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FCHECK, the FONIX RS232 Test Program01/08/02 The FCHECK program will test the RS232 link between an IBM AT, PS/2 or compatible computer and a FONIX instrument with the RS232 option installed. FCHECK16 is for 16 bit systems (MSDOS and Windows 3.1) Use FCHECK32 for 32 bit systems such as Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. Windows 95/98 can also run the 16 bit version for FCHECK16. The 16 bit Version of FCHECK16 will not run in Windows NT/2000/XP because the 16 bit version of FCHECK16 requires FRYERS.COM which Windows NT will not allow to run. FCHECK32 requires the use of FRYERS32.DLL which must be located in the Windows directory. To run the FCHECK32 program, use the file manager or Windows Explorer and click on the FCHECK32 program icon. Alternately, you can open a MSDOS prompt window and run the FCHECK32 program from there just like the 16 bit MSDOS version of FCHECK16. To run the FCHECK16 program, at the DOS prompt enter the program name followed by the number of the COM port you wish to check. Examples; "FCHECK16 1" or "FCHECK16 2". Note: The 16 bit FCHECK16.EXE program requires that the FRYERS.COM driver be run first. A batch program file called RSCHECK.BAT is provided to automatically load FRYERS before running FCHECK16. You can enter the command "RSCHECK 1" or "RSCHECK 2" instead if you wish to have FRYERS.COM automatically loaded. The 32 bit version of FCHECK32 does not use FRYERS.COM, but it does require that FRYERS32.DLL be located in the Windows directory. If you are not certain which port to check, just enter the program name without the port number. FCHECK will automatically select COM1 for testing, and you can change to COM2, COM3, or COM4 while the program is running. When the program runs, you will see three boxes on the screen. The box on the top left side of of the screen provides information about the Fryers driver. The information includes the Version number of the driver, the Date when the driver was created, the Port number it is using, and the speed at which it is operating. Additionally, there are four status registers displayed. Normally you don't need to worry about this, but technical support may ask for the information should you call Frye Electronics for help with a problem. On the right side of the screen is a box which displays testing status messages. Again, normally you don't need to worry about these messages, but technical support may ask for the information should you call Frye Electronics for help with a problem, especially any error messages that might appear in the box. On the bottom of the screen is the Help box. This is the box that is important to you. Should a problem be found with the RS232 interface, a message will appear in the Help box telling you what the problem is and what you need to do to correct the problem. To test COM1, press "1". To test COM2, press "2". To test COM3, press "3". To test COM4, press "4". FCHECK assumes that the standard interrupts will be used for the COM ports (only important for 16 bit programs). Some COM ports may use non- standard interrupts to allow more than the normal two ports in the system. If you know the interrupt number, you can test the non-standard port by pressing "I" followed by the IRQ number (use "A"-"F" for IRQ10-IRQ15). The 32 bit Windows programs use the standard Windows API to access the serial ports, so they have no control over the hardware, It is up to the operating system to insure that the hardware for the serial port is working correctly. To exit the FCHECK program, press "Q" or the ESCape key. The tests in the FCHECK program were written to provide a check of the computer and it's RS232 port and to provide information about what problems may be encountered. There are some areas that the program cannot check to find out what is wrong. These areas involve external cabling and/or incorrectly installed or missing RS232 software in the FONIX instrument. The program will tell you if the setup is working, but it cannot always tell you what is wrong if it is not working. You may require a trained support technician to assist in correcting the problem if you find something wrong with the RS232 setup. For more information on trouble-shooting the RS232 link, see the file HELP6500.TXT, HELPFP40.TXT, or HELPFA1X.TXT (depending on which instrument you are testing). If the FCHECK program tells you that the RS232 link is working, then you can be assured that the setup is fully operational. Note: The FCHECK program only works with the FIPP instrument protocol. If you have an instrument that uses an ASCII communications protocol the FCHECK program will not work. You should use an ASCII terminal (or terminal program on your computer) to test an ASCII style communications link. History: 09/27/94 -med original |