APPNOTE: Connecting to a PM7000 using a Bluetooth link

APPNOTE: Connecting to a PM7000 using a Bluetooth link.

Last reviewed: November 29, 2006
Article ID: 061129sab

The information in this article applies to:

The PM7000 when connecting using a Laptop or Desktop computer.
If using USB see APPNOTE: Connecting to a PM7000 using the USB cable.
If using a PDA see APPNOTE: Connecting to a PM7000 with a PDA using a Bluetooth link.

Target Audience.

This article is aimed at:

Users of the PM7000.

Summary.

The PM7000 provides USB and Bluetooth interfaces. The remote user interface display utility "PMSCREEN.EXE" can use either of these interfaces.
It is recommended that users select the USB interface as this is faster which allows PMSCREEN.EXE to be more responsive.
The Bluetooth interface can be used in situations where the wireless capability is desirable, this application note details those steps required to establish a connection to the PM7000 using Bluetooth.

Before you start.

You will need to identify which model of Bluetooth USB adaptor you are using.

You will need to install your Bluetooth USB adaptor.

You will need to identify which Bluetooth drivers are installed on your computer see How to identify the installed Bluetooth drivers.

Check only one Bluetooth icon appears in your Taskbar (if two are present uninstall one set of the bluetooth drivers using Start - Control Panel - Add Remove Programs and look for Widcomm or LinkSys Bluetooth drivers in the programs list.

Bluetooth USB Adaptors and Bluetooth drivers tested.

The following Bluetooth devices and drivers were tested on a computer running Windows XP service pack 2. See How to find out if Windows XP Service pack 2 is installed.

1) LinkSys USBBT100 Bluetooth USB adaptor and its shipped drivers.

The shipped drivers are labelled as LinkSys Bluetooth Utility 1.05 but are actually Widcomm (now Broadcom) drivers version 1.4.2.8. After Installation it was noticed that two Bluetooth icons appeared in the Taskbar and both Microsoft and the Widcomm drivers had been installed. Only the Microsoft drivers were operative so the LinkSys drivers were un-installed and were not tested.

2) LinkSys USBBT100 Bluetooth USB adaptor and the Microsoft drivers.

These are the drivers present in Windows XP service pack 2 (version 5.1.2600.2180).
PmScreen.exe and the PM7000 functioned correctly using this drivers, see below for the steps to configure them.

3) Kensington 33085 Bluetooth USB Adaptor and its shipped drivers.

These are the Widcomm (now Broadcom) drivers version 3.0.1.914.
PmScreen fails with the message
Error: The baud rate and/or other settings are not supported by this serial port.
This is caused by a bug in the drivers that prevents use of 2 stop bits.
This problem is resolved by updating MODBUS32.DLL to version 7.19 or later.

4) Kensington 33085 Bluetooth USB Adaptor and downloaded drivers.

The latest Widcomm drivers version 4.0.1.2400 can be downloaded from ftp://www.kensington.com/bt/ .
PmScreen fails with the message
Error: The baud rate and/or other settings are not supported by this serial port.
This is caused by a bug in the drivers that prevents use of 2 stop bits.
This problem is resolved by updating MODBUS32.DLL to version 7.19 or later.

Connecting to a PM7000 using Bluetooth.

Click here if using the Widcomm (or Broadcom drivers).
Click here if using the Microsoft Drivers.

How to find out if Windows XP service pack 2 is installed ?

Click on the Start button then select Control Panel.
On the Control Panel open the Help menu and select the item About Windows.
On the About Windows dialog find the second line of text starting with Version 5.1 (build .... and it will end with the text : Service Pack 2).

How to identify the installed Bluetooth drivers ?

You may access the bluetooth driver information by following one of these steps.
1) If the Bluetooth icon is present in the Taskbar of your Computer then right click on it, and select the item Advanced Configuration (Widcomm) or the item Open Bluetooth Settings (Microsoft). This will open either Advanced Configuration (Widcomm) or the Bluetooth Settings (Microsoft) dialog.
2) Click on the Start button then select Control Panel. Select the item Bluetooth Configuration (Widcomm) or Bluetooth Devices (Microsoft).

If you are using the Widcomm Drivers with the LinkSys USBBT100 adaptor and your computer is running Windows XP Service pack 2 you may change to the Microsoft drivers by following the procedure below:

1)    If the Bluetooth icon is present in the Taskbar of your computer then right click on it, and select the item Stop Bluetooth Device.
2)    Unplug the Bluetooth USB adaptor from your computer.
3)    Click on the Start button then select Control Panel. Select the item Add Remove Programs and look for Widcomm or LinkSys Bluetooth drivers in the programs list.
4)    Click on Remove or Uninstall.
5)    Wait for the uninstall to complete and your system to reboot if required.
6)    Plug the Bluetooth USB adaptor back into your computer, your computer will now recognise the adaptor and install the default Microsoft drivers automatically.

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