INFICON RQCM - Quartz Crystal Microbalance Research System - Manual (Page 77)

RQCM – RESEARCH QUARTZ CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE
COMPUTER INTERFACE 7-1
7 COMPUTER INTERFACE
Three different interfaces are available to connect the RQCM hardware to your computer.
The RQCM system comes standard with an RS-232 serial interface. Both RS-485 and IEEE-488
interfaces are available as options. Currently the RQCM does not offer a Universal Serial Bus
(USB) interface. However, you can use an inexpensive RS-232 to USB adaptor if your computer
does not have an RS-232 port available. Refer to the RQCM Data Logging on-line help for more
details.
7.1 COMPUTER INTERFACE SOFTWARE
Your RQCM software is supplied on a CD. Extensive on-line help makes a hardcopy manual
unnecessary.
7.2 RECOMMENDED MINIMUM COMPUTER CONFIGURATION
• Pentium III 500 MHz PC
• 24 MB of RAM. (This is in addition to the Operating System requirements.)
• 35 MB of hard disk space. (Additional free hard disk space is required for data storage.)
• CD-ROM drive
• Microsoft Windows 9x/ME/NT4 (SP3 or later)/2000/XP.
7.3 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
Follow the instruction below to install the software on the computer.
1. Insert the RQCM Software CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. If your system supports the auto-run feature, installation begins automatically.
3. If your system does not support the auto-run feature, click Start, Run, then enter X:\setup,
where X is the CD-ROM’s drive letter.
4. Follow the instructions in the windows as they appear.
7.4 CREATING YOUR OWN SOFTWARE
Although the RQCM includes a comprehensive Windows™ based interface program, some users
may find it necessary to create their own interface program. This section describes the various
computer interfaces and the protocol of the RQCM.
There are three types of computer interfaces offered. The RQCM comes standard with an RS-232
serial interface. Both RS-485 and IEEE-488 interfaces are available as options.
7.5 RS-232 SERIAL INTERFACE
The standard RS-232 serial interface of the RQCM allows one RQCM to be connected to any
other device with an RS-232 serial interface. The RS-232 interface port is the D9P connector on
the rear panel of the RQCM. The pin layout is shown in Figure 28 and Table 7-1 lists the pin
signal assignments, including a definition of whether the signal is an input or an output of the
RQCM.