CDI EMS 4 User manual

1
Remote Display User Manual

2
Contents:
Introduction - Features ............................................................................................................3
Hardware Overview .................................................................................................................4
Quick-Start Guide .......................................................................................................................5
Android Application Operation .....................................................................................................6
Launching and Connecting.......................................................................................................6
Main Display ............................................................................................................................7
Configuring Channels ..............................................................................................................8
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 your 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

3
Introduction
The Remote Display is a richly-featured measurement system that allows for the
simultaneous connection of up to four gages 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 gage that outputs data in
Digimatic format. In addition, devices 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 gages 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 gage, regardless of manufacturer, is supported.
•User-friendly and intuitive Android application for easy process
monitoring. The addition of a 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 gage
channels. Each 10-pin connector supports both quadrature probes and any gage that supports
Digimatic communications.
•Global send footswitch capable for triggering updates on all connected channels.
•Four 10-pin gage channel connectors.
The rear panel of the Remote Display Mux Box houses 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 or laptop.
3. RS-232 port for connection to external data consumers.
4. Power LED indicator.
5. 12V, 1.5A center-positive power jack.

5
Quick-Start 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 4).
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 on page 4, 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 gage, wait a few seconds, and then
reconnect.
4. Plug a quadrature probe into channel 1
The Android application defaults all channels to quadrature mode, so the gage
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 the 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 Auto Request and Logging 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 options titled “Auto Request and Logging / Automatic Request,
and Request Interval”
c. Select “Automatic Request” and the desired Request Interval 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.
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.

7
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) see setup
functions under Gage Functions.
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 gage 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.
Apart from 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 high tolerance value for this channel.
Low Tolerance Sets the maximum allowable low 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 at 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.

8
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
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 (Inch or Metric).
Hold
Turns on/off Hold mode, under “Gage Functions”, for this channel. 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. Max, and Freeze.
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.
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 time
stamped 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 ->

9
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/
To install PuTTY, follow this procedure:
1. Once on the Putty website, click on Download PuTTY!
2. Scroll down to MSI (Windows Installer). Flick on , the appropriate 32, or 64-bit
version of the .msi program, and install the program.
3. When the nstaller finishes 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 gage 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. Press the Windows Start button. (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 “USB Measurement Device”, or, “Virtual
COM Port (CDC) (COMnnn)” where “nnn” is the port number.

10

11
3. Click on Connection -> Serial on the left sidebar, and make sure the connection
parameters are set as shown below (Enter COM Port number if different from COM1)
4. Click “Open” to connect to the Remote Display. Successful connection will open a
blank terminal window.
5. To test the connection, press the “Enter” key. The message “No such command!” should
appear on the screen. If nothing is displayed on the terminal screen, disconnect the
device, cycle power, and then repeat this procedure.
6. Refer to the Communication Protocol section below for a list of available commands.

12
RS-232 Serial Connection
The Remote Display supports an RS-232 connection to data consumers, such as a computer
or PLC. To connect the Remote Display to an external RS-232 device, use the following
procedure:
1. Find the female RS-232 connector on the rear panel of the Remote Display Mux Box.
2. Using a shielded RS-232 cable, connect the Mux Box to the external data consumer.
Depending on the device and cable configuration, it may be necessary to use a
female-to-male gender changer. They can be used freely without any impact on the
Remote Display functionality.
3. Use the following RS-232 settings on the external device to establish communication
with the Remote Display Mux Box.
Speed (baud)
Data Bits
Bits Stop
Bits Parity
Flow Control
9600
8
1
None
XON/XOFF
4. Refer to the Communication Protocol section below for a list of available commands.
Many modern computers use USB ports in lieu of RS-232 ports. The Remote Display
can still communicate to these devices over RS-232 by using a Serial-to-USB converter.
There are many such devices available. When searching, ensure that the device is
compatible with the Operating System version that is being used on the computer.
Communication Protocol
The following list summarizes the serial commands available for exchanging data with the
Remote Display Mux Box. These commands apply to both the RS-232 and PC USB
communication modes. Type: “Enter” or “Return” after command.
Command Description
A Print current gage readings for all channels
N :A Print current gage reading for Channel “N”. ex: 1:A for channel 1
D Print data packet* for all channels
N :D Print data packet* for channel “N”
R Request a measurement update on all Digimatic channels on Tablet
N :R Request a measurement update for channel “N” on Tablet
C Clear gage measurements for all channels (quadrature only)
N :C Clear gage measurement for channel “N” (quadrature only)
rstErr Resets global errors
N :pXXX=? Get the value of configuration parameter “XXX” for channel “N”
N :pXXX=<new value> Set the value of parameter “XXX” for channel “N” to “<new valueх”
Save Saves any modified parameters to retentive flash
Help Show help text and command list
* Data Packet format: Channel: Reading: Analog Scale: New Data: Max: Min
Note that the Analog Scale field has a maximum value of 1000.
Note N = channel number

