17
If
data
does
not
appear
in
the
data
window
at
all,
verify
that:
The
instrument
is
connected
to
a
valid
serial
or
USB
port
All
cables
are
securely
connected
The
message
“Port
Status:
On”
appears
in
the
status
bar
There
are
no
errors
on
the
instrument
If
using
a
USB
adapter,
ensure
that
the
device
drivers
have
been
installed.
Selecting
a
Serial
Port
When
the
MS4500E
is
connected
to
the
USB
port
it
will
appear
as
a
virtual
COM
port.
Use
the
Serial
Port
selection
box
to
select
the
virtual
COM
port
number.
If
the
COM
port
number
is
unknown,
it
can
be
found
in
Windows
Device
Manager
under
“Ports
(COM
&
LPT)”.
Selecting
an
Instrument
Use
the
Instrument
option
box
to
select
the
model
of
Metal
Samples
instrument
being
downloaded.
This
sets
the
appropriate
communication
parameters,
which
will
be
displayed
in
the
status
bar
at
the
bottom
of
the
window
(“
9600,N,8,1
”
for
an
MS1500,
“
2400,N,8,1
”
for
an
MS3500).
Downloading
Data
To
toggle
the
selected
port
on
and
off,
click
the
Download
button.
Toggling
the
port
on
and
off
will
also
clear
the
data
window.
Once
a
valid
serial
port
and
instrument
have
been
selected,
click
the
Download
button
to
turn
the
port
on
and
enable
the
computer
to
receive
data.
If
a
valid
serial
port
has
been
selected,
the
status
bar
at
the
bottom
of
the
window
will
display
the
message
“Port
Status:
On”.
If
an
invalid
serial
port
has
been
selected,
an
error
message
will
appear,
and
the
status
bar
will
display
the
message
“Port
Status:
Off”.
If
this
happens,
another
serial
port
should
be
selected.
Saving
Data
To
save
the
data
in
the
data
window,
click
the
Save
button.
The
data
is
comma
‐
delimited
ASCII
text.
It
can
be
saved
to
a
standard
text
(.txt)
file,
or
it
can
be
saved
to
a
comma
‐
separated
values
(.csv)
file,
which
greatly
simplifies
the
process
of
importing
the
data
into
some
spread
‐
sheet
programs
such
as
Excel®
or
Quattro
Pro®.
Printing
Data
To
the
contents
of
the
data
window,
click
the
button.
A
dialog
box
will
be
displayed
to
allow
printer
selection
and
setup.
Charting
Data
To
chart
the
contents
of
the
data
window,
click
the
Chart
Data
button.
If
the
data
has
not
yet
been
saved,
the
user
will
be
prompted
to
do
so
before
the
charting
process
begins.
For
more
information
on
charting
data,
see
the
Data
Analysis
section.
