Chapter 2.

Getting Started
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Installation

Important Note:
After you unpack the instrument, please check the content carefully. You should find the
instrument, the USB cable, the electrode leads, the software CD-ROM and the User’s Manual. If
you see anything missing, please search carefully inside the box, since the missing items may be
mixed with the packing material. Please do not dump the packing material and box and report
any missing and damage immediately. You should not report missing and damage days later after
you open the packing box.
The instrument does not come with electrodes and other accessories. You need to order
them separately. If you ordered electrodes and accessories, please check carefully and compare
with the packing list. If you see anything missing, please search carefully inside the box, since
the missing items may be mixed with the packing material. Please do not dump the packing
material and box and report any missing and damage immediately. You should not report missing
and damage days later after you open the packing box.

Software:
The instrument will be controlled by an IBM PC with Windows 95/98/NT/Me/2000/XP
operating system. A free serial port or a USB port is required for communication between the
instrument and the computer.
Windows Vista can control the instrument properly, but it has two known problems. It
sometime can not display correctly. The program may not paint single pixel dots correctly and
leave blanks on some area of screen. It was not a problem for all previous versions of Windows,
not for Windows 7 either. You have to choose other legends (such as circle, square, triangle or
line) in the software for data plot to be shown completely. It also does not support all previous
Windows' help files, even the help file was developed using Microsoft development tools. This
problem can be solved by downloading KB917607 service pack from Microsoft website.
The current software is a 32-bit Windows application. It will not work under 64-bit
Windows
Windows 7 32-bit will not control the instrument properly. We are studying this issue.
Refer to your Windows User Manual to be familiar with Windows operation.
To install the software, insert the software CD-ROM. You can run "SET####.EXE" on
the CD-ROM directly to extract the files and the files will be automatically copied to the hard
drive. The default directory is C:\CHI. It is very important to use it for the program and
configuration files. The C:\CHI directory is used for the automatically generated configuration
file (*.cfg). When the program starts, it will always look for the existing configuration file in
C:\CHI directory. When the program ends, it will save the configuration file to the C:\CHI
directory. If the program can not find C:\CHI directory, the configuration files will be spread
everywhere. Next time the program starts, it will not be able to use the configuration file for
customized setting by the user. Once the files have been copied, you can use Windows Explorer
or File Manager to find the executable file "CHI####.EXE" in the C:\CHI subdirectory (or
folder). Double click the filename to start the program.

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The installation just copies all the files to the C:\CHI directory. After installation, you
should find CHI####.EXE (executable program), CHI####.HLP (help file) and some test data
files (*.BIN) in the C:\CHI directory. It is safe to delete any files in the C:\CHI directory later.
In the CD-ROM, you can also find the electronic version of the User’s Manual and the
USB Driver.

Hardware:
The system hardware installation is also easy and simple. After unpacking the
instrument, you should check the power lines. The A.C. voltage was preset in the factory and
is indicated in the serial number label on the back panel. If the A.C. voltage is correct, connect
the instrument to the power through the power cord.
Communication between the instrument and PC is through USB port (default setting) or
RS-232 serial port. However, you can only use one of them. If your use USB port for
communication, you need to install the USB driver (it comes with the software CD-ROM).
If your computer has a free serial port (9-pin male connector), it can directly communicate with
the instrument without installing driver. However, you need to find a 9F-25M serial cable (it does
not come with the instrument).
You need first to select the port for the communication. Please refer to Figure 2.1 for the
setting. A sliding switch on the rear Panel pointed by an arrow is used for setting. The left
position is for USB. The right position is for the serial port. You can use a flat screw driver to
shift the setting position.

Figure 2.1 Serial port or USB port switch selection. A sliding switch on the rear Panel pointed by
an arrow is used for setting. The setting shown above is for USB setting (by default).

To use a USB port for data communication, you need to install the USB driver. The USB
driver comes with the software CD-ROM. Or you can download it from our website
<http://www.chinstruments.com/Downloads.html>. It is not recommended to download from
USB chip manufacturer’s website. Please follow the procedure below:
1. Connect the USB port cable (comes with the instrument) between the instrument and
computer and turn on the instrument power.
2. Install the USB driver. It can be found on the CD with the software. You may need to
install twice. Please follow the prompt (you can find further instruction at the end of this chapter).

