RS232 Troubleshooting Guide

The following programs are for troubleshooting communications problems.
These programs are not needed to run other FONIX software like WinCHAP.

Troubleshooting:
Sometimes, when using a FONIX program, your computer may be unable to communicate with your instrument. If that happens, these programs can help you find out where the problem is.

Troubleshooting

Updates your computer with latest FCHECK32.EXE program.
FCHECK32.EXE
Click on the filename above to download this file

If you are having problems with your FONIX 32bit programs (or third party 32bit programs), communicating with a FONIX instrument, this program can be used to test the communications connection to find out if anything is wrong.

You only need to use this program if you are having problems getting your 32 bit FONIX software to communicate.

Do not use this program if you are using the older 16 bit software on your computer. See FCHECK16. if you are using older 16bit software.

Note: Fcheck32 will not work on an older 16bit OS like Win3.1 or MSDOS. It is intended for 32 bit Windows OS like Win95/98/NT/ME/2K/XP systems.

Win95/98 can run both the 16bit and the 32 bit versions, however, you should use only one version on your system since there can be system conflicts if you try to run both versions at the same time.

The Fcheck32 program does not use the Fryers.com driver. It uses the Fryers32.dll instead. If you are not sure if you have Fryers32.dll on your computer, download a copy of Fryers32.dll and copy it to your /WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory.

Updates your computer with latest FCHECK16.EXE program.
FCHECK16.EXE
Click on the filename above to download this file

If you are having problems with your FONIX 16bit programs (or third party 16bit programs),communicating with a FONIX instrument, this program can be used to test the communications connection to find out if anything is wrong.

You only need to use this program if you are having problems getting your 16 bit FONIX software to communicate.

Do not use this program if you are using the newer 32 bit software on your computer. See FCHECK32 if you are using newer 32 bit software.

Note: Fcheck16 will not work on later 32bit OS like WinNT/2K/XP. It is intended for MSDOS, Win3.1, Win95/98 systems.

The Fcheck16 program requires that Fryers.com be installed and running on your computer. If you are not sure if you have Fryers.com, download and run the Clean16 program first.

Cleanup Program updates your computer with latest Fryers drivers.
CLEAN16.ZIP (4.8 MB)
Click on the filename above to download this file

The Clean16 program will go through your hard disk looking for old out-of-date versions of Fryers.com and replace them with the current version of the Fryers Driver. As a side effect, the driver will be centralized into the Root directory for the Fryers.com tsr.

If you have the CDROM version of these files, you can find the Clean16 program in the \RS232\CLEANUP directory folder.

If you are still having problems, and you are using a 32bit Windows program that uses the Fryers Driver, it may be the Fryers32.dll that is the problem. This is easier to fix because installation has tended to be more consistant with the DLL. Copy the Fryers32.dll file found in the FRYERS directory into the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. On older systems you may find a copy of Fryers32.dll in the \Windows (main) directory. If you see a copy there, delete it. The correct (new) location is in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

Some Windows computers named their Windows directory by a different name than "Windows." If this is the case, some programs may have failed to properly copy the Fryers32.dll to the Windows\system\ directory and could be the source of the problem. You will need to manually copy the Fryers32.dll file to the appropriate directory.

In some cases, the Fryers32.dll will be located in the same directory as the program that uses the DLL. If you are still having a problem with the program, try deleting the copy of Fryers32.dll from the program directory and insure that the latest copy of Fryers32.dll is in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

Normally you do not need to reboot your computer after replacing the FRYERS32.DLL file. If the computer will not allow you to delete the Fryers32.dll file, make sure that any program that uses the file is closed and not running.

Note: The Fryers drivers themselves are not normally changed. They are only transport mechanisms that do not care about the information they transport. Thus they do not require updating whenever a new instrument comes out or a new option is created for an existing instrument.

What does change periodically are updates to the documentation which describes any new commands or changes to older commands that are transported by the Fryers drivers.

Help Documents

This document provides information on the USB to RS232 adapters used with FONIX instruments.

This document describes how to use the diagnostic plug for the 6500 (and 6400) to test the RS232 connector on the instrument.

This document provides help on how to test the communications between the 7000 and a computer to see if it is working and possible solutions if it is not working.

This document provides help on how to test the RS232-USB communications between the 6500/6400 and a computer to see if it is working and possible solutions if it is not working.

This document provides help on how to test the RS232-USB communications between the FP35 and a computer to see if it is working and possible solutions if it is not working.

This document provides help on how to test the RS232-USB communications between the FP40 and a computer to see if it is working and possible solutions if it is not working.

This document provides help on how to test the RS232-USB communications between the FA10 or FA12 and a computer to see if it is working and possible solutions if it is not working.

This document shows how to reset the FONIX printer label to factory default, or how to set your own printer label.

Communications Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting

Help Documents