Q: Will the Serial Port Adapter really work with any computer and any operating system?

A: Yes, as long as the computer has a working serial port, and the operating system allows the programmer, access to the serial port, the RTX Serial Port Adapter will be able to send and receive data in high speed mode or low speed mode, on any of its 4 channels.

Q: I'm not a programmer, does RTX provide any software for the Serial Port Adapter.

A: For its Windows© customers RTX sells a windows based Graphical User Interface (VORTEX), which will allow a user to send and receive any data on any channel, display the received data in engineering units, and store the received data onto a Excel compatable disk file. No programming is required by the customer.

Q: What kind of batteries or external power is necessary for the SPA?

A: None!! The RTX SPA requires no batteries or external power of any kind, other than the power supplied by the serial port itself.

Q: Is there any way to filter the incoming data so that only the labels of interest are received?

A: Yes, a standard feature of the SPA is label filtering. You can enable or disable any or all labels. If you are only interested in 3 labels, you can disable all the other labels (with a single command), and the SPA hardware will ignore them. The labels that are filtered in or out can be changed at any time.

Q: I don't have any serial ports available on my computer, is there any other way to hook up the SPA?

A: Yes, if you have a USB port, you can connect the SPA to the USB port with an adapter.

Q: Other than VORTEX, is there any other software packages available for the SPA?

A: RTX sells an ARINC 735 software package for for the SPA which will receive ARINC 735 data and will graphically display aircraft target position and information on a simulated RADAR screen.


Q: Can I use the SPA with LabWindows©?

A: LabWindows© can interface with any Windows© DLL. The SPA API is provided as a Windows© DLL.

 

 

Serial Port Adapter FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions