Using the 8100Sync Application

Application Note

8100Sync is a tool used to manipulate the clock on an (and the configuration file) in the same folder they are LI-8100/A running embedded software 4.0 or above. It located in. includes some basic file management functionality. It runs 4 Connect the LI-8100/A’s serial cable between a serial from the Windows® Task Scheduler at a regular interval to port on the computer (or a USB-to-Serial Adapter) and synchronize the LI-8100/A clock to PC time. The typical the LI-8100/A. application is to synchronize time between a third-party If you are using a USB-to-Serial Adapter, launch Win- trace gas analyzer and the LI-8100/A to allow time series dow’s Device Manager and expand Ports (Com & LPT) data collected on the analyzer to be merged with the .81x to find the port number the Adapter has been assigned. files from the LI-8100/A in post processing. 8100Sync has 5 Launch the LI-8100/A Windows interface software been tested on Windows Vista, 7 and 10, and may be com- and click Connect. patible with other versions of Windows. Choose serial and select the com port to use. 8100Sync consists of two executable files (8100Sync2.0.exe 6 After connecting to the LI-8100/A, configure the net- and comscript.exe), and a simple configuration file. The file work and file settings as needed: called 8100Sync2.0.exe provides a graphical interface for 8100Sync supports both serial and Ethernet connections comscript.exe with real-time status updates and an editor for to the LI-8100/A. If you use Ethernet to connect from the configuration file. The file called comscript.exe handles 8100Sync, go to 8100 > Networking and assign appropriate communication with the LI-8100/A and can be run inde- network settings to the LI-8100/A. For the Ethernet con- pendent of 8100Sync2.0.exe. nection to work, the LI-8100/A and computer must be When run independently, comscript.exe provides no user configured on the same network. Note that the feedback, but will trigger a save-only version of the con- LI-8100/A only supports static networking using IPV4. figuration editor if problems are found with the con- Below is an example network configuration for a direct figuration file. 8100Sync2.0.exe is dependent on connection between the LI-8100/A and the computer comscript.exe, and will automatically close when com- (i.e., an Ethernet cable connected directly between the script.exe is done executing; this allows either application to instrument’s and computer’s LAN ports): be used in the Task Scheduler. When the configuration a Go to 8100 > Networking in the LI-8100/A interface editor is opened from either application, comscript.exe stops software and assign an IP address of and will restart when the editor is closed. 192.168.1.101 and a Subnet mask of Operation 255.255.255.0. The Gateway can be left blank. b On the computer, navigate to Network Connections, 1 Ensure the LI-8100/A is running embedded software right-click the LAN connection and select Properties. 4.0 or above. c In the Properties window, select Internet Protocol Ver- Communication settings are different in older embedded sion 4 (TCP/IPv4) under This connection uses the fol- software versions and 8100Sync will not be able to com- lowing items: and click Properties. municate with instruments using an older embedded ver- d On the General tab in the Internet Protocol Version 4 sion. Update the embedded software to a new version if (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, choose Use the following necessary. IP address: and enter 192.168.1.100 for the IP address and 255.255.255.0 for the Subnet mask. 2 Install the LI-8100/A Windows interface software on your computer. 3 Extract 8100Sync2.0.zip and place the resulting folder somewhere accessible on the computer. In the examples shown here the folder is placed on the desktop. Note that the .exe files search for each other

1 If using Ethernet, set IP address: to the IP address of the LI-8100/A. b Choose whether 8100Sync or the LI-8100/A will handle file management. If 8100Sync will handle it, select Yes for Manage files:. If the LI-8100/A will handle it, select No. If 8100Sync will manage the files, select where the files will be stored on the LI-8100/A under Data stor- age:. Choose Internal for the LI-8100/A’s internal memory, or choose External to store the file on the compact flash card. Note that the LI-8100/A has only e Click OK. Click Close. The network settings are now 10 MB of internal memory. applied and saved. If 8100Sync will manage the files, enter the base 8100Sync must stop the measurement sequence to set name to be used for files under Base file name:. Files the LI-8100/A clock. The program will restart meas- are named using the following format: base- urements after the clock is set in one of two ways; data nameYYYYMMDDhhmm.81x. can be appended to an existing file on the LI-8100/A c Click Save (or Save changes) and the configuration (managed by the LI-8100/A) or a new file can be created editor will close, and comscript.exe will restart. by 8100Sync (managed by 8100Sync). If the LI-8100/A Watch the status window for any error messages. will manage the files, go to Setup > Chamber Measurement > 10 Start Measurement and configure the file settings as You should see a series of messages indicating that a state desired. In this mode Append to existing file must be selec- is being checked or changed on the instrument and ted. whether these checks or changes are successful. Com- script.exe will continue through the whole sequence 7 Disconnect the Windows interface software from the LI-8100/A. even if a step in the process fails. If a step fails, an error message and time stamp are logged as tab-delimited text 8 Navigate to the directory where 8100Sync2.0.exe is in error.txt. located and launch the application. After comscript.exe completes the instrument clock When the application starts, updates will appear in the 11 update and restarts the measurement, 8100Sync will Status… window, and if this is the first time the applic- close automatically. A measurement will now be act- ation has run, the configuration editor will launch. If the ive on the LI-8100/A. configuration editor does not launch because a con- Create a scheduled task for the application so the Win- figuration file already exists, go to Options > Edit config. 12 dows computer can perform the synchronization automatically. To do this, launch Windows Task Scheduler and click Create Task… under Actions.

9 Edit the configuration as desired: a Select the desired method to connect to the LI-8100/A from Connect using:. Options are Serial or Ethernet. 13 On the General tab enter a name for the task under If using serial, set Serial port: to the port number used Name: and select Run whether user is logged on or not. in step 5 above. Valid ports are 1 through 30.

2 In the New Action window, choose Start a program under Action:, click Browse, navigate to 8100Sync2.0.exe, and click Open. Copy the path to the directory containing 8100Sync2.0.exe and paste it into Start in (optional):. The application will not run from the Task Scheduler if the par- ent directory for the application is not specified here.

14 Go to the Triggers tab and click New…. When the New Trigger window opens, choose On a schedule under Begin the task: and configure Settings to run the task at the desired interval. In this example 8100Sync will run and synchronize the instrument clock at midnight each day. 17 Click OK. There should now be an action for the task listed in the window.

15 Click OK. There should now be a trigger for the task listed in the window.

18 Click OK to save the task and add it to the schedule.

16 Go to the Actions tab and click New….

3 Global Headquarters Regional Offices LI-COR, Inc. LI-COR GmbH, Germany LI-COR Ltd., United Kingdom 4647 Superior Street Serving Andorra, Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Serving Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and UK. Lincoln, Nebraska 68504 Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, LI-COR Biosciences UK Ltd. Phone: +1-402-467-3576 Monaco, San Marino, Ukraine, and Vatican City. St. John’s Innovation Centre Toll free: 800-447-3576 LI-COR Biosciences GmbH Cowley Road (U.S. and Canada) Siemensstrasse 25A Cambridge Fax: +1-402-467-2819 61352 Bad Homburg CB4 0WS [email protected] Germany United Kingdom [email protected] Phone: +49 (0) 6172 17 17 771 Phone: +44 (0) 1223 422102 www.licor.com/env Fax: +49 (0) 6172 17 17 799 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 422105 [email protected] LI-COR Distributor Network: [email protected] [email protected] www.licor.com/env/distributors [email protected]