Welcome!
Welcome to the EazyLink2 Client User Guide, which is displayed in your browser, when you have clicked the Help > User Guide menu item from the desktop application. Hopefully these pages also makes sense, should you have arrived here through our project wiki navigation system.
This user guide is written common for all desktop versions of the EazyLink Client. When necessary, specific details of desktop operating system features will be mentioned by displaying an icon identifying the OS.
Feedback is most welcome, to help us improve EazyLink
Installation
To install the Eazylink2 to your client computer, download the application and run it from our software repository. Currently we have three versions available; for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The installers will be quite self explanatory, behaving similarly on all three platforms. On Windows however, the end-user will have a system warning screen about the software not being an officially signed application by Microsoft; this can be ignored (we don't do viruses and our software-installer is built on Linux or Mac OS X).
Connecting up the Z88 to the Client
The Z88 uses a female 9 way 'D' RS-232 connector to connect to the client. The connections are not the standard PC type as the Z88 was around before that standard was adopted. The recommended way to connect it is to use the PC to Z88 cable. The PC end of this cable can be used with a Serial to USB converter should the Client computer not have a serial port. When purchasing the Serial to USB converter make sure that it supports 'hardware handshaking' and that the drivers are available for the Operating System you are using.
It is hoped that as more uses use this program a list of known Serial to USB convertors can be listed here so that users may have a more informed choice.
Before running the program, you need to know the device name the operating system has allocated to the serial port you are using to connect to the Z88. This is either a physical number that is on the computer e,g, COM.1 COM.2 (device names on Windows). If you are using a Serial to USB converter the driver will automatically allocate a new serial port device name, please refer to the manufacturer's instructions for details how to find out that name (COM port number on Windows).
Using the Program
There are two ways that this program may be used in. These are:-
- Imp/Exp mode
- EazyLink2 mode
Imp/Exp is a standard communication application that is standard on all Z88. It is included here on the Client's side to enable users to connect to a Z88 without any additional applications. It requires the user to use both the Client's and Z88's keyboard.
Eazylink2 on the other hand needs an additional application on the Z88 and is operated on the Client. The EazyLink popdown is available on Application cards. If the user wishes to make their own copy, they can use the Imp/Exp to upload the application and blow the image on an EPROM pack or Flash card.
Eazylink2 prerequisites
- Install the software on the Client
- Install EazyLink popdown on the Z88
- Connect the Z88 to the client
On the Z88 Select []L to start Eazylink
On the desktop computer start Eazylink2.
Select the serial port device name the Z88 is connected to.
If you get a communication error, make a note of the messages on the Z88 screen and try again.
If you get continuous communication errors, go to Solving Communication Errors (see below).
Solving Communication Errors.
Test the Z88 Serial Port
If the Z88's serial port has never been used, it may have never worked. To test it, you just need a paperclip.
On the Z88
- Connect pins 2 and 3 together with a paperclip - see photo.
- Select the Terminal
- Type some characters on the keyboard
- Check that these characters appear on the screen
- Remove the paperclip
- Type some more characters, they should not appear on the screen.
If that all works, the Z88 Serial Port is working.
Is the correct cable being used?
If you are using a standard PC Cable, it will not work. Get the correct cable from Rakewell.
Using a Serial to USB convertor?
have you
- Downloaded a copy of the latest drivers for your Operating System?
- Checked that it supports hardware handshaking?
Test the Client's Serial Port
If you are unable to get it working, try downloading a Free Terminal Emulation program for your Client's Operating System and do a similar excercise as described in the "Test the Z88 Serial Port" section.
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