INTERFACE AND COMPUTER QUESTIONS
RAM-10000 Systems
Q.
I've installed the software and data acquisition board in my computer
and I cannot control the RAM-10000 instrument.
A. The default base address for the
ISA ADAC-5525 board is 200 Hex. This often conflicts with soundboards
or game ports. There are two solutions. The first is to disable the conflicting
soundboard or game port from computer and use the ADAC board in its default
configuration. The second solution is to change the address of the ADAC
board and change the RAM software settings file to reflect the address
change. More information on this procedure can be found in Appendix A
of the manual or in the Application Note, "Installing the ADAC-5525 board
and RAM software:"
http://www.RitecInc.com/appnotes/5525installation.pdf
Q. Can I order the data acquisition board directly
from ADAC?
A. Yes, the boards could be ordered
directly from ADAC. Their address is available on our links page. However,
the ADAC-5525 Rev 4.0 board is only compatible with RAM-10000 power frames
with serial numbers 2824 and above. The ADAC-5525 Rev 3.X boards are compatible
with RAM-10000 power frames with serial numbers 841 and above, including
those power frames compatible with the Rev 4.0 board. Because of changes
to the board by ADAC, the 5525 Rev 4.0 boards are not compatible with
RAM systems designed to be used with ADAC-5525 boards with revisions 3.7
and below. Please note: the jumpers on the ADAC board need to be changed
from the default conditions to properly interface with the RAM-10000 power
frame. More information on this can be found in Appendix A of the manual
or in the Application Notes section of the website:
http://www.RitecInc.com/appnotes/5525installation.pdf
Q.
I have a problem with my ADAC-5525 board and the RAM-10000 system. I think
my ADAC board is not functioning.
A. The easiest method to check if
the ADAC-5525 board is sending correct commands to the RAM is to change
the settings for the high-pass RF filters or the low pass RF filters if
you have a RAM-10000 Mark IV system or a Mark VI system. The settings
for RF filters are controlled by relays that click when changing position.
By listening for an audible click, you can check if the filters are changing
settings. If you have a Mark VI system, you could also change the IF filter.
If you do not hear a click when changing the filter settings then the
computer is not communicating with the RAM correctly. Most often, this
effect is caused by a hardware address conflict and can be remedied by
checking the procedures outlines in Appendix A of the manual or in the
Application Note, "Installing the ADAC-5525 board and RAM software." Double
check if the jumper settings on the ADAC board were changed from the settings
provided by RITEC. If you purchased your card directly from ADAC, then
you should check that the settings correspond to those outlined in the
Application Note, "Installing the ADAC-5525 board and RAM software." If
the problem appears to be a communication problem, where the instrument
works for some programming instructions and not for others, then please
check that the revision of the ADAC-5525 board is compatible with the
power frame. If the ADAC-5525 board has a revision number of 3.7 or below,
then it is compatible with all RAM-10000 power frames with serial numbers
of 841 and above. IF the ADAC-5525 board has a revision number of 4.0
and above, then it is compatible with RAM-10000 power frames with serial
numbers of 2824 and above.
