ASE2000 Communication Test Set

Version 2
User Guide
Document Revision 1.8
October 4, 2012

Applied Systems Engineering, Inc.

support@ase-systems.com
www.ase-systems.com
Tel: (408) 364-0500
Fax: (408) 364-0550

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ II
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................. 5
VERSION 1 / VERSION 2 COMPARISON .............................................................................................. 5
EXCHANGE MODE AND TASK MODE HIGHLIGHTS...................................................................................... 6
EXCHANGE MODE AND TASK MODE OPERATIONAL BASICS ...................................................................... 7
OTHER VERSION 1 AND 2 COMPARISONS .................................................................................................... 8
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................. 9
WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT .................................................................................................. 9
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 9
INSTALLATION SETUP ............................................................................................................................... 10
INSTALLATION PROCEDURE...................................................................................................................... 10
QUICK-START GUIDE ............................................................................................................................ 11
PHYSICAL CONNECTION TO COMMUNICATION CIRCUIT ........................................................................... 11
LAUNCH ASE2000 TEST SET APPLICATION ............................................................................................. 11
SELECT OPERATIONAL MODE TASK MODE OR EXCHANGE MODE......................................................... 11
SELECTION AND CONFIGURATION OF PROTOCOL ..................................................................................... 12
Exchange Mode Protocol Selection and Configuration ...................................................................... 12
Task Mode Device Selection and Configuration ................................................................................. 13
PROTOCOL SPECIFIC CONFIGURATION...................................................................................................... 15
CONFIGURATION OF COMMUNICATION SETTINGS .................................................................................... 15
Communication Settings for Serial Data Communication .................................................................. 15
Communication Settings for Network Communication ....................................................................... 17
SELECT COMMUNICATION MODE AND START COMMUNICATING ............................................................. 18
Exchange Mode Master Simulation Mode ....................................................................................... 18
Exchange Mode Monitor Mode........................................................................................................ 19
Exchange Mode RTU Simulation Mode ........................................................................................... 19
Task Mode Master Simulation Mode ............................................................................................... 19
Task Mode Monitor Mode ................................................................................................................ 20
Task Mode RTU Simulation Mode ................................................................................................... 20
COMMUNICATION MESSAGE PROCESSING .................................................................................. 21
MESSAGE EXPORT/IMPORT FACILITY ....................................................................................................... 24
MESSAGE CAPTURE FACILITY .................................................................................................................. 24
SCREEN LAYOUT .................................................................................................................................... 26
TITLE LINE ............................................................................................................................................... 26
MENU BAR ............................................................................................................................................... 26
File Menu ............................................................................................................................................ 26
Edit Menu ............................................................................................................................................ 28
View Menu .......................................................................................................................................... 28
Tools Menu ......................................................................................................................................... 30
Mode Menu ......................................................................................................................................... 43
Help Menu........................................................................................................................................... 43
TOOL BAR ................................................................................................................................................ 44
Player Buttons..................................................................................................................................... 45
Time Line ............................................................................................................................................ 45
Capture File Control........................................................................................................................... 45
Communication Port Selection ........................................................................................................... 46

ii

Query Control ..................................................................................................................................... 47

WORK SPACE ........................................................................................................................................... 48
Drag Repositioning ............................................................................................................................. 48
Context Menu ...................................................................................................................................... 48
DOCKING .................................................................................................................................................. 48
Drag Repositioning ............................................................................................................................. 48
Auto Hide ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Context Menu ...................................................................................................................................... 49
LAYOUT PERSISTENCE .............................................................................................................................. 49
LAYOUT GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................................... 49
STATUS LINE ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Communication Mode ......................................................................................................................... 50
Communication Statistics.................................................................................................................... 50
VIEW MENU DETAILS ........................................................................................................................... 52
TASKS ...................................................................................................................................................... 52
MESSAGE QUERY BUILDER AND MESSAGE QUERY .................................................................................. 52
Message Query Definition .................................................................................................................. 55
Message Query Builder Example ........................................................................................................ 55
POINT LIST VIEW ...................................................................................................................................... 59
Point List Overview............................................................................................................................. 59
Edit Menu for Points List View ........................................................................................................... 60
RTU Simulation and Task Mode ......................................................................................................... 61
EXCHANGE LIST VIEW ............................................................................................................................. 61
Exchange View Menu .......................................................................................................................... 62
LINE MONITOR VIEW ............................................................................................................................... 68
Edit Menu for Line Monitor View ....................................................................................................... 68
MESSAGES VIEW ...................................................................................................................................... 69
Edit Menu for Messages View ............................................................................................................. 71
EVENT LOG .............................................................................................................................................. 71
Edit Menu for Event Log View ............................................................................................................ 71
LINE ANALYZER ....................................................................................................................................... 72
Edit Menu for Line Analyzer View ...................................................................................................... 73
EXCHANGE MODE.................................................................................................................................. 74
STARTING COMMUNICATION .................................................................................................................... 74
RTU Simulation and Monitor Mode.................................................................................................... 74
Master Simulation ............................................................................................................................... 74
TASK MODE.............................................................................................................................................. 76
DEVICE DEFINITION ................................................................................................................................. 76
Point Definition................................................................................................................................... 79
TASK MODE OPERATION, MASTER SIMULATION MODE ........................................................................... 80
Task Selection and Navigation ............................................................................................................ 80
Task Activation, General .................................................................................................................... 82
Task Setup and Activation, Digital Control Tasks .............................................................................. 83
Task Setup and Activation, Analog Control Tasks .............................................................................. 85
Task Setup and Activation, File Transfer Tasks .................................................................................. 87
TASK MODE OPERATION, MONITOR MODE .............................................................................................. 89
TASK MODE OPERATION, RTU SIMULATION MODE ................................................................................ 90
ASE2000 CABLING................................................................................................................................... 92
RS-232 CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 92
Master Simulation Mode RS-232 ..................................................................................................... 93
RTU/IED Simulation Mode RS-232 ................................................................................................. 94

iii

Monitor Mode RS-232...................................................................................................................... 95

MODEM CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 96
Master Simulation Mode Modem Connection .................................................................................. 97
RTU/IED Simulation Mode Modem Connection .............................................................................. 98
Monitor Mode Modem Connection .................................................................................................. 99
ASE2000 NETWORK PROTOCOL USE...............................................................................................100
MASTER MODE........................................................................................................................................101
RTU MODE .............................................................................................................................................102
MONITOR MODE ......................................................................................................................................103
ASE BELL-202 DUAL-CHANNEL MODEM ADJUSTMENT ...........................................................104
ADJUSTING MODEMS WITH WHITE COLORED POTENTIOMETERS ...........................................................105
ADJUSTING MODEMS WITH ORANGE OR YELLOW COLORED POTENTIOMETERS.....................................105
RS-232 CABLE AND ADAPTER PIN-OUT ..........................................................................................107
DB-25 CONNECTOR PIN-OUT ................................................................................................................107
DB-9 CONNECTOR PIN-OUT ..................................................................................................................108
DB-9 TO DB-25 ADAPTOR ......................................................................................................................108
DB-25 NULL MODEM ADAPTOR (STANDARD) ........................................................................................109
DB-9 NULL MODEM ADAPTOR (STANDARD) ..........................................................................................109
ASE RS-232 MONITOR ADAPTOR CABLE ...............................................................................................110
ASE2000 KIT CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................111
MODEL ASE2000-USB-M ......................................................................................................................111
MODEL ASE2000-USB-RS.....................................................................................................................111
MODEL ASE2000-COM .........................................................................................................................112
ASE2000 KIT COMPONENTS ...............................................................................................................113
ASE DUAL CHANNEL BCOM-USB DEVICE WITH TWO RS-232 CABLES, USB CABLE, AND BCOM-USB TO
ASE 2-CHANNEL MODEM POWER CABLE ................................................................................................113
ASE BELL-202 / CCITT V.23 DUAL-CHANNEL MODEM ........................................................................113
DB-25 FEMALE-FEMALE GENDER CHANGER ..........................................................................................114
DB-9 TO DB-25 ADAPTER .......................................................................................................................114
RS-232 CABLE WITH DB-9 FEMALE AND DB-25 MALE ..........................................................................115
SAFENET USB PORT AND PARALLEL PORT (LPT) DONGLE ....................................................................115
BCOM-USB DEVICE GUIDE .................................................................................................................116
BCOM-USB OVERVIEW .........................................................................................................................116
BCOM-USB DEVICE DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................116
BCOM-USB COMPONENTS ....................................................................................................................117
BCOM-USB RS-233 PIN-OUT .................................................................................................................120
BCOM-USB I/O DRIVER INSTALLATION ................................................................................................121
BCOM-USB Windows 2000 / XP / Vista I/O Driver Installation .......................................................122
BCOM-USB Windows 7 I/O Driver Installation ................................................................................130
BCOM-USB DEVICE TROUBLESHOOTING ...............................................................................................142
BCOM-USB I/O Driver Communication Problems ...........................................................................142
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER ..............................................................................................145
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER OVERVIEW .....................................................................................145
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER OPERATION ...................................146
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER NEW LICENSE FILE INSTALLATION.................................................147
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER NEW FIRMWARE INSTALLATION ....................................................148
ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER PROGRAM INSTALLATION ..............................................................150

iv

OVERVIEW
Welcome to ASE2000 Version 2, the first major release of the ASE2000 Communication
Test Set since it was first introduced in 1998. ASE2000 Version 2 contains all the
functionality of Version 1 plus several new features, enhancements for ease of use, and
upgrades requested from our many users over the years.
The ASE2000 is a communication protocol analyzer and communication test tool
designed for operation in the SCADA industry with emphasis on protocols used
predominantly in the electric power utility industry. The ASE2000 supports over 80 such
protocols, both serial and network based. As a full-featured SCADA communication test
tool, the ASE2000 supports three basic modes of operational testing; Line Monitor
Mode, Master Simulation Mode, and RTU Simulation Mode. These are essentially
functional test modes and exist within the two ASE2000 operational modes; Exchange
Mode and Task Mode.
Line Monitor Mode is one of the primary uses of the ASE2000 and is used to provide
visibility into communication occurring between a master station and remote devices
(RTUs, IEDs, or PLCs). As such, one of the main features of the ASE2000 is the
capability to operate as a line monitoring device, presenting communication message data
in raw (numeric) format, and also interpreting those messages into protocol specific
English text for ease of understanding. Input point values are extracted from the message
and can be viewed in a separate tabular formatted view.
In addition to monitoring communication on a serial line or network connection, the
ASE2000 can also operate as either a master or remote device to further exercise, test,
and diagnose problems.
Master Simulation Mode provides the ability to simulate a master and to issue messages
to exercise and diagnose problems in a remote device. All information and views
available in Line Monitoring mode are also available in Master Simulation mode. The
main difference is operational in that the ASE2000 takes the place of the master in
transmission of messages to the remote device.
RTU Simulation Mode provides the ability to simulate one or more remote devices to
exercise the master and diagnose potential problems. All information and views available
in Line Monitoring mode are also available in RTU Simulation mode. The main
difference is operational in that the ASE2000 takes the place of the remote device (or
devices) in transmission of messages to the master.

VERSION 1 / VERSION 2 COMPARISON

Version 1 of the ASE2000 Communication Test Set was first released in 1998 with
thousands of copies currently in use worldwide. And, while some areas of ASE2000
Version 2 have a slightly different look and feel than Version 1, there was a significant
effort made to provide a familiar operating interface for users already familiar with

Version 1 to minimize the learning requirement in making the transition from Version 1
to Version 2.

Exchange Mode and Task Mode Highlights

The most significant difference between ASE2000 Version 1 and Version 2 is the
addition of Task Mode operational mode. ASE2000 Version 1 has a single, unnamed,
operational mode but, with the addition of Task Mode in Version 2, it became necessary
to distinguish between the two Version 2 operational modes. In Version 2, the test set
features provided in Version 1 as well as a Version 1 look and feel is available in
Version 2 Exchange Mode and, to a certain extent, can be thought of as Version 1
compatibility mode. The main conceptual different between the two modes is in the
way communication is organized. For the most part, the same capabilities exist in both
Exchange and Task Modes. In addition, Task Mode supports some complex operations
such as file transfers and embedded DNP3 security messages. These capabilities are only
partially available in Exchange Mode. Exchange Mode can support multiple operations,
such as scanning a device for data while also periodically issuing control output requests.
Task Mode currently supports single operations only.
Exchange Mode operations are based on the selection and configuration of one or more
protocol messages or exchanges. The terms message, protocol message, and exchange
will be used interchangeably in this document. The user selects one or more messages,
edits them as necessary for the point configuration of the target device, and enables
communication for the appropriate functional mode; Monitor, Master, or RTU. Some
detailed knowledge of the protocol may be required for message preparation. Content of
all messages must be configured in advance and message content cannot be edited once
communication starts.
Task Mode is a new mode of operation introduced in Verson 2 and is intended to provide
a simple, easy to use interface to commonly used test set functions that does not require a
detailed knowledge of the protocol. As the name implies, it presents a task oriented
interface for selecting test set functionality. For example, instead of a list of individual
exchanges, the user is presented with a set of functional tasks such as Initialization,
Acquire Data, Controls, etc. Within each task group is a set of exchanges that, for
the selected protocol, provide the functions specific to the task group. Instead of
configuring individual exchanges as in Exchange Mode, the user must configure devices
(RTU, IED, PLC, etc.) in terms point types and point counts and the device configuration
is used in Task Mode to automatically configure the appropriate protocol message for
the desired task. Once a device configuration is entered, it is saved permanently is a
device database where it can be re-selected for future test sessions. When operating in
Task Mode, Master Simulation and RTU Simulation actions are performed on a single,
selected device. Monitor Mode supports monitoring of one or more selected devices.

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Exchange Mode and Task Mode Operational Basics

From an operational perspective:
Exchange Mode operates as an ASE2000 Version 1 Test Set. The user selects a
protocol, is presented with an applicable set of exchanges (messages), configures
and enables one or more of these exchanges, and starts communication. Master
Simulation, RTU Simulation, and Monitor modes appear very similar, if not
identical, to those in Version 1. Some manual editing of the default exchanges to
account for specific point configurations may be necessary prior to start of
communication. The actual editing steps required are largely dependent on the
protocol selected and is very similar to Version 1 editing requirements.

Task Mode communication is based on point configuration information for a

particular device. Before starting Task Mode operation for the first time, the user
must define one or more devices (RTUs, IEDs, PLCs). The properties for defining
a device include a protocol, device address, and point configuration information
(point types, addresses, and counts). Device definition is persistent (retained when
the ASE2000 is stopped and restarted). The user starts Task Mode operation by
first selecting a device from the pre-entered list. The ASE2000 responds by
displaying a list of tasks applicable to the protocol of the selected device. Tasks
are grouped in functional categories such as Initialize, Acquire Data, and Time
Sync. The user proceeds by selecting a grouping and a task within the selected
group.
In Master Simulation mode, communication is started by selecting one of the
Transmit ICONS (Send Once or Send Continuously). The ASE2000 automatically
transmits messages required to accomplish the selected task.
Monitor Mode contains a single task, selection of which starts the line
monitoring process. Data response interpretation uses point information entered
during the device configuration step.
For some protocols, such as Harris, Conitel, and CDC, the ASE2000 can only
parse point data from a communication message if it knows, in advance, the
devices point configuration. For these, message interpretation replies on correct
user data base configuration information entry.
For other protocols such as IEC and DNP3 where point configuration can be
determined from the communication message, the ASE2000 automatically creates
data base entries for undefined points. For these protocols, data base configuration
information definition is desirable, but not 100% required. It suffices to enter only
the correct device address or ID.
Task Mode monitoring is oriented to a single device. If you wish to monitor
multiple devices on a communications line, and have a protocol that requires
advanced knowledge of the devices configuration then you may find the
Exchange Mode better suited for this operation.
RTU Simulation mode also contains a single task. The ASE2000 builds response
messages based on point information entered during the device configuration step.
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Complete point configuration information must be entered for all RTU Simulation
devices being used, regardless of protocol.
During online operation in RTU Simulation mode, values for individual points
can be manually entered in the Point Values view.
Both Exchange and Task Mode support RTU simulation of a single device. Task
Mode enforces this by only responding to messages addressed to the selected
device.

