Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager User manual

Operation Manual
DSA-1 Manager

DSA-1 Manager
Operation Manual
by Ian Dennis
This manual is also available as 'on-line help' from the
dScope software. You can access the on-line help from the
'Help' menu.

Table of Contents
Part 1 General information 1
Part 2 Introduction 2
................................................................................................................................. 21 PC requirements
................................................................................................................................. 22 About this manual
Part 3 Getting started 3
................................................................................................................................. 31 Software installation
................................................................................................................................. 32 Connecting the DSA-1
....................................................................................................................................................... 3USB-COM adapter
Part 4 Using the DSA-1 Manager 4
................................................................................................................................. 41 User interface
................................................................................................................................. 42 Uploading a Results Log
................................................................................................................................. 43 Remote Control
................................................................................................................................. 54 Test Sequences
................................................................................................................................. 75 Updating the DSA-1 firmware
Part 5 Menu reference 9
................................................................................................................................. 91 File menu
................................................................................................................................. 92 Edit menu
................................................................................................................................. 103 Search menu
................................................................................................................................. 104 Format menu
................................................................................................................................. 105 DSA-1 menu
................................................................................................................................. 116 Help menu
Part 6 Test Sequence authoring guide 12
................................................................................................................................. 121 Elements of a Test Sequence
................................................................................................................................. 132 Language reference
Part 7 Icons and Hotkeys reference 18
................................................................................................................................. 181 Toolbar icons
................................................................................................................................. 192 Hotkeys (short-cut keys)
Index 20

1.1
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
1General information
Manual revision history
Rev
Date
Author
Notes
1.00
8th October 2005
I.G.Dennis
To accompany software 1.0.0
Support contacts
Prism Media Products Limited
Prism Media Products Inc
William James House
21 Pine Street
Cowley Road
Rockaway
Cambridge CB4 0WX
NJ 07866
UK
USA
Telephone: [phone]
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email:
[email protected]
Web:
http://www.prismsound.com
Or contact your local Prism Sound distributor as detailed on the website.
Trademark acknowledgements
Microsoft, MS-DOS,
Visual Basic, VB, VBA, VBScript, Visual C++ and Windows are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
All trademarks acknowledged
© 2005 Prism Media Products Limited. All rights reserved.
This manual may not be reproduced in whole or part, in any medium, without the written permission of
Prism Media Products Limited.
In accordance with our policy of continual development, features and specifications are subject to
change without notice.

1.2
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
2Introduction
The DSA-1 Manager is a Windows program which allows the DSA-1 hand-held analyzer to be used
with a PC.
The DSA-1 Manager provides four functions:
Results Log uploader
Uploads the contents of the DSA-1's non-volatile Results Log
to the PC for printing, inclusion in reports etc.
Remote Control window
Allows the DSA-1 to be remote controlled using screen and
mouse.
Test Sequence compiler/downloader
Allows user-defined Test Sequences to be edited, compiled
and downloaded to the DSA-1.
Firmware downloader
Updates the DSA-1's firmware.
2.1 PC requirements
The DSA-1 Manager runs on almost any PC running Windows 95, 98, 2000 or XP.
The PC must have a serial (COM) port available for connection to the DSA-1. Alternatively, a USB
port (1.0 or higher) can be used with the USB-COM adapter supplied.
2.2 About this manual
This manual is provided in two different formats: as a conventional manual in 'pdf' format, and also as
'online help' which can be viewed whilst operating the DSA-1 Manager. The pdf version is best viewed
with Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free at
www.adobe.com
. The latest versions
of both software and manual are available from the Prism Sound website at
www.prismsound.com
.

