Remote Operations - Aim TTi EX355P-USB Mode D'emploi

Software supplied with the instrument sets up the controlling computer to treat the USB
connection as a virtual COM port. Application software on the computer can then access the
instrument via that COM port. Remote command format and the remote commands themselves
are detailed in the Remote Commands Chapter.
Remote/Local Operation
At power on the instrument will be in the local state with the Remote lamp off. When a command
is received the remote state will be entered and the Remote lamp will be turned on. The rotary
controls and On/Off key are both locked out by this action but the instrument can be returned to
the local state at any time by pressing the Go to Local key; however, if the instrument receives
another character from the interface, the remote state will again be entered.
If Local Lock has been set On whilst in local operation, the instrument will still enter normal
remote mode when a command is received; when the instrument is then returned to the local
state by pressing the Go to Local key, Local Lock will automatically remain on but can be turned
off by pressing and holding the Local Lock key for 2 seconds.
USB Interface
The USB interface is a virtual COM port which can be controlled by a PC as if it was an RS232
device. The instrument is supplied with a CD containing an .inf file for the standard Microsoft
drivers available in Windows 2000 through to Windows 8; the installation wizard will install the
driver (32-bit or 64-bit) appropriate to the PC's operating system. Any updates are available via
the TTi website, http://www.aimtti.com/support.
Installation of the interface driver is achieved by connecting the instrument to a PC via a standard
USB cable. The Windows' plug and play functions should automatically recognise the addition of
new hardware attached to the USB interface and, if this is the first time the connection has been
made, prompt for the location of a suitable driver. Provided that the standard Windows prompts
are followed correctly Windows will install the appropriate driver and establish a virtual COM port
within the PC. The number of the new COM port will depend upon the number of co-existing
COM ports within the PC. The virtual COM port can be driven by Windows applications in exactly
the same way as a standard COM port, except that the Baud rate setting of the virtual COM port
is ignored.
The driver will remain installed on the PC so that the establishment of a virtual COM port is done
automatically each time the instrument is connected to the PC via USB in the future.
Further virtual COM ports are created for each additional instrument connected to the PC via
USB. Each instrument is assigned a separate virtual COM port when it is first connected and the
same COM port will be assigned each time that instrument is subsequently connected; the PC
software makes use of the unique code embedded in each instrument to link it to the same virtual
COM port irrespective of which physical USB port it is connected to.
PSU Sequencer
PSU Sequencer is a free PC software application that can be installed from the supplied CD. It
provides a simple method of remotely controlling the instrument's output voltage, current limit and
DC On/Off status via a graphical user interface on the PC. A list of set-ups, created within the
program or imported from an Excel file, can be stepped through manually (forwards or
backwards) or automatically in a timed sequence. Alternatively, a new output voltage or current
limit can be set directly from the graphical user interface. The graphical user interface also
shows the output voltage and current as it is displayed on the instrument itself.
More information is provided in the Read-me file on the CD.

Remote Operations

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