Other Version 1 and 2 Comparisons

Line Monitor View. Both ASE2000 Versions 1 and 2 show master/remote

communication messages in a Line Monitor View with Interpreted Data at the
right and Raw Data at the left. The entirety of each message is always shown. For
ASE2000 Version 1, this is the only way to view communication line traffic.
ASE2000 Version 2 supports this view as well as the new Messages View.

Messages View. This view provides an alternate format presentation of

master/remote communication messages, one message per line, with time,
direction, and message name. This compact format allows presentation of many
more messages, in the same monitor space, than the Line Monitor view, and
makes it easier to locate a particular message. Clicking on any message generates
an expanded view of that message, frequently with more information than
contained in the Line Monitor View. The Messages View is useful when the user
wants to see details of selected messages only. The Line Monitor View is useful
to see details on all messages.

Message Query. An expanded search tool allows detailed interrogation of current

communication messages and of capture files. Full XML XPath queries are
supported.

Tool Bar. In response to user requests, the layout has been changed to include
ICONs for frequently selected options.

Page 8

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
The ASE2000 Version 2 Test Set is a .NET application that can operate under Windows
XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 and requires installation of both ASE and Microsoft
components.
ASE

ASE2000 Version 2 software

BCOM-USB or USB Dongle I/O driver

Microsoft
.NET Framework 4 (Later releases of the ASE2000 may require a newer version
of Framework).
SQL Server, Compact Edition

Windows Operating System Support

ASE2000 Version 2 operates under Window XP, Vista, or Windows 7. It is not supported
on older Microsoft operating system or in any non-Windows operating system. A single
ASE2000 executable is supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating
systems but requires installation of the appropriate I/O driver, 32-bit or 64-bit, for the
Windows system being used.

Hardware Requirements
ASE2000 Version 2 operation requires an ASE-manufactured BCOM-USB device or
USB Dongle. (An exception exists for trial mode).
The ASE2000 Version 2 will not operate with an ASE PCMCIA communication card
unless a BCOM-USB or USB Dongle is also present.
ASEs BCOM-USB device contains two RS-232 channels both capable of bit or byte
communication. It also supports 5 VDC power and RS-232 connection to ASEs dual
channel modem, similar to connection with ASEs PCMCIA card.
Users with a PCMCIA-based ASE2000 Version 1 package and wishing to upgrade to
Version 2 must also upgrade their PCMCIA card to a BCOM-USB device or ASE USB
Dongle. Contact ASE sales at sales@ase-systems.com for details on the upgrade process.
ASE2000 Version 1 will continue to operate with the BCOM-USB device as long as
release 1.47 or later is installed. That is, upgrade customers will be able to use Version 1
or Version 2 software with the BCOM-USB device. Upgrade customers are allowed to
retain their PCMCIA card until the new BCOM-USB device is delivered.

Page 9

For serial operations, the ASE2000 can use both ports on the USB-BCOM board or any
other serial port as long as it is supported by a Windows compatible COM port I/O
driver.
For network operation, the ASE2000 operates over any standard network device (NIC)
using a standard Windows I/O driver.

Installation Setup
Microsoft components, .NET Framework and SQL Server, if not already present, will be
automatically installed during the ASE2000 installation process. Only the English
language versions will be automatically installed. If non-English versions are required,
they should be installed manually before the ASE2000 installation. This requires Internet
connection.

Installation Procedure
To install and run the ASE2000 Version 2:

For non-English operation, make sure the appropriate language .NET Framework
and Compact SQL components are installed before installing the ASE2000

Install the ASE2000 Version 2 software. This will install .NET Framework and
Compact SQL components if required.

For a fully licensed version, install the I/O driver for the ASE BCOM-USB
dual-channel device or USB key. Install the driver version appropriate for your
Windows version (32-bit or 64-bit).

For a trial version, download and install a trial version setup program from
www.ase-systems.com. More details can be found on that web site

Page 10

QUICK-START GUIDE
The following Quick-Start sections contain step-by-step procedures that will enable the
user to quickly get up-and-running for basic test set operations. Quick-Start procedures
are provided for the Operational Modes, Task and Exchange, and for the Communication
Modes, Master Simulation, RTU Simulation, and Monitor.
The procedures consist of steps which are common for any test set operation and steps
that are protocol dependent. The set-up for any test set operation consists of the following
main areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Physically connect Test Set PC to the communication circuit.

Launch ASE2000 Test Set application
Select Operational Mode, Task Mode or Exchange Mode.
Select and configure protocol
Configure communication settings
Select Communication Mode and start communicating

Additional quick-start information is contained in protocol specific sections. These

sections can be located by performing a search on the string quick-start (omit the
quotes).

Physical Connection to Communication Circuit

The first step of set-up is the physical connection of the test set PC to the communication
circuit. How the test set PC is connected to the communication circuit depends on a
number of factors but it is basically determined by the physical characteristics of the
communication circuit and the test set Communication Mode to be used. Refer to the
diagrams and descriptions contained in the section ASE2000 Cabling for the
configuration that matches the test environment to be used. Once the physical connection
has been made, proceed to the next step.

Launch ASE2000 Test Set Application

From the Windows Start button, select All Programs > ASE>ASE2000 V2
Communications Test Set>ASE2000 V2 Comm Test Set or, if a shortcut was previously
created on the desktop, select the ASE2000 V2 icon to launch the ASE2000 application.

Select Operational Mode Task Mode or Exchange Mode

Once the ASE2000 application has started, the next step is to select the desired
Operational Mode. If it is the first activation of the ASE2000 software on the PC, the
ASE2000 will, by default, start in Exchange Mode. If there have been previous
executions of the ASE2000 on the PC, the default Operational Mode will be the mode the
test set was in upon exit of the previous execution. Also, if the last Operational Mode was
Exchange Mode and the test environment was saved in a MONX file, the last used
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MONX file will automatically be opened on start-up. If in Task Mode at the time of exit
of the previous execution, then Task Mode will be the default start-up Operational Mode
and the default active RTU will be the last RTU selected. To select other than the
default Operational Mode, select Mode from the task bar then select the desired mode.

Selection and Configuration of Protocol

The method for selection and configuration of protocol will depend on the Operational
Mode.
Exchange Mode Protocol Selection and Configuration
In Exchange Mode, protocol selection is performed in one of three ways:
Default protocol on start-up If the default Operational Mode on start-up is
Exchange Mode and there was a saved MONX file during the previous
execution, the last used MONX file will automatically be loaded on start-up. This
will establish operational parameters based on what was previously set in the
MONX file.
Open existing MONX file To establish an operating environment based on a
previously saved MONX file, from the task bar select File > Open and browse
to the folder containing the previously saved MONX file. Select the file and then
select Open. This will establish operational parameters based on what is
contained in the MONX file.
Select protocol from protocol menu On initial execution of the test set software
or if a protocol is required for which there is no existing MONX file, the required
protocol is selected from the Available Protocols menu. From the task bar select
File > Select Protocol then select the required protocol from the list. The
Exchange List view will be updated to contain the set of exchanges (commands,
protocol messages) specific to the selected protocol. All other operational
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parameters will be set to default values and will have to be modified for the
current test environment. This may include communication settings, device
specific settings (RTU ID, point configuration, etc), and protocol specific settings.

Task Mode Device Selection and Configuration

In Task Mode, protocol selection and configuration is accomplished by selecting a device
where protocol is a property of the device selected. Device selection is performed in one
of three ways:
Default device on start-up If the default Operational Mode on start-up is Task
Mode and there was an active device during the previous execution, the last
active device will be the default active device on startup.
Select previously defined device To select a device that is different than the
current active device, select from the list of displayed devices in the Task
window. If the required device has been previously defined but does not appear in
the list of displayed devices, select Edit > Configure RTUs and check the
display check box for the desired device then select Finish. The device
should now be displayed in the devices area of the Task window and can be
selected as the active device by clicking on the line containing the device.

Page 13

Indicates current
active Task
Mode device

Define new device On initial execution of the test set software or if a new
device definition is required, use the Configure RTUs Wizard to define the new
device. Select Edit > Configure RTUs to bring up the Configure RTUs
Wizard page. On the line containing the *, enter the device Name, Id, and select
the appropriate protocol from the Protocol drop-down list. When the device
information has been entered, select the Next>> button which will bring up the
point configuration display. Using the entry fields, enter Point Type, First
Point Id, and Point Count. When the point configuration entry is complete,
select the Finish button to exit the Configure RTUs Wizard.

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Enter device name, select device protocol from pull-down list and enter device
(RTU) Id. Then, select Next to enter device point configuration.

Protocol Specific Configuration

Quick-Start instructions for protocol specific information is contained in individual
protocol specific sections. These sections can be located by performing a search on the
string quick-start (omit the quotes). Perform the required protocol specific
configuration then proceed with Configuration of Communication Settings.

Configuration of Communication Settings

With the physical connection between the test set PC and the communication circuit
established, the ASE2000 software running, and the Operational Mode established, the
next step is to set the communication parameters to reflect the physical properties of the
connection. The next sections describe the procedures for setting parameters for serial
data communication and for network connections.
Communication Settings for Serial Data Communication
Configuration of communication settings for serial data utilizes the Properties display and
Comm tab. From the main task bar, select Tools > Properties > Comm tab.

Page 15

Verify current settings and, where appropriate, modify the settings for the current test
session. NOTE: If a switch to a different Operational Mode is performed after
modification of a communication setting, re-check the settings as they may have changed
as a result of the mode switch.
1. Verify the Channel A and Channel B Direction settings reflect the physical
connection between the test set PC and equipment being tested. If working in
Master Simulation or RTU Simulation mode, only one channel connection is
necessary.
2. Under Line Properties, set Carrier setting. In most cases, Switched or Constant
will be used. If the physical connection utilizes a Null Modem or a real modem,
the setting should be Switched. Otherwise, use Constant. For the other settings,
see the more detailed description of the communication settings.
3. Verify Baud Rate matches baud rate of device to be communicated with.

Page 16

4. If the selected protocol is byte-oriented, check the Native Async Mode check
box. For bit-oriented protocols, un-check it.
5. The default Modem Timing settings will usually work in most circumstances.
6. The default Delays & Timeouts will usually work in most circumstances.
Communication Settings for Network Communication
Configuration of communication settings for network communications utilizes the
Properties display and the protocol specific tab (DNP3 WAN/LAN, Modbus TCP, or
IEC 60870-5-104). From the main task bar, select Tools > Properties > protocol
specific tab. In most cases, the default parameters will be sufficient. For Master Mode, it
is necessary to enter the IP address of the Slave device. This is entered in the Host field.
For RTU Simulation and Monitor Mode it is not necessary to enter an IP address.

Page 17

Select Communication Mode and Start Communicating

With the previous quick-start steps complete, the next step is to select the desired
Communication Mode.
In the lower left corner of the test set screen is a set of Communication Mode selection
icons.

The leftmost icon

The middle icon
The rightmost icon

selects Master Simulation Mode.

selects Monitor Mode
selects RTU Simulation Mode

With Communication Mode selected, start/stop communication by selecting the desired

action from the Player Bar. The Player Bar is normally located in the upper left area of
the test set screen. The content of the Player Bar is context sensitive and displayed
content will depend on Operational Mode and Communication Mode.
The

icon is the Start Communication icon and is used in all modes

The

icon is the Stop Communication icon and is used in all modes

icon is the Send Continuous icon and is only used in Exchange Mode / Master
The
Simulation Mode
The
icon is the Send Once icon and is only used in Exchange Mode / Master
Simulation Mode
Exchange Mode Master Simulation Mode
Three communication options are available; Send Once, Send Continuous, Selected
Exchanges. Send Once and Send Continuous are used with a single exchange. From the
Exchange View, select the line containing the desired exchange then select Send Once or
Send Continuous. It is also possible to specify multiple exchanges to be used in a
communication session. This is done by selecting the Flags field for the desired
exchanges, setting the check-box for Transmit, and selecting the Start Communication
Player icon. All exchanges with the Transmit flag set will be repeated continuously at the
configured frequency.
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Select Transmit check-box for each

exchange to be processed when Start
Communication is selected

Exchange Mode Monitor Mode

Select the Start Communication icon.
Exchange Mode RTU Simulation Mode
Select the Start Communication icon.

Task Mode Master Simulation Mode

In Exchange Mode, one or more individual exchanges are selected for processing. In
Task Mode, Task Activities are selected for processing. The actual protocol exchanges
associated with each Task Activity are pre-determined based on protocol.

Page 19

Currently selected Task

Group and Task
Activity

Selectable Task Groups

Select the desired Task Group, select the desired Task Activity, and then select the Start
Communication Player icon. The selected activity will be repeated continuously at the
configured frequency.
Task Mode Monitor Mode
The only Task Group available is Scan Responses so no Task selection is necessary.
Select the Start Communication icon
Task Mode RTU Simulation Mode
The only Task Group available is Scan Responses so no Task selection is necessary.
Select the Start Communication icon

Page 20

COMMUNICATION MESSAGE PROCESSING

This section describes the test set capability for saving and viewing previously saved
communication messages. Communication Messages are initially generated as the result
of communication or attempted communication between two or more devices. From the
test set perspective, Communication Messages result from Master Mode operation,
Monitor Mode operation, or RTU Simulation Mode operation and applies to both
Exchange Mode and Task Mode. During a live communication session (Master Mode,
RTU Simulation, or Monitor Mode), communication messages are always stored in the
Current Message Buffer. This is an internal temporary storage area within the test set
specifically intended to store communication message data. In addition, the Current
Message Buffer is used to store:
Communication message data resulting from importing previously saved message
data importing (File > Import> Communication Messages).
Communication message data previously stored in a capture file when the View
Capture option is selected.
When the File > Export > Communication Messages option is selected, the data stored
in the Current Message Buffer will be written to the designated .MSGX file.
The Line Monitor or Messages views will display data currently in the Current Message
Buffer regardless of where the message data was obtained.
The following screen shot illustrates the same message data displayed in the Messages
view and the Line Monitor view.

Page 21

Also, the message data as shown in the Line Monitor View can be printed to a Windows
supported printer, a searchable PDF file, or a Windows TXT file. Printing to a file
provides a convenient means for sharing the message data with another party. In the
printed version of the message data, the raw data as show in the left window pane above
is merged with the interpreted message data as shown below.

Page 22

There are two basic facilities for saving and viewing previously saved messages, the
Message Export/Import facility and the Capture facility. The two facilities provide
similar capability in that they both store communication message data in a form that can
be later retrieved and viewed. The differences are that the Message Export/Import facility
can be used to save whatever is currently in the Current Message Buffer and is limited by
the size of the Current Message Buffer whereas the Capture facility must be enabled prior
to the start of a communication session.
Page 23

Message Export/Import Facility

This facility is used to save current message data and to retrieve message data previously
saved in a .msgx file. Since the save process is initiated after a communication session
has occurred and while the data of interest is still in the Current Communication Buffer, it
is a useful tool for preserving an unexpected occurrence for later analysis.
To save the contents of the Current Communication Buffer, communication must be
stopped. Select File>Export>Communication Messages, specify a folder and file name,
select Save.
To retrieve message data from a previously saved MSGX file, Select
File>Export>Communication Messages, specify a folder and file name, select Open.
The contents of the specified file will be read and stored in the Current Communication
Buffer where it can be viewed in the Messages view, the Line Monitor view, and printed
from the Line Monitor view.

