AALogic ViewPC User's Guide - Modem Data Capture

Options - New Capture

AALogic ViewPC can process new capture sessions in several ways.

Overwrite

New capture session overwrites the currently displayed capture session. You are not prompted to save data with this setting.

Concatenate

New capture data is added to the currently displayed capture session.

Autosave

You will be prompted to save the currently displayed capture session when starting a new capture session. The autosave folder is used as the default location for files.

Set Autosave folder

This is the default folder location for saving capture files. Set this location to the folder you most often use. You will be able to navigate to a new folder and specify a filename before AALogic View actually saves the file.

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Real-time Capture

Real-time capture requires the ADMPC to be connected to a line and connected to the PC via a US port.

Refer to the AAlogic ViewPC connection diagram or the ADMPC documentation for additional connection information.

Capture Configuration

You must set the configuration options properly before starting a capture session. The most critical of these is the Standard, Sync/Async, and 2W/4W. The ASCII/HEX and 7E1/8N1 display modes can be changed after the data is captured.

The table below explains each of the settings.

 
Standard Bell: This is the bell standard and normally applies to 300 baud communications.
ITU: Use this selection for most 1200 and 2400 communications.
Data Word Format 7E1: This is a common data format for asynchronous communications.
8N1: This is a typical binary mode for sync communications.
Sync Mode Asynchronous: Each character surrounded by one start bit and one or more stop bits.
Synchronous: Data coordination is accomplished by synchronizing the transmitting and receiving devices to a common clock signal.
Connection Type 2W: Indicates a two wire connection, the most common modem mode. If you are unsure, try this mode first.
4W: Indicates a four wire connection. In this mode, two wires are used to send data and two additional wires are used to receive data.
Event Mode Single Event: Use Single event if you want a capture session with only one event.
Multiple Event: Use Multiple event when one or more events need to be stored in one capture session.
Data Display

ASCII: This mode displays the data as characters. Async communications are normally displayed in this mode.
HEX: This is a binary display mode. Each data byte is displayed in hexadecimal. This mode is normally used for synchronous communications.



Begin Capture

Click the Capture button to start the capture session. AALogic ViewPC sends the appropriate commands to the ADMPC. The commands set the configuration options and enter the capture mode on the ADMPC.

The information from the ADMPC is sent to the AALogic ViewPC program as the capture events occur. The captured data is displayed on the screen. The originate data is shaded green and the answer datab is shaded red when using the default color settings.

The black event header contains the event number, date and time the event started, and number of bytes in the event.

The capture will end after each event when using the single event mode. The ADMPC will restart and wait for the next event In the multiple event mode. Click the End Capture button to end the current capture session at any time.

View Options

You can change the way you view captured data. You can alternate between ASCII and HEX formats by pressing the appropriate buttons. You can also change between 7E1 and 8N1 data word formats using the combo box. This is useful if you are capturing data but not sure of the correct format of the data.

You must know the standard and if the data is sync or async to obtain meaningful results. Only change one option at a time if you are using trial and error to determine the proper settings.

You can also highlight bytes (characters) with the parity bit set or parity errors by using the appropriate check boxes.

Session information can be saved, printed, and exported as needed.

Extended ASCII Display

ASCII characters are defined for values from 0x00 to 0x7F or 0 to 127 decimal. The values from 0x00 through 0x1F are referred to as control codes. The Extended ASCII display allows you to understand these bytes more easily. Each control code is represented by its abbreviation enclosed in angle brackets - <>.

In the example, the byte value 0x05 in blue, enquiry, is displayed as <ENQ> and the next character, Start of Text, is displayed as <STX>. The entire string that makes up a single byte is highlighted as you move the cursor over the data and is counted as one byte. The <ACK>, highlighted in purple, is the current cursor position in the example. The green cursor area reveals this is position #94, the hex value is 0x06, and the ASCII character is <ACK>, acknowledge.

The bytes from 0x80 to 0xFF (128 to 255 decimal) are sometimes used for special characters or graphics. The screen display for these characters may vary from one PC to another. A reference ASCII table and other useful tables are available at the following link: http://www.asciitable.com/.

Using the Marker

The marker allows you to measure timing and count byte strings.

The marker can be set and reset to any byte in the event by double-clicking on the desired byte. The marker is set to the first byte in this example and the default color is blue. The value of the marker byte is indicated in the blue area of the information window on the left of the screen.

The green cursor data and the white difference information update as you move the cursor to other positions within the event.

Note: You will only see byte count information in the difference area if the marker and the cursor are in different events.

 

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Disk Files

File save and open operations follow conventional Windows application norms.

You can save the current captured session to disk by clicking the diskette icon on the toolbar or selecting File from the menu and then Save or Save As. You can also save data by pressing Ctrl+S. The default folder is the Autosave folder but you can navigate to any folder on the PC or a network and save files.

You may also be prompted to save a file. This occurs when there is captured session displayed that has not been saved and you select an operation that will clear the session.

To open a file, use the File, Open menu option.

Data is stored in a proprietary file format that is only useful to AALogic View\PC. You may export to a CSV file or print the data if you need to use the data with another program or in a report.

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Export to Text

You can share captured data from one program to another by exporting to a text file. AAlogic ViewLE's export function saves the data as a .CSV file or comma separated values. CSV is a common format for exchanging data among various programs like databases and spreadsheets.

The example, viewed with Notepad, shows that the CSV file preserves the position, data, source, and time information. The event headers are also included which provide date and time information, number of bytes in the event, and the connection speed for the event.

 

 

 

 


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The second example shows the same file opened with Microsoft Excel. The column headings and row information are displayed without need for conversion. Additional data analysis is possible within a spreadsheet program.

You will note that it is easy to see the HEX and ASCII values for each byte, the source of the data (A=Answer and O=Originate), and the time difference between each byte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Printing

Printing is completed in the same way as most other Windows applications. You must have an installed printer to be able to print.

Your are encouraged to use File, Print Preview, to see how the data will appear when printed. The output will vary depending on the capabilities of the printer selected.

The example shows a typical print preview. The page header includes the session information. The events are printed in the same format as displayed on the screen.

Another option is to install a generic printer on your PC to a file port. The installation procedure is described below. This allows you to print the data to a file in the ASCII format as it appears on the screen but without color coding.


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Generic Printer Installation

This section guides you through the steps to install a generic printer on your PC for Windows XP. The process is similar for other Windows versions.

1. Select Start, Printers and Faxes. The printer and faxes dialog is displayed. Select the Add a Printer option.

 

 

 

 

2. This starts the Add Printer Wizard. Click the "Next" button.

3. Select the local printer option then click the "Next" button.

4. Select the Use the following port: then use the drop down box to select FILE: (Print to File) option. Click the "Next" button.

5. Now select the printer. Select Generic in the Manufacturer list. Select Generic / Text Only in the Printers list. Click the "Next" button.

6. You may see the Use Existing Driver dialog. Select the Keep existing driver (recommended) option. Click the "Next" button.

7. You may enter a name for the printer or leave the suggested printer name. Select the No option for the default printer question. Click the "Next" button.

8. Select the Do not share this printer option. Click the "Next" button.
9. It is not necessary to print a test page. Select the No option and click the "Next" button.
10. The printer is installed and available for use. Click the Finish button.

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