Supplemental information

Serial cable pin assignments

The image below shows the pin assignments for the 9-pin RS-232 serial connector.

Circuit board connector

The LI-830 and LI-850 circuit board has a connector that can be used as an alternative to the DB-9 and USB connectors on the case, or if your instrument was provided without a case in the OEM configuration. The terminals are labeled on the board.

Dimensions

Figure A‑1. Dimensions for the versions with no case. All dimensions in inches unless indicated otherwise.

Details on the serial connection

If you are experiencing difficulty connecting to the instrument, here are some tips that may help resolve the issue.

Serial communication parameters

The LI-830 and LI-850 can communicate through a RS-232 serial port on the front of the instrument. You may need to set the communication parameters on your computer or your terminal emulator program. The RS-232 port is configured as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) with no hardware handshaking. It is bi-directional, meaning information can be transferred both into and out of the instrument. The port is configured as follows:

  • Baud Rate: 9600 bps
  • Data Bits: 8
  • Parity: None
  • Stop Bits: 1
  • Flow Control: None

Finding your Windows serial port

Although unlikely, you may need to manually identify your serial port before you can connect with the instrument. Here's how to find it in Windows:

  1. Press the Windows key (), type in Device Manager, and press Enter.
  2. Expand the entry called Ports (COM & LPT).
  3. Look for USB Serial Port (COM#).

Your serial port number is indicated by the number.

Connecting with a Windows terminal program

If you have trouble connecting using TeraTerm, you may need to change the serial settings. Under Setup > Serial Port, you can set the baud rate, data bits, parity and stop bits, as described in Serial communication parameters.

Connecting with a Mac terminal program

There are many terminal programs available (in addition to Mac's built in command prompt). Most modern programs will work, and you will not need to identify the port on a Mac.

We tested a terminal program for Mac called Serial. Serial is available from the App Store and the developer: https://www.decisivetactics.com/products/serial/

Typically, you can connect to the instrument immediately without making any changes to the configuration. The program will automatically identify serial devices and allow you to select the analyzer from a list. You can, however, set the baud rate, data bits, parity and stop bits under Terminal > Settings, as described in Serial communication parameters.