Message Capture Facility

This facility provides similar capability to the Message Export/Import facility in that it
also provides for saving and retrieving message data. The primary difference is that it
allows the user to store a much larger number (user configurable) of messages. Also,
message capture must be enabled prior to starting a communication session. Unlike the
Message Export/Import facility, the Message Capture facility does not use a Windows
file to store message data but rather a Capture Database that contains one or more
Capture Sessions.
To initiate a capture session, use the Capture name select drop-down menu in the task bar
to select an existing capture name or define a new name and specify the maximum size,
in messages. The Count field shows the number of messages currently stored in the
named capture session.

The currently select capture session name is displayed in the Task Bar.

Page 24

Capturing can be started, stopped, and paused using the player buttons located in the
task bar. The capture player controls are independent from the communication player
buttons so that it is possible to start, stop, and pause capturing without affecting data
communication. However, only communication messages that occur while capturing is
active (start button pressed) will be saved. It is important to be aware of the functioning
of the capture player buttons as it affects when data is captured and when the contents of
the capture session are reset.

Pressing the Play button

will cause new communication messages to be
stored in the current capture session as they occur. The Play icon will be replaced
by the Pause
icon and the Stop
icon will be selectable. If capturing
was in a stopped state, rather than a paused state, when the Play button was
pressed the prior contents (if any) of the capture session will be reset (erased).

icon will suspend capturing and the Pause icon will be

Pressing the Pause
replaced with the Play icon. The Stop icon will still be selectable since capturing
is only in a paused state. Capturing can be resumed without resetting the contents
of the capture session by pressing the Play icon.

icon will stop message capturing. CAUTION, from a

Pressing the Stop
stopped state, pressing the capture play button will cause the contents of the
currently selected capture session to be erased.

With capturing and communication both in a stopped state, the contents of the currently
selection capture session can be viewed by selecting File>View Capture.

Page 25

SCREEN LAYOUT
The main areas of the ASE2000 screen are, top to bottom:

Title Line
The Title Line appears at the top of the screen and presents operational information:

Program Name
The loaded MONX (configuration) file name
The currently selected protocol
Communication Mode (Master Simulation, RTU Simulation, or Monitor mode)
Operational Mode (Exchange or Task mode)

Program Name

Config
File

Protocol

Comm Mode

Op. Mode

Menu Bar
The Menu Bar, the second line from the top, contains the set of pull-down menus.

File Menu

Page 26

Contents of the file pull-down menu are shown above. Some of the entries in the File
Menu are context sensitive and will be grayed out if the option is not available in the
current test set mode or test set operation. The first four options are used to create, open,
or save a file. The ASE2000 supports two files types:
MONX files contain Exchange Mode configuration information including the protocol,
window layout, and user and data entry values. The default file extension for an
ASE2000 Version 2 configuration file is MONX. MONX files are not compatible
with ASE2000 Version 1 configuration files, whose extension is MON. MONX
files are applicable to Exchange Mode operation only and can neither be saved
nor opened while running in Task Mode.
MSGX files contain information in the Line Monitor and Messages view at the time the
file is created. A saved MSGX file can be sent to another ASE2000 user for
viewing.
The print menu items are present only for views that support printing. This would include
Line Monitor, Event Log, Line Analyzer, and Point List.
Individual items on the file pull-down menu are:
New

Set the ASE2000 to default setting and initial values. Valid in Exchange
Mode only

Open

Open an existing MONX or MSGX file

Save

Saves current information into the last used MSGX or MONX file

Save As

Same as Save, except that you will be prompted to enter a file name prior
to saving

Page Setup

Enter print configuration information

Print

Print the current contents of the Line Monitor view

Print Preview Print preview of the current contents of the Line Monitor view
Select Protocol Valid in Exchange Mode only, allows selection of any licensed

communication protocol. (Task Mode protocol is determined from the

selected RTU device.)
View Capture Views contents of the currently selected capture file. A capture file

contains information from a communication session. This is explained in

more detail later.

Page 27

Import

Used to import previously saved Communication Messages file or DNP3

Certification Procedure file.

Export

Used to export Communication Messages to a file for later retrieval and

analysis or DNP3 Certification Test results file.

1-File Name
2-File Name
3-File Name
4-File Name
Exit

The four most recently opened MONX file are shown for easy access

Exits the ASE2000

Edit Menu
The Edit pull-down list is context sensitive and appears differently depending on the
active view. The contents of this pull-down list are explained later under the section for
each applicable view.
View Menu
The View pull-down list provides access to the various Test Set views. Enabled views are
identified with a check-box. A disabled view is enabled by selecting that view. An
enabled view is disabled by selecting that view.

Enables the Task List, available only in Task Mode. Task Mode is a new
feature not present in ASE2000 Version 1
Message Query Builder Provides the ability to build a XML XPath search query.
Queries can be used to search the current communication information or
used to filter the messages stored in a capture file.
Tasks

Page 28

The current Point Data List is similar to that in ASE2000 Version 1. It

displays point names, values, and other information about all active
devices
Exchange List The current Exchange List is the same as in ASE2000 Version 1. It
displays all exchanges (messages) supported by the currently selected
protocol. The Exchange View is not available when operating in Task
Mode
Line Monitor The communication Line Monitor view is the same as in ASE2000
Version 1. It displays raw data and expanded interpretation of all
communication messages
Message List Presents communication line messages in an alternate form to that of the
Line Monitor view. The Message Lists compact presentation (one
message per line) allows more messages to be shown at one time than in
the Line Monitor view.
Event Log
The Event Log is the same as in ASE2000 Version 1. It presents one line
for each event detected, as explained in the subsequent discussion of the
Events Properties Tab
Line Analyzer is a special view available only for serial protocols and only when
operating with an ASE-manufactured I/O card. It presents a millisecondresolution plot of receive data and carrier (DCD) on each of two input
lines
Point List

Page 29

Tools Menu

The tools pull-down menu contains three selections:

Properties - allows entry of many editable properties. This contains much of the
information that, for the ASE2000 Version 1, was found in the Properties pulldown lists

Customize - controls content of the Tool-Bar line. By default, all Tool-Bar

content is enabled. Items can be removed by un-checking their selection. For
more information, see the Tool-Bar description in next section

User Preferences - allows customization of ASE2000 display colors

Page 30

Communication Properties

Comm Tab

The Comm Properties tab contains information controlling serial communication ports
Some of this applies only to ASE devices.
Channel A and B

defines the communication port(s) to use for serial protocols. Two

ports are typical for monitor mode operations, and one port for
RTU or Master Simulation mode
RTU Simulation mode uses the To Master port for
communication to the master
Master Simulation mode uses the To RTU port for
communication to the RTU, IED, or PLC
Page 31

Line Monitoring mode expects to receive messages from the

master on the To Master port, and messages from the RTU on
the To RTU port

Show ASE Ports Only If checked, only ports on ASE-manufactured I/O cards are shown
in the Ports pull-down list. If unchecked, all system COM ports are
shown
Carrier

Controls treatment of the RTS, CTS, and DCD signals

Constant: In RTU and Master Simulation modes, causes the
ASE2000 to assert RTS on startup and keep RTS asserted until
the user ends the communication session. (RTS is never
asserted in Monitor Mode.) CTS is not checked or required for
transmission. DCD is not checked or required for reception
Switched: On transmission, RTS is asserted before each
message. The message is sent after the Pre-Mark time has
elapsed following detection of CTS. RTS is deasserted after the
Post-Mark time has elapsed following transmission of the last
data bit. On reception, DCD is required
Switched by RTU Only: operates in Constant mode for
messages sent from the master (transmission in Master
Simulation mode or reception in any other mode) and switched
mode for message sent from the RTU (transmission in RTU
Simulation mode or reception in any other mode)
Switched RS-485: On transmission, RTS is asserted before
each message. The message is sent after the Pre-Mark time has
elapsed following RTS assertion. RTS is deasserted after the
Post-Mark time has elapsed following transmission of the last
data bit. CTS is not checked or required for transmission. DCD
is not checked or required for reception

Baud Rate

Standard baud rates can be selected from the pull-down list. Other
baud rates can be entered manually. The BCOM-USB supports
rates to 56 KB for byte protocols and to 9600 for bit protocols

Half-Duplex Filtering The ASE2000 assumes operation over a full-duplex line, or (if
half-duplex) with half-duplex equipment that squelches the
receiver while the ASE2000 is transmitting. For half-duplex
circuits with no squelch capability, data transmitted by the
ASE2000 may be echoed back to the ASE2000 causing the
ASE2000 to display transmitted messages twice. Setting the Half
Duplex Filtering option may, in some cases, filter out duplicate
occurrence of transmitting messages. This option operates by
discarding input data received while the transmit CTS signal is on

Page 32

Ignore Post-Msg Noise can eliminate noise caused when external modems shut down. If
enabled, the ASE2000 discards all input data received after it
determines that a complete message has been received. Discarding
continues until the incoming carrier (DCD) drops
Native Asynch Mode For byte protocols such as DNP3, there are two ways to operate an
ASE manufactured serial card: Bit Mode and Native Asynch
Mode. Bit mode provides the ASE2000 with control over low level
timing properties, but can result in extra communication errors at
higher baud rate. Native Asynch Mode operation may remove
these communication errors
Pre-Xmit Mark

For switched carrier operation, specifies the time, in milliseconds,

between detection of CTS and transmission of the first data bit

Post-Xmit Mark

For switched carrier operation, specifies the time, in milliseconds,

between transmission of the last data bit and de-asserting RTS

Preference

This option is applicable to insertion of pre-mark and post-mark

times in transmission of legacy (bit) protocol messages. Because of
hardware operation, the actual inserted time may exceed the sum
of the entered times by as much as 7 bits (i.e., the time required to
transmit 7 bits). The ASE2000 has the option of assigning this
excess to the pre-mark time, the post-mark time, or both. The
Preference option can be used to specify one of these two times to
be transmitted as accurately as possible. Any excess time will be
assigned to the non-specified time. (For no specification, half the
excess time is assigned to each).
In practice, we have found this option to be useful only for old
CDC protocol devices, which operates best be selecting Post-Mark

Receiver Squelch

Used for reception of data in switched carrier mode. Defines a

time, in milliseconds, starting on incoming carrier (DCD)
detection. Data received during this time is discarded

Inter-Message

A minimum time between ASE2000 transmissions of consecutive

messages. Does not apply to messages received by the ASE2000.
This setting applies to all messages except the Operate message in
a select-before-operate sequence

Intra-Message

Similar to the Inter-Message delay explained above, applies only to

the Operate message in a select-before-operate sequence

Response

Time the ASE2000 waits for a response from the RTU before
declaring a response timeout
Page 33

Display Properties

Display Tab
The Display Properties tab contains information located under Properties/Display in the
ASE2000 Version 1 Test Set.

Millisecond Time

If checked, each message sent or received is time-stamped to the

nearest millisecond (based on accuracy of the PC clock). If
unchecked, messages are time-stamped to the nearest second

RTU Response Time If checked, each RTU response message is shown with an elapsed
millisecond time, calculated from the last bit transmitted of the
prior master request to the first bit of the corresponding RTU
response. This feature requires ASE serial communication
hardware and is not available with standard COM ports
Page 34

Enabled Exchanges Only If checked, only exchanges that are enabled and that the
ASE2000 can identify are displayed. Enabled exchanges are
identified with a D flag in the Exchange View. This flag can be
modified from the Exchange Properties menu.
For example, removing the D flag from all except control
exchanges and checking Enabled Exchanges Only will causes the
ASE2000 to display only control messages.
A subtle use of this option is derived from logic the ASE2000 uses
to identify an exchange. Identification requires an input message
with data that matches an entry in the exchange list. Match
requires all pertinent properties of the message be the same,
including content items such as function code and device ID. If
data for an incoming message is as defined in an exchange in all
aspects except the device ID, then the message is not identifiable
(for purposes of this discussion).
A global device ID value can be entered to apply to all exchanges.
If set, messages received from any other ID cannot be identified.
Therefore, setting the global device ID and checking Enabled
Exchanges Only will causes the ASE2000 to display messages to
and from the selected device only.
Raw Data Format

Controls display format of raw communication words shown in the

Line Monitor and Messages views

Default Display Formats Controls presentation format of interpreted data values for each
supported point type (Digital, MCD, Analog, and Pulse) and for
the point ID
Query Filters

Allow selection of a previously defined query to run against

monitoring data before adding to a capture file. This provides the
ability to limit messages stored in the capture file to only those
which meet specific criteria. This can be useful in limiting the
amount of data stored when capturing over an extended period of
time.

Page 35

Protocol Properties

Protocol Tab

Default Exchange Values The contents of the list of enterable values in this section
changes based on the currently selected protocol. (The example
above is for DNP3.) The list provides the ability to enter default
values for key protocol message components such as Device
Address, Group Number, Point Number, and so on
Message Times

Controls values to use when transmitting messages containing date

and time information, typically for time synchronization and
sequence of events. The default is to use system (PC) time, but
each component (hour, minute, etc.) can be set to a specific value

Force Errors

The contents of this section change based on the currently selected

protocol and define a list of errors the ASE2000 can generate in
message compilation and transmission. This feature is useful for
Page 36

verification that a given device can process an errant message

correctly. The last item in the list is always Randomly Select
From Those Checked. If selected, the ASE2000 will occasionally
send a message with one type of error selected from all those
checked. If Randomly Select From Those Checked is not
checked, then an errant message is sent every time and will include
errors corresponding to all checked items.

Page 37

Point Properties

Point Tab

The Point Tab allows customization of input and output point interpretation parameters.
For the most part, information in this section is set according to the rules of the active
protocol and changes may cause the ASE2000 to process point data incorrectly. The user
should not change information in this menu unless absolutely certain that the change is
correct. Changes should not be made as a guess to correct a perceived problem.
Bits Per

Defines the number of data bits for each point or block of points.
For example, if analogs are 12 bits each and digitals are reported in
blocks of 8 bits each, then the corresponding entries should be 12
and 8. These fields in particular should not be changed unless
absolutely certain that your device is configured different than the
protocol standard
Page 38

First ID

For each point type, contains the index of the first point returned in
a communication message. This field is present because some
companies consider the first point reported from a device to be
index 1, while others consider the first point to be index 0. The
value entered here is used for assigning point IDs when an ID not
explicitly contained in the communication message. For example,
no point ID information is contained in a Conitel message. When
the protocol message contains point ID information, such as is the
case for DNP3, the message information is always used

Analog Point Information Contains several fields controlling analog value conversion
and display. The ASE2000 provides default settings consistent
with the active protocol. This field is present and enterable because
some protocols support more than one type of analog input
conversion
Raw Format Controls converting raw data bits to a numeric value
2s Compliment, Sign Magnitude, BCD, 1s compliment, and
Unsigned convert the value as described
Redac Special is used only for Redac 70H and Redac 70DE
protocols
Bias 2048 is a linear conversion where a raw value of all 0s
represents the smallest negative number, all 1s represents
the largest positive number, and the mid-value (1 in the
most significant bit and all 0s elsewhere) represents 0.
Getac LP is used only for Getac 7020-LP protocol
Reverse Bias is used as the inverse of Bias-2048. Conversion is
basically the same, but the sign of the result is changed
Low and High Limits are used for RTU simulation and specify the minimum and
maximum values the ASE2000 will transmit. They also specify the
maximum value for Raw units display (see next paragraph)
Raw Units and Highest Value When the selected analog display format is Volts
per Ma, analog values are converted between the linear scale of
0 to High Limit to the linear scale of 0 to Highest Value.
For example, consider a raw input value of 1024 and a High Limit
of 2048. This represents 50% of full scale (1024 is 50% of 2048).
50% is applied to Highest Value, which, if 1, results in a displayed
value of 50% of 1, or 0.5.
Another way of looking at this is to consider an A/D converter that
accepts inputs from 0 to 1 volt and that digitizes those inputs to a
value between 0 and 2048. An input of 0.5 volts will digitize to
Page 39

1024, which the ASE2000 will display as 0.5. If the Raw Units
setting is Volts, then the full ASE2000 display is 0.5 volts.
Pulse Point Information Contains fields controlling pulse accumulator (counter) value
conversion and display.
Raw Format is similar to that for analogs
Wrap Value is used only for RTU simulation and specifies one more than the
maximum value the ASE2000 should transmit.

