2 Getting Started

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2.1 Requirements

Overview

The Control Center software is offered as a 32-bit binary and it is compatible with 64-bit operating systems. The following sections describe the requirements to run Control Center. Be sure the device driver has been installed before plugging in the Aardvark adapter. Refer to the Software section of the Aardvark datasheet for additional information regarding the driver and compatibility.

Windows

The Control Center software is compatible with Windows XP (SP2 or later, 32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit). The software will run on 64-bit systems as a 32-bit application. Windows 2000 and legacy 16-bit Windows 95/98/ME operating systems are not supported.

Linux

The Control Center software has been designed for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5 with integrated USB support. Kernel 2.6 is required. The software will run on 64-bit systems as a 32-bit application, provided that 32-bit system libraries are available.

Mac OS X

The Control Center software is compatible with Intel versions of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard. Installation of the latest available update is recommended.

Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter

Version 3.50 of the Control Center software requires an Aardvark adapter that runs version 3.40 or greater of the firmware.

Aardvark adapters with version 2.1 or greater of the hardware will be able to use the target power and configure I2C pullup functionality.

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2.2 Installing Control Center

The Control Center software is a self-contained application. Installing the software is as easy as unarchiving the software package. To install the Control Center:

1. Download the latest version of the software from the Total Phase website.

2. Unzip the zip archive to your desired location.

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2.3 Launching the Control Center

Windows

Figure 7: Control Center Directory
This is what the directory should look like after the software has been extracted.

1. Go to the folder where the software package was extracted.

2. Click on “Aardvark GUI.exe”

Linux

1. Go to the installation directory where the software package was unzipped.

2. Run >./aardvark-gui

Mac OS X

1. Go to the installation directory where the software package was unzipped.

2. Click on “Aardvark GUI”

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2.4 Operating the Control Center

After launching the Control Center, you will see the screen in figure 8.

Figure 8: Initial Screen
After first launching the Control Center, the Aardvark Adapter must be configured.

An Aardvark adapter must be configured for use before the Control Center software can be used to send and receive any messages. Configuring the Aardvark adapter binds the instance of the application with an available Aardvark unit until the adapter is disconnected or the application is terminated.

Configure the Aardvark Adapter

Figure 9: Configure Aardvark Adapter Window
The Configure window is organized in two major sections: the list of available Aardvark adapters and the list of operational modes.

The configuration window (figure 9)is organized into two sections: the list of available Aardvark adapters and a list of operational modes.

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List of Available Aardvark Adapters

In the configure window, there is a list of all the available Aardvark adapters that are connected to the computer. If no Aardvark adapters appear in the list, then there are no available units connected to your computer.

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Refresh List

To see an updated list of Aardvark adapters attached to the computer, simply click on the “Refresh List” button to rescan the USB bus. Please note that Aardvark adapters that are in use by other applications are no longer available and consequently do not appear in the list of available units.

The list of Aardvark adapters provides the following information:

Port

The port that the Aardvark adapter occupies. The port number is a zero based number. For more information about USB port assignments, please consulting section 3.4: USB Port Assignment of the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter datasheet.

Hardware Version (HW Ver.) & Firmware Version (FW Ver.)

For more information about version numbers, please consult the Aardvark I2C/SPI Embedded Systems Interface datasheet, Sections 3.5 Aardvark Dynamically Linked Library – Versioning and 3.6 API Integration into Custom Applications – Versioning.

Serial Number

The serial number of the Aardvark adapter.

I2C, SPI, and GPIO

Supported modules. “Yes” indicates that a module is supported. “No” indicates that a module is not supported.

Operational Modes

On the right side of the window is a list of the six operational modes: “I2C + SPI”, “I2C + GPIO”, “SPI + GPIO”, “GPIO Only”, “Batch Mode” and “I2C Monitor”. Select the radio button next to the desired mode.

The mode of the Aardvark adapter can be changed after the unit has already been connected, see Section 2.3 Reconfiguing the Aardvark Adapter.

Once you have selected the Aardvark adapter and the desired mode, click on “OK” to continue.

The port and serial number of the Aardvark adapter will appear in the status bar at the bottom of the window to indicate which Aardvark adapter is bound to this instance of the application.

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2.5 Reconfiguring the Aardvark Adapter

After the Control Center has been configured with a specific Aardvark adapter, it is possible to change the Aardvark adapter and/or the mode that it is operating in.

Change Mode

To change the mode but continue using the same Aardvark adapter go to the menu item:

Aardvark

Select the desired mode and the Control Center will be automatically reconfigured to reflect this selection.

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2.6 Powering Downstream Devices

It is possible to power a downstream target, such as an I2C or SPI EEPROM with the Aardvark adapter’s power (which is provided by the USB port). More information about powering downstream devices can be found in the Aardvark I2C/SPI Embedded Systems Interface datasheet.

NC/+5V (Pin 4): I2C Power

NC/+5V (Pin 6): SPI Power

By default, these pins are left unconnected at the time of shipping. For Aardvark adapters with hardware versions 2.00 and greater, these pins can be enabled through the Control Center software. Simply go to the menu item: Aardvark | Target Power.

A checkmark indicates that power will be supplied to downstream devices on both pins.

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2.7 Disconnecting the Aardvark Adapter

The Aardvark adapter can be disconnected from the current application. To do so, go to the menu item: Aardvark | Disconnect.

When disconnected, the application will return to the starting screen.

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2.8 Exiting the Application

To exit the application, go to the menu item: File | Exit Application.