, 0 = mm
12 ‘ ‘ space if positive, ‘-‘ if negative
13 ‘ ‘ hundreds digit
14 ‘ ‘ tens digit
15 ‘8’ ones digit
16 ‘.’ decimal point
17 ‘5’ tenths digit
18 ‘3’ hundredths digit
19 ‘7’ thousandths digit
Deleting a previous measurement record
The ProScale General Purpose display has the capability of transmitting a
“delete previous measurement” signal by pressing the F2 key on the digital
display. This causes the text “DEL” to be displayed instead of a position. This
can be used to indicate the previously recorded entry in a file needs to be
removed.

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 14 of 20
SECTION 4 OPERATION
Command Format Examples
The following examples demonstrate how to configure various parameters of
the ProScale RF receiver system. <ENTER> is the enter key on the PC.
If an invalid command letter is entered, the receiver will provide the following
response: Use t, s, o, d, v, b, m or e.
Upper case to edit, lower case to view.
System ID
To display the current system ID type in:
s<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
System = < > (Factory Default = 0)
To change the system ID to 21, type:
S21<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
System now = 21
Output Mode
To display the current output mode (from default), type in:
o<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Output Mode = < > (Factory Default = 3)
To change the output mode to 4, type:
O4<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Output Mode now = 4
Delimiter Character
To display the current delimiter character (from default), type in:
d<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Delimiter = < > (Factory Default = <space>)

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 15 of 20
To change the delimiter to a tab character, type:
D<TAB><ENTER> Where <TAB> = the PC tab key.
The receiver responds with:
Delimiter now = <tab>
Echo Mode
To display the current echo mode (from default), type in:
e<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Echo mode < > (Factory Default = on)
To change the echo mode to off, type:
E0<ENTER> Use 0 (zero) for off and 1 for on
The receiver responds with:
Echo mode off
Record Start Marker
To display the current record start marker status (from default), type in:
m<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Marker mode < > (Factory Default = off)
To change the record start marker mode to on, type:
M1<ENTER> Use 0 (zero) for off and 1 for on
The receiver responds with:
Marker mode on
Terminator Type
To display the current terminator type (from default), type in:
t<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Terminator = < > () (Factory Default = <CR/LF> (0))
To change the terminator mode to CR only (1), type:
T1<ENTER> Use 0 (zero) for CR/LF and 1 for CR only
The receiver responds with:
Terminator now = <CR> (1)

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 16 of 20
Baud Rate
To display the current baud rate (from default), type in:
b<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Baud rate = ¸ (Factory Default = 9600)
To change the baud rate to 19200, type:
B19200<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
Baud rate will be = 19200
The baud rate change becomes effective 1 second after the command is issued
to allow the change message to be sent at the old baud rate.
Available baud rates are:
2400
4800
9600
19200
38400
57600
115200
Firmware Version ID
To display the current firmware version, type in:
v<ENTER> or V<ENTER>
The receiver responds with:
ProScale Receiver V1.xxx
Where xxx is the minor revision number.
Invalid Command
If an invalid command letter is entered, the receiver will provide the following
response:
Use t, s, o, d, v, b, m or e.
Upper case to edit, lower case to view.

Accurate Technology Inc. Page 17 of 20
Defaulting the Receiver to Factory Values
In the event that the user wishes to restore the receiver to factory values,
complete the following:
1. Remove the four screws from the bottom of the receiver and
remove the top cover.
2. Locate and press the small pushbutton on the circuit board labeled
DEFAULT.
3. The POWER LED will flash once to indicate that the factory
parameters have been restored.
4. Replace the top cover and re-install the four bottom screws.
Setting Receiver for Master Mode on the Serial Port
By default, the ProScale RF receiver is designed to operate as a slave device.
In this mode, a standard serial cable is used to connect the unit to a PC for
normal operation.
In some cases, it may be required to use the receiver as a master device to
communicate with another electronic product. To help to facilitate this, the
unit’s transmit and receive pins on the DB-9 can be reversed via internal jumper
settings.
To reverse the transmit and receive pins, complete the following:
1. Remove the four screws from the bottom of the receiver and remove
the top cover.
2. Move jumper blocks on JP3 and JP4 from pins 1 and 2 to pins 2 and 3
on each jumper.
3. Replace the top cover and re-install the four bottom screws.
A male-male DB-9 serial cable may now be used or a standard male-female
cable with a gender changer may be installed.

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Accurate Technology Inc. Page 19 of 20
PRODUCT REGISTRATION
Fill out for your records and
FAX to Accurate Technology @ +1.828.654.8824 or
Register on line at
http://www.proscale.com/registration.htm
Name
E-Mail
Company
Address
Address
City
State/Region
Zip/Postal Code
Country
Purchased From:
Purchased When:
Serial Number:

ProScale RF Receiver User Manual Page 20 of 20
Thank you for choosing an Accurate
Technology Product
MADE IN USA
Accurate Technology, Inc.
270 Rutledge Rd. Unit E
Fletcher, NC 28732 USA
800 233-0580 •828-654-7920
Fax [phone]
www.proscale.com
[e-mail]
This manual is available at www.proscale.com
Please return your Product Registration Card
or register your system at:
http://www.proscale.com/registration.htm
P/N 800-1340-001, Revision A, Copyright © 2004, Accurate Technology,
Inc. All rights reserved.