Datacolor 245 User manual

Datacolor
Datacolor 245™
User’s Guide

Datacolor 245™ User’s Guide (January, 2005) Part No. 4230-0393M
All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this
format. However, should any errors be detected, Datacolor appreciates your efforts to
notify us of these oversights.
Changes are periodically made to this information and are incorporated into forthcoming
versions. Datacolor reserves the right to make improvements and/or changes in the
product(s) and/or program(s) described in this material at any time.
Copyright © 2005 Datacolor. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This material may not be
reproduced or duplicated, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of
Datacolor.
Microsoft®, MS-DOS®, and Microsoft Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. All other registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Contents •i
Contents
Datacolor 245™ .................................................................................................... 1
About the Datacolor 245™ .............................................................................. 1
Electrical and Environmental Requirements............................................. 2
Safety Warnings........................................................................................ 2
Feature Summary ..................................................................................... 2
Accessories ..................................................................................................... 3
Calibration Tiles ........................................................................................ 3
Aperture Plates ......................................................................................... 3
Cable Installation ................................................................................................. 5
Instrument Cables ........................................................................................... 5
Power Cable.............................................................................................. 5
Communications Cable............................................................................. 6
USB Driver Installation .................................................................................... 7
Installing the Driver ................................................................................... 7
Viewing/Changing System Port Assignment .......................................... 12
Changing the COM Port Assignment in Datacolor Programs................. 16
Installing Calibration Data ....................................................................... 16
Controls and Indicators..................................................................................... 17
Status Panel .................................................................................................. 17
Powering Up .................................................................................................. 18
Instrument Calibration ................................................................................... 18
Sample Presentation and Measurement.......................................................... 21
About Sample Presentation........................................................................... 21
Sample Viewing Port............................................................................... 22
Maintenance ....................................................................................................... 25
About Instrument Maintenance ..................................................................... 25
Tile Handling and Cleaning ........................................................................... 25
Handling Tiles ......................................................................................... 25
Cleaning Tiles ......................................................................................... 25
Storage.................................................................................................... 26
Cleaning the Black Trap.......................................................................... 26
Appendix............................................................................................................. 27
Datacolor 245™ Optical Block Diagram........................................................ 27
Instrument Specifications .............................................................................. 28
Miscellaneous Technical Information ............................................................ 29
RS-232C Connector Pin Assignments.................................................... 29
Safety Warnings ............................................................................................ 29
Light Source ............................................................................................ 29
Side Vents............................................................................................... 29
Compliance Statements ................................................................................ 30
FCC Compliance Statement ................................................................... 30
Canadian Compliance Statement ........................................................... 30
Index.................................................................................................................... 31

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide About the Datacolor 245™ •1
Datacolor 245™
About the Datacolor 245™
The Datacolor 245 provides a new, solid-state approach to 45º/0º measurement geometry.
It employs a unique, dual-beam optical design, uses a pulsed xenon lamp and has a sealed
optical path for improved repeatability and long-term stability. 45º/0º instruments are used
for quality control applications when both color and appearance features are being
evaluated.
The Datacolor 245 includes the following standard features:
•Dual-beam measurement using pulsed xenon light source
•Datacolor proprietary high-end sensor
•Conformance to ASTM E1164 Standard Practice for Obtaining
Spectrophotometric Data for Object-Color Evaluation
•Drawer for accessories
•Datacolor world wide support

2 •About the Datacolor 245™ Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
Electrical and Environmental Requirements
Power 85 to 264 VAC
47 to 63 Hz
80 VA peak
35 VA typical
Absolute Operating Environment 5º to 40º C
65%-85% RH, non-condensing
Safety Warnings
Light Source
Do not stare directly into the open port located in the front door panel when the
measurement is in progress. Staring directly into the light source can result in eye
discomfort similar to that of staring at a camera flash.
Side Vents
Vents are included along each side of the instrument to facilitate air circulation. HIGH
VOLTAGE COMPONENTS WITHIN. DO NOT INSERT ANY OBJECTS INTO THESE
OPENINGS!
Feature Summary
The Dataflash is one of a family of Datacolor instruments that employs state-of-the-art
features including the spectrometer, light source, and optics. Below is a summary of those
features:
FEATURE DESCRIPTION PURPOSE/BENEFIT
Instrument Type Dual-beam
spectrophotometer with
xenon flash lamp
Industry standard.
Measurement
Geometry
45º illumination
0º viewing
Results provide good
agreement with visual
evaluations of sample color.
SP2000 Spectral
Analyzer
Proprietary dual-channel
holographic grating. 256-
photodiode linear arrays
used for both the
reference and sample
channels.
Dual channel design provides
continuous monitoring of sample
illumination and compensates
for changes. 256-photodiode
array enhances the precision of
the measurement.
Light source Pulsed xenon flash lamp Does not require warm up
Effective
Bandwidth
10nm Greater precision enhances the
measurement accuracy.
Wavelength Range 400nm to 700nm
Reporting Interval 10nm

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Accessories •3
Accessories
All models come with the following standard accessories:
•Six foot power cable
•Serial cable with connectors on either end
•USB cable
•Black Trap
•White Tile
•Green Tile
In addition, an optional accessory drawer is available with the unit.
Calibration Tiles
A black trap, white tile and green tile are provided with Datacolor instruments.
•The black trap and white tile are used each time the instrument is calibrated.
•The green tile is used to perform an optional diagnostic test.
Calibration Data
The calibration procedure uses white data that must be installed on the system. It is data
unique for the white calibration tile, and is provided on either a diskette or a CD. It is
included with the instrument accessories:
NOTE
The serial number on the back of the white calibration standard should match the serial
number on the instrument.
Aperture Plates
The Datacolor 245 is a single aperture instrument. Refer to Appendix, Features by Model
for the aperture specification.

