PC-DNC Plus Wireless Ethernet Adapter Installation manual

Overview The PC-DNC Plus Wireless Ethernet Adapter is designed to make a wireless Ethernet DNC connection as easy-to-install as possible. A wireless Ethernet bridge and a Thin-Q Ethernet Serial Data Server are both enclosed in a single NEMA-12/13 enclosure, which is designed to be bolted onto any convenient surface with the sheet metal screws provided. A serial data cable is then connected to your CNC control s serial (RS232) port. A 5 volt DC power supply is also provided, which can be connected to any AC power source between 100 and 240 volts AC. An important note: If you plan to use DNC software that keeps the Adapter s serial port open at all times, you will need to supply power to the PC-DNC Plus Adapter that DOES NOT TURN OFF when you turn off your CNC control. If power to the unit is interrupted while the COM port is open, your DNC software will loose control of the COM port, even though the DNC software appears to function normally. The power cube supplied with the Adapter has a standard 110vac power cord, but it can be wired directly to a 220 or 240vac line if necessary with a pair of inline fuses. This kind of internal power connection may be desireable in some cases, but you must be careful to do it correctly. A machine with 440 or 460vac power will require a small power transformer to power the PC-DNC Plus Adapter. Please call Suburban Machinery if you plan to make an internal power connection to a 440/460 volt machine. CAUTION! Whenever drilling holes in your CNC control s cabinet, be EXTRA CAREFUL that your drill does not penetrate the cabinet and damage sensitive internal components. Also be very careful to not alow metal chips to fall on electronic components. 1

Adapter Components Each PC-DNC Plus Wireless Ethernet Adapter contains two separate devices that work together to provide a true wireless COM port for your computer. Inside each Adapter s enclosure, you will find a Lynksys WET-11 wireless bridge linked to a Quatech SSE-100D Thin-Q Serial Data Server (SDS). Each of these devices must be configured properly before software in your PC can use the Adapter s serial port. Once configured, the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Ethernet Adapter will connect automatically with your wireless access point within a range of approximately 300 feet. The Lynksys WET-11 wireless bridge is mounted on standoffs inside the PC-DNC Wireless Adapter. The Bridge s antenna protrudes through a neoprene grommet in the top of the NEMA- 12 enclosure. The flexible wire-tie mounting permits the bridge to float from side to side, preventing stress on the antenna plug. Mounted behind the Lynksys wireless bridge is a Quatech SSE- 100D Serial Data Server. The Quatech SDS is connected to the wireless bridge with a short CAT5 patch cable, and its 9-pin serial plug protrudes through a slot in the bottom of the enclosure. Both units share a common 5 volt DC input plug at the bottom of the enclosure. 2

Compatibility with your wireless network We assume that you already have a wireless access point (WAP) connected to your computer or your computer s network. Wireless access points are available at most any computer store or large office supply store, and can usually be purchased for less than $100. One access point can be used to connect to several PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapters, so long as they are within range. Your access point can be any brand, so long as it complies with the 802.11b standard, which matches the standard used by the Lynksys WET-11 bridge inside the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter. We recommend the Lynksys WAP-11 access point, although other 802.11b compatible access points will work just as well. The manufacturer of your wireless access point will have provided some configuration software that lets you make several important settings inside the access point. Once these settings are made, you shouldn t ever have to ever change them. A couple of settings inside your access point MUST MATCH the settings in the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter s bridge, or your Wireless Adapter will not work at all. You must know how your access point is configured before you can properly configure the PC-DNC Plus wireless adapter s bridge. Important setting #1 The first (and most important) setting is the SSID, or the name of your wireless network. This name can be any string of letters or numbers, and upper/lower case is important. If, for example, your wireless access point is set to use an SSID name of WLAN, then each of your PC-DNC Plus wireless adapters must also have their bridges set to use the same SSID of WLAN before they will communicate with your access point. Important setting #2 Wireless communications between your access point and the bridges can also be encrypted using a WEP encryption key. If your access point is set to use encryption, then you must configure the bridge inside the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter to use the same type of encryption and the same encryption key. The WEP encryption can be set to use either 64 bits or 128 bits, or it can be disabled altogether. The default settings in the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter s bridge is disabled. 3

