Operation With The Via Director Software - AEA VIA Bravo MRI Operating Manual

5 Operation with the VIA-RTD Software
The VIA-RTD software has its own manual on the CD. This manual is loaded to the hard
drive when you install the program on your computer. Connect the VIA Bravo to the PC with
an AEA serial cable (PN 0070-1201) or extra long cable(PN0070-1215). Be sure that the bit
rate of the serial port matches the setting selected on the VIA Bravo unit.
The RTD software will NOT AUTO-LOAD from the CD. To install, RUN the SETUP.exe
file in the Software directory.
If you are updating your software from a previous version, you must UN-INSTALL the
older version before installing the newer. To UN-INSTALL, follow this sequence: Click on
START, CONTROL PANEL, ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS. Find the listing for VIA-RTD
down near the bottom of the list and left-click on it. Follow the directions as posted by the
operating system. Once this is done you can install the new version.
NOTE!
When the Smith Chart was added, all previous version PLOT files are unusable
to the new version due to a totally different data structure. Therefore, if you have important
files that you must access in the future, you should keep the old version. This means that
you must save the new version into a different directory than what is suggested by the
software setup program.
rename the shortcut to the second version "RTD-Smith".
Remember to save your REGISTRATION INFORMATION in a safe place.
Registration is accomplished by left clicking on the open program HELP menu tab and
clicking on REGISTRATION. Enter the Registration Name and Number as provided on your
CD package and hit ENTER. This is CASE SENSITIVE, so be sure to type it in exactly as
listed on your documentation. The upper left corner of the title box should now say
"Registered to (your registration name). You need to do this within 15 minutes of starting the
software, or you will get a note stating that the DEMO PERIOD IS OVER. If this happens to
you - Do NOT hit the OK button! Click on the HELP menu tab and register. The Box will go
away.
Once you have the software up and running you will notice that there is a new menu item
labeled SMITH CHART. For those of you unfamiliar with the Smith Chart, it is a means by
which to graphically represent a lot of data simultaneously. To describe, in depth, the
workings of the Smith Chart would require a whole book. Many have written such texts and
they are available where ever you buy your technical texts. There is a partial list of links at
the bottom of this page. How ever, a quick overview is in order here.
You will notice that the Smith Chart is divided horizontally by a straight line. The ONLY
straight line in the whole chart. This is the RESISTANCE (R) line. Any plot points that are on
this line have only pure resistance, Zero Ohms to the far left and Infinity Ohms to the far right.
The very center is marked as "1", representing the characteristic IMPEDANCE of the circuit
being tested, usually 50 Ohms. This is the NORMALIZED IMPEDANCE point.
Any plot points above the R line have INDUCTANCE as well as RESISTANCE and have
positive Phase Angle and REACTANCE (X) values. Any points below the R line have
CAPACITANCE and RESISTANCE and have negative Phase and X values.
further information, please consult one of the many texts available on this subject.
REFERENCE : http://www.web-ee.com/primers/files/SmithCharts/smith_charts.htm
Your registration information will work on both versions. You can
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If you need