Page 40

Events Properties

Events Tab

The ASE2000 can detect three classes of events and the user can configure action for the
ASE2000 to perform as an event is each class is detected. The classes are:
Point Value A change in state of certain digital points, or an analog value
exceeding an alarm limit or returning within limits after having previously
exceeded a limit. Points to be considered in event processing are defined from the
Point Values view
Exchange Detection of any event-enabled exchange. Event exchanges are
specified from the Exchanges properties menu
Comm Errors Any communication error, including parity, security, and timeout
Each event class can be enabled for Display, Log, or Audible processing, or for any
subset thereof
Display processing causes a one-line entry to appear in the Line Monitoring view
Log processing causes an entry to be written to the text log file
Audible processing causes the PC audible to be sounded briefly
Page 41

The Stop Communications on Display Event option, if checked, causes the ASE2000 to
stop communication after detection of any event with Display processing enabled
Other Tabs
Other protocol-dependent tabs may be present depending on the currently selected
protocol. Please refer to protocol-dependent sections of this document for more
information.

Page 42

Mode Menu

Used to switch between Task Mode and Exchange Mode.

Help Menu
The Help menu appears as shown below.

Contents, Index, and Search are standard Help system options

ASE Online opens a browser to the Applied Systems Engineering home page. In addition
to ASE Product information, ASE2000 support information can be accessed by
clicking on the Support target and then selecting ASE2000 Knowledge Database

Page 43

Contact Support composes an Email to ASE Support. Questions should be answered

within one business day. (ASE is located in the Pacific Time zone)
Check for Updates interrogates the ASE web site for new ASE2000 Version 2 releases.
Updates are free for one year after the date of purchase. Extended software (and
hardware) support contracts are available. The current software-update expiration
date is located under Help and Licensing
Licensing lists the license type (trial, temporary, or normal) and expiration date.
A Trial license is available for evaluation and does not require any ASE hardware.
A temporary license provides full functionality for a specified time. This is
granted to customers upgrading from a version 1 Test Set until the prior version 1
hardware is returned (typically a PCMCIA card)
A temporary license is upgraded, via Email, to a full license on return of version 1
hardware. A normal license allows full functionality with no expiration date
About provides the ASE2000 build date and version number

Tool Bar
The Tool Bar is divided into four areas as shown in the following diagram.

Player
Buttons

Capture
File
Control

Comm
Port
Selection

Query
Control

Time Line

Tool Bar for Network Protocols in Master or RTU Simulation Mode

Tool Bar for Network Protocols is Monitor Mode

Some areas may change based on current mode and protocol settings. Examples above
appear for:

Master simulation mode for a serial protocol, and

Master simulation mode for a network protocol, and
Page 44

Monitor mode for a network protocol

Player Buttons
Player Buttons are used to start and stop communication.
ICON Name

In Exchange Mode

Starts Master Simulation,

RTU Simulation, or
Start/Continues
Monitor operation, as
configured

(need
icon)

In Task Mode
In Master Simulation mode,
starts or continues repetitive
transmission of messages for the
current task. In Monitor or RTU
Simulation mode, simply Starts
or Continues communication.

Send
Continuously

Starts repetitive
transmission of the selected
(highlighted) exchange

N/A

Send Once

Transmits the selected

(highlighted) exchange
once

Transmits messages associated

with the current task once

Stop

Stops communication

Stops communication

Resume

N/A

Resumes communication

Time Line
The Time Line contains a real-time presentation of communication traffic showing data
and carrier signals in both directions (master requests and device responses)
Capture File Control
A capture file records communication line traffic over a period of time. A capture file
contains message information obtained while enabled.
ICON

Name

Description

Start

Starts file capture

Stop

Stops file capture (should use an enabled icon)

File
Selection

Used to specify and enable a specific capture file. The ICON

contains the name of the currently active (most recently
selected) file, Capture1 in this example

Information recorded to the active capture file can be viewed by selecting File and View
Capture or selecting the file selection icon
Page 45

The default condition for storing messages to the Capture File is to store all messages
processed while capturing is enabled. However, it is possible to store only messages that
meet a certain criteria. This is done by using the Message Query facility to define one or
more message filters and have the filters applied as a condition for storing in the capture
file.
See the section Message Query Builder and Message Query for the procedure to define
a query. To have a specific query used to filter captured messages, select Tools >
Properties > Display tab and, in the Query Filters section, select the desired query
(filter).
Communication Port Selection
This section can show one of two sets of ICONs. The first is shown when a serial
protocol is selected. The second is show for network protocols.

Serial Protocol Ports, Master and RTU Simulation

The serial protocol set allows entry of two COM ports. One COM port, identified as To
RTU, communicates to the RTU (IED or PLC). In Master Simulation mode, it is the
only port used. The other COM port, identified as To Master, communicates to the
master. In RTU Simulation mode, it is the only port used. Both ports are used in Line
Monitoring mode. Messages from the RTU should be received on the To RTU port and
messages from the master on the To Master port1.
ICON

Name

Description

COM ports

Pull-down lists allow for COM port selection

Direction

Switches the To RTU and To Master ports

Network Protocol Ports, Master and RTU Simulation

The network protocol set allows entry of the target IP address and includes some limited
control over connection processing. It appears as:

ICON

Name
Target
Node

Description
The data entry in the middle of the network protocol
ICON area allows entry of a target device, either as an

When monitoring communication for a protocol with direction information in the message, such as DNP3,
the ASE2000 interprets messages correctly regardless of which port is to RTU and which is To Master

Page 46

IP address or a node name. This field should be entered

if the ASE2000 is to initiate a connection, most
typically done when acting as a master. This field can
be left blank when the ASE2000 is accepting a
connection, or when operating in monitor mode

ICON

Browse

Enables a network browser and selection of a network

node by name

Connect

Normally, a TCP/IP connection is automatically made

when master mode communication starts and closed
when communication complete. Selecting this target
will establish the connection immediately which will
remain until explicitly closed. This is useful for IEC
60870-5-104 protocol

Network Protocol, Monitoring Mode

Name
Description
Filter
In monitor mode, all detected traffic for the
Nodes
selected protocol is displayed. In networks
with multiple connections, it may be desirable
to display traffic only for a particular device.
An IP addresses entered into the left of the two
entry fields shown identifies the master in a
remote/master connection. The right field
identifies the remote. The ASE2000 will only
process communication for the address or
addresses entered. Entry also identifies IP
address is for the master and which for the
remote. This information is contained in
communication messages for some protocols
such as DNP3, but not for others such as
Modbus
Browse

Enables a network browser and selection of a

network node by name

Query Control
The ASE2000 allows definition and activation of queries to search the contents of the
current communication buffer or communication information loaded from a capture file.
The query is defined using a query definition screen and, when complete, an XPath string
is created and applied to the communications buffer. Query ICONS are shown below.

Page 47

More detail is provided in the Message Query Builder section of this document.

Work Space
The main client area of the screen is called the work space. The work space is the
container for all the documents that that are used to interact with the test set. Each
document has a Tab which identifies the document.
Drag Repositioning
Tab documents can be repositioned at runtime by dragging the tab header and dropping it
on a new position of the drag indicator. The drag indicator is the control in the center of
the workspace (not the indicators at the edge or the work space).
As the tab document is dragged over the indicator the screen will highlight the new
position the document will assume.
If the tab document is dropped away from the drag indicator, a floating document is
created. This document is not attached to the main screen. This might be useful in a
situation where multiple monitors are attached.
Context Menu
The work space shows a context menu when the the right mouse button is clicked on the
tab of a document. This menu has several commands that can be used to operate with the
work space. The two split commands (horizontal & vertical) can be used to slip the
workspace effectively creating two independent workspaces.

Docking
The work space area real-estate can be maximized by utilizing the docking system. The
docking system allows document to be attached or docked to edges of the screen.
Drag Repositioning
Documents can be repositioned at runtime by dragging the header and dropping it on a
new position of the docking drag indicators. Drag indicators are placed on each edge of
the workspace.
As the tab document is dragged over the indicator the screen will highlight the new
position the document will assume.

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Creating a docked document essentially splits the workspace, thus if you drag a document
over this docked workspace, the workspace drag indicator for this work space will also
appear. This can be used to add multiple documents to the same docked work space.
A docked document can also be dragged back to a workspace effectively undocking the
document.
If the tab document is dropped away from the drag indicator, a floating document is
created. This document is not attached to the main screen.
Auto Hide
By pressing the pin button located in the docked header the auto hide state can be
toggled. When the docked workspace is in the auto hide state, the documents are shown
as tabs on the side of the screen. When you hover the mouse over the tab the document
will slide out. Moving the mouse away from the document will result in the document
sliding back to the tab state.
Context Menu
By pressing the drop down button on docked header a context menu can be displayed,

Layout Persistence
Each test set mode (Task & Exchange) has a separate work space layout state. The
workspace layout is persisted so that the next time the test set is activated or the test set
mode is changed the work space layout is returned to its previous state. Default layouts
exist for each Test Set mode and a menu command exists to restore the default layout.

Layout Guidelines
Each Test Set document has a preferred orientation. Some documents are vertically
oriented and work best either docked or positioned to the right or left edge of the
workspace. The rest of the documents have a horizontal orientation and work best as a
tabbed document within a workspace.

Status Line
The status line at the bottom of the display area appears as follows.

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Communication Mode
The three ICONs at the left edge are used to select Communication Mode. The ICON
corresponding to the current mode is shown is a different color. The current mode is also
identified on the title line.
ICON

Description
Selects Master Simulation Mode
Selects Line Monitoring Mode
Selects RTU Simulation Mode

Communication Statistics
The right portion of the status bar shows communication statistics, representing totals for
all communication since the ASE2000 was started.
Each statistic type (except for No Rsp) contains two counters. The first (left) counter
contains statistic information for Messages Sent by The Master. The second (right)
counter contains statistic information for Messages Sent by The RTU.
Messages Sent by the Master means:
In Master Simulation mode, messages sent by the ASE2000
In RTU Simulation mode, messages received from the master
In Line Monitor mode, messages detected on the channel designated as To
Master
Messages sent by the RTU means:
In Master Simulation mode, messages received from the RTU
In RTU Simulation mode, messages sent by the ASE2000
In Line Monitor mode, messages detected on the channel designated as To RTU
Individual counters and their meanings are:
Total
OK
No Resp
Line Error

The left cell is total Messages Sent by the Master. The right cell is
total Messages Sent by the RTU
Of the total messages transmitted in either direction, the number
processed with no communication error
Of the total Messages Sent by the Master, those to which the RTU
should have responded but did not
Of the total messages transmitted in either direction, the number
detected with word parity or framing errors
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Sec Error

Of the total messages transmitted in either direction, the number

detected with protocol security errors such as CRC, BCH, or
Checksum

Totals can be reset by right-clicking in the this are of the Status Bar and selecting Reset
Statistics

Page 51

VIEW MENU DETAILS

The Views menu allows selection of which displays (views) will be visible.
Many of the displays contain information which can be modified using check boxes,
radio buttons, and text data entry. Check boxes and radio buttons are self-explanatory but
the methods for text data entry require some explanation. Most displays that support text
data entry utilize what is referred to a grid format where the information is organized in
a set of rows and columns. Individual data items are located in cells and it is the
contents of the cell that is modified. In general, there are two basic edit modes that can be
implemented, Edit on Entry and Edit on Keystroke. The ASE2000 utilizes the Edit
on Keystroke mode. In this mode focus is given on entry but edit mode does not begin
until a key stroke or mouse click. A row header can be selected and a delete key will
delete the row. A cell cannot be left without validation occurring.
The behavior of Edit on Keystroke for each cell type is described.

Checkbox A single mouse click on the checkbox will select the row, activate the
cell and change the checkbox.
Textbox A single mouse click will select the row and activate the cell. A
keystroke or another mouse click will begin edit mode. Note that a cell value can
be effectively changed with two actions, a mouse click and a keystroke. This is
the same number of actions as edit on entry.
ComboBox A single mouse click will select the row and activate the cell.
o Another mouse click displays the drop down arrow, and clicking the arrow
shows the drop down box.
o A keystroke begins the autocomplete feature of the Combobox and displays
the drop down arrow. This is the most efficient way to deal with a ComboBox.
CheckBoxDropDown A single mouse click will select the row and activate the
cell.
Another mouse click displays the drop down arrow, and clicking the arrow shows
the drop down box. There is no keyboard interface/auto complete available for
this cell type.

Tasks
The Tasks List view, applicable only in Task Mode, allows the user to select and perform
Tasks. Please refer to the section on Task Mode operation.

Message Query Builder and Message Query

This view provides the ability to define and apply a search query against a set of
communication messages. To fully utilize the capabilities of this feature, it is important to
understand the relationship between the Queries and Communication Messages.

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A group of Communication Messages is the set of data against which a query is applied
and is always the result of communication or attempted communication between two or
more devices. The query is typically used to locate one or more messages within a larger
set of messages that meet specific criteria. From the test set perspective, Communication
Messages result from Master Mode operation, Monitor Mode operation, or RTU
Simulation Mode operation. During a communication session (Master Mode, RTU
Simulation, or Monitor Mode), communication messages are always stored in the
Current Message Buffer. This is an internal temporary storage area within the test set
specifically intended to store communication message data and is used for several test set
functions. For example, When the Line Monitor or Messages views are active, they will
display data currently in the Current Message Buffer. Also, when a Query is executed, it
is always executed against the contents of the Current Message Buffer. In addition to
communication messages being stored in the Current Message Buffer as the result of a
communication session, communication messages will also be stored there as the result
of importing (File > Import> Communication Messages) from a previous exported (File >
Export > Communication Messages) set of messages (.msgx file) or as a result of
selecting a previously created capture file using the View Capture selection mechanism.
The Message Query view has 6 areas for display and entry of query related information.
See screenshot below. The 6 sections are:
1. Query Tab and Query Toolbar Contains a tab with the query name for each
currently defined query and a toolbar containing an icon for:
Execute current message query
Define a new query
Rename query
2. Query Definition Pane Used to display the 4 pages of query definition menus.
Navigation from pager to page is done using Back and Next buttons in the
Navigation Pane.
3. Property Description Pane Contains a brief description of the currently selected
property in the Query Definition Pane.
4. Navigation Pane Contain buttons for navigating between the query definition
menu pages and a button to Build a query using the information contained in the
query definition pages.
5. Current Query Syntax Pane - Current query definition in XML XPath syntax
6. Query Results Pane Contains the results of the latest query execution. The query
results will be displayed in this pane using the Messages View format.

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Query Name tab and Query

Toolbar

Query Definition Pane

Property Description Pane

Navigation Pane

Current query definition

(XML XPath syntax)

Results of last query run

(communication messages)

Query parameters are entered from one of several data entry menus. The << Back and
Next >> targets advance through the various menus. Once all parameters have been
specified, the Build Query is selected to build the query. The XML XPath syntax is
shown in the bottom portion of this menu and can be edited, if desired.
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Pressing the
ICON executes the Query against the current collection of
communication messages. To run the query against a capture file, that file must be
opened in the ASE2000 before the query is run.
Message Query Definition
The query is defined using a set of query definition items consisting of check boxes,
properties, and values. The query definition items are presented on four different pages
within the Message Query view. These are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Message Properties
Data Element Properties
Object ID Properties
Component Values

There are navigation buttons on each page labeled [<< Back and Next>>] for going from
page to page. The query definition process consists of specifying a set of rules and
conditions intended to identify a subset of the total messages. Each of the query
definition pages is formatted in two columns; the first column contains a property or item
name and the second column contains a value or state to be associated with the
corresponding property/item in the first column. Examine each property or item to
determine if that property or item should be used in defining the query criteria. If yes,
check the associated box and set the associated value or state to the appropriate value. In
some cases the state value is selected from a drop-down menu which is selectable when
the state/value field is selected. If a property or item is not relevant for the query
definition, do no check the associated box and it will not be used. When all the relevant
query definition items have been selected and appropriate values/states entered, select the
Build Query button. This will generate a new query and the result of the new query
definition in XPath syntax will be displayed in the Current Query Definition pane. The
query can then be executed against the contents of the Current Message Buffer by
selecting the Execute Query icon and the results will be displayed in Message View
format in the Results of Last Query Run pane.
Message Query Builder Example
This section contains an example of building and executing a simple query. The query
will be defined to locate:
1. Messages sent from the Slave to Master device and
2. Containing Analog values between 1200 and 1500 and
3. Point ID = 3 and
4. RTU ID = 5
The query definition screens are configured as follows:

Page 55

Next, select the Build Query button and the query definition XPath syntax will be
generated as shown below.

