Measurement Computing TempBook rev.4.0 - Manual (Page 16)

1-6 Introduction and Quick Start 04-26-01 TempBook User’s Manual
Parallel Port Capabilities
The TempBook includes a test program which verifies your computer's parallel port, testing its standard and
enhanced capabilities.
• Standard LPT ports on an IBM compatible computer have two modes to read data from the printer
port: 4-bit and 8-bit. The 8-bit mode is somewhat faster than the 4-bit, but not all printer ports support
this mode.
• Enhanced parallel ports (EPP) are parallel ports which include additional hardware that allows the
TempBook to communicate with the PC at 3 to 10 times the speed possible with standard parallel
ports. This greatly improves data acquisition performance.
Enhanced parallel ports require special hardware, and only certain computers are EPP capable. Most laptop
computers that use the Intel 386SL or 486SL chip set (which includes the 82360 I/O Controller) are EPP
capable. For those computers which have plug-in card slots, EPP adapter cards are available. You may
wish to contact your computer's manufacturer for details about your machine and possible adapter cards.
TempBook Configuration Under Windows 95/98/Me/NT/ and 2000
This section describes the configuration of TempBook devices under the Windows 95/98/Me/NT and 2000
operating systems. A configuration utility is supplied via a control panel applet. The Daq Configuration
applet allows you to add a device, remove a device, or change existing configuration settings. Daq
Configuration also has a built-in test utility to test the device. The test utility provides feedback on the
validity of the current configuration settings as well as providing relevant performance summaries.
Daq Configuration can be found in the Windows
control panels and can be executed any time that it is
desirable to add, remove or change device
configuration settings. Daq Configuration may also
be entered during driver installation. The following
description applies to either method.
The Daq Configuration/Device Inventory screen at
right will display all currently configured devices.
Devices are identified by their name, and by an icon
that indicates the device type. If no device is currently
configured, no device will appear in this field.
The 4 buttons across the bottom of the Daq
Configuration screen are used as follows:
• Properties. Current configuration settings for a
device can be changed by bringing up the
corresponding properties screen. To do so, double-click the device icon or single-click the device and
then select the Properties button.
• Remove. The Remove button is used to remove a device from the configuration. A device may be
removed if it is no longer installed or if the device’s configuration no longer applies.
Note: If a device is removed, applications may no longer access the device. However, the device can
be re-configured at any time using the Add Device function described below.
• Close. The Close button may be used at any time to exit the Daq Configuration applet.