1.3
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
3Getting started
The following sections contain details of how to
install the DSA-1 Manager software
, and how to
connect the DSA-1 to the PC
.
3.1 Software installation
To install the DSA-1 Manager software, run the installation executable 'setup.exe' in the 'DSA-1
Manager' folder and follow the instructions which appear on the screen during installation. The
installation executable is supplied with new DSA-1s on a USB flash disk. For existing DSA-1 owners,
or those who cannot read the USB flash disk (e.g. Windoes 95 or 98 users), the latest installation
executable can be downloaded free of charge from
www.prismsound.com
.
3.2 Connecting the DSA-1
If the DSA-1 is to be connected to a COM port on the PC, simply connect the 9-way COM port
connector on the PC to the similar 'RS232C' connector on the DSA-1 using a null-modem ('cross-
over') cable, as supplied with the DSA-1.
If a USB port on the PC is to be used, it is first necessary to install the USB-COM adapter (supplied)
as described in the
USB-COM adapter
section.
Having connected the DSA-1, and installed the USB-COM adapter if required, the appropriate COM
port can be selected from within the DSA-1 Manager software using the 'Select COM port' option in
the DSA-1 menu.
3.2.1 USB-COM adapter
To install the USB-COM adapter, run the installation executable 'setup.exe' in the 'USB-COM' folder
and follow the on-screen instructions. The end result is that a 'virtual COM port' is established for the
USB-COM adapter which can be nominated as the DSA-1 connection port within DSA-1 Manager.

1.4
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
4Using the DSA-1 Manager
This section contains basic details of how to use the DSA-1 Manager. For more details, see the
Menu reference
and
Icons and Hotkeys reference
sections.
4.1 User interface
The DSA-1 Manager's user interface looks rather like any Windows text editor, for example Windows
Notepad. The text editor is used to edit DSA-1 Test Sequences prior to compilation and downloading
to the DSA-1. It is also used as a repository for uploaded Results Logs from the DSA-1.
The menus, icons and hotkeys which relate to the text editor will hopefully be familiar to Windows
users; they are not discussed here but are covered in the
Menu reference
and
Icons and Hotkeys reference
sections.
The following sections summarise operation of the DSA-1 Manager's four functions:
Results Log uploader
Uploads the contents of the DSA-1's non-volatile Results Log
to the PC for printing, inclusion in reports etc.
Remote Control window
Allows the DSA-1 to be remote controlled using screen and
mouse.
Test Sequence compiler/downloader
Allows user-defined Test Sequences to be edited, compiled
and downloaded to the DSA-1.
Firmware downloader
Updates the DSA-1's firmware.
4.2 Uploading a Results Log
The DSA-1 has a non-volatile Results Log into which the user can store test and measurement
results. Operation of the Results Log is described in section 6.8 of the DSA-1 Operation Manual.
The DSA-1 Manager can upload the contents of the Results Log into its text window. To do this,
select 'Upload Results Log' from the DSA-1 menu. Alternatively, you can use the
icon or
[F10]
hotkey. Note that the DSA-1 must be connected to the PC as described in the section
Connecting the DSA-1
, and must be switched on.
Once the Results Log is uploaded, it can be edited, saved or transferred into other Windows
applications via the clipboard.
4.3 Remote Control
The DSA-1 can be remotely controlled from the screen and mouse of the PC.
To open the Remote Control window, select 'Remote Control' from the DSA-1 menu. Alternatively,
you can use the
icon or
[F8]
hotkey. Note that the DSA-1 must be connected to the PC as
described in the section
Connecting the DSA-1
, and must be switched on.

1.5
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
It is possible to use the Remote Control facility over a long distance by using a local area network or
an internet connection between the PC running the DSA-1 Manager software and a remote PC
connected to the DSA-1.
4.4 Test Sequences
The DSA-1 has the capability to run 'Test Sequences'. These are pre-programmed series of tests
which are held in the DSA-1's non-volatile memory. Test Sequences allow an operator to run through
many tests in sequence at the press of a button. The DSA-1 draws the operator's attention to any
failures within the sequence of tests. Operation of the Test Sequence feature is described in section
4.5 of the DSA-1 Operation Manual.
The DSA-1 has four 'burned-in' Test Sequences which cannot be changed by the user, plus space for
up to four 'user' Test Sequences. The 'user' Test Sequences are created, compiled and downloaded
into the DSA-1 using the DSA-1 Manager.
Creating a source file