Compatibility with your wireless network (cont.) Important setting #3 All TCP/IP Ethernet devices have a setting for an IP address and another setting called Subnet mask. In a large network, where a Server PC is always running, these IP addresses are usually assigned dynamically by a DHCP server. In these large networks, it s usually too complicated to assign unique IP addresses for every network device, so the DHCP server assigns them automatically. In a small network (such as a 2 or 3 PC peer-to-peer network), it s usually simpler to use fixed IP addresses. In a fixed address system, you will have to assign a unique IP address to every network device. Keep in mind that your wireless access point is one network device, and each PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter contains TWO network devices (the Lynksys bridge and the Quatech Serial Device Server), so you will need to assign THREE addresses to use just one PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter. The selection of IP addresses and Subnet mask settings are a bit to complex to explain here, but if you need help with these settings, please don t hesitate to call us for help. 4

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge The Lynksys bridge inside each PC-DNC Plus Wireless Ethernet Adapter is preconfigured to the following settings. SSID setting: WET encryption setting: IP address: Subnet mask: WLAN Disabled Automatically assigned by DHCP server Automatically assigned by DHCP server If these settings don t match the settings of your wireless access point, you will have to change the settings in either your access point or the Lynksys bridge so they do match. Once the bridge and the access point are set the same, and they are able to connect wirelessly, you can make further configuration changes to the bridge from your PC through your wireless network. If, however, the Lynksys bridge is NOT connecting wirelessly with your access point, you will have to connect a CAT5 patch cable between the bridge and your PC s network so that the bridge settings can be changed to match your access point. Hint: You can tell if the Lynksys wireless bridge is automatically connecting with your wireless access point by observing the WLAN light on the bridge. When you apply power to the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter, the WLAN light will come on within a couple of seconds if a wireless link has been established. To configure the Lynksys bridge, connect a CAT5 patch cable from your PCs network to the RJ-45 connector on the left side of the bridge. You can then run the Lynksys SETUP program and set the bridge to match your access point. WLAN LED indicates that a wireless link has been established 5

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge (cont.) To change the settings in the Lynksys bridge, open the front door of the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter and connect the Lynksys bridge to your network hub or switch (or directly to your PC) with a standard CAT-5 patch cable: 1) Unplug the internal patch cable from the left side of the Lynksys bridge. And plug your patch cable in its place. Hint: You may find that it s easier to use patch cables that DO NOT have molded strain reliefs, due to limited finger space inside the enclosure. 2) Plug the supplied 5v power-cube into the plug at the bottom of the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter and plug the power cube into a suitable wall outlet. Observe the LED lights on the Lynksys bridge. 3) Notice that there is a small toggle switch just above the RJ45 connector on the left side of the Lynksys bridge. This is a crossover switch, which lets you use either a straight-wired patch cable or a crossover patch cable for this bridge connection. If the LED marked LAN is not on, throw this toggle switch to the opposite position. If your patch cable is connected to another Ethernet device, the LAN light on the bridge should come on. 4) With the Lynksys bridge connected to your PC or your PCs network, insert the CD-ROM for the Lynksys Wireless Bridge into your CD-ROM drive and run the Lynksys configuration program. Click the SETUP button, then the NEXT button, and the software will attempt to locate the Lynksys Wireless bridge on your network. If the setup program is unable to find the Lynksys bridge, double-check your patch cable connection and verify that the LAN light on the bridge is on. If the setup program locates more than one wireless bridge, it will display a list of the available bridges to select from. The settings of the selected bridge are displayed, and you can click the YES button to change these settings. Enter the default password admin to give you access to the bridge s internal settings. and continue with the SETUP program as shown on the following pages. 6

