Laurel | Laureate Setup & Calibration Software

Laurel Electronics provides digital panel meters / controllers, totalizers, counters, loop-powered meters, temperature meters, for all types of transducers or process indication & control.

Laureate™ Setup & Calibration Software
For Laureate Digital Panel Meters, Counters & Remote Displays.

datalogging system from Laureate panel instruments and a PC.

Of benefit for setup whether the PC is connected to the Laureate or is unconnected.

Setup of Laureate digital panel meters, weight / scale meters, counters, and remote displays entails the placement of plug-in jumpers followed by programming, which can be via the Laureate front panel or via Laureate PC Setup & Calibration Software. The latter can simplify setup whether the PC running the setup software is connected to the instrument or not.

When the PC is not connected to the instrument, instrument setup is first simulated using Setup View in the form of pages which simulate instrument panels. These pages are automatically reconfigured depending on the selection of input options, output options, and operating modes of the instrument. All input fields that are not applicable to a specific configuration are either left out or are grayed out, thereby avoiding unnecessary choices. Once instrument setup has been simulated using Setup View, a second scrolling view called Menu View will display the required front panel programming steps. Clicking on any step in the Menu View sequence will bring up a detailed Menu Help window for that step. The Menu View can be printed out to provide customized printed instructions and to provide a permanent record. The instrument setup data can also be saved to disk for later retrieval.

When the computer is connected to the instrument, the setup file created using Setup View cannot only be saved to disk, but can also be downloaded via RS-232 or RS-485 into one or multiple instruments with no front panel programming -- a major time saving when many instruments are to be set up in the same way. The computer can then also get (or retrieve) the setup data from the instrument.

RS-232 cable

For connection to a PC, each Laureate must be equipped with a serial communications board and be connected to the computer via a serial communications cable. The wiring of the RS-232 cable is illustrated above with end views of the two connectors. Plugging into the Laureate is the RJ-11 connector of a common 4-wire telephone extension cable. Plugging into the PC is custom-wired DB-9 to RJ-11 adapter, which accepts the other end of the telephone extension cable. The adapter wiring is correct if the above RS-232 cable wiring is achieved, as verified by an ohmmeter.

The same Laureate PC Setup Software can be used with Laureate digital panel meters, weight / scale meters, counters, and remote displays. The software is available for downloading from the Laurel website in the form of a single file (4.5 MB) named instrument_setup.exe. Click Here To Download this file

Easy to Install

To install, double-click on the file instrument_setup1_5_3.exe, and the WinZip Self-Extractor will prompt you for the name of the directory into which to unzip the installation files. The proposed default directory is c:\windows\temp. Click on the Unzip button. Use Windows Explorer to open c:\windows\temp (or other directory that you may have selected) and double-click on setup.exe. You will be prompted for the directory into which to install. The proposed default directory is c:\program files\instrument setup. Following installation, your desktop Programs menu will include an Instrument Setup link. Double-click on that link to open the Laureate PC Setup Software.

DPM Setup
Click on any of the reduced screens for a full-size screen view, then click on the Back button of your browser to return to this page.
	From the computer desktop, click on Start, Programs, then Laurel. This welcome screen will be displayed for a few seconds.
	The next screen presents buttons allowing you to specify whether your Laureate is a DPM, Weight Meter, or Counter (includes Remote Display) -- or to quit Laureate setup.
	You are given the opportunity to establish communications with a Laureate, or to work offline.
	If you wish to establish communications with a Laureate, you can specify the com port and baud rate. You can also specify "Unknown," and the computer will find the communication setting that works. The default Laureate jumper setting is for 9600 baud.
	Under the File pulldown menu, you are given the opportunity to open the Default Setup file for your type of Laureate, or to open a previously saved setup file. You can also save to disk a setup file that you have been working on.
	Under the Jumpers pulldown menu, you are presented with the jumper positions and electrical connections for Laureate plug-in modules: DC, Temperature, True RMS, Load Cell, Power Supply, RS-232/485, or RS-232/485 Rev F. The example to the left is for the Load Cell signal conditioner.
	When you click on View and select Setup, the Page 1 screen of DPM Setup is displayed. Each of the yellow fields is a pull-down menu. The field selected in this screen capture allows you to inform Setup of the signal conditioner in your DPM: Temperature, DC, True RMS, or Load Cell.
	When you press the F1 key while any of the yellow pull-down menus is displayed for a field, a detailed help window is displayed for that field. The example to the left is for the Resolution field.
	When you click on the Page 2 button and have specified a "loaded" meter in Page 1, this second DPM Setup screen is displayed to set up signal filtering, external inputs, and alarms. There are again multiple pull-down menus. Clicking on any of the white fields changes this field to green, and a small new window appears so that you can input the value for that field. The example to the left includes the window to input Deviation for Alarm 1.
	When you click on the Page 2 button and have not specified an alarm output option in Page 1, a much simplified second DPM screen is displayed. The example to the left includes the Filter and External Input fields, but does not include any of the Alarm setup fields.
	When you click on the Page 3 button and you have specified a "loaded" meter in Page 1, this third DPM Setup screen is displayed to set up serial communications and analog output, and to specify any meter lockouts. The example to the left includes the window to input the meter reading for the analog output High Reading (10V if voltage output is selected).
	When you click on the Page 3 button and you have not specified serial communications or analog output in Page 1, a much simplified third DPM Setup screen is displayed. The example to the left includes the Lockout fields, but does not include the Serial Communications or Analog Output fields.
	When you click on View and select Menu, the sequence of front panel programming steps required for meter setup from the front panel is displayed. This allows the Laureate PC Setup Software to be used even when there is no serial connection between the computer and instrument. All entries made using Setup View Pages 1-3 are reflected. Clicking on the Printer button causes the computer to print out the front panel programming steps.
	Clicking on any step of the Menu View sequence will bring up a detailed Menu Help window. The example to the left shows the meaning of each digit in the SEtuP step. With this type of detailed help, there is much less need to refer to a manual.