13
Parameter List
The following list summarizes the configuration parameters available for configuring each
device channel. When editing these values over RS-232 and/or USB, make sure to hit the
Save command to commit the values, otherwise, they will be reset if the Remote Display is
powered down.
Parameter Description Values
p003
p004
Channel Enabled
Units
0 – No
1 – Yes
1 – Inches
2 – Millimeters
3 – Hidden
p005
Measurement Mode 0 – Absolute (ABS)
1 – Total Indicated Runout (TIR)
2 – Incremental (INCR)
p006
Travel Direction 0 – Normal
1 – Reverse
p007
Hold Enabled 0 – Disabled
1 – Enabled
p008
Hold Mode 0 – Freeze
1 – Min
2 – Max
p009
Tolerance Enable 0 – Disabled
1 – Enabled
p910
Upper Tolerance Enter value without decimal
Ex: 012345 = 0.12345
p911
p914
Lower Tolerance
Absolute Offset
Enter value without decimal
Ex: 012345 = 0.12345
Enter value without decimal
Ex: 012345 = 0.12345
p016
Gage Type 0 – Digimatic
1 – Encoder
p017
Glass Type
(encoders only)
1 – Inches
2 – Millimeters
p018
Base Multiplier
(one encoder tick) 5 – 0.00005”
10 – 0.001”
100 – 0.001mm
200 – 0.002 mm
p019
Ratio Mode Enabled 0 – Disabled
1 – Enabled
p020
p921
Ratio Multiplier
Analog Scale
Enter value without decimal
Ex: 012345 = 0.12345
Enter value without decimal
Ex: 012345 = 0.12345
p023
Gage Resolution 1 – 0.001” or 0.02mm
2 – 0.0005” or 0.01mm
3 – 0.0001” or 0.002mm
4 – 0.00005” or 0.001mm
p024
Leading Zero 0 – Disabled 1 – Enabled

14
File Transfer from Tablet
There are three common ways to transfer stored data (.csv files) to other devices: transferring
via the microSD card; transfer via USB connection; and transfer using email.
Transfer via SD Card (microSD cards can be purchased from your local computer store)
Files can be saved to the external microSD Card and transferred to any PC with a microSD card
reader. To copy logging data to the card from within the Remote Display Android application,
swipe right from the left side of the screen (or press the back button) to show the application
menu, and click “View Data Logs.”
From this screen, click the “Copy to SD” button. The application will automatically transfer the
logging data to a folder on the external microSD card.

15
Remove the card from the slot on the tablet (location shown below) and move it to the PC’s
card reader to access the files.
Transfer via USB Connection
Files can be copied directly from the tablet to a PC over USB. To do this, connect the tablet
to a PC over USB and wait for Windows to install the driver for the tablet. Once the drivers
are installed successfully, open a new Explorer window and navigate to My Computer. The
tablet should appear under the list of drives and devices, as shown below.
The data logs for the Remote Display application will be found in the following
location: Internal Storage\Logs

16
Transfer to Cloud Storage
If the tablet is connected to the internet over WiFi, data logs can be sent directly to cloud
storage services like Google Drive, SkyDrive, and DropBox. To do this, go to the Remote
Display application and return to the View Data Logs screen as shown previously. Click the
Edit button and choose the channel number of the data log that you want to transfer.
This will open the Spreadsheet application. Click “Save As” on the top header (if this
is not displayed, click on the “S” button in the top left side of the application to show
it), and then click on “Cloud Storage” at the top of the dialog box.

17
Find the preferred cloud storage service and follow the instructions to save the logs.

18
Supplemental Information
Digimatic Interface
The following describes the standard 10-pin Digimatic connector pinout.
Pin No. Name Function
1 GND Signal Ground
2 DATA 1 Outlet data
3 CLOCK Clock
4 RDY (READY) Data transmission ready
5 REQUEST Data output request from external device
6 NC ------
7 NC ------
8 +5V 5V Input terminal
9 +5V 5V Input terminal
10 GND Frame ground

19
Signal Timing
Figure 1-1 shows a timing chart for the case where the host device triggers a data transfer by
asserting the active-low request signal (/REQ). The gage then sends data (the DATA signal) that
is clocked by the CK line. In this case, the data ready (RDY) line is not applicable.
Figure 1-2 shows a timing chart for the case where the gage asserts its active-low data ready
signal (/RDY) to indicate that a new gage measurement is available. This triggers a data
transfer that is initiated by the host device.
Data Ordering

20