A p p e n d i x A - U t i l i t i e s

Transmitting and receiving Data

Setting Up the Serial Port

The serial port can be used to transmit data between the H8000FW and a computer. It is an IBM PC type RS232 connector, which looks like a modem or printer to a connected computer.

You can set up the serial port’s parameters on the "third" midi menu page in the SETUP area. Repeatedly press the midi SOFT KEY until you see the menu page shown to the right.

The first parameter, serial, determines whether the serial port is enabled or disabled. If set to disabled, messages will neither be sent out the serial port nor accepted at the serial port. The second parameter, baud rate, determines the speed at which messages will be sent out the serial port and the speed at which the H8000FW expects to receive messages at the serial port. Similarly, data bits, stop bits, and parity all describe aspects of the messages sent out the serial port and aspects of the messages that the H8000FW expects to receive at the serial port.

For things to work properly, these last four parameters must be set to the same values on both the H8000FW and the machine connected to the serial port. Higher baud rates result in faster transmission times, but most machines have a ceiling above which errors occur. So, set the baud rate to the highest value you can on both the H8000FW and the machine connected to its serial port that results in error-free transmissions.

The data bits are normally set at 8, the stop bits are normally set at 2, and the parity is normally set at none. You should only need to stray from these values if the device the H8000FW is communicating with is constrained to some other values. If that is the case, change the values on the H8000FW to match the other device.

To aid in troubleshooting, the BUSY LED will illuminate when data is transferred at the serial port, provided no Memory Card is in place. If the serial port is "enabled," messages sent out the MIDI Out port are also sent out the serial port. Note: If both the serial port is "enabled" and MIDI is "enabled," a command received over either the serial port or the MIDI In port causes the port not receiving the command to be ignored until the command is complete.

139