by Greg | Jan 14, 2011 | Software
This short video explains how to use a ODTR trace viewer called Traceview to view trace files. This is a basic tutorial which shows the steps required to view a OTDR traces. It demonstrates how to add traces, set up the screen view, scaling the display range, setting A and B cursor locations and selecting loss modes. View OTDR trace files on your...
by Greg | Jan 7, 2011 | Software
If you use an older OTDR for fiber testing then you know how much of a hassle it is to copy trace files from the OTDR over to the PC. To put this into a little perspective, transferring a couple hundred megs of trace data off of a CMA4000 involves copying data to a floppy disk over 150 times. And to boot it’s a manual process that take up entirely too much time! The UPLOAD FILE(S) option on the mass storage menu of the CMA4000/4000i allows the user to select a large number of files and initiate a remote copy process without having to copy to a floppy, and then to a PC or database. To accomplish this there are two things that you need. A null modem cable and the software utility OTDRcopy.exe. The null modem serial cable required is a DB-9 female to DB-9 female serial cable with a 9 pin male to female null modem. The OTDRcopy.exe utility is a small DOS program that can run from DOS or from a DOS shell in the Windows environment. It can be found on the CMA upgrade diskette version 3.18a or later. Follow the steps outlined below to transfer trace data files serially from the CMA (version 3.18a or higher) to a PC using the OTDRcopy.exe utility. 1. Using Windows Explorer, create a directory or subdirectory on the pc named OTDR copy (or something easily recognized) in which the OTDRcopy.exe utility will reside. This is also the directory or subdirectory where the files will be transferred to. 2. Copy the OTDRcopy.exe file from the CMA upgrade disk to the...
by Greg | Jan 4, 2011 | Software
One of my counter parts has been having problems a CMOS checksum error with his CMA4000 OTDR . The problem manifests itself once the on board battery begins to fail. A checksum is computed as an error-detecting code, to protect the BIOS settings stored in the CMOS memory. Each time the system is booted this number is recomputed and checked against the stored value. If they do not match, an error message is generated to tell you that the CMOS memory contents may have been corrupted and therefore some settings may be wrong The technical description from Anritsu as to why the problem appears: The CMA4000 and CMA4000i have a small lithium coin cell that, in the absence of power from the ACAdapter or the main battery, is used to preserve the contents of the system RAM disk as well the BIOSsettings and the real time clock. The life expectancy of this battery is approximately 5-7 years. If sufficient power is not available to preserve this memory, the unit will report a bad CMOS Checksum or System Battery failure during the Power-On Self-Test. I’ve listed out the recovery procedure below. This is a temporary fix. To cure the problem the battery needs to be replaced. The Recovery Insure that a proper main battery is installed in the controller. Connect external power from the AC Adapter. Confirm that the Battery LED indicates that the battery is charging (or is fully charged). Please read the following information BEFORE attempting to reset the memory. Timing is critical and success will be insured by reading this information. a. Locate the following keys on...