4 •Accessories Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
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Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •5
Cable Installation
Instrument Cables
WARNING
BE SURE TO TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE WORKING WITH ANY CABLES.
The Datacolor 245 requires the use of two cables, a power cable and either a serial cable
or a USB cable, to connect the instrument to the computer.
WARNING
Read "Electrical and Environmental Requirements section before connecting your
instrument.
The connections for these cables are found on the back of the instrument.
Power Cable
A six-foot power cable is provided with the instrument.
Power is supplied to the back of the unit via a 3-prong male connector.

6 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
Communications Cable
The instrument is connected to a computer through either a serial port or USB port:
1. Plug the female end of the power cord into the power receptacle on the rear
panel of the instrument. Insert the plug into a standard AC outlet.
2. Connect the male connector on the instrument cable to the appropriate female
connector on the rear panel of the instrument.
3. Connect the female connector on the instrument cable to a communications port
on the back of the computer.
4. Tighten each connection securely to ensure proper signal.
NOTE
If there is more than one serial port on the computer, make a note of the port
being used. You may need to enter this information into the program.
See USB Driver Installation in this guide for detailed instructions regarding
the software installation. See the Appendix for a description of the RS-232C
connector pin assignments.

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •7
USB Driver Installation
Installing the Driver
To connect to a USB port, additional software must be installed.
1. Install the CD labeled USB Drivers and Documentation into the CD ROM drive.
2. Connect the USB cable to the instrument, and to the USB port on the computer.
When this connection is made, the system detects a new piece of hardware, and
the screen below automatically appears:
The New Hardware Wizard automatically replaces this screen.
3. Click Next to continue with the USB driver installation.

8 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
4. Accept the default selection and click Next.
A check appears in the box for a selection. There should be a check in both
the CD-ROM drives box and the Specify a location box.
To add a check, place the cursor in a blank box and click the mouse. A
check will appear. To remove a check, place the cursor over a check, and
click the mouse. The check will disappear. When you have completed your
selections, click Next.
5. A default location appears in the “Copy manufacturer’s files from” field.
−If the driver software is in a different location click Browse, and identify the
correct location.
−If the correct location is identified, click OK. The program will search for the
driver file. When the correct file is found, the window below appears:

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •9
Click Next. The Wizard will begin copying the files to the computer.
6. When the copy is complete, the window below appears:

10 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
7. Click Finish. Do not remove the USB Driver CD from the drive. The Wizard
will close, and then immediately reopen and repeat the procedure. You must
complete it a second time to successfully copy the file.
8. Click Next.
9. Click Next.

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •11
10. Place a check in the CD-ROM drives and the Specify a Location box. Then click
Next.
11. If the CD drive containing the files is displayed, click OK. If it is not displayed,
click the Browse button, and locate the CD drive on your system.
12. Click Next. The Wizard will begin copying the files to the computer. When the
copy is completed, the window below appears:
13. Click Finish.

12 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
Viewing/Changing System Port Assignment
As part of this process, a port number is assigned to the USB port. The default selection is
the next available com port. Depending on the application you are running, you may need
to know this port assignment to configure the Datacolor applications program(s) to
recognize the USB port.
NOTES
Some Datacolor programs automatically configure the USB port assignment. Others
require that you manually assign the port number. Refer to the program User’s Guide for
information to assign/edit the instrument port number.
If you change the USB port you are using for the instrument, you must edit the com port
assignment in the Datacolor programs.
The procedure for viewing/editing the com port assignment is as follows:
To view or change the com port assignment for the USB port, you must do the following:
1. Open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button at the bottom left of the
screen.
The Start menu displays.
2. Place the cursor on Settings so that the program submenu appears, and click
Control Panel.
3. When the Control Panel window displays, double-click on System.

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •13
The Systems Properties dialog box displays.

14 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
4. Click the Hardware Tab.
5. Click the Device Manager button. The Device Manager window displays.
6. Go to the Ports heading. Click on the plus (+) to display the port selections.

Datacolor 245™ User's Guide Cable Installation •15
7. Click USB Serial Port. The USB Serial Port (COM3) Properties dialog box
displays.
8. Click Port Settings. The dialog box below appears:

16 •Cable Installation Datacolor 245™ User's Guide
9. Click the Advanced button. The Advance Settings for COM3 dialog box displays.
10. The field labeled COM Port Number displays the current assignment for the USB
port. To change the port setting, click the drop-down list arrow. The list of COM
ports is displayed.
11. Click on the port assignment to be used for the USB port.
12. When you have completed the changes, click OK.
Changing the COM Port Assignment in Datacolor Programs
To enable the USB port for color measurements, you may need to change the com port
assignment in the applications program. Refer to the program documentation for the
specific Datacolor applications program you are running for instructions to configure the
instrument.
NOTE
If you are installing a new instrument, this is found on a diskette included with the
calibration tiles.
Installing Calibration Data
See the program documentation for instructions to install the calibration data.