Counter Setup
Click on any of the reduced screens for a full-size screen view, then click on the Back button of your browser to return to this screen. The initial steps, choice of Setup of Menu screens, general operation, and context-sensitive help for the Laureate counter are as for the Laureate DPM. As for digital panel meters, clicking in any yellow field produces a pull-down menu with choices. Clicking in any white filed brings a data input window. Pressing the F1 key for any field brings up a detailed help screen.
	Counter Setup Page 1. This page allows you to specify the type of main board (basic or extended), the signal conditioner (dual pulse input, V-to-F converter, or quadrature), and any relay option, communications option, or analog output option. Except for these hardware differences, the capabilities of Laureate digital counters are specified via this setup screen and two other setup screens.
	Counter Setup Page 2. This page allows you set up Channel 2 of Laureate electronic counters as well as two alarms. As for digital panel meters, clicking in any yellow field produces a pull-down menu with choices. Clicking in any white filed brings a data input window. Pressing the F1 key for any field brings up a detailed help screen.
	Counter Setup Page 3. This page allows you set up external input, serial communications, an analog output proportional to the display (optional), and lockouts for Laureate digital counters. The grayed out area at the top right of the screen applies to Laureate remote displays.
	*If you click on View* and select Menu,** the sequence of front panel programming steps is presented on the computer screen. All entries made using Setup View Pages 1-3 above will automatically be reflected. Clicking on any step in the sequence will bring up a detailed Menu Help window. The example to the left shows the meaning of each digit in the Gate Time GAtEt step.

DPM & Counter Calibration
For absolute calibration, the Laureate must be connected to an external standard and to a PC running Laureate PC Setup & Calibration Software. The initial step is to establish serial communications between the PC and DPM or counter, as described for DPM setup.
	From the Main Menu screen, click on Calibration on the top menu bar. The software will recognize the type of Laureate DPM (DC meter, True RMS, load cell meter, scale meter, or temperature meter) and bring up the appropriate calibration screen.
	The DC Signal Conditioner Calibration screen is an example of a Laureate DPM calibration screen. It prompts the user for each range to be calibrated, displays the required jumper settings, and prompts for the signals to be applied from an external calibrator. Click on the screen to the left for additional details.
	Calibration of the quartz crystal of the Laureate counter with dual-channel frequency signal conditioner requires the input of a known frequency from a calibrator. Apply the frequency, then enter the frequency in Hertz. Calibration will be automatic, with storage of the calibration factor stored in non-volatile memory. Click on OK to exit.

Other Online DPM Operations
If you have a serial connection to a Laureate DPM or counter, you can perform a number of online operations from your PC.
	Under the DPM pulldown, menu you are given the opportunity to Get Setup (or retrieve) setup data from a DPM, or to Put Setup (or download) setup data back into the nonvolatile memory of the DPM. The same setup file stored on disk can be downloaded into multiple Laureate instruments, greatly speeding up setup in a production environment.
	Under the Commands pulldown menu, after you have performed a Get Setup operation, you can command functions by using the computer mouse. You can reset individual meter functions, display current or peak readings, and enter numbers to be displayed remotely by the DPM. For the remote display, the first position must be a blank, + sign or - sign.
	Under the Readings pulldown menu, you can select three formats to display the DPM data on the computer screen: List presents the latest readings in a 20-row by 10-column table. Press pause at any time to freeze the display. This is one method to capture peak readings. Plot generates a plot of readings vs. time in seconds. It effectively turns the DPM-PC combination into a printing digital oscilloscope. Graph generates a histogram where the horizontal axis is the reading and the vertical axis is the number of occurrences of readings. The display continually resizes itself as the number of readings increases.

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