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Below are some of the more commonly asked questions about VSA. If you
don't find what you need here, feel free to contact us at TechSupport@BrookshireSoftware.com.
- What are the minimum system requirements?
- How do I order VSA?
- What are the limitations on the evaluation version?
- What is the
MiniSSC?
- What is the Pontech SV203?
- What is the SMI?
- How many devices can I control with VSA?
- How fast is VSA?
- How many events can I have with VSA?
- How do I get started with VSA & Demo VSA?
- Where can I get
updates for VSA?
- Can I use a joystick with VSA?
- What are the
differences between different VSA versions?
- What are the
Parallax, Pololu, PicoPic, and SSC32?
- What do I need to control DMX
devices?
- What is the K108A serial relay
controller?
- What LPT (parallel
port) relay controllers are available?
- What other vendor-supported devices are available?
- How does the Track Adjustment feature work?
1. What are the minimum system requirements?
Visit the
System Requirements page
for details.
2.
How do I order VSA?
The VSA is just a click away. Go to our
ordering
page. Also, email sales
for any information.
3. What are the limitations on the evaluation version?
The VSA demo
version, available here, is an excellent
way to see how VSA can meet your needs. VSA demo cannot load, save,
import, or export files. Otherwise, the demo version is completely
functional.
4. What is the
MiniSSC?
The Mini Serial Servo Controller (MiniSSC) is a PC controlled servo driver
board developed and manufactured by Scott Edwards Electronics,
Inc. It
connects to the PC's serial communications port at 9600bps or 2400bps and
controls up to 8 standard hobby servos. By linking several MiniSSC
boards in parallel, multiples of 8 servos can be controlled.
5. What is the
Pontech SV203?
The Pontech SV203, SV203B, and
SV203C are a series of Serial Servo Controllers (SSCs)
manufactured by Pontech.
It connects to the PC's serial communications port at 2400,
4800, 9600, or 19200bps and controls up the 8 standard hobby
servos. By assigning different addresses to each board,
multiple boards can be controlled when linked in parallel. The
SV203B/C also feature infrared, digital I/O, and on-board
program memory.
6. What is the
SMI?
The Serial Motor Interface (SMI)
is made by Mondotronics and available from the RobotStore.
The SMI requires a motor driver board (also from the RobotStore)
and provides speed control for up to two DC motors. When
using the SMI, VSA events act as accelerators, sending speed
information instead of positional information.
7. How many
devices can I control with VSA?
VSA can control 64 servos or
motors. These 64 devices do not need to correspond to
addresses 0-63, but can be mapped to other addresses.
8. How fast is VSA?
VSA uses "frames" as time units.
Each frame has a minimum 33mS duration, so VSA can issue a complete set of servo commands 30 times a
second. This means that you can command servos to new a new position 30
times a second. The frame rate can be adjusted to be as slow as 5 frames
per second.
9. How many events can I have with VSA?
The number of events is virtually unlimited with VSA.
VSA has been specifically engineered to execute at the
same speed regardless of the number of events or system.
10. How do I get started with VSA & Demo VSA?
Once you have
downloaded or
purchased
VSA,
consult this PDF Getting Started Guide.
The version of VSA comes with an integrated help file, as
well as technical support.
11. Where
can I get updates for VSA?
Currently, there are no updates
available for VSA v1.0 or v2.0. If you registered online,
you will automatically be notified of updates. If you
purchased VSA through a third-party, please
register
here.
12. Can I
use a joystick with VSA?
Yes, servo/motor positions can be
entered with a properly configured joystick. As you move
the joystick, the "virtual servo" follows the
action. Click here for more
information on how the virtual servo works.
13. What are
the differences between different VSA versions?
Lite, Full, Professional, and Custom builds of VSA were
variations on the VSA v1.0 engine. In late 2001, v1.0 was
replaced with the v2.0 engine. In 2005, VSA v3.0 replaced
VSA v2.0. Features from all previous versions of VSA were
combined in VSA v3.0. As a result, v1.0 and v2.0 products are
obsolete and no longer available. Visit the
features page for details about
version differences and reasons to upgrade.
14. What are
the Parallax, Pololu, PicoPic, and SSC32?
Visit our
SSC page for details
on these servo and relay controllers.
15. What do
I need to control DMX devices?
To control a DMX device from VSA,
you will need your DMX device (see our
DMX page) as well as a DMX
transceiver. VSA supports the
RAPU v3.2, the
Velleman VM116/K8062 USB-DMX, and the
ENTTEC Open DMX
USB controllers
16. What is the K108A serial relay controller?
The
K108A serial relay controller is an 8 channel relay
input/output module. According to the manufacturer, the
K108A can switch loads of 110V at 5A. The K108A can be
used with VSA and the RAPU v3.2 running at 9600bps.
17. What LPT (parallel
port) relay controllers are available?
Any board which uses the standard
D0-D7 binary outputs of the parallel port will be compatible
with VSA (see the VSA help file for more details). VSA
also strobes the nStrobe line during the write output. The
K74 Parallel Port Relay Board is an example of a
VSA-compatible parallel port relay card.
18. What other vendor-supported devices are available?
The following devices, though not supported explicitly by Brookshire Software, VSA, or the RAPU, are claimed to operate with VSA:
19. How does the Track Adjustment feature work?
The Track Adjusment applies a linear mapping to all device positions. For example, let's say you want to convert from MiniSSC positions (0-254) to Parallax positions (250-1250). Thus, we want to provide a mapping between the two ranges. Track adjust applies the equation y = m*x + b, where y is the new position, m is the scale, x is the old position, and b is the offset. We must solve for m and b to use track adjust:
y0 = m * x0 + b => 250 = m * 0 + b => b = 250y1 = m * x1 + b => 1250 = m * 254 + 250 => m = 3.937
So use scale = 393% and offset = 250 to convert from minissc to parallax. Note, you will need to assign the channel as a "Parallax Servo" first and set "Update Settings" to false.
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