17
5.
REMOTE CONTROL: USB PORT
The Lambda SC can communicate with the computer via the Universal Serial Bus (USB)
port instead of the SERIAL (RS-232) port whenever it is connected to the remote computer
with a USB cable and the appropriate USB device drivers are installed. The remote computer
must be equipped with the necessary USB hardware and its operating system must be
properly configured to recognize and work with the USB interface. Of all the USB ports
available on the remote computer, be they part of the computer itself or part of a USB hub,
one port must be available for use with the Lambda SC.
The Lambda SC microprocessor sets the SERIAL port, by default, as the input source upon
startup. The SERIAL port remains active until an appropriate command is sent from a
remote computer through the USB port.
There are, obviously, some basic differences in the physical connections and the modes by
which USB and serial data are transmitted to the controller. The command code structures,
however, are quite similar. The connection and command structure required to control the
Lambda SC via the USB port are discussed in this chapter.
5.1
Installing the Lambda SC as a USB Device on a Windows System
The Lambda SC can be used as a USB device with a remote computer that is installed with
the necessary USB hardware and is running one of the following versions of Microsoft
Windows.
1.
Windows 98
and Windows 98 SE (Second Edition)
2.
Windows ME (Millennium Edition)
3.
Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, and Advanced Server)
4.
Windows XP (Professional Edition and Home Edition)
5.
Windows Advanced Server 2003
6.
Windows Vista (all editions)
5.1.1
Installation Steps
To install the Lambda SC as a USB device on a remote computer running one of the above-
listed versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, follow these steps.
1.
Make sure that the Lambda SC is plugged into a power source and that its power switch
is set to OFF.
1
Windows 95 and USB:
With the exception of the last releases of Windows 95 prior to the release of Windows 98, Windows 95 does NOT
support USB hardware. Those releases of Windows 95 that do support USB will generally have “With USB Support” as part of the operating
system’s title. However, the Lambda 10 series of controllers with USB interfaces have not been tested on such systems.
2
32-bit and 64-bit Versions of Windows:
The USB device driver for the Lambda SC is designed to work with 32-bit versions of the
Windows operating systems listed above. This driver is not intended for use with any 64-bit version of Windows.
3
Windows Vista:
The current USB device driver for Lambda SC has been tested under Windows Vista (32-bit version only). Because
Windows Vista’s security architecture has been significantly enhanced over previous versions of Windows, you will find that the installation
process (described next) will frequently prompt you for permission to proceed to subsequent steps.
LAMBDA SC USB INSTALLATION & CONFIGURATION – REV. 1.03 (20080617)
