setting up multiple networks

[steve synek]

I will be using 4 networks this year. I have a Belkin hub (separate 120 volt power supply) so that I will only make one USB connection from my computer to the hub. I will connect 4 LOR USB adapters to the hub. My question is, how do I assign the com port numbers to the different networks. My previous years, my computer just told me it found LOR on com port 4. Will my computer tell me the ports where LOR is found, or do I have to assign com ports? How do you assign port numbers? I may not be using the proper terms above, so please feel free to correct or clarify my statements. Also, If I use other computers for programing and testing is there something special i need to do so that I can plug any one to the hub and it will match ports to the proper channels?

Here's hoping my questions make sense to you who are more knowledgeable.

Thanks

Steve

[-klb-]

In the Sequence editor,

Edit -> Preferences -> network.

Assign a com port for each network you want to use. You probably want to enable list networks in channel config.

[Steven]

steve synek wrote:

how do I assign the com port numbers to the different networks.

Also, If I use other computers for programing and testing is there something special i need to do so that I can plug any one to the hub and it will match ports to the proper channels?

Windows assigns a COM port to each USB-RS485 adapter as they are plugged in. As each USB device is required to have a unique serial number, Windows will remember which COM port was assigned to each adapter, so they will get assigned to the same COM port when the computer is rebooted.

As klb said, once the COM ports have been assigned by Windows, use the Preferences menu to assign each port to a LOR network. Once this is done, label the USB-RS485 adapters with the LOR network name (Regular, Aux A, Aux B, Aux C). Don't label them with the COM port number because this is likely to be different when you plug them into a different computer. Fortunately, the mapping between the device serial number and COM port number, and the mapping between the COM port number and the LOR network, are both stored (in different places) on the computer, so the LOR network number will "stick".

Repeat this process on your other LOR computers. In order to find the COM port number, start the Hardware Utility before you attach any adapters. Note the COM ports that the Hardware Utility finds in the "Manual Select" menu. First plug in the adapter labeled "Regular" and the restart the hardware utility. It will now have a new COM port number. Go to the Network Preferences dialog from the Sequence editor and map this COM port to the Regular network. Repeat this process for the other 3 adapters.