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3. Use Open Control Panel, - System, - Hardware, - Device Manager - Ports (COM &
LPT). Double click Ports and see what is listed. You should see CP2101 USB-Serial bridge with
a port number (such as COM1, COM4, etc). If you can not find CP2101 USB-Serial bridge listed,
the driver was not installed properly. You need to install again until you can see the device.
4. Start the instrument program. Using System command under the Setup menu. Select
the COM port number according to your PC COM port number. Click OK.
5. You are now ready to use the instrument. You may want to try Hardware Test under
the Setup menu first.
If you are using USB for communication, you need to turn the instrument on before you
start the program. USB is not a resident device. If you do not turn on the instrument but start the
program first, the program can not see the USB and can not register the port and it will later give
you "Link Failed" message.
The USB is really a USB-Serial adapter. It is a true USB, but it converts the USB to
serial port by using the software provided by the USB chip vendor. It is therefore provide no
specific advantages over the serial port.
If you use serial port for communication, connect the Com Port 25-pin connector at the
rear panel to the serial port of your PC. The cable is a 9F-25M serial cable. You can find it in
local electronic stores. You need to check the setting of the serial port you use. In Control Panel,
please find System. In System, please find Device Manage. In Device Manager, please find Ports
(COM & LPT), In Ports, please find the COM# that PC assigned.
Please use the System command under the Setup menu of the instrument software to find
what com port number setting is. You should have the com port number match with the PC
assignment.
If you consistently get "Link Failed" message, try other computers. The instrument we
delivered was turned on for a week and tested. Nearly in all the cases, the "Link Failed" message
is caused by the computer, either the port problem, or the setting.
Sometime, you may notice unreliable data communication. The unreliable data
communication could be due to some background tasks that generate interrupt. The serial port
data communication is based on interrupt. For some reason Microsoft Windows makes the
priority of interrupt for serial port lower and lower. Other devices, such as disk access, screen
saver, virus scan, internet connection, etc, will all generate interrupt that could interfere with the
serial port data communication. Please turn off the screen saver, disconnect internet connection,
disable virus scan program, and try again.
You should also not use network card. Network will generate background interrupt that
interfere with the data transfer between the PC and the instrument. You should disconnect the
connector to the network card.
Once the instrument and PC can communicate, you can connect the electrode leads to the
rear panel. The clip with green cover is for the working electrode, the white one is for the
reference electrode, and the red one is for the counter electrode. The yellow one is for the 2nd
channel working electrode. The black one is a sensing electrode. Please check the Appendix of
this User’s Manual for description of 4-electrode configuration and the sensing electrode usage.
The Cell Control on the rear panel can be used to control purge, stir, and mercury drop
dislodge. It is also used to control external adapters, such as CHI200B Picoamp Booster (working

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with only primary channel), CHI680 Amp Booster (working with only primary channel), CHI684
Multiplexer, etc. Please see the Appendix for more information.
If you have a Pine Instrument AFMSRX Rotator for RDE/RRDE, it is possible for the
instrument to control the RDE with the instrument. Two banana jacks on the rear panel will
provide a voltage of 0 - 10 V, corresponding to a rotation rate of 0 - 10,000 rpm.
You are now ready to use the instrument.

Testing

The instrument was tested before it was shipped. The “*.bin” files that come with the disk
are the data actually acquired with the particular instrument you received .
To test the communication between the computer and the instrument, start the software
and turn the instrument power on. Use the Hardware Test command under the Setup menu. If a
“Link Failed” message appears, you should check the connection and the port setting. You can
use System command under the Setup menu to see if the port setting matches the port in use.
If the hardware test results appear on the screen, the communication is working. You may
watch the hardware test results and see if everything is okay.
If you want to see if the system will run experiment properly, you can use a 100K ohm
resistor as a dummy cell. Short the reference (white) and counter (red) electrode leads, and
connect the 100K ohm resistor between the red/white clips and working (green) electrode clip.
Select the potential range between 0.5V to -0.5V through the Parameters command under Setup
menu. The sensitivity can be set at 1e-6A/V. Run the experiment through the Run command
under the Control menu. You should see a straight line with current from –5e-6A to +5e-6A.
To test the software performance, you can open a data file through the Open command
under the File menu. There are test data that come with the software. These are the actual test
results of this particular instrument. To open the file, select the file and click OK button, or you
may double click the filename. After you read the data, you can display or process the data. Try
all the commands under the Graphics and DataProc menus. If you don’t feel comfortable about
the changed data, you can reload the data through the Open command again.