Page 56

Query in XPath
syntax

Finally, execute the query by selecting the Execute Query icon from the main test set
toolbar or from the Message Queries view toolbar and the messages from the Current
Message Buffer that meet the query criteria will be displayed in the Query Results pane
as shown below.

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Page 58

Point List View

Point List Overview
The Points List view displays information about all input points detected on the
communication line. The display is organized by device. When data for more than one
device address has been detected, TABs appear on the bottom of the Points List view to
select the correct RTU.
The tabular presentation contains one point per line. If the point has been detected
recently on the communication line, its value appears in bold font. If the value has
changed recently, it is shown with a solid background. If the value has not been detected
recently, it is shown in normal font.

Points List columns are:

RTU
Point
Name

Remote device ID
Point type and ID
Optional point name, user enterable
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Description
Raw
Value

Quality
Time
Limits

Optional point description, user enterable2

Value reported in the communication protocol. Analog and counter values
are converted to decimal. Digital points are shown as one or two-bit values
as defined by the protocol
Raw value converted according to user entered rules. For analogs, the user
can specify a scale and offset for linear conversion. For digitals, the use
can supply state names such as OPEN for a raw value of 0 and CLOSE for
a raw value of 1
As reported by the protocol
A time stamp, if reported in the communication message for the associated
point. If not reported, the field is blanked
User defined low/high limits for analogs. If entered, information is shown
in red when the points value is outside the limits.

Edit Menu for Points List View

When the Points List View is in focus, the Edit Menu appears as follows.

Modify presents a menu for editing parameters for any of the currently defined points
Delete deletes the currently highlighted point
Delete All deletes all points
Save All saves all point information as currently shown. User entered information is
automatically saved, but point values and quality I not. This option is useful to
create a snapshot of the current points settings and values
Configure RTUs is sued to define new RTUs and for adding points to existing RTUs
Configure Tables is used to edit certain global parameter settings such as analog
high/low alarm limits, analog conversion coefficients, pulse accumulator
conversion coefficients, and digital point state names
Convert Previous Point List is used to import an ASE2000 version 1 point list. This
action will erase any existing RTU or point definitions

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RTU Simulation and Task Mode

The Point List View has additional capabilities when running as the RTU Simulation
Task Mode.

The user may enter values in the Raw data column, which will be transmitted in
the next applicable message

An extra column called Increment appears and is applicable for generation of

analog point values. A points Raw value is automatically calculated in each
applicable response by adding the Increment value to the previously transmitted
Raw value.

Exchange List View

The Exchange List appears when operating in Exchange Mode. It contains a set of rows,
one for each exchange (message) applicable to the selected protocol.
It also contains a set of columns for standard message components applicable to the
protocol. For example, DNP3 protocol defines Destination Source and Destination
address fields used in each message. When DNP3 is the active protocol, the Exchange
List view contains Dest and Source columns.
Another protocol, such as Conitel, includes components called RTU ID, group, and Point.
Those column headings appear when Conitel is the active protocol.
The Exchange List View shown below appears for DNP3 protocol.

Each line contains one exchange (message) that exists for the selected protocol, DNP3 in
this case. From this list, the user can:
Page 61

Edit an exchange, directly in the grid or utilizing a dialog.

Select a single exchange for transmission
Create and delete exchanges

Exchange View Menu

To edit an exchange, select the exchange and then the Edit pull-down menu or,
area at the far left. This will generate an edit menu.
alternatively, right-click on the

Cut, Copy, Paste, Insert Row, Remove Row, and Clear All operate on the
entire row according to conventional meanings
Since there is no concept of a blank exchange, Insert Row will present a list of
exchanges defined for the active protocol, requiring the user to select one to
complete the Insert Row operation
Reset To Defaults erases all existing exchanges, replacing them with the default
set for the active protocol
Edit Exchange Properties requests a menu for editing exchange information
such as device and point addresses and transmission frequency. More details are
provided below
Edit Exchange Definition requests a menu for editing detailed structural
exchange information. It is useful primarily for adjusting scan messages for most
legacy protocols. It is not used for IEC 60870-5-10x and DNP3

Edit Exchange Properties

The Exchange Properties Menu supports editing several key properties about each
exchange. However, since these properties can differ significantly from protocol to
protocol, most details have been located in the protocol-specific sections.

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The properties common to all protocols and shown in the example below are used for
Master Simulation mode.

Please note the Transmit flag and Frequency field when reading the following section
on Starting Communication.
Edit Exchange Definition

The Exchange Definition Menu is relevant to most legacy protocols. It is not used for
DNP3 or for any of the IEC protocols. This menu provides visibility into ASE2000s
internal exchange definition data structure. It can be used to modify the structure of any
exchange, including:

Altering point types and values,

Changing function codes, and
Moving key fields

The most common use of this menu would be to alter point information. Any other
modification may have significant impact on ASE2000 operation. Use in one of these
alternate manners is very rare and should not be undertaken unless absolutely sure about
the impact.
This section provides an overview of the Edit Exchange capabilities and specific
examples on its use to modify input point information.
The menu presents the internal structure of the selected exchange in an expandable tree
view.

Clicking the [+] at the left of the Exchange Definition (Item Sequences) expands
definition. The example below shows the expansion for the Conitel protocol Scan
Exchange.

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An exchange is broken into a request message, identified as To RTU, and a response

message, identified as From Master. (Some exchanges such as a broadcast pulse
accumulator freeze may only have a request portion with no response.)
Each message is defined as a set of communication words. The ASE2000 builds a
communication message as a sequence of these words, with the definition of a word
dependant on the protocol.

For any protocol using 26/31 BCH communication, each word is 12 bits
For Indactic 33/41 protocol, each word is 16-bits
For any other protocol, each word is 8 bits

To edit the exchange definition, highlight any of the elements in the exchange and select
one of the buttons at the right.

Add Msg will add a new message, either To RTU or To Master. Use of this
option is not recommended
Page 64

Add Element will add a new line within the current message immediately after
the selected element. Please refer to the following discussion on Point Definition
Editing
Delete will delete the current element
Replace is the same as selecting Delete followed by selecting Add Element

Selecting either Add Element or Replace results in the following menu.

This menu presents a list of supported element types. The most commonly used elements
are:

Analog Defines one or more analog input points

Digital Defines one or more digital input point blocks. The number of bits in
each block is protocol dependant
Pulse Defines one or more pulse accumulator (counter) input points
Analog Exception Defines one or more analog information blocks, each
containing a point number and value
Digital Exception Defines one or more digital information blocks, each
containing a point number and point state
Pulse Exception - Defines one or more pulse accumulator blocks, each containing
a point number and value

Use of any other element type is rare and not discussed here. If interested, please contact
ASE for details.
Point Definition Editing
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The main use of the Edit Definition menu is to modify the definition of a scan response.
Lets take the case above for Conitel protocol. That protocol defines a single scan
message called Scan. The response to a scan message is a set of points of one or more
types For example, a response may include a set of analog points, a set of digital points,
or both analogs and digitals. Similarly, pulse accumulator data may be included.
The ASE2000 cannot know, in advance, the data content of a scan response. This is a
RTU hardware dependency. The default scan exchange contains is show above. The final
element is Points: Unknown Quantity of Points. This is exactly what the ASE2000
knows about the exchange; only that some number of points will be returned: neither the
number nor the type is known.
Lets assume that a particular scan response contains 2 blocks of digital input points
followed by 7 analog points. To define such a message:

Highlight the Points element

Select Replace
Select Digital

Restore the original Edit Exchange Definition menu. This will now appear as:

The Point entry was replaced by a Digital entry.

Set the Repeat Count to 2, for 2 blocks

Select Add Element
Select Analog

Restore the original Edit Exchange Definition menu. This will now appear as:

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A new Analog element has been created

Set the Repeat Count to 7, for 7 analog points, or, alternatively, to 0. A count of 0
always means that the rest of the message is a sequence of values of the current
type. So, 7 means 7 analogs, and 0 means the rest of the message are analogs
Select OK to end the editing process

The edited definition will cause the input message to be parsed accordingly.
This type of editing is useful for protocols where:

The type of point returned in a scan request is known by the user, but is neither
known in advance by the ASE2000 nor can be deduced from the input message
The number of points in the data response is known by the user, but is neither
known in advance by the ASE2000 nor can be deduced from the input message

In all other cases, the ASE2000 should be able to analyze the input message and display
input data point appropriately without editing the Exchange Definition

Note that exchanges are not used in Task Mode so exchange editing is not
required. The ASE2000 automatically makes similar adjustment based on
user-entered Point Information

Other Uses
There is one more important aspect of the Exchange Definition menu applicable to RTU
Simulation. As a RTU, the ASE2000 can respond with a value for each input point and
can modify this value in each scan response.
Refer to the data entry menus for analog and digital input points.
Page 67

The Value field defines the value to be included in the next scan response. For
analog and pulse accumulator points, this is a raw numeric value. For digital input
points, value defines a block of points. The rightmost bit is the state of the first
point. Other point states occupy successive bits to the left
For analog points, the Increment field specifies a number to add to the Value
field after each response. The new Value will be used in the next response. Once
a maximum analog value has been reached (depending on the protocol) the sign
of the Increment field will change, resulting in a Decrement, until a minimum
value is reached. Therefore, the value will ramp up and down between high and
low limits.
For pulse accumulator points, the Increment field is similar to analogs, except
that the value will wrap after exceeding the logical maximum for the protocol.
Except when exceeding the wrap-around value, the value never decrements
Digital points contain a Toggle Mask field instead of an Increment. After every
response, the value is Exclusive-ORed with the mask to produce a value for the
next transmission.

Line Monitor View

The line monitor view shows communication messages in raw and interpreted format.
Raw data is shown in the left pane and interpreted data in the right pane. Clicking on data
in either pane highlight the data selected and also the corresponding data in the alternate
pane. In the sample below, the user clicked on the DNP3 Destination address field in the
interpreted pane to show the corresponding data bytes in the raw data pane.

Communication information can be saved by selecting File, Save As, and setting
the type to MONX. A saved file can be sent to another ASE2000 user to review
the communication session. A MONX file records the current communication
messages.

Edit Menu for Line Monitor View

When the Line Monitor View is in focus, the Edit Menu appears as follows

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Clear All Messages erases the Line Monitor view contents

Reset Statistics zeroes communication statistics counters on the Status line
Properties presents a menu for modifying Line Monitor View text color and font

Messages View
The Messages View is an alternate presentation format containing the same information
as in the Line Monitoring view. One message is shown per line making the Messages
View a more compact presentation than the Line Monitor, but with (initially) less
interpreted information about each.
The messages view contains a main viewing pane on top and a smaller viewing pane on
bottom. The upper viewing pane shows a list of messages by name. The lower viewing
pane shows the interpreted data for the one message selected in the upper pane.
The sample below is from a DNP3 protocol communication session.

This screen shows a series of messages with one of the Analog responses highlighted.
The raw data for this response is shown in the lower pane.

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If more details are required for a particular message, they can be obtained by clicking on
the [+] at the left edge of the message. In the case above, repetitive clicking of [+] targets
will result in:

Page 70

As you can see, the tree expansion can be continued several levels to significantly detail
the message. There was insufficient room in a single page to show everything, but the
capabilities should be obvious.
Edit Menu for Messages View
When the Messages View is in focus, the Edit Menu appears as follows

Clear All Messages erases the Messages view contents

Collapse All collapses all expanded messages
Expand All expands all messages
Reset Statistics zeroes communication statistics counters on the Status line
Properties presents a menu for modifying Messages View text color and font

Event Log
The Event Log presents one line for each event detected. More information on event
processing can be found in the discussion of the Properties pull-down menu and the
Events tab.
Edit Menu for Event Log View
When the Event Log View is in focus, the Edit Menu appears as follows

Clear All Events erases the Event Log view contents

Reset Statistics zeroes communication statistics counters on the Status line

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Line Analyzer
This view is available only for serial protocols and only when operating with an
ASE-manufactured I/O card. It presents a millisecond-resolution plot of receive data and
carrier (DCD) on each of two input lines. The create Line Analyzer data:

Select the line Analyzer view

Connect the serial cables to receive data on all required circuits (To RTU, To
Master, or both)
Select the start ICON

Data and carrier signals on each incoming line will be monitored. When sufficient data is
collected, the Line Analyzer view is updated.

The above plot shows data and carrier detected on line A. Plots would also be updated if
a message was detected at about the same time on line B. it was not in this example. A
time reference is shown at the bottom of the view. Several controls are available.
The most useful is zoom:

Left click on the left edge of an area to zoom

Keeping the left mouse button pressed and move to the right edge
Release the mouse button

Proceeding as above on the prior display produces:

Page 72

Note the expanded data presentation. Also, note that moving the cursor over any point of
the plot shows the time of occurrence of that point. In the example above, the cursor was
moved to the start of a bit occurring at 28.8 milliseconds after the start of data collection.
Edit Menu for Line Analyzer View
When the line Analyzer View is in focus, the Edit Menu appears as follows

Clear erases Line Monitor view data

Properties presents a menu for modifying Line Analyzer View text color and font
Reset Statistics zeroes communication statistics counters on the Status line

Page 73

EXCHANGE MODE
Exchange Mode, if not the current mode, can be entered by selecting Exchange Mode
from the Mode pull-down menu.
Exchange Mode uses the views and displays presented in the prior sections, primarily the
Exchange View. Please refer to discussions on the Exchange View for more information.
For those familiar with ASE2000 Version 1 operation, Exchange Mode is, effectively,
Version 1 operation.

Starting Communication
Exchange mode works in one of three Communication Modes: Master Simulation, RTU
Simulation, and Monitor.
RTU Simulation and Monitor Mode
For RTU Simulation and Line Monitor operation, communication is started by
selecting this target from the tool-bar line.
Master Simulation
In Master Simulation mode, four targets are displayed.
causes the currently selected exchange to be transmitted once. The ASE2000 will
wait for a response and then stop. This option does not appear if no exchange is selected.
causes the currently selected exchange to be transmitted once immediately and then
again at every time interval thereafter, as defined by the Frequency field in the Exchange
Properties menu. A new request may be delayed while the ASE2000 waits for a response
to a previous request. This option does not appear if no exchange is selected.
causes all messages with the Transmit flag set to be transmitted at their specified
frequencies. A message is first sent at a time as defined by its Frequency. For example, if
the Transmit flag is set on two messages, one with a frequency of 2.0 seconds and the
other with 5.0 seconds, then the first message will be sent 2.0 seconds after this target is
selected.
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stops any active transmission

Page 75

TASK MODE

This section provides Task Mode operations overview. Since tasks are protocol
specific, please refer to the appropriate protocol appendix for further details

Task Mode operation is started by selecting Task Mode from the Mode pull-down menu.
Task Mode is an alternate method for building and analyzing communication messages.
It works from information contained in a device (RTU, IED, PLC) data base. Each device
is identified by name and includes the devices protocol, address, and point list. The point
list defines all input points by type (analog, digital, counter) and address.
Task Mode operation is always based on one device selected from the device data base.
For operation in Master Simulation Mode, only one device may be active at a given time.
The ASE200 issues requests to that device.
For Monitor Mode operation, one device can be active.
For RTU Simulation Mode, one device can be active.
The ASE2000 automatically builds message from the Device Data Base based on the
task, mode, and active device. The Exchange List is not used in the Task Mode and the
user is not required to edit any exchange definition information.
The steps for Task Mode configuration and operation are:

Create one or more devices in the device data base. (Information entered is saved
and available whenever the ASE2000 is restarted)
Select the communication mode (Master, RTU, or Monitor)
Select one device from the device data Select a Task Group
Select a Task from within the selected Group
Start communication

Device Definition
After installing the ASE2000 for the first time, the device data base is empty and the
Task Mode view appears as follows.

