GETTINGST

DCM-250A

Deposition Control Monitor
IPN 611802 Rev. B

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DGE

TTINGST

A

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DDCM-250

Deposition Control Monitor
IPN 611802 Rev. B®

www.inficon.com

reachus@inficon.com

Due to our continuing program of product improvements, specifications are subject to change without notice.
©2007 INFICON

Trademarks
The trademarks of the products mentioned in this manual are held by the companies thatproduce them.
INFICON® is a trademark of INFICON Inc.
All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Disclaimer
The information contained in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, INFICON assumes
no responsibility for its use and shall not be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages related
to the use of this product.

Disclosure
The disclosure of this information is to assist owners of INFICON equipment to properly operate and maintaintheir equipment, and does not constitute the release of rights thereof. Reproduction of this information andequipment described herein is prohibited without prior written consent from INFICON, Two Technology Place,East Syracuse, NY 13057-9714. Phone 315.434.1100. See www.inficon.com.

Copyright©2007 All rights reserved.
Reproduction or adaptation of any part of this document without permission is unlawful.
Rev. A - November 2007
Rev. B - December 2007

DCM-250 SPECIFICATIONS
Deposition Controller Software

MDC-260/360C/361C can have any software version installed.
MDC-360/361 must have a minimum of software version 3.9e
installed* to use the DCM-250, but 3.9m or later is required touse the Run Process command.
MDC-370 must have software version 1.2 or later installed*.
See the Sign-On Screen section of the respective Operationand Service Manual for details on determining the software
versionIf your controller doesn't meet these requirements you will needto contact us and/or your local distributor for details on thepossible upgrade options.

Pentium 233 MHz or faster(PIII-500 or better recommended)

Equivalent processors may also be used, but typically require afaster speed for the same performance level.

Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP

We recommend that you install the latest service pack prior toinstalling this software. Contact Microsoft for more details.

16 MB RAM minimum
In addition to the operating system
requirements.

More memory is recommended with later versions of Windows.

1 Communications Port

Depending on the hardware configuration of the deposition
controller you will need either an RS-232, RS-485, USB or
IEEE-488 controller card installed in the host computer.
Special hardware drivers must be installed prior to using therespective function.

SVGA Monitor

800 × 600 minimum resolution.
1024 × 768 or higher recommended.

CD-ROM drive

Required for CD-ROM installation, only.

Internet Explorer 5.5 or later

The DCM-250's Help system requires Internet Explorer version
5.5 or later to be installed to work properly. If you are using anearlier release, you will need to upgrade prior to using Help.

11 MB Free Hard Disk Space

Additional space is required to record run time data. The exact
amount varies with the Data Points/Minute setting.

* These versions added a new auto-data logging command, which is required by the DCM-250's Monitor
Process screen.

INSTALLING THE DCM-250
The setup program should start automatically when you close the DCM-250
installation CD-ROM into your drive. If it doesn’t you will need to start it
manually by clicking START >> RUN, type X:SETUP in the OPEN field asshow, then click OK, where X is your computer’s CD-ROM drive letter. Thenfollow the instructions to complete the setup process.

ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DEPOSITIONCONTROLLER (RS-232 OR 485*)
1. Connect your computer's serial port to the controller's serial port using aD-sub straight 9-pin female to 9-pin female cable.
2. Turn on the Computer
3. Turn on the Deposition Controller.
4. Check the Controller's Interface Address.
• From the Main Menu, go to Edit System Setup >> Edit Utility Setup.
5. Start the DCM-250 software.
• If the DCM displays an error message, choose the option that enables theSIMULATE mode.
6. Click Utilities >> COMM Port Settings, which opens the COMM Port
Settings dialog.
7. Select "Serial (RS-232/485)" in the Communication Port Type combo box
if it's not selected already• Older versions of the DCM call this setting "RS-232"
8. Verify that the DCM-250's Interface Address setting is the same as theController's (see step 4).
9. Set "RS-232/485 Serial Port" to the port you plan to use to communicatewith the controller.
10. Click OKThe DCM-250 will attempt to communicate
with the Controller using the new settings. If
successful, it will display the Controller
Configuration as shown on the right.

COMMUNICATION MODE SETTINGSThe DCM-250 has three communication modes:•Simulate Mode
Select this mode to run a demonstration of the DCM software. In thismode, the DCM-250 does not communicate with the deposition controller.
It only simulates some of the functionality of the DCM. This mode ishelpful for testing how program will run off-line (similar the controller's
simulate mode).

•Controller ModeThis mode allows you to fully configure your DCM-250 from yourcomputer. It also enables the real-time Data Logging functions. Whenselected, the DCM-250 will attempt to communicate with the controller
using the Communications Port Type specified in the COMM Port
Settings dialog. If successful, The DCM will display the Controller
Configuration.

•System Setup File Mode
Select this mode if you would like to view/edit a previously saved System
Setup file. A system setup file contains the complete parameter setup ofthe controller at the time that the file was created. When System Setup Filemode is selected, all parameter viewing and editing is done with the setup
file data. This allows the user to view and edit the setup when notconnected to controller.

To change the DCM-250 communication mode, select the Options item from theProcess menu.

SAVING AND RESTORING THE CONTROLLER SETUPThe DCM-250 allows you to save and restore the complete parameter setup of theMDC-360/370 series deposition controller at any time. When saved, the data iswritten to a system setup file. The DCM allows you to save any number of setup
files.
To save the controller's system setup, select Save Controller Setup from theUtilities menu. The Select System Setup File Screen will come up asking for thefilename and path. Once entered, the complete parameter setup of the MDC-360
will be saved to the selected file.

To restore a system setup file to the controller, select Restore Controller Setup
from the Utilities menu. The Select System Setup File screen will come up asking
for the system setup filename. Once entered, all of the system setup data will besent to the MDC-360.

It's a good idea to make periodic backup copies of the setup files. This willminimize the possibility of having to manually re-program the deposition
controller in the event that it gets damaged or the program gets changed
inadvertently.

COMMUNICATIONS TROUBLESHOOTING
If you have any communication errors then check the following:•

Make sure the Deposition Controller’s power is on.

•

Check the cable connection between the Controller and the computer.

•

Make sure that you have the correct communications port selected in theDCM's RS-232 Setup Screen. Select Serial Port from the Utilities menu tosee the dialogue for this setting.

•Make sure that the Interface Address setting in the Controller is the sameas the DCM.

To test the communications select the Version item from the Process menu. If
there aren't any problems then the Deposition Controller's configuration data will
be displayed.