


                       FA1x Audiometer RS232 Option
                              04/05/06 -med

        The RS232 option consists of hardware and software to be 
        installed in the FONIX FA1x audiometer. It also includes an RS232 
        cable. Documentation, MSDOS and Windows device drivers, sample 
        programs, and diagnostics which run on the IBM PC can be 
        downloaded from the internet at http://www.frye.com.

        The RS232 option allows the computer to receive data from the 
        audiometer and to control the audiometer operation. 

        Information can be retrieved from the audiometer as either ASCII 
        data streams, or via the Frye Instrument Packet Protocol. The 
        audiometer can be controlled via the Frye Instrument Packet 
        Protocol only (for reliability reasons). 

        All control positions on the audiometer front panel can be read 
        at any time through the RS232 interface. A 32 step buffer is 
        provided to prevent lost data should the computer not be able to 
        read the panel before the next change occurs. (The buffer is
        16 steps in V1.10 software.)

        The functionality of the audiometer is enhanced when it is 
        switched to operate under computer control. The frequency can be 
        set to any value rather than being limited to the frequencies 
        available on the panel switch. The level can be controlled in 
        0.1dB steps rather than the 2.5dB steps available from the front 
        panel. The audiometer also becomes a full two channel audiometer 
        when under computer control. The left and right channels are 
        individually controlled, including seperate frequency control in 
        each channel. Operation of the audiometer when under computer 
        control is via a virtual control panel accessed via the RS232 
        interface. 

        Frye Electronics supplies full documentation for the protocol 
        used by the audiometer on the internet at http://www.frye.com. 
        Device drivers which will run on IBM PC or true compatible 
        computer and an extensive set of sample programs are also 
        provided. The sample programs are written in Pascal. The full 
        source code for the programs is provided. 

        The documentation and sample programs supplied are targeted at 
        programmers who will be implementing software to link the 
        audiometer to a computer. The documentation and sample programs 
        are not intended to be full applications but rather a starting 
        point from which a programmer can build a full application.

        Original: 05/01/97 -med
        Revised:  04/05/06 -med

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