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge (cont.) Lynksys provides a CD-ROM with a SETUP program to configure the Lynksys WET-11 wireless bridge. This software is also provided on the PC-DNC Plus CD-ROM in a folder called Lynksys Wireless Bridge. When you run this setup program, the following screen will appear: To start the Lynksys SETUP program, click the SETUP button. To read the complete Lynksys WET-11 users guide, click the User Guide button instead If your PC has an Internet connection, you can also use the Lynksys web-based setup program to access more advanced functions. Once you have connected the Lynksys wireless bridge to your network with a CAT5 patch cable, click the NEXT button and the setup program will search your network for all connected wireless bridges. 7

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge (cont.) If the Lynksys setup program finds more than one WET-11 bridge on your network, their names will be listed on the left-hand side of the screen. If all the bridges have the same name, you can use the MAC address shown on the right-hand side of the screen to identify the bridges. The MAC address of each Lynksys wireless bridge is privided on a separate data sheet from Suburban Machinery Software, Inc. To configure one of the listed bridges, select the bridge you want to configure and click the YES button. The password menu prevents unauthorized people from reconfiguring your wireless bridges. The default Lynksys password is admin (all lower case letters). If you want to change this password, you will have to log on to the Lynksys webbased utility and request a new password. In most cases, we suggest that you just use the default admin password. 8

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge (cont.) There are two modes available for the Lynksys wireless bridge. The Infrastructure mode is used when the Lynksys bridges will always be communicating with an 802.11b access point. The Ad hoc mode can be used to permit the bridge to communicate directly with other bridges, or with 802.11b capable PCs or laptops. Use the Infrastructure mode when connecting with a network access point. The name of this wireless bridge can also be assigned, which will distinguish this bridge from other bridges on your network the next time you run the SETUP program. In large networks, a DHCP server is frequently used to automatically assign IP addresses to all network devices. In smaller (or peer-to-peer) network, you may prefer to manually assign a unique IP address and a subnet mask that matches your other network devices. 9

Configuring Your Lynksys Wireless Bridge (cont.) The encryption security system can be employed if you want to protect your wireless network from unauthorized access. The default settings for the Lynksys wireless bridge have the encryption security disabled. If your access point is set to use either 64 bit or 128 bit WEP encryption, set the Lynksys bridge to use the same type of encryption and enter the security key used by your access point. Note: Lynksys products let you enter an easy-to-remember passphrase, which generates an encryption key for you. If you are using a Lynksys wireless access point, you can enter the same passphrase used by your access point. If you have a different brand of access point, select your encryption method, but leave the passphrase box blank. You will then be able to enter your security key manually on the next menu. Once all your settings are entered, you can permanently save them in the bridges memory by clicking the YES button on this final menu. 10

Configuring Your Quatech Serial Data Server Once your Lynksys wireless bridge is communicating properly with your network s access point, you can continue with the installation of the Quatech Thin-Q Serial Data Server. This device provides the RS232 port necessary to communicate with your CNC control. Before continuing with the Quatech installation, be sure that you see THREE lights on the front of the Lynksys bridge whenever you apply power to the PC-DNC Wireless Adapter. The three LEDs marked PWR, LAN, and WLAN should all be on. The DIAG light should remain off. If the LAN light is off, be sure that the short internal CAT5 patch cable from the Quatech SDS is plugged into the Lynksys bridge. If the cable is plugged in, but the LAN light still isn t on, throw the small crossover switch (just above the RJ45 connector on the bidge) to the opposite position. It is normal for the LAN light to go off, then back on shortly after power is applied to the PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter. If the WLAN light is off, you have not correctly matched the settings between the Lynksys wireless bridge and your network access point. Return to page 2 of this manual for an explanation of the important settings. Quatech provides a setup program called ThinQ.exe. This program is provided both on the Quatech Thin-Q CD-ROM and also on the PC-DNC Plus CD-ROM in the folder called Quatech SDS. 11

