Model 8210A-2-5
IM-377
Aeroflex / Weinschel
17
7. CONFIGURING & USING THE 8210A-2-5
7-1. MANUFACTURING SELECT SWITCH SW3:
NOTE:
DO NOT change these switches from the default setting sunless instructed to do so by the factory. This
information is provided for reference only (Figure 5 shows the location of this switch).
SW3 Description
1
UCS
On = Enabled (Default)
Off = Disabled
2
MCS
On = Enabled
Off = Disabled (Default)
3
NMI Disable
On = Enabled (Default)
Off = Disabled
4
Flash Monitor
On = Enabled
Off = Disabled (Default)
7-2. CONFIGURATION FUNDAMENTALS:
The configuration process is used to detect the devices that are present
on the bus, assign each device a unique address, and connect devices to the appropriate software protocol. When
reset or powered-up, all devices always revert to a default address of110 (0x6E). To begin address assignment, the
8210A-2-5 host which resides at address 0x50, sends an Identification Request message to the default address.
Every device at this address then responds with an Identification Reply message. As each device sends its message,
the arbitration mechanism automatically separates the messages based on the identification strings. The 8210A-2-5
can then assign an address to each device by including the matching identification string in an Assign Address
message. A device that receives this message and finds a complete match with the identification string moves its
device address to the new assigned value. After assigning a unique address to a device, 8210A-2-5 retrieves the
device’s Capabilities string. The 8210A-2-5 then parses this Capabilities string to choose the appropriate application
protocol for the device. During this configuration process, the front panel LED’s flash at a rapid rate. When completed,
the LED’s will extinguish, unless a configuration discrepancy is encountered, in which case they will remain
illuminated.
As can be seen from the above discussion, the assignment of addresses to devices during the configuration
phase is totally arbitrary, and will most probably change each time the configuration process is performed. This
presents us with the following problem, especially for systems containing multiple devices...how does one send
commands to a particular device? One method is by requesting a list of all the configured devices and scanning the
list to find the device model, id, and address information. The 8210A-2-5 provides a much simpler and easier method
- assigning a name to a device. The 8210A-2-5 allows the user to assign an alphanumeric name of up to 10
characters in length to a device, and can store this association in it’s non-volatile EEPROM memory for future use. As
part of the power-up configuration process, the 8210A-2-5 will automatically recall and assign these names to the
appropriate devices. This one-time setup process can greatly simplify the users software, as certain high-level
commands require the use of a device name as one of the command parameters.
7-3. DEVICE PROTOCOLS.
All devices connected to the 8210A-2-5 understand a core set of commands, referred
to as the Base Protocol, which is used in the basic transfer of commands and data. In addition to this base set of
commands, different device types require their own unique set of commands, or protocol, in order to function. For
example, an attenuation device would be expected to have a different programming model than say, a switch
controller. On the other hand, devices may be similar in nature, with only slight differences in their command sets.
The 8210A-2-5 architecture allows protocols to be structured in a hierarchical or tree fashion where protocols may
build on the capabilities of parent protocols, inheriting the functionality of the parent.
Summary of Contents for 8210A-2-5
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