The Infrared Monitor applet shows what devices are in range, and
the Communication Efficiency when sending/receiving data.
By default, the SmartBeam™ communicates at 115.2k in IrDA
mode. However, the speed and other settings can be changed by
going to the Options tab of the Infrared Monitor applet.
Here, you can Enable/Disable Infrared Communication, change the
physical COM port to where your SmartBeam™ is connected,
change the time intervals between device detections, enable Plug
and Play for detected devices, and limit the data rate. For nearly
all applications, using the default settings produce the best results.
Lower connection speed may help solve some connection
problems. NOTE: When communicating from SmartBeam™
to SmartBeam™, 57.6kbps must be used.
Now you can communicate to any other device through any
Windows application using the Infrared COM and LPT ports. As
shown in the image above, those ports are COM4 and LPT3. For
example, using Direct Cable Connection would require selecting
“Serial Cable on COM4”. For additional details on making Direct
Cable Connection work, please check your Windows95/98 Help file,
documentation, or Microsoft® website. Networking software such
as “File and Printer Sharing”, NetBEUI, bindings, protocols, names
and passwords must all be properly configured before Direct Cable
Connection can work. The function of the SmartBeam™ here is
only as a “cable”.
Another example is printing through the virtual parallel port. The
picture in the lower left shows an HP6P printer, which will be
connected to LPT3 after the drivers have been installed. So in any
application, one can print to that HP6P printer through LPT3.
Usage –Sharp ASK
When using the SmartBeam™ with Sharp organizers, there is no
need to install the IrDA software. You only need to set the jumper
correctly, and install the Sharp software. Chances are, the Sharp
software will ask you what COM port the SmartBeam™ is
connected to. Note that the data rate is 9600 baud, and it is also
recommended to have the SmartBeam™ less than 6” from the
Sharp organizer.
Troubleshooting
Make sure that no other infrared drivers exist in your system.
•
Go to the Control Panel, and run the SYSTEM applet. Make
sure there are no Infrared devices listed. If there are, you
may have to remove them.
•
Go to Control Panel, and run the “Add/Remove Programs”
applet. The driver of the SmartBeam™ is “Infrared Support
for Windows 95 Version 2.0” – DO NOT REMOVE THIS.
Remove or uninstall any OTHER driver except this one.
•
Restart your PC and try again. If it still does not work, remove
all the drivers including the one mentioned above. Reboot, and
reinstall the drivers from the beginning.
Also make sure that the COM port that you will be using must not
be sharing any IRQ with any other device, especially a serial
mouse. Otherwise, conflicts will occur when the devices sharing
the IRQ are in operation. In general, COM1 & COM3 share IRQ4,
and COM2 & COM4 share IRQ3. If you are using a PS/2 mouse,
you should have no problems at all. You can verify this by looking
in the SYSTEM applet of the Control Panel. Go to the Device
Manager tab, click on “Computer”, then the “Properties” button.
This shows the IRQs in use by Windows.
•
If you are using a serial mouse, make sure that the serial
mouse and the SmartBeam™ use different IRQs.
•
If your modem shares the IRQ with the serial port of the
SmartBeam™, either avoid using the modem while the
SmartBeam™ is in use, or put the modem on a different IRQ.
Installing the Drivers – Required for IrDA only
1.
Insert the driver disk in you’re a:\ (or b:\) drive
2.
Click on START, RUN…, then type “a:\setup.exe” (or
“b:\setup.exe”) in the space provided. Click on “OK”
3.
The “Add Infrared Device Wizard” will begin. Click “Next”.
4.
Select the Belkin SmartBeam™, and click “Next”.
5.
Select the COM port where you connected the
SmartBeam™. Click “Next”.
6.
Take note of the newly installed Infrared COM and LPT
ports. This is usually COM4 and LPT3. Leave “Use default
ports” as selected, and click “Next”. Change the ports to
different COM and LPT addresses only if they conflict with
other programs or hardware.
7.
Restart your PC.
Usage – IrDA
To enable the SmartBeam™, you must run the Infrared
Monitor applet from the Control Panel. Point the
SmartBeam™ to any IrDA-equipped device about 10” away or
less. Once the SmartBeam™ finds a device, it will be shown
in the IR Monitor. If it is a plug-and-play device such as a
printer, Windows will automatically install it, maybe even ask
you for drivers.