1.6
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
'User' Test Sequences are written in a special language, which is detailed in the
Test Sequence authoring guide
section. Test Sequences are initially written using the text window. It
may be useful to start from the 'source file' of one of the 'burned in' Test Sequences rather than
beginning your 'user' Test Sequence from scratch. These files are installed with the DSA-1 Manager,
and are listed in Appendix C of the DSA-1 Operation Manual.
The 'burned-in' Test Sequences are:
Test Name
Source file
Global Test
DSATST1.TXT, DSATST1A.TXT
Consumer Test
DSATST2.TXT, DSATST2A.TXT
General Pro Test
DSATST3.TXT, DSATST3A.TXT
Strict Pro Test
DSATST4.TXT, DSATST4A.TXT
Note that the 'A' versions are functionally identical to their non-A counterparts, but incorporate
'programmer-friendly units'. The original files (with native units) are provided only for backward
compatibility. It is recommended that the 'A' versions are used.
To begin work with one of these files, simply load it into the text window and you can begin to modify
it, for example changing limit values. You will notice that the source code is helpfully coloured by the
editor, which understands the syntax of the language. If the colouring needs to be manually
refreshed, use the 'Refresh Syntax Colour' option within the Test Sequence submenu of the DSA-1
menu, or use the 'F5' hotkey.
When the source code is complete, save it to disk before proceeding in order that your code is not
accidentally lost. If you began from one of the 'burned-in' Test Sequence source files, make sure that
you save your modified version to a different file name so that the original is not over-written.
Compiling a Test Sequence
Once the source code is complete (and saved to disk), compile the Test Sequence by selecting the
'Compile...' option from the Test Sequence submenu in the DSA-1 menu. Alternatively, you can use
the
icon or
[F6]
hotkey. The following dialogue box is displayed:
It is possible (though usually unnecessary) to modify the file names and paths for the source file to be
compiled, as the destinations for the compilation listing (.LST) and executable (.BIN) files.
On clicking the
[Compile]
button, the Test Sequence is compiled. If success or failure of the
compilation is displayed in a message box. If the compilation failed (i.e. if there was an error in the
.TXT source file) then the .LST file is automatically loaded into the text window. The .LST contains a
line-by-line summary of the compilation, with error messages displayed where they were encountered.
Once the source of the error has been identified, the .TXT file must be reloaded, repaired, and
resaved before recompiling.

1.7
Operation Manual
© 2005 Prism Media Products Ltd
Revision 1.00Prism Sound DSA-1 Manager
Downloading a Test Sequence
Once the Test Sequence has been compiled successfully, it is downloaded into the DSA-1 by
selecting the 'Download...' option from the Test Sequence submenu in the DSA-1 menu.
Alternatively, you can use the
icon or
[F7]
hotkey. The following dialogue box is displayed:
A 'User' Test Sequence executable (.BIN) can be nominated for any of the four 'user' slots.
Alternatively, a slot can be left as it is by selecting 'skip', or cleared by selecting the 'BLANK.BIN'
executable.
On clicking the
[Download]
button, the selected Test Sequence executables are downloaded into the
DSA-1. Note that the DSA-1 must be connected to the PC as described in the section
Connecting the DSA-1
, and must be switched on.
4.5 Updating the DSA-1 firmware
WARNING! Care must be taken when updating the DSA-1 firmware. Interruption of the
process (for example if the null-modem cable or power supply is removed, or if the PC is
crashed) can leave the DSA-1 in an inoperable state. For this reason, it is recommended that
the firmware is only updated at such times as new versions of the firmware are released.
To update the DSA-1 firmware, connect the DSA-1 to the PC as described in the section
Connecting the DSA-1
. Ensure that the DSA-1 is connected to its external DC supply, and that the
supply is switched on. Turn the DSA-1 on by pressing the [ON] button WHILST THE [DI] AND
[EDIT/CLEAR] BUTTONS ARE PRESSED. The DSA-1 will display the message 'DSA-1 Download...
Waiting...' if the firmware download mode has been successfully entered.
In the DSA-1 Manager, select 'Download Firmware upgrade...' from the DSA-1 menu. Select the
desired firmware download (.DLD) file. The latest file is available at
www.prismsound.com
.