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To define a device, double click anywhere on the device title line (the area showing
Name, Protocol Name, ID). The device data base definition form appears.

Page 77

To define a new device:

Enter an alphanumeric name in the Name field

Click in the protocol area to display a pull-down list and select a protocol

Enter the device ID (address)

Optionally, setting the devices active status will activate the device for Task
Mode operation

For example, an active DNP3 protocol device entry appears as:

To continue with the point tables, select Next.

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Point Definition
Selecting Next from the device definition phase generates an input point definition menu.
All input points are defined, by point type, in blocks of contiguous point addresses. Each
entry contains:

Point type. Point type names appropriate for the devices protocol are presented in
a pull-down list. In the example below, the pull-down list contains the set of
DNP3 input point types
Point ID defines the first point in a contiguous set of points
Point Count defines the number of points with contiguous IDs starting at the
entered Point ID

For example, assume a DNP3 device with:

16 analog inputs starting at address 0,
32 binary inputs starting at 0, and
8 frozen counters, also starting at 0
After all information is entered, the menu will appear as shown below.

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Complete the definition process by selecting the Finish button.

The Task Menu now shows the newly defined device. Since the device was selected as
the active device, the Task List now shows tasks from the first task group for the active
devices protocol (DNP3).

Make sure the correct communication mode, Master Simulation, RTU Simulation, or
Line Monitor, is selected. Following sections describe continuing procedures for each
mode.

Task Mode Operation, Master Simulation Mode

Task Selection and Navigation
Tasks are presented in groupings applicable to each protocol. For example, DNP3
protocol has task groupings for:

Initialization
Acquisition of Static Data
Acquisition of Event Data
Counter operations
Time related operations
Control outputs
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File operations
Secure Authentication

Other protocols may have some of the same or similar groups, some groups may be
missing entirely, or other groups, not used for DNP3, may exist.
The sample Task Menu is shown below. The actual presentation is for DNP3 protocol,
but other protocols show similar information.

The Task menu layout contains information in four sections.

The Device List with the active device highlighted is shown at the top of the view
Task Groups are presented in a horizontal ICON row near the middle of the
view. The active group is shown in a highlighted background color
Tasks within the selected group are presented between the device and task group
ICON lists. The active task is shown in a highlighted background color
Properties applicable to the active task and their values are shown at the bottom
of the view. These values can be changed if necessary

Page 81

Because of its compact presentation, task groups are initially identified only by ICON. A
Mouse over will shown the group name, for Example

A less compact presentation is available from the

splitter control immediately above the ICON region. Select this splitter and, keeping the
mouse button pressed, slide the mouse upwards. Names of all task groups appear.

Task Activation, General

To activate a task, select a task group and, within that group, the desired task. In the
example above, the Link Status & Reset Link task is selected from the Initialization
group.
Page 82

To activate this task,

Select

or
to send task messages repetitively. The repetition rate is set in the tasks
Frequency property, enterable at the bottom of the Task View.

to send messages required to accomplish this task once,

Task communication messages are shown in the Line Monitoring and Messages views
discussed previously.
Task Setup and Activation, Digital Control Tasks
Single Point Control

Control tasks require the user to enter key information before the task is initiated.
Information is entered into properties for the selected task. While properties differ
slightly depending on the protocol, the following is typical.

Page 83

Control properties are more involved than those for most other exchanges. In this
example for DNP3 (and the same for many other protocols) the user must enter:

Control point index. The default, *, indicates that no index has been entered.
The ASE2000 will reject an attempt to start a control action until a valid address
is entered
Value. Choices in this example are trip and close. Names adjust as appropriate to
the active protocol and control type.
On Time is part of a DNP3 control. It is also part of many other protocols, but not
all. The field does not appear if not applicable to the active protocol. The default
is 1 millisecond

Once correct values are entered for the above properties, the control task can be activated.
This will control a single point. If the repetitive task execution ICON
same point will be controlled multiple times.

is selected, the

Multiple Point Control

To repetitively control a sequence of points, select the [+] target at the left of the Point
Index and Value properties. The result is:

Note that Point Index has subfields called Start and Stop. Value has subfields called
Start Value and Stop Value. These specify control ranges. For example:

Page 84

Configures the ASE2000 to issue both trip and close commands to points 5 through 10.
If the repetitive execution ICON
is selected, one command is sent every period of
time as specified by the Frequency property. Execution will continue until stopped.
The sequence of commands is:
1. A command is issued to the Point Index (5) and the Value state (Trip).
2. In preparation for the next command, if the Value is not the same as the Stop
Value, then it is set to the Stop Value
3. If the Value is the same as the Stop Value, then it is set to the Start Value and the
Point Index is incremented.
4. If the Point Index is greater than the Stop Point, then it is set to the Start Point
5. Control continues with step 1
Task Setup and Activation, Analog Control Tasks
As for digital controls, analog control tasks require the user to enter key information
before the task is initiated.
Single Point Control

Before activating an analog control, the user must enter:

Page 85

Control point index. The default, *, indicates that no index has been entered.
The ASE2000 will reject an attempt to activate a control action until a valid index
is entered
Value. Analog output value. Unless modified, the default value, 0, is used

Once correct values are entered for the above properties, the control task can be activated.
The setup discussed above will result in control of a single point with a single value. If
is selected, the same control (index and value) will
the repetitive task execution ICON
be sent repetitively.
Multiple Point Control

Properties to control multiple points with multiple values are accessible by selecting the
[+] targets at the left of the Point Index and Value fields.

The Point Index field has Start Point and Stop Point subfields, the same as described for
Digital Controls. The Value field has Start, Stop, and Step Percentage subfields. The
subfields define ranges for analog control commands.
For example, the settings shown above configure the ASE2000 to issue commands to:

Analog output indices 1 through 5, with

Values ranging from 0 to 100 in 25% increments

If values are entered into any of the subfields described above prior to activation of the
analog output control task, and if activation was initiated with the repetitive transmission
ICON, then the task will control multiple indices with multiple values consistent with
field and subfield settings. Each transmission will control one index with one value as
described in the following steps.

Page 86

1. The first command will be issued to the Point Index (1) and Value (0)
2. In preparation for the next command, if the Value is equal to or exceeds the Stop
Value, it will be set to the Start Value and the Point Index will be incremented. If
the Point Index is then greater than the Stop Point, it will be set to the Start Point
3. Otherwise (Value less than Stop Value), the Value will be increased by the Step
percentage applied to the difference between the Start Value and the Stop Value.
(If the new Value is greater than the Stop Value, it will be set to the Stop Value.
4. The next command will be issued at the tasks frequency with the modified
properties
Task Setup and Activation, File Transfer Tasks
Should this be in the DNP3 document and perhaps replicated the IEC when available?
For applicable protocols, the ASE200 can initiate and accept file transfer requests
between a master and remote device.
A sample Task Menu for the File Operations group of tasks is shown below.

To initial a transfer, the user must enter a file name for the local machine and a file name
for the remote device.

Page 87

The local file is entered in the Local File Name property and can be a complete disk and
path specification. The local machine can be browsed by clicking in the Local File Name
field and selecting the browse target at the right of that field.

The remote file is entered in the Remote File Name property. ?. If a file name is not
known, the ASE2000 can browse the remote device using appropriate protocol
commands (assuming directory operations are supported by the protocol and device). A
remote browse operation is initiated the same way as a local browse operation: click the
Remote File Name field and select the browse target at the right of that field. This
initiates appropriate communication which, if successful, results in a menu like that
shown below.

This shows all files reported by the remote device. Select a file and OK. The selected file
name is placed in the Remote File Name field.

Note that the browse operation only fills in the Remote File Name field. It does not
initiate the selected task: Read File, Write File, Delete File, File Information, or other as
supported by the selected protocol.
Once the files names applicable to the selected task have been entered, start the file
operation as you would start any other task. Messages are interchanged with the remote
device until the operation completes (successfully or with errors). The Line Monitor and
Messages Views provide additional information. As an example, following is an
expanded Messages View for a successfully completed DNP3 File Information task.
Page 88

Task Mode Operation, Monitor Mode

Monitor mode provides a single task called Scan Responses, selection of which starts the
line monitoring process. Exactly one device from the device data base must be active.
When operating on a party line where messages from multiple devices could be detected,
it is recommended to use Exchange Mode.
Communication messages are received and interpreted according to protocol rules and
the point information for the active device.
If the number of points reported by a device does not match the number of points defined
in the point data base, and:

Protocol rules are such that the ASE2000 can correctly parse the message and
identify the point types, indices, and values, then the message is valid and the
Page 89

point data base is updated with the points reported. If more points are reported
than defined, additional points are created. Points will be added to the Point
Values view, but the device data base will not be modified.
Protocol rules are such that the ASE2000 cannot correctly parse the message, then
results are unpredictable. Most likely, the ASE2000 will report a communication
error and no point data base updates will be made.

Task Mode Operation, RTU Simulation Mode

RTU Simulation mode provides a single task called Scan Responses, selection of which
starts the RTU Simulation process. Exactly one device from the device data base must be
active. The ASE2000 cannot, in Task Mode, simulate responses to request for more than
one device., this is not supported, there is only one state.
When a request for input data is received, the ASE2000 generates its response from the
point configuration of the device data base. The example below show simulation
returning values for seven analogs, twelve digitals, and one pulse accumulator point.

In the initial case, the values and states for all points are 0. Different values can be
entered in this view according to the following rules.

An analog or pulse value, or a digital state, can be entered in the raw column.
Any such value will be used in response to the next applicable scan
For protocols that support change event processing, entering a new value will
generate a change event
Page 90

For analog points, a value entered in the increment field causes the point value to
be automatically adjusted after each scan response. The adjusted value is used in
the subsequent response. In this manner, analog values will ramp up and down
between high and low limits applicable to the protocol
For pulse points, a value entered in the increment field causes the point value to
be automatically incremented after each scan response. The new value is used in
the subsequent response. Pulse values wrap around at a maximum applicable to
the protocol
For digital points, an increment value of 1 causes the point state to alternate
between 0 and 1 at each scan response

The table below shows examples of increment values entered for each point type.

Page 91

ASE2000 CABLING
This section describes various cabling configurations used to connect the ASE2000 for
the different operational modes (Master Simulation, RTU/IED Simulation, Monitor
Mode), the different hardware models (BCOM-USB, COM) and different connection
types (Modem, RS-232). Cabling for network based communication is discussed in a
separate section titled ASE2000 Network Protocol Use.

Master simulation. In this mode, ASE2000 simulates the primary station

(Master), allowing you to construct and transmit requests to one or more
secondary stations (RTU/IED).

RTU simulation. In this mode, ASE2000 simulates one or more secondary

stations (RTU/IED), allowing you to construct responses or unsolicited
messages and transmit them to the primary station.

Monitor. In this mode, ASE2000 monitors the communication line

connecting the primary station and one or more secondary stations and
displays the messages exchanged between them.

For the three modes of operation, connections can be made at the RS-232 level, at the
Telco level using ASE supplied or other modems, or at the network level for network
based protocols.

RS-232 Connections
The following figures illustrate different cabling configurations for connecting the
ASE2000 testset equipment at the RS-232 level. The ASE Dual-Channel RS-232
PCMCIA I/O card is used in the illustrations but the same principles apply to any RS-232
I/O device.

Page 92

Master Simulation Mode RS-232

USBCable
BCOM-USB

RS-232Cable

ASE2000 Test Set

NullModemAdapter

RTU

Page 93

RTU/IED Simulation Mode RS-232

Page 94

Monitor Mode RS-232

Page 95

Modem Connections
The following figures illustrate different cabling configurations for connecting the
ASE2000 testset equipment to the phone line circuits through a modem. The ASE DualChannel modem is used in the illustrations but the same principles apply to any modem.
The ASE modem is a dual-channel modem with two DB-25 female connectors and a
power connector on one side of the modem box, and two RJ-11 receptacles on the
opposite side of the box. When using the modem for Monitor Mode, ASE recommends
setting the monitor mode switch to the ON position to correctly balance the line. If you
are not running in Monitor Mode, set this switch to OFF.
Note: When set to on, the switch forces the modem to run in high-impedance mode by
removing the 600 load from the receive line.

Page 96

Master Simulation Mode Modem Connection

Page 97

RTU/IED Simulation Mode Modem Connection

Master
Station
RS-232
ModemCable

MasterStation
Modem
Master
Transmit
Pair

Master
Receive
Pair

RTU
Transmit
Pair

RTU
Receive
Pair
TestSetModem
`

RS-232Cable

Modem
PowerCable

BCOM-USB

USBCable

ASE2000 Test Set

Page 98

Monitor Mode Modem Connection

Page 99

ASE2000 NETWORK PROTOCOL USE

The ASE2000 currently supports three network based protocols, DNP 3 Wan/Lan,
Modbus TCP, and IEC 870-5-104. All three Communication Modes, Master, RTU, and
Monitor mode are supported but there are different physical connection requirements
depending on which mode(s) is to be used.
The ASE2000 uses the standard PC network interface device (NIC) for all network
communication but still requires that either the BCOM-USB device or ASE USB Dongle
be installed on the PC where the ASE2000 software is to be run. Even though the PC
network interface is used for network communication, the BCOM-USB or USB dongle is
still used to enable the ASE2000 software.
If the test set computer has multiple network adaptor interfaces, it may be necessary to
designate which adaptor the ASE2000 test set should use. For devices with multiple
adaptors, right-click the field (Browse icon) to the right of the IP Address Area and
select Properties. From the list of available adaptors, select the appropriate adaptor.

IP Address Area
Browse icon

Basic test set operation is the same for both network and serial protocols but there are a
few set-up differences that the user must be aware of.
Page 100

Master Mode
In Master Mode, the test set will operate as a Master and issue commands to and receive
responses from a remote device. To address the proper device, it will be necessary to
configure both the IP address and device (RTU/IED) address in the ASE2000. To set the
network address of the remote device, select Tools > Properties >DNP3 LAN/WAN tab
(or other protocol as appropriate). Either Browse for the name of the remote (slave
device) or enter the IP address in the Host field.

For DNP 3 Wan/Lan, specify Stream for TCP or Datagram for UDP. Also for DNP 3
Wan/Lan the Port address can be changed but it is recommended that the default value of
20000 be used. The protocol address (RTU address) of the device is specified the same as
with the serial version of the protocol on the Exchange List view by double-clicking on
the exchange name or setting the address on all exchanges using the Tools > Properties
> Protocol
In Master Mode, there are no special connection requirements or connection restrictions.
The test set PC can be connected directly to the remote device, through a router, a switch,
or a hub as shown below.

Page 101

Master Mode
ASE2000
Test Set

ASE2000
Test Set

Router / Switch / Hub

Router / Switch / Hub

RTU

RTU

Master Mode Example 1

Master Mode Example 2

Once the address configuration and physical connection is complete, test set operation is
the same as for serial operation.

