Communications Command
A dialog box allowing the user to select a serial port and set the corresponding parameters will be displayed. Communication ports one through sixteen may be selected, provided they are available. Select the serial port you want to use from the port selection list box using the arrow keys or mouse. Then set the parameters listed below and click the Open button to open the port for serial input or output.
Port Selection:
allows the user to select a port number. If a port is already open, the word open will be displayed in the list box after the port number. The port number currently selected is highlighted. To select a different port number use the arrow keys or mouse to highlight a different port. The settings listed below are applied to the port number selected in this list box.
Port Status:
if the port selected in the port selection combo box is open, the active radio button will be highlighted. If the selected port is closed, the inactive radio button will be highlighted. This group box is for display purposes only and cannot be changed by the user.
Baud Rate:
allows the user to select the appropriate baud rate from the group of radio buttons. The available baud rates range from 110 to 115200. The IPS system default is 4800.
Collect Data Strings:
allows the user to enable or disable the collect data strings option. If the box is checked, all serial data will be stored in a file. The IPS default value is false, no data strings will be collected.
Open Port:
Opens the port selected in the port selection list box. A message will be displayed in the view window with the port number, the baud rate, number of data bits, stop bits and parity. If there is an error in opening the port an IPS error message will be displayed.
Close Port:
closes the port selected in the port selection list box.
Clr Display:
clears the view port window.
Display all Data:
If the check box is true (checked) data from all of the open ports will be displayed. Otherwise only data from the port selected in the Port Selection box will be displayed.
View Port Window:
This window displays incoming and outgoing communications data (i.e. BATS data, GPS data Compass data). This window can be used to determine if target or ship information is not being displayed due to incorrect communication port settings or incorrect IPS parameter settings. For example if SETUP -> System Inputs Command -> Ore System is set to none and the target position input is from a BATS, no target position information will be displayed even if all the communication port settings are correct. If incoming serial strings are displayed in the view window, this would indicate that the communication port settings are correct.