Configuring Your Quatech Serial Data Server (Cont.) The Quatech SSE-100D Serial Data Server uses a Windows device driver to permit your PC to use the Quatech s RS232 port as a standard Windows COM port. To install the Quatech device driver, insert the Quatech SDS CD-ROM (or the PC- DNC Plus CD-ROM) in your PC and run the ThinQ.exe program. NOTE: This program will start automatically if your PC s autorun function is turned on. After a brief power-up screen is displayed, you will see the following menu: Please note that this installation program will only run under Windows 2000 or Windows XP. For support on other versions of Windows, please contact Quatech directly through their website at www.quatech.com To proceed with the Quatech installation, click the Install SDS button on the upper-left. 12

Configuring Your Quatech Serial Data Server (Cont.) The Quatech setup program will automatically search your network for Serial Data Servers, and will display a list of servers that it finds. If the SDS in your PC- DNC Wireless Adapter does not appear in this list, please verify that your Lynksys wireless bridge is functioning properly. If you have more than one Quatech SDS on your network, you can identify them by the MAC address shown in this list. A list of MAC addresses is supplied on a separate data sheet by Suburban Machinery Software, Inc. Once the Quatech install program has searched your network for available Quatech servers, select the one you want to install and click the NEXT button. The install program will attempt to verify that it can communicate with the Quatech SDS, and it will either report that your communication test has passed or failed. If the test passes, you will then be able to continue installing the serial port driver on your PC. If the test fails, click the NEXT button and change the Quatech SDS network settings (IP address and subnet mask) so that communications can be established. Once this test passes, the dialog box shown here will verify that your network settings are OK. 13

Configuring Your Quatech Serial Data Server (Cont.) The device drivers supplied by Quatech corporation are not digitally signed by Microsoft. While these drivers are currently in the process of being certified by Microsoft, the fact that they are not yet signed will result in a warning message being displayed twice during the installation process. When the device driver warning message is displayed, click the Continue anyway button to install the Quatech SDS device drivers. This message will appear twice during the installation process. 14

Configuring Your Quatech Serial Data Server (Cont.) Once the device driver for the Quatech SDS has been loaded, the serial port in the Quatech SDS becomes available to your operating system. Windows 2000 or XP will then detect that a new COM port has been installed, and the New Hardware wizard will launch itself automatically. When running the New Hardware wizard, you may encounter the same warning message saying that this device driver is not digitally signed by Microsoft. Click the Continue Anyway button to finish the device driver installation. To verify that the COM port has been properly installed, you can refer to the Windows Device Manager, which will show the Quatech SDS as a MultiPort Serial Adapter. The additional COM port will also appear under the Ports, COM and LPT entry. Each PC-DNC Plus Wireless Adapter will appear as an additional SDS and COM port in the Windows Device Manager. Quatech SDS appears here Quatech serial port appears here 15

RS232 Cable Diagram The 9-pin serial plug on the bottom of the PC-DNC Wireless Adapter uses the same pin assignments as a standard PC COM port. Usually, Suburban Machinery Software Inc. will supply a suitable RS232 cable for your application, but if you need to fabricate one yourself, here is a recommended cable diagram: Adapter end CNC end (9-pin female on cable) (usually a 25-pin male on cable) ----------------------------- --------------------------- --- cable shield --- Pin 1 Shield ground Carrier detect -- Pin 1 Received data Pin 2 ---------------------- Pin 2 Send data Send data Pin 3 ---------------------- Pin 3 Received data Terminal Ready Pin 4 Ground Pin 5 ---------------------- Pin 7 Ground Data set ready Pin 6 Request to send Pin 7 ---------------------- Pin 5 Clear to send Clear to send Pin 8 ---------------------- Pin 4 Request to send Ring indicator Pin 9 ----- Pin 6 Data set ready Jumper these 3 pins together ---> ----- Pin 8 Carrier detect on CNC side only ----- Pin 20 Terminal ready 16