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ES Light-Industrial Installation Steps

Please Read Carefully

The "Setup" program will install the Boost.LAN Manager application.

  • Boost.LAN Manager application is the graphical user interface for locating and configuring all Brainboxes' Ethernet to Serial devices in Windows.

  • Boost.LAN is the COM ports device driver that you will use in Windows to access your ES ports as standard Windows COM ports. You need Boost.LAN Manager to install the Boost.LAN COM ports driver.

  • Neither Boost.LAN Manager or Boost.LAN is required if:

    1. Your application speaks directly to IP addresses. (E.g. using telnet or Win sock communication)
    2. You want to remotely change the settings of the ES device via web page access

Follow the instructions below to start the installation process.

Having Issues?

If you have any issues with installation, see the Troubleshooting section.

Connecting Your ES Device

  1. Connect the ES device to your local network by using an Ethernet cable and plugging into the Ethernet port connection. The ES Ethernet port will automatically detect the polarity of the Ethernet connection so both a straight through or crossover Ethernet cable can be used.

  2. Connect the power adapter or a DC power line (5-30V) to the ES power terminal block or jack connection.

    If using the Brainboxes PW-644 power supply ensures:

    • the wire marked "-" is connected to V-
    • the wire marked "+" is connected to V+
  3. When the Status LED starts shows a solid green light the device is ready to use.

  4. Connect the serial cable from your serial device to the port terminal block or DB 9 connector (depending on ES model) on the ES device. See the Technical Specifications for pin outs.

Important

Make a note of device MAC address (on the side of the ES device, XX-XX-XX-XX-XX) as you will need it to identify the device on your network later.

Windows Installation: Boost.LAN Manager Application (Windows 7)

  1. With the computer turned on, insert the Boost.LAN Driver CD. This should launch the Brainboxes Navigation Page

    note

    If the navigation page does not auto load, go to Start > My Computer > Right Click the CD and select Explore. This will open the CD in Windows Explorer for browsing the contents of the CD. Locate the "Setup" program on the CD and double click to launch. Proceed to Step 3.

  2. Click "Install" to launch the Boost.LAN Setup.exe program.

  3. Follow the on screen instructions to install the Boost.LAN Manager application

    Boost.LAN Suite 2.0 installer progress dialog showing installation in progress on Windows XP

    Boost.LAN Suite installer Windows Firewall Exception dialog prompting to allow UPnP network access

    Boost.LAN Suite 2.0 Installation Complete dialog confirming successful installation with Close button

  4. When installation is complete, you should see an icon labelled "Boost.LAN Manager" on the desktop.

Windows Installation: Device Driver (Windows 7)

  1. Double click the icon labelled "Boost.LAN Manager" on the desktop to open the application.

  2. Click on the "File > Find Devices" in the top left hand side of the window. This will find any Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial devices connected to your network.

    Boost.LAN Manager File menu expanded showing Find Devices option with F5 keyboard shortcut

  3. You can find your Brainboxes ES-device by selecting a device and matching it with the corresponding MAC address available in the left hand panel (see below). The MAC address of your device is located on a sticker on the side of the ES device.

    Boost.LAN Manager showing discovered ES-357 device with Device Info panel displaying model, IP address, MAC address, and Install Device task

  4. Once found, select the device and scroll to the "Tasks" section on the left hand panel.

  5. Click "Install Device".

  6. During the device installation you will see a timer symbol and the status of the device will be 'Installing driver...'.

    Boost.LAN Manager showing ES device with Installing driver status and timer indicator during driver installation

  7. Once the device is installed a pop up box will appear saying 'Your new hardware is installed and ready to use.'

    Windows Found New Hardware notification balloon confirming the new hardware is installed and ready to use

  8. In Boost.LAN Manager, the device will display a blue tick symbol showing that it is installed and the status of the device will be 'Ready'.

    Boost.LAN Manager showing ES-701 device with blue tick installed icon and Ready status confirming successful driver installation

  9. You can check the COM Number of the Port, by following the instructions in Finding your Brainboxes COM port. If you need to change the COM port number, see Advanced Configuration - Changing Your COM Label.

Windows Installation: Boost.LAN Manager Application (Windows 8)

With the computer turned on, insert the Boost.LAN Driver CD.

note

If the navigation page does not auto load, go to Start > My Computer > Right Click the CD and select Explore. This will open the CD in Windows Explorer for browsing the contents of the CD. Locate the "Setup" program on the CD and double click to launch. Proceed to Step 3.

  1. You will now see a purple pop up window as shown below. Click on it.

    Windows 8 desktop notification toast for Boost.LAN driver CD prompting to tap to choose what happens with the disc

  2. This will bring up a new menu. Select the 'Open folder to view files' option.

    Windows 8 AutoPlay menu for Boost.LAN disc with Open folder to view files option highlighted

  3. Click on the setup.exe file to begin the installation on the Boost.LAN manager application.

    Windows Explorer showing Boost.LAN 3.1 driver CD contents with setup.exe file selected for installation

  4. When you click on the setup.exe file shown above in step 3, you will then be presented with the below window. Press next.

    Boost.LAN Suite 3.0 Setup Wizard welcome screen on Windows 8 with Next button to begin installation

  5. After you have clicked next, the setup program will ask you to allow Boost.LAN Ethernet to Serial devices through your firewall. Enable the tick box to continue the installation procedure.

    Boost.LAN Suite 3.0 Windows Firewall Exception step with checkbox to enable Boost.LAN application exceptions

  6. You will now be asked to confirm whether or not you wish to carry on installing the software. Click next.

    Boost.LAN Suite 3.0 Confirm Installation step prompting to click Next to start the installation

  7. The software will now begin to install.

    Boost.LAN Suite 3.0 installation in progress with progress bar and Please wait message

  8. After the installation has finished, you will now see the below window. Click close.

    Boost.LAN Suite 3.0 Installation Complete dialog confirming successful installation with Close button

Windows Installation: Device Driver (Windows 8)

Double click the icon labelled "Boost.LAN Manager" on the desktop to open the application.

  1. Click on the "File > Find Devices" in the top left hand side of the window. This will find any Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial devices connected to your network.

    You can find your Brainboxes ES-device by selecting a device and matching it with the corresponding MAC address available in the left hand panel (see below). The MAC address of your device is located on a sticker on the side of the ES device.

    Boost.LAN Manager on Windows 8 with File menu open showing Find Devices, ES-246 discovered with Driver Not Installed status

  2. Once found, select the device and scroll to the "Tasks" section on the left hand panel. Now click Install Device as shown below.

    The device will now begin to install. During the device installation you will see a timer symbol and the status of the device will be 'Installing driver...'

    Boost.LAN Manager on Windows 8 showing ES-246 device with Installing driver status in progress

  3. In Boost.LAN Manager, the device will display a blue tick symbol showing that it is installed and the status of the device will be 'Ready'. Shown below.

    Boost.LAN Manager on Windows 8 showing ES-246 installed with Ready status, COM Ports panel listing Port 1 as COM8 RS232

  4. You can check the COM Number of the Port, by following the instructions in Finding your Brainboxes COM port. If you need to change the COM port number, see Advanced Configuration - Changing Your COM Label.