Windows 7 USB Connectivity with Cirrus noise measurement instruments

If you are upgrading your PC to Windows 7 and you are using a USB connection to download measurements, you may need to update the drivers to allow your software to communicate with your instrument.

The information in this Technical Note covers the main instrument ranges and software packages and the steps needed to upgrade or update existing drivers.

You can download the information below as a Technical Note. Click here to download Technical Note 27 – Windows 7 USB Connectivity with Cirrus noise measurement instruments

Please note that the installation of the any drivers must be carried out using Full Administrator Access Rights.

If you do not have full administrator access rights, you will not be able to update or install the required drivers.

If you have any questions about the access rights available to you, please contact your IT support.

 

1 Instruments with a USB Port

1.1 CR:800C & CR:260A Sound Level Meters

The CR:800C and CR:260A instruments use an FTDI Driver which is supplied with the Deaf Defier software installation CD and as part of the software download.

To update the driver:

Step 1: Download the latest driver from the chipset manufacturer website

Click here to download the latest driver. This is available as an executable file (.exe) or a ZIP file.

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM20814_Setup.exe

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM20814_WHQL_Certified.zip

Step 2: Disconnect the sound level meter from the PC and close the Deaf Defier3 software program completely.

Step 3: Run the driver installation program downloaded in step 1

Step 4: When the installation is complete, connect the Sound level meter to the PC. Windows will detect the new hardware and install the new driver. Deaf Defier3 will now be able to connect to the sound level meter.

 

1.2 RC:110A doseBadge Reader Unit

The RC:110A Reader Unit (USB) uses an FTDI Driver which is supplied with the dBLink software installation CD and as part of the software download available from the Cirrus website.

To update the driver:

Step 1: Download the latest driver from the chipset manufacturer website

Click here to download the latest driver. This is available as an executable file (.exe) or a ZIP file.

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM20814_Setup.exe

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM20814_WHQL_Certified.zip

Step 2: Disconnect the doseBadge Reader from the PC and close the dBLink3 software program completely.

Step 3: Run the driver installation program downloaded in step 1

Step 4: When the installation is complete, connect the RC:110A doseBadge Reader to the PC. Windows will detect the new hardware and install the new driver. dBLink will now be able to connect to the Reader.

 

Troubleshooting

The steps detailed above will install the correct Windows 7 driver for the RC:110A doseBadge Reader. If when the doseBadge Reader is connected to the PC, Windows 7 cannot find or install the driver, your Reader unit may need an upgrade.

The RC:110A doseBadge Reader units manufactured before 1st July 2009 have a different USB driver in their internal software. This may prevent the new driver from correctly identifying the Reader.

These steps do not apply to RC:110A doseBadge Reader Units manufactured after 1st July 2009.

If this occurs, you may see an error message such as Windows cannot find the driver for this device or similar.

Step 1: To resolve this issue, download the following ZIP and extract the program.

http://www.cirrusresearch.co.uk/files/tools/ReaderUSBUpgrade.zip

Step 2: Connect the RC:110A doseBadge Reader to the PC

Step 3: Run the ReaderUSBUpgrade.exe program and follow the on-screen instruction.

When the upgrade is complete, disconnect the RC:110 doseBadge Reader Unit from the PC, wait 30 seconds and reconnect. The new USB driver will be installed correctly.

 

 

Older instruments with a serial port

The older Cirrus sound level meters and doseBadge Reader units listed below are connected using an RS232 output. To allow these instruments to be used with a USB port, a USB to Serial Adaptor is required. Cirrus supplies the Sunix UTS1009B USD-Serial Adaptor and this has been tested with the instruments listed below.

RC:100A doseBadge Reader

RC:100B doseBadge Reader

CR:700 Series (All versions)

CR:800A Sound Level Meters

CR:800B Sound Level Meters

CR:260 Sound Level Meters (excluding CR:260A versions)

 

Sunix USB to Serial (RS232) Adaptor

Please note that if you are using a USB to Serial Adaptor that has not been supplied to you by Cirrus Research plc, we cannot provide support for these products. Please contact the vendor or manufacturer for support.

The Sunix USB to Serial Adaptor uses a driver and this must be the latest version to allow the unit to operate under Windows 7.

The CD supplied with the adaptor will include drivers but depending upon when the adaptor was supplied, these may not be compatible with Windows 7.

The latest drivers are available from the manufacturer’s website at www.sunix.com.tw

 

The Windows driver installer can be downloaded directly by following this link:

http://dl.sunix.com.tw/upload_product_driver/SUNIX.zip

 

To update the drivers:

Step 1. Plug in the USB to Serial Converter.

Step 2. Open the Device Manager. There will be a yellow warning icon shown next to any devices that are a problem.

Step 3. Locate the warning for the USB to Serial Converter and uninstall the driver.

Step 4. Unplug the USB to Serial Converter.

Step 5. Run the current Sunix installer software.

Step 6. Choose “Uninstall” from the options.

Step 7. When this is complete, run the Sunix installer software again.

Step 8. Choose to install a new version of the drivers.

Step 9. When the installation is complete, connect the USB to Serial converter and Windows 7 will load the correct driver.

Step 10. Check in the device manager that there are no warnings for the USB to Serial Converter.

 

This will have updated the drivers and the instrument should be able to connect successfully.

Jaymee-lee Tolliday

Marketing Executive at Cirrus Research plc

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