RTU Mode
In RTU Mode, the test set will operate as a remote device and respond to commands
received from a SCADA Master. It is not necessary to do special configuration due to
using network communication. As the remote device, the test set software will accept a
incoming connection request and, from that point on, test set operation is the same as
with a serial connection. If the device protocol address is let to the default value *, the
test set will respond to requests containing any address. Alternatively, a specific protocol
address (RTU address) for the device is can be specified the same as with the serial
version of the protocol on the Exchange List view by double-clicking on the exchange
name or setting the address on all exchanges using the Properties > Protocol Specific >
Exchange Defaults tab.
In RTU Mode, there are no special connection requirements or connection restrictions.
The test set PC can be connected directly to the remote device, through a router, a switch,
or a hub as shown below.
RTU Mode
SCADA
Master

SCADA
Master

Router / Switch / Hub

Router / Switch / Hub

ASE2000
Test Set

ASE2000
Test Set

RTU Mode Example 1

RTU Mode Example 2

Once the address configuration and physical connection is complete, test set operation is
the same as for serial operation.

Page 102

Monitor Mode
In Monitor Mode, the test set will monitor and display communication messages between
two or more devices that are communicating using the designated network protocol.
Unlike Master Mode and RTU Mode, there are physical connection requirements that
must be followed in order for the test set to have access to the messages between the
devices to be monitored.
In Monitor Mode, the ASE2000 test set forces the network interface to operate in what is
called promiscuous mode. This allows the test set to read network messages that are
not addressed to the device the test set is running on. In order for this to work, it is
necessary for the test set PC and either the SCADA Master or the remote device to be on
a common network segment. This is most commonly accomplished by plugging the
devices into a common hub; not a router or switch. It is necessary to use a hub in this case
so the messages between the devices being monitored will be present on the LAN
segment the test set is connected to. A router or switch will only pass messages to a port
if the addressed device is known by the switch or router to be connected to that port. So,
if you connect the test set directly to a port on a router or switch for monitoring purposes
it wont work since the router/switch will not pass the data to that port. As described
above, a router or switch can be used for Master or RTU mode but not Monitor mode.
Since a hub passes all data to all connected ports, data for the devices being monitored
will be available to the test set only if the test set and at least one of the devices being
monitored is connected to the hub. It is possible, and most likely necessary, to use
routers and switches in other parts of the network but a hub must be used for the
monitored devices. See connection examples below.
Monitor Mode
SCADA
Master

SCADA
Master
ASE2000
Test Set

Hub

Hub

RTU
RTU

ASE2000
Test Set

Monitor Mode Example 1

Monitor Mode Example 2

As with serial communication, it is possible to filter the data processed and displayed by
ASE2000 test set using network protocols. With serial communications, the filtering is
accomplished by setting the device address on the Exchange List view. With network
protocols, filtering can be set at the IP addresses level and the device address level.
To set an address filter at the IP address level, select Properties > Communication >
Filters tab and set the host name or IP address of the device to be monitored. The
Page 103

default value Any will display messages between all devices on the network segment
using the designated protocol.

ASE BELL-202 DUAL-CHANNEL MODEM ADJUSTMENT

This section illustrates and explains the gain and sensitivity adjustments on the ASE Bell202 Dual-Channel Modem.

MODEM B

Dual Channel Modem

MODEM A
Off

T
X
L

R
X
L

C
D
L

T
X
L

R
X
L

C
D
L

On
Monitor
Mode

Page 104

Modem Adjustments

The modem contains six potentiometers as shown in the diagram above, three for
Channel A and 3 for Channel B. The adjustments control transmitter gain, receiver gain,
and carrier detect sensitivity levels. NOTE: There are two types of potentiometers that
are assembled in the modems. Most of the modems are supplied with white
potentiometers but some modems manufactured after 1998 have yellow or orange
colored potentiometers. The adjustment direction for these potentiometers is reversed
from the white potentiometers. Consequently, the meanings of cw and ccw are
interchanged.

Make sure you identify the type of potentiometer before attempting

adjustments.
The type of potentiometer can be determined by looking through the adjustment hole to
determine the color.

Adjusting Modems With White Colored Potentiometers

TXL Transmitter Gain - Factory setting is 1/8 of a turn from the
counterclockwise (ccw) end. Transmit levels range from 50 dBm in the
ccw direction to 6 dBm in the clockwise (cw) direction.
RXL Receiver Gain - Factory setting is of a turn from the
counterclockwise end. Receive sensitivity levels range from 6 dBm in
the ccw direction to 54 dBm in the cw direction.
CDL Carrier Detect Sensitivity - Factory setting is completely
counterclockwise. Sensitivity is 30 dBm in the ccw direction to 48 in
the cw direction.

Adjusting Modems With Orange or Yellow Colored

Potentiometers
TXL Transmitter Gain - Factory setting is 1/8 of a turn from the clockwise (cw)
end. Transmit levels range from 50 dBm in the cw direction to 6 dBm
in the counterclockwise (ccw) direction.

Page 105

RXL Receiver Gain - Factory setting is of a turn from the clockwise

end. Receive sensitivity levels range from 6 dBm in the cw direction to
54 dBm in the ccw direction.
CDL Carrier Detect Sensitivity - Factory setting is completely clockwise.
Sensitivity is 30 dBm in the cw direction to 48 in the ccw direction.

Page 106

RS-232 CABLE AND ADAPTER PIN-OUT

DB-25 Connector PIN-OUT
Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Signal Name
---TXD
RXD
RTS
CTS
DSR
GND
CD
------SCF
SCB
SBA
DB
SBB
DD
----SCA
DTR
CG
RI
CH/CI
DA
----

Signal Description

Protective Ground
Transmitted Data
Request To Send
Request To Send
Clear To Send
Data Set Ready
Signal Ground/Common
Carrier Detect
+Voltage
-Voltage
---2nd Line Detector
2nd Clear To Send
2nd Transmitted Data
DCE Element Timing
2nd Received Data
Received Element Timing
Unassigned
2nd Request To Send
Data Terminal Ready
Signal Quality Detector
Ring Detector
Data Signal Rate Detector
DTE Element Timing
Unassigned

Page 107

DB-9 Connector PIN-OUT

Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Signal Name
CD
RXD
TXD
DTR
GND
DSR
RTS
CTS
RI

Signal Description

Carrier Detect
Receive Data
Transmit Data
Data Terminal Ready

Signal Ground/Common
Data Set Ready
Request To Send
Clear To Send
Ring Indicator

DB-9 to DB-25 Adaptor

The following table illustrates the pin-out of a standard DB-9 to DB-25 adaptor.
DB-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

DB-25
8
3
2
20
7
6
4
5
22

Signal Description
DCD Data Carrier Detect
RXD Receive Data
TXD Transmit Data
DTR Data Terminal Ready
Com Common
DSR Data Set Ready
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
RI Ring Indicator

This type adaptor should be used whenever it is necessary to convert between a DB-25 and DB-9
connector.

Page 108

DB-25 Null Modem Adaptor (Standard)

The following table illustrates the pin-out of a standard DB25 to DB-25 Null Modem Adaptor.
Signal Description
Protective Ground
TXD Transmit Data
RXD Receive Data
RTS Request To Send**
CTS Clear To Send**
DSR Data Set Ready
COM Common (Sig. Gnd)
DCD Carrier Detect
DCD Carrier Detect
DTR Data Terminal Ready

DB-25M
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
8
20

DB-25F
1
3
2
8
8
20
7
4
5
6

Signal Description
Protective Ground
RXD Receive Data
TXD Transmit Data
DCD Carrier Detect
DCD Carrier Detect
DTR Data Terminal Ready
COM Common (Sig. Gnd)
RTS Request To Send**
CTS Clear To Send**
DSR Data Set Ready

**NOTE: Pins 4 and 5 (RTS, CTS) on both the DB-25 Male and DB-25 Female side are
tied together and connected to pin 8 (DCD) of the other side.

DB-9 Null Modem Adaptor (Standard)

The following table illustrates the pin-out of a standard DB9 to DB-9 Null Modem Adaptor.
Signal Description
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DCD Data Carrier Detect
RXD Receive Data
TXD Transmit Data
DTR Data Terminal Ready
COM Common (Sig. Gnd)
DSR Data Set Ready
RTS Request To Send**
CTS Clear To Send**

DB-9M
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

DB-9F
7
8
3
2
6
5
4
1
1

Signal Description
RTS Request To Send**
CTS Clear To Send**
TXD Transmit Data
RXD Receive Data
DSR Data Set Ready
COM Common (Sig. Gnd)
DTR Data Terminal Ready
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DCD Data Carrier Detect

**NOTE: Pins 7 and 8 (RTS, CTS) on both the DB-9 Male and DB-9 Female side are
tied together and connected to pin 1 (DCD) of the other side.

Page 109

ASE RS-232 Monitor Adaptor Cable

8 ft.
DB25 Female

DB25 Male
1 ft. (cable length)
Please label
connector "DCE"

Please label
connector "DTE"

DB25 Female
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
15
17
20
24
(DTE)

NOTES:
1. 24 Guage Wire
2. Unshielded Cable

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
15
17
20
24
34578

34578

Transmit Data
Receive Data
Request to Send
Clear to Send
Data Set Ready
Signal Ground
Carrier Detect
Transmit Clock
Receive Clock
Unused
Data Terminal
Ready

(DCE)

NOTE: Pins 4 and 5 are

jumpered within the
connector

APPLIED SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, INC.

TGEN-110 Monitor Adaptor Cable
Revision 2

Page 110

4/5/2001

ASE2000 KIT CONTENTS

The ASE2000 is provided in kit form with all the necessary software, cables, adaptors,
and documentation to configure an operational test set. The actual kit contents will vary
according to ASE2000 model and are detailed in the following sections.

Model ASE2000-USB-M

ASE2000 Software Installation CD-ROM. This CD contains both the

ASE2000 Application software installation files and the I/O driver files for the
ASE dual-channel BCOM-USB device and the SafeNet Pro / SuperPro
Security Plug (dongle).

ASE dual channel BCOM-USB device

USB Cable PC to BCOM-USB

USB to ASE 2-Channel Modem Power Cable

Two RS-233 Cables, each with a DB-9 Female connector on one end and a
DB-25 Male connector on the other end.

ASE Bell-202 or CCITT V.23 dual-channel modem and two RJ-11 cables
with fork-lug connectors (optional only with the BCOM-USB models)

DB-25 female-female gender changer

DB-25 null modem adapter

DB-9 to DB-25 adaptors

RS-232 monitor-mode adapter cable

ASE2000 documentation - ASE2000 Communication Test Set User Guide.

Model ASE2000-USB-RS

ASE2000 Software Installation CD-ROM. This CD contains both the

ASE2000 Application software installation files and the I/O driver files for the
ASE dual-channel BCOM-USB device and the SafeNet Pro / SuperPro
Security Plug (dongle).

ASE dual channel BCOM-USB device

USB Cable PC to BCOM-USB

Page 111

Two RS-233 Cables, each with a DB-9 Female connector on one end and a
DB-25 Male connector on the other end.

DB-25 female-female gender changer

DB-25 null modem adapter

DB-9 to DB-25 adaptors

RS-232 monitor-mode adapter cable

ASE2000 documentation - ASE2000 Communication Test Set User Guide.

Model ASE2000-COM

ASE2000 Software Installation CD-ROM. This CD contains both the

ASE2000 Application software installation files and the I/O driver files for the
ASE dual-channel BCOM-USB I/O card and the SafeNet Pro / SuperPro
Security Plug (dongle).

SafeNet parallel port (LPT) or USB dongle for desktop or laptop PCs. The
hardware dongle included in this package enables the ASE2000 software.

Two RS-233 Cables, each with a DB-9 Female connector on one end and a
DB-25 Male connector on the other end.

DB-25 female-female gender changer

DB-25 null modem adapter

DB-9 to DB-25 adaptors

RS-232 monitor-mode adapter cable

ASE2000 documentation - ASE2000 Communication Test Set User Guide.

Page 112

ASE2000 KIT COMPONENTS

ASE dual channel BCOM-USB device with two RS-232 cables,
USB cable, and BCOM-USB to ASE 2-Channel Modem power
cable

ASE Bell-202 / CCITT V.23 Dual-Channel Modem

Page 113

DB-25 Female-Female Gender Changer

DB-9 to DB-25 adapter

Page 114

RS-232 Cable with DB-9 Female and DB-25 Male

SafeNet USB Port and Parallel Port (LPT) dongle

Page 115

BCOM-USB DEVICE GUIDE

BCOM-USB Overview
BCOM-USB is a 2-channel, serial RS-232 device that connects to a PC through a USB port. This
device is intended to be used with the ASE2000 Communication Test Set and replace the BCOMPCMCIA board which, due to the eventual obsolescence of the PCMCIA / CardBus interface on
PCs may not be usable on newer PCs. In addition to handling the traditional byte oriented
protocols such as DNP3, Modbus, IEC 870-5-101, etc. the BCOM-USB will also handle bitoriented protocols such as Conitel 2020, CDC Type I and II, as well as SDLC/HDLC protocols.
Please see the ASE web site at http://www.ase-systems.com/DNP-3-protocol/DNP-3.asp for a
complete list of supported protocols.

BCOM-USB Device Description

The BCOM-USB device kit consists of the following items:

2-channel BCOM-USB device

Two DB-9 Female / DB-25 Male Cables
6 USB Cable with standard A / B connectors
6 Power cable to power the ASE 2-channel Bell-202 test set modem

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BCOM-USB Components
When provided as an Upgrade Kit to an existing ASE2000 Test Set kit with a PCMCIA card,
parallel port dongle, or USB dongle, the above components plus documentation and software
installation CD will be provided. The RS-232 Monitor Cable, DB-9 to DB-25 adaptors, NULL
modem adaptor, and gender changer from the original test set kit will be retained and used with
the BCOM-USB. The test set enabling device, BCOM-PCMCIA card or dongle, must be returned
as part of the Upgrade Procedure.
When provided with a new, complete ASE2000 Communication Test Set, the BCOM-USB
components together with the other standard test set kit cables and adaptors will be provided.

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The front of the BCOM-USB device has a USB connector for connection to a PC and LED
indicators for serial communication activity indications. Each channel has:
TX Transmit Data
RX Receive Data
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
CD Data Carrier Detect
ERR Error Indication

Front View

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The back of the BCOM-USB device has two DB-9 Male connectors and a Modem Power
connector. The +5VDC Modem Power connector (MDM PWR OUT) is only for powering the
ASE 2-channel Bell-202 Test Set Modem from the BCOM-USB device. IT MUST NOT BE
USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE!

Rear View

WHEN CONNECTING THE POWER CABLE BETWEEN THE BCOM-USB

DEVICE AND 2-CHANNEL ASE BELL-202 TEST SET MODEM, THE USB CABLE
BETWEEN THE PC AND BCOM-USB DEVICE MUST BE DISCONNECTED.

CONNECT ALL POWER AND RS-232 CABLES BEFORE

CONNECTING THE BCOM-USB DEVICE TO THE PC.

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The bottom of each BCOM-USB device contains a serial number which is used for device
registration and BCOM-USB license management. For certain support and upgrade situations,
you may be asked to provide this serial number.

