MicroRidge WedgeLink AT User manual

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Printed: Tuesday, May 02, 2017 at 8:20 AM in Sunriver, Oregon.
WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge
Copyright © 2015-2017 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.

IContents
Copyright © 2015-2017 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.
WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 1 ...................................................................................................................................Introduction
Chapter 2 5 ...................................................................................................................................Using WedgeLink AT
...................................................................................................................................Startup Initialization 5
...................................................................................................................................Front Panel 6
...................................................................................................................................Back Panel 8
...................................................................................................................................Internal Jumper 9
...................................................................................................................................Auto Baud Rate Detection 9
Chapter 3 13 ...................................................................................................................................Setup Program
...................................................................................................................................Entering Special Characters 14
...................................................................................................................................Program Tabs 15
.......................................................................................................................Home Tab 15
.................................................................................................Input Serial Port Parameters 18
.......................................................................................................................Read Switch Tab 19
.......................................................................................................................Character Removal Tab 20
.......................................................................................................................Character Replacement Tab 21
.......................................................................................................................Parsing Tabs 22
Chapter 4 27 ...................................................................................................................................Keyboards
Chapter 5 29 ...................................................................................................................................ComTestSerial
Chapter 6 31 ...................................................................................................................................Accessories
Chapter 7 33 ...................................................................................................................................Keyboard Wedges from MicroRidge
Chapter 8 35 ...................................................................................................................................Warranty Information
Chapter 9 37 ...................................................................................................................................Contact MicroRidge

Introduction 1
Copyright © 2015-2017 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.
WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge
1 Introduction
WedgeLink AT is a hardware keyboard wedge that allows you to transfer RS-232 data into any
application that supports keyboard input. WedgeLink AT looks like a standard HID (human
interface device) peripheral to a PC. Other HID peripherals that we are all familiar with are the
USB keyboard and USB mouse. Since WedgeLink AT looks like a standard HID peripheral to
your PC, you do not need to install any drivers for using the wedge feature of WedgeLink AT.
WedgeLink AT is easily configured with the included Setup Program . The Setup Program
communicates with WedgeLink AT via the "RS-232 & Prog" port on the back of WedgeLink AT.
You may need to install the virtual serial port drivers from the WedgeLink AT CD before using
the Setup Program. WedgeLink AT uses a serial to USB IC manufactured by FTDI. If you have
previously installed the FTDI USB drivers, you do not need to reinstall them to use the
WedgeLink AT Setup Program.
Features
The key features of WedgeLink AT are as follows:
§Compact size: 2.61" x 2.61" x 1.10".
§No driver installation required for the keyboard wedge function (driver installation may be
required for the Setup Program).
§Supports baud rates from 600 to 57.6K
§Includes 6' USB cable.
§Sends commands to your serial device by pressing the push button or remote read switch.
§Extensive data parsing options.
§Automatically detects serial baud rate and communication parameters of the connected
serial device (must have a send or print button on the serial device).
§Serial port Communications Test Program (ComTestSerial) included to assist you in
understanding what is actually being sent from your serial device.
§Firmware updates available at no charge from the MicroRidge web site.
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5

WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge2 Introduction
Copyright © 2015-2017 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.
Supported Characters & Data Output
WedgeLink AT supports the standard ASCII characters found on North American keyboards.
When a supported character is received by WedgeLink AT, the character will be processed per
the current setup. If WedgeLink AT receives an unsupported character, the unsupported
character will be discarded.
The characters supported by WedgeLink AT in the Wedge mode (USB cable connected to the
"Wedge" port) include the following:
§Human readable characters found on the standard keyboard. This includes ASCII
characters from ASCII 32 to ASCII 126 (space, a to z, A to Z, 0 to 9, #, &, etc.).
§Control characters (less than ASCII 32) backspace, carriage return, escape and tab.
§Function keys (F1, F2, etc.) that can be added to the input data via the prefix and suffix
features.
The characters supported by WedgeLink AT in the RS-232 mode (USB cable connected to the
"RS-232 & Prog" port) include the following:
§All 8-bit characters from ASCII 0 to 255 ({\x00} to {\xff}). This includes all control, standard
keyboard and extended characters.
§Keys such as F1 will be output as a character string. F1 = {F1}, F2 = {F2}, etc.
Parsing and Sending Results via the Keyboard Wedge or Serial Port
Normally WedgeLink AT is used as a keyboard wedge to get data into applications such as
Excel or other database programs. WedgeLink AT also has the ability to capture and parse the
input data and send it to a USB serial port on your PC. It is not uncommon for a serial device to
output a considerable amount of data and all you really want is a number that is contained within
that data. With WedgeLink AT you can extract the number (or data) that you want and send it to
the PC via the keyboard wedge or a serial port connection.
User’s Guide Organization
This User’s Guide covers the WedgeLink AT Setup Program. This document has been
designed for double-sided printing on a color printer. If you print this document single sided,
there will be several blank pages included in the printout.
If you are viewing the PDF version of this User's Guide, you will see page numbers to the right of
the links within the PDF document. For example the number to the right of the Contact
MicroRidge Systems link indicates the actual page number this link is directed to.
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Introduction 3
Copyright © 2015-2017 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.
WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge
The WedgeLink AT Keyboard Wedge is in compliance with the European Union Directive on the
restricted use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS/RoHS2 Directive). For more information
review the RoHS Declaration of Compliance document on the MicroRidge web.