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Your hardware based Fleetwood audience response system
is a peripheral device that attaches to a standard computer,
desktop, tower, or notebook. It consists of an Interface
(also called a base station or controller) and some number of
keypads. The interface communicates with each keypad
via a wireless radio link, and with your computer via a
standard serial cable.
Note: If you are using the EU/UK hardware version, please
review that topic at the end of this page.
Connecting The Interface
The interface contains a transmit and two receive modules to
which you must attach the provided antennas. Depending upon
the interface model (CRS910, CRS920, or CRS930) the antenna
style will vary slightly.
The CRS910 uses 3 whip antennas. Mount the long antenna on the
center post and the two shorter antennas on the outside posts.
The CRS920 and CRS930 both use collapsible antennas. Mount the
longer antenna on the front side of the CRS920, or the center
post of the CRS930. Mount the other two, to the remaining
posts, and fully extend all antennas.
Connect the interface to a serial port (Com Port) on your
computer using the provided serial cable. The CRS920 and
CRS930 come with two types of cables; a standard 9' serial
cable, and a 30' cable. The 30' cable is for special
situations whereby you need to place the unit quite far from
your computer. For now, set it aside.
If your computer does not have a built in serial port, you
will need to obtain one. Many USB to serial adapters simply do
not work. We have found that the Startech ICUSB232 works well
with about 95% of the machines we've tested. The other choice
is a PCMCIA card. Of these, we have found the Quatech brand to
be the most reliable.
The Interface communicates with up to 250 keypads on a
specific radio frequency (channel) and sends data to one of
the computer's serial communications ports for processing.
There are eight different radio channels available within the
Fleetwood Standard Reply hardware platform, for a
maximum system capacity of 2000 keypads . A channel 1
interface communicates only with channel 1 keypads. The same
holds true for all other channels.
To Set Up A Four Interface System: (supporting 1000
keypads)
- Be certain you have 4 different channel Reply systems.
- Be certain you have 4 available Com Ports numbered
anywhere from 1-10.
- Set the 4 interfaces on a table near your computer.
- With the computer and interfaces off, connect the 1st
interface cable to your first serial port.
- Connect the others in the same way, then turn on the
Interfaces and computer.
If an interface's power lamp fails to light, be sure that
the AC outlet is operational. If it is, but there is still no
power, replace the Interface (you should always have a back-up
unit.)
The Audience Response Keypads
The response keypads function as individual terminals, sending
user entered digits to the Interface via wireless Radio
Frequency transmission. Each pad has an electronically stored
"address," or ID, which is also written on its bottom cover.
This address is a number from 1 to 250. Please see our
Frequently Asked Questions page for information on
re-addressing keypads and for re-assigning channels on
synthesized keypads.
In general, it is critical that keypads are placed within the
maximum radio range (about 75') of the interface's receiving
antennas. In large rooms seating hundreds of people, this is
typically accomplished by using an external antenna system
that includes high gain, dipole antennas.
Testing The Reply Audience Response System Hardware
Obviously, to use the system in a presentation, you must have
software that will display the question, poll the keypads,
compile the results, and display a graph. All audience
response software packages also provide a means for confirming
that votes are being received by the computer. Since the way
you would do this varies greatly from one software package to
another, we will provide generic information that will allow
you to confirm that your audience response keypads are working
correctly.
Although helpful, you do not need a computer to confirm basic
operation of the hardware. Here's how the interface actually
works. The transmitter module interrogates each pad
sequentially on a given frequency (e.g. 216.01 MHZ for channel
1.) When the keypad "sees" its address, it transmits the digit
entered on a separate frequency (e.g. 345 MHZ for channel 1.)
The number in the keypad's LED will extinguish and the
interface will send an acknowledgement of vote receipt back to
the keypad. With that in mind, let's try it.
With your interface turned on and antennas in place, go to
your first keypad and vote by pressing a key from 1 to 10.
This number will appear on the keypad?s LED. Within anywhere
between 1 and 3 seconds, the vote should extinguish.
If the entered digit does not appear on the keypad's LED
display at all, you should replace the battery. A fully
charged battery can be used for at least 10,000 responses or 2
years.
If the number flashes slowly in the keypad's window, there is
a problem. There could any of three possible reasons for this.
One, the pad is in a drop-out zone. Two, the pad is too far
from the interface. Or three, there is Radio Frequency
Interference. In any case, the solution is the same. Get the
pad closer to the interface. Either move the interface so that
is centrally located, or move keypads, or use an antenna
extension kit.
If the number stays solid and does not extinguish, the pad
does not "see" the transmitter at all. There are four possible
reasons for this. One, the pad is much too far from the
interface (125' or more.) Two, power to the interface is off.
Three, the keypad to set to a different channel that in
interface. Or four, the transmitter portion of the interface
has malfunctioned.
If only a single keypad behaves in this manner, it could also
be that it has failed. However, if all keypads exhibit the
behavior and you have eliminated the first three reasons, it
is safe to assume that the transmitter module has
malfunctioned and that the interface must be repaired.
Assuming all keypads behave normally, you should have no
problem with receiving data to your audience response
software. If you do, you should troubleshoot serial port
issues. For a full description, please see the configuring
ports topic.
Configuring Com Ports
Since Windows NT 4.0 is not Plug & Play you may find that you
have Com Ports, but that your application software cannot
communicate with them.
If you are unable to read interface data (running either NT
4.0 Win2000 or Win9x) you should first launch HyperTerminal
from your accessories program group. Create a new connection
and select "Direct to Com Port 1" or the appropriate port. Set
the baud for 9600 and leave other port settings as is. When
you click OK, a new window is shown. With the interface on,
you should see data in the window. It will use a format of "A"
then 50 underscores then "YZZ" followed by "B" etc.
If you do not see this data, Windows is not reading the port
correctly. On Win9x, Windows 2000, and Windows XP machines use
Device Manager to manually configure your ports. Your settings
should be:
- Com 1 IRQ 4 address 3F8
- Com 2 IRQ 3 address 2F8
- Com 3 IRQ 4 address 3E8
- Com 4 IRQ 3 address 2E8
In Win NT use Control Panel, Ports, Advanced. Your settings
should be:
- Com 1 IRQ 4 address 3F8
- Com 2 IRQ 3 address 2F8
- Com 3 IRQ (any available but not 3 or 4) address 3E8
- Com 4 IRQ (any available but not 3 or 4) address 2E8
Once you have confirmed port configurations, try reading
data with HyperTerminal again. If you see data, your audience
response software will see it, too. If you don't see data, you
should enter your machine's BIOS setup. (If you don't know how
to access your BIOS, don't try it. Contact your company's
support group or call us.)
Manually configure your ports in BIOS as stated above. This
will definitely allow HyperTerminal and all other applications
to establish communications.
Reply EU/UK Extended Audience Response Hardware Version
Reply EU/UK export version differs slightly from the
description found earlier in this document. The 'extended'
version of Reply allows you to use up to 650 keypads on a
single channel. And, there are 2 channels available rather
than 8. |
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