Bottom View

BCOM-USB RS-233 pin-out

The following table illustrates the pin-out of the BCOM-USB 9-pin connectors.
DB-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Signal Description
DCD Data Carrier Detect
RXD Receive Data
TXD Transmit Data
DTR Data Terminal Ready
Com Common
RXCLKIN Receive Clock In
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
TXCLKOUT Transmit Clock Out

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BCOM-USB I/O Driver Installation

This section describes the steps necessary to install the I/O drivers for the BCOM-USB Device.
There are several sets of I/O driver distribution files for different versions of Windows and, for
Windows 7, a set of driver files for 32-bit systems and another for 64-bit systems. It is extremely
important that the correct set of files be used for the specific Windows environment. For
Windows 7 systems, a set of digitally signed driver files are provided for both the 32-bit and 64bit versions of the driver.
The BCOM-USB I/O Driver files are provided on the ASE2000 Communication Test Set
software distribution CD and are also available for download from the ASE web site at:
http://www.ase-systems.com/ASE2000-test-set/ase2000-downloads.asp
The digitally signed Windows 7 versions of the driver are available on the ASE web site and on
ASE2000 Communication Test Set software distribution CD Version 1.52 and later.
There are two separate sections below containing I/O driver installation instructions; one section
for Windows 2000 / XP / Vista and another section for Windows 7. Please note, a 64-bit version
of the BCOM-USB driver is available only for Windows 7.
There are many similarities in the driver installation instructions between Windows
2000/XP/Vista and Windows 7 but there are important differences so please follow the
instructions appropriate for the version of Windows being used.
Regardless of the version of Windows being used, the driver installation process will involve the
installation of two separate drivers for each of two serial I/O channels (COM Ports). There are
four components which Windows must install for a complete installation. As a result, there are
many repetitive steps which must be followed to insure a complete installation of the components
required for the BCOM-USB I/O driver. DO NOT ABORT THE INSTALLATION UNTIL
ALL COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED.
If installing from the ASE2000 Communication Test Set software distribution CD, insert the CD
in the PC. The CD is configured to auto run the ASE2000 Installation procedure so cancel out
of this operation. At this point, the Driver installation files can be copied to the PC hard driver
and installed from there or installed directly from the CD.

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BCOM-USB Windows 2000 / XP / Vista I/O Driver Installation

NOTE: If you are installing the BCOM-USB I/O driver on a Windows 7 system, go to the section
Windows 7 I/O Driver Installation.
The I/O driver files is distributed on the ASE2000 Installation CD as shown in Figure 1 below
and may also be obtained from the ASE web site at www.ase-systems.com.

Figure 1
The set of files will be the same whether obtained from the Installation CD or the web site and the
same set of files is used for Window 2000 / XP / and Vista.
Connect the BCOM-USB device to the PC using the supplied USB cable. Following the
connection, Windows will launch the New Hardware Wizard. This will be used for the I/O
driver installation.
1. When the following screen appears, select the radio button No, not this time and then
select Next.

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Figure 2
2. Select the radio button Install from a list or specific location then Next.

Figure 3
3. Browse to the folder containing the I/O driver installation files then select Next.

Page 123

Figure 4
4. On some systems, Windows will issue several warning messages that the Driver is Not
Certified. At each of these instances, select Continue Anyway.
5. When the Next button is selected, Windows will copy the driver files for the CDC
Applied Systems enumerator.

Figure 5
6. When the initial file copy has completed, the following screen will appear to indicate the
enumerator driver for the first BCOM-USB port has completed.

Page 124

Figure 6
7. Select Finish to proceed with the next phase. The same sequence of steps as illustrated
in Figure 2 through Figure 6 will be repeated to install the enumerator for the second
BCOM-USB port.
8. When the enumerator for the second BCOM-USB port has completed, the same screen
as shown in Figure 6 will be displayed.
9. Select Finish to proceed with installation of the BCOM-USB Comm Port portion of the
procedure.
10. The following steps are virtually identical to the steps described previously but will be
related to installing the second portion of the BCOM-USB driver files.

Page 125

Figure 7
Note, the message is for installing the usbcdcacm_6_12328

Figure 8
11. Please note, the files for installing the ASE BCOM-USB Comm Port are in the same
location as for the enumerator.

Page 126

Figure 9

Figure 10
12. When the files for the first BCOM-USB Comm Port have been copied, the following
screen will appear.

Page 127

Figure 11
13. As with the enumerator installation, the steps illustrated in Figures 7 through Figure 11
will be repeated to install the second BCOM-USB Comm Port.
Following the completion of installation for the second BCOM-USB Comm Port, a message will
appear in the lower right corner of the screen that:
Your New Hardware is installed and is ready to use
At this point, the driver installation is complete and the BCOM-USB is ready for use.
Following a successful driver installation, the Device Manager screen
(Control Panel > System > Hardware tab) will show the devices:

Ports (COM and LPT)

ASE BCOM-USB Comm Port (COMxx)
ASE BCOM-USB Comm Port (COMyy)

Universal Serial Bus Controllers

CDC Applied Systems enumerator
CDC Applied Systems enumerator
USB Composite Device

These entries are all associated with the BCOM-USB device. Also, since the BCOM-USB is a
Plug-n-Play device, the entries will only appear when the device in connected.

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Figure 12

Page 129

BCOM-USB Windows 7 I/O Driver Installation

NOTE: If you are installing the BCOM-USB I/O driver on a Windows 2000/XP/Vista system, go
to the section Windows 2000/XP/Vista I/O Driver Installation.
An example of the folder set on the ASE2000 Communication Test Set software distribution CD
is shown below. For installing on a Windows 7 64-bit system, browse to the IO Drivers
Windows 7\BCOM-USB\x64 or \x86. The \x86 folder is used on 32-bit systems and \x64 on 64bit systems. Once in the appropriate folder, the procedures are the same for 32 or 64 bit systems.

Figure 13
IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE: Windows 7 I/O driver installation is different from previous
versions of Windows and it is extremely important that the following instructions be followed
carefully to avoid an incorrect installation. The automatic driver installation feature of
Windows 7 does not work with the BCOM-USB driver. It is necessary to use the manual
installation procedure described below.
There are a number of steps involved for a complete installation of both COM ports for the
BCOM-USB device. It is extremely important that the step-by-step procedures described below
be followed completely.
1. In order to initiate certain steps of the installation, it is necessary to use the Device
Manager screen. From the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel and then select
Hardware and Sound.
Page 130

Figure 14.
2. Select Device Manager

Figure 15.

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The screen shot below, Figure 16, is similar to one you should see on your system prior to
installation of the BCOM-USB drivers. The Figure 17 screen shot illustrates the Device Manager
screen following driver installation.

Figure 16 Pre-Driver Installation

COM Ports

Enumerators

Figure 17 Post-Driver Installation

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In the Post-Driver Installation screen shot, there are two new sets of entries.
Under Ports (COM & LPT) the COM ports ASE-BCOM-USB Comm Port
(COM9) and (COM10) have been added and under Universal Serial Bus
controllers two CDC Applied Systems enumerator entries have been added, one
for each BCOM-USB COM port.
3. Identify the location containing the I/O Driver files to be used for the installation. In the
steps below, it will be necessary to point the windows installer to this folder. The files
can be obtained from the ASE2000 Communication Test Set installation CD or
downloaded from the ASE web site at:
http://www.ase-systems.com/ASE2000-test-set/ase2000-downloads.asp

Figure 18
This section contains the step-by-step instructions for the actual driver installation. Please follow
the steps carefully and verify the results of each step with the corresponding screen shots. Due to
system variations, some information may be slightly different but the general content should be
similar.
1. Connect the USB cable between the BCOM-USB device and the PC. Upon connection,
Windows will read certain device information from the BCOM-USB device and attempt
to locate a previously installed I/O driver for the device. Since no driver has been
previously installed, Windows will be unsuccessful in locating the driver and will display
the following screens. Initially, a small message block will be shown in the lower left
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corner of the screen indication the attempt to install the driver with a Click Here target
to display details.

Figure19
2. Click the indicated target to see the screen shown below. Depending on previous driver
installations, there are a couple of variations of screen content.

Figure 20

Figure 21
3. Since there are two COM ports, there will, in most cases, be two messages or two entries
for each step. When status for each ASEBCOM USB/2Ch Serial shows No driver
found, select Close
4. Refer to the Device Manager screen and there should be two new entries under Other
devices for the No driver Found BCOM-USB ports.

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Interim entries for

device where no
dri er fo nd

Figure 22

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5. At this point, manually direct Windows to install the drivers. Under Other devices, rightclick on the first ASEBCOM USB/2-Ch Serial entry and select Update Driver
Software. It is extremely important these entries are selected in the correct order so
that the COM ports will be assigned to the BCOM-USB ports in the correct order.

Figure 23

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6. When the following screen appears, select the second option, Browse my computer for
driver software.

Select this
option

Figure 24
7. Select the Browse button and browse to the folder containing the driver files. In the
example below, the system is a Windows 7 64-bit so the folder for the 64-bit version of
the driver, x64, is selected. If you are installing on a Windows 7 32-bit system, select
the x86 folder. When the correct folder has been specified, select Next.

Page 137

Figure 25
8. If digitally signed software from Applied Systems Engineering, Inc. has not previously
been installed on the PC, the following screen will be displayed. If the check box
<Always trust software from Applied Systems Engineering, Inc.> is checked before
selecting the Install button, this message will not be displayed in the future. Otherwise,
just select the Install button.

Figure 26
9. Windows will begin the driver file copy and install.

Figure 27

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10. Upon completion of this phase, Windows will display the following screen. Do not select
the Close button until the Device Manager screen updates showing the entry under
Ports (COM & LPT) and entry under Universal Serial Bus controllers as shown in Figure
29 or until the screen shot shown in Figure 30 is displayed. Note: Actual COM port
numbers will vary on different systems. If this screen is not displayed at this point, skip
to Step 11 below for an alternative procedure.

Figure 28
11. Upon completion of this installation phase, the Device Manager screen will be updated to
indicate the first ASE BCOM-USB Comm Port and CDC Applied Systems enumerator
have been installed.

Entries for first

BCOM-USB
COM port

Figure 29

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12. On some systems, Windows only performs a partial install in this phase and an additional
manual step is required to complete installation of the first BCOM-USB COM port. If the
following screen (or one similar) is displayed following Step 9.

Figure 30

13. To complete the COM port installation when this partial install occurs, right-click the line
containing the entry usbcdcacm_6_nnnnnnnnnn and then select Update Driver
Software.

Result of partial
COM port install

Figure 31
14. Windows will proceed with the COM port installation and will display the following
message when complete and the first BCOM-USB COM port will have been installed
and the Device Manager screen should appear as shown in Figure 29 above.

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Figure 32
15. To install the second BCOM-USB COM port, select (Right-click) the remaining
ASEBCOM USB/2-Ch Serial entry under Other devices then select Update Driver
Software and follow Steps 5 8 above.
16. When both BCOM-USB ports have been installed, the Device Manager screen will
appear as follows, the installation will be complete, and the BCOM-USB device ready for
use.

COM Ports

Enumerators

Figure 33

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BCOM-USB device Troubleshooting

The most common requests for technical support relating to the BCOM-USB device are
for I/O driver installation support or communication problems.
BCOM-USB I/O Driver Communication Problems
If the I/O drivers appear to be installed correctly but you are unable to communicate with
the device you want to test, the first thing to do is verify that communications through the
BCOM-USB device is working properly. To do this, the two BCOM-USB
communication channels will be connected together and two copies of the ASE2000
software will be used to verify communications. One copy will simulate Master operation
and the other will simulate RTU operation. Basically the ability to send and receive on
both BCOM-USB ports will be tested.
1. Connect the A and B BCOM-USB channels together using the two RS-232
cables together with a NULL modem adaptor and gender changer.

2. Use the following link:

http://www.ase-systems.com/downloads/BCOM-USB-Test.monx
to download the configuration file which will be used with the ASE2000 software
to send/receive data. Save the BCOM-USB-Test.monx file in a folder on the local
hard drive.

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3. Launch the first copy (instance) of the ASE2000 test set by double-clicking on
the BCOM-USB-Test.monx file name. Launch the second copy (instance) of the
ASE2000 test set by double-clicking on the BCOM-USB-Test.monx file name.
4. At this point, there should be two copies of the test set active but not
communicating.

5. On one of the test copies, select File > Simulate RTU or select the Simulate
RTU icon.
6. On the other test set copy, move the mouse pointer over the Data exchange
name in the Exchange List view then select File > Send Continuously or
select the Send Continuously icon.
7. At this point, if the BCOM-USB device is working properly, the screen should
look similar to the example below. In the Line Monitor view for each test set
window there should be a series of Data request and Data Response entries
in the interpreted data section and the following data in the raw data section:
--> 55 01 02 03 04 05
<-- 55 10 20 30 40 50

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8. If the test set screen looks similar to the above screen, the BCOM-USB device is
most likely installed and functioning correctly.

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ASE LICENSE/FIRMWARE UPDATER

ASE License/Firmware Updater Overview
This ASE License/Firmware Updater program will be used whenever a new BCOM-USB device
license or new device firmware must be installed.
The BCOM-USB device is the first ASE test set I/O device that utilizes on-board license
information and field updatable firmware that utilizes an update program rather than firmware
chip replacement.
Normally, the License will not need to be updated. However, for PCs running ASE2000 Version
1.47 or higher, where the BCOM-USB is replacing an ASE 2-Channel PCMCIA Card or Sentinel
Security Plug (dongle) as part of a BCOM-USB Upgrade transaction, the BCOM-USB devices
will be shipped with a 60 day license. The license will permit test set operation with the BCOMUSB device for up to 60 days (from the date of shipment) or 75 executions of the test set using
the BCOM-USB device. When the original test set equipment (PCMCIA card or Sentinel Dongle)
is returned to ASE, a new, unlimited, license file will be provided. If the unlimited license file is
not installed, the BCOM-USB will stop functioning. The only way to re-activate is to install a
new, unlimited, license.
Where the BCOM-USB is provided with a new test set purchase, the BCOM-USB will be
delivered with an unlimited license.
If the BCOM-USB has a Limited License, the following ASE2000 Test Set message will appear
each time a request to start communication is made. The specific date and allowed execution
count will depend on when the device was shipped and the number of times the test set
applications has been run under the Limited License.

Figure 34

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ASE License/Firmware Updater License/Firmware Updater

Operation
Following installation, the application will automatically launch. If a BCOM-USB device is
currently connected, the following screen will appear:

Figure 35
The values show in the boxes will be specific to the PC Com Port assignment, Serial Number of
the BCOM-USB device, and current firmware version number.
When the License/Firmware Updater is launched, it will attempt to locate a BCOM-USB device.
If one is not attached, the screen will look as follows:

Figure 36

Page 146

ASE License/Firmware Updater New License File Installation

New License files will normally be distributed via e-mail. Save the new License file in a
convenient place on the PC hard drive and start the ASE License/Firmware Updater program:

Figure 37
Select the New License File button and the contents of the default folder will appear. Browse to
the folder containing the new license file and select the appropriate file. Note, the Device Serial
Number is part of the file name.

Figure 38

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When you double-click on the file name or select Open, the program will write the new license
file to the BCOM-USB device. If the update is successful, the following message will appear:

Figure 39

ASE License/Firmware Updater New Firmware Installation

The ASE License/Firmware Updater is also used to install new firmware in the BCOM-USB
device. The BCOM-USB device was released in April 2009 and, although it underwent extensive
testing prior to release, it is possible that new releases of the firmware will be necessary to correct
problems found after shipment. Registered users will be notified by e-mail of new firmware
releases and new release notices will also be posted and available for download from the ASE
web sit at www.ase-systems.com.
Save the new Firmware file in a convenient place on the PC hard drive and start the ASE
License/Firmware Updater program:

Figure 40
Select the New Firmware button and the contents of the default folder will appear. Browse to
the folder containing the new firmware file and select the appropriate file. Note, the firmware
release number is part of the file name.

Page 148

Figure 41
When you double-click on the file name or select Open, the program will begin writing the new
firmware to the BCOM-USB device and a progress bar will be shown on the program main
screen.
If the update is successful, the message:

Figure 42
will be displayed. At this point, the ERR LEDs on the BCOM-USB device should be
alternating on and off (ping-pong). To activate the new firmware, it is necessary to power-off and
power-on the BCOM-USB device. This is accomplished by removing and re-connecting the USB
cable. After the firmware update and re-start of the BCOPM-USB device, the current firmware
version will be displayed on the ASE License/Firmware Updater main display page Firmware
Version: section.

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ASE License/Firmware Updater Program Installation

This section describes the steps necessary to install the ASE License/Firmware Updater. The
Updater is distributed on the ASE2000 Installation CD as shown in Figure 43 below and may also
be obtained from the ASE web site at www.ase-systems.com.

Figure 43
To initiate installation of the ASE License/Firmware Updater program, double click on the
setup.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.

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Page 151