Some Useful Tips

If you are familiar with Windows applications, you may not have any problem to use the
instrument. Most of the following tips are for users who do not have much experience with
Windows. However, some of the tips could be helpful to every one.
1. You should get familiar with the toolbar (a bar with many buttons under the main
menu bar). The toolbar provides quick access to the most commonly used commands. To know
the meaning of the command buttons, click the button and read the comments at the left-lower
corner of the screen.
2. To select multiple filenames for multiple file printing, overlay or parallel plots,
click the first file name you want to select, drag the mouse down while holding the left button,

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you will select successive files. If the files are scattered in the directory, you can select them by
holding the Ctrl key while click each filename.
3. If you see that the Y axis title is in wrong direction, you can use the Font
command under the Graphics menu to change the rotation angle of Y axis for printing.
4. To select a file or a technique, you can double click the item. It is equivalent to
click the item and then click OK.
5. To change the parameters, you can use the TAB key to go through each items. The
text in the edit box will be highlighted. You can directly type the new text. Sometimes, it is
much more convenient and faster than using mouse click and drag.
6. The internal noise of the instrument is quite low. The most common and most
serious noise source is the line frequency (60 Hz or 50 Hz). There are analog low-pass filters to
reduce noises. At a scan rate of 0.1 V/s, the automatic filter cutoff setting is at 150 or 320 Hz.
The line frequency will pass and noise appears. At a scan rate of 0.05 V/s, the cutoff frequency of
the filter is 15 or 32 Hz. The line frequency noise can be effectively reduced. The line frequency
noise can be reduced if the sample interval is set at multiples of the period of power lines. For
small signals and relatively fast experiments, faraday cage is strongly recommended.
7. To display data in different ways, use the Graph Options command under the
Graphics menu. Check Page 6-1 of this manual for available data display formats.

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Installing USB driver under Windows

(1) Find the CP2101 USB driver software on the software CD-ROM.

(2) Double click the file CP2101.EXE, the following dialog box will appear:

Click “Unzip” button to unzip the files to c:\CP2101 (by default) or other folder.

(3) Go to c:\CP2101 (or other folder), you will find a “SETUP.EXE” file. Double click this
filename, a following dialog box will occur.

Click “Install” button will start installation process. Wait long enough time until the
installation is completed.

(4) Connect USB cable (type A-B) from your computer to the instrument. The first time you
make the connection, the computer will prompt new USB device found and will
automatically look for the driver and further install it. Please wait until this process is
completed.

(5) This USB device is really a USB-Serial Port Converter. Under the instrument software, it
treats this device as a serial port. You need to find what port number is assigned to this
device. Please select Control Panel (from your computer Start menu at the lower-left corner) -
> Performance and Maintenance -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager-> Ports (COM

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& LPT). You will see the following information:

In this example, USB is assigned to COM5. This number may vary with different
computers. It may vary even with the same computer sometimes (quite rarely). You need to use
the System command under the Setup menu to set the com port number.
In the future, if you see “Can not open comport” error when you start the program, please
check Device Manager again and see what com port number is assigned. If the com port number
assignment is changed, you need to set the com port number in the program accordingly. If you
do not see CP2101 icon under the Ports (COM & LPT), please make sure if your instrument is
turned on and the USB cable is connected properly.
If you are using USB for communication, you need to turn the instrument on before you
start the program. USB is not a resident device. If you do not turn on the instrument but start the
program first, the program can not see the USB and can not register the port and it will later give
you "Link Failed" message.

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