Innoventions PC Communication Package, Discontinued

NOTE: The PC Communication Package is not required and cannot be used by the SIMCHECK II. The SIMCHECK II comes with a built-in serial interface and it comes with a PC interface program.

The PC COMMUNICATION PACKAGE provides a versatile link between the stand alone SIMCHECK and your Personal Computer for printing and data logging. With this link, SIMCHECK can be remotely activated through your PC, or you can still use it with its regular operation switches. In either case, SIMCHECK sends detailed test results to your PC where they are displayed by a state-of- the-art real-time graphics program. The colorful graphic screen of the PC provides much more simultaneous information on the SIMCHECK test process than can be shown on SIMCHECK's own display. Test results may be printed, and, using the automatic logging feature, stored in a running log file for a later review. A full menu system with detailed on-line help screens simplifies the setup process of SIMCHECK's test parameters and test flow. Customized setups can be stored in your computer's hard drive for future use.

The package includes a small Serial Interface Module, which is attached to SIMCHECK's expansion slot, and a special communication program for your PC. The Serial Interface Module fits snugly to the side of SIMCHECK, and when the serial cable to your PC is removed, the SIMCHECK-Serial Interface Module combination is still portable. The Serial Interface Module further includes a NON-VOLATILE memory which retains SIMCHECK's test setup even when SIMCHECK is turned off.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: IBM PC-AT or compatible computer with an EGA/VGA display, 640K RAM, one floppy diskette drive (hard disk recommended), and a serial port (COM1 or COM2).

The PC COMMUNICATION PACKAGE includes:

• The Serial Interface Module.
• The PC Communication Program Diskette (Version 1.05 or higher).
• A 6' shielded 9-pin D-SUB M-F Serial Cable.
• An optional SIMCHECK EPROM.

NOTE: A special low-profile serial cable is available for customers using the SIMCHECK MODULE HANDLER.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Our main goal is to provide you with a PC COMMUNICATION program that you can use immediately and intuitively without studying a long manual. To achieve this goal, we have followed conventional user interface schemes, and included full mouse support. The program has two main modes:

1. The SIMCHECK TEST mode is the one used to activate SIMCHECK and to display, log, and print the test results. SIMCHECK's LCD display and operation switches are emulated in order to give you SIMCHECK's familiar look. Additional meters and bar graphs are used to clearly display various test data. A summary screen logs all the important information obtained at various test stages.
2. The SETUP mode allows you to setup SIMCHECK's test parameters and test flow, as well as the setup of the program itself.

THE SIMCHECK TEST MODE

After calling the SIMCHECK program, you enter the SIMCHECK TEST mode. The real-time graphics allow you to activate SIMCHECK, view, log, and print the test results. The graphics screen is divided into various windows, each providing specific information or control options.

• SWITCHES ESC, F1, F2, and F3 emulate SIMCHECK's operation switches with the same names.
• F10=QUIT is your exit from the program.
• Current Test Phase window is the top bar where the current test mode or phase (e.g. BASIC TEST, VOLTAGE BOUNCE) is displayed.
• SIMCHECK LCD window emulates and expands SIMCHECK's own LCD display. Error messages are displayed in red.
• ANALOG METER AND COUNTER windows provide a familiar analog display of speed, voltage, Relative Refresh, Relative Voltage Spikes, and Soft Error count information.
• TEST SUMMARY window logs various messages provided by SIMCHECK during the test, including important test results or errors. Use F9 (or click the corresponding bar with your mouse) to print the test report.
• TEST FLOW window at the left side shows the various test phases. Test phases which are set to be skipped are not displayed. Completed test phases are drawn in red with a log of the prevailing speed.
• STATUS window at the lower left corner of the screen has four bars to indicate the Serial Port, Printer Port, SIMCHECK status, and the DUT (memory Device type Under Test). Serial or Printer Port errors are highlighted with a red background.
• AUTOMATIC LOGGING window appears below the Voltage Meter if the AUTOMATIC LOGGING feature is enabled (through the SETUP mode, see next Section). With AUTOMATIC LOGGING, the test results of each module are automatically recorded in the log file SIMCHECK.LOG at the conclusion of each test.

THE SETUP MODE

You use the SETUP mode to set SIMCHECK test parameters and test flow, and to set up the program itself. You reach the SETUP mode by pressing F2 at the STANDBY mode. You can also reach the SETUP mode directly from the DOS prompt by typing "simcheck setup". If SIMCHECK is ON, the program reads its current setup and displays it on the CURRENT SETUP window on the right side of the screen.

• The program follows the standard pull-down menu interface.
  • Items are pulled down by clicking the mouse on the top bar or by using the ALT key followed by the item highlighted letter.
  • Cascading menu items are selected by up/down arrow keys, by pressing the highlighted letter (if any) or by optionally clicking with the mouse. The Enter key (or the left mouse button) selects the currently highlighted item, ESC key aborts the current menu.
  • The lower line provides a short help message for the current menu item. F1 provides a more detailed help window.
• Device Setup selects the type of memory, its size and speed (and, in the case of a PS/2 module, its test table). Of course, you can select Auto Detect which is SIMCHECK's default setup. Device Setup achieves the same result as SIMCHECK's built-in Test Setup Mode except that it is faster and more convenient.
• Test Flow Setup allows you to skip various test modes or phases. You can use the mouse or the space bar to toggle the skip flag of each test phase.
• Functions provide you with three groups of useful functions: The File Handling functions include Open, Save, and Save As for handling XXXXXXX.SET setup files. When you read a setup file, the CURRENT SETUP window is updated and the name of the file is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The SIMCHECK Access functions allow you to read SIMCHECK's setup or to write the new setup into SIMCHECK's non-volatile (permanent) memory, which is located inside the Serial Interface Module.

Required EPROM Version: 2.40 or above.