Scale Indicator Setup

You can have Fusion connect to a scale indicator. The following are the requirements for the scale indicator model. You may need to contact the manufacturer to see if your indicator has this capability and for help in getting it in this mode.

General Requirements

• Have the ability to communicate with the computer via a serial port. It may be possible to use a serial to USB adapter or Bluetooth or even a wireless connection from the scale indicator, but it must be set up so that the operating system presents it to Fusion as a regular serial device. You will also need a serial cable that connects the indicator with the computer.
• Be set up to stream the gross weight to Fusion several times per second. We recommend 10 times per second, but it can work with as low as 3 times per second.
• The scale indicator is already correctly dampening the weights from the load cells. Fusion can be set up to apply a small amount of additional dampening, but this may not be enough if the scale indicator isn’t already doing this to your satisfaction.
• Other settings such as making sure the indicator doesn't go to sleep and making sure that all the settings needed for Fusion are set when the indicator is first turned on must be taken care of.
• Once Fusion is using the scale indicator, it is necessary that the scale indicator not be touched. For example, using the scale indicator to zero the weight would confuse Fusion.

You will need to check the indicator documentation or give the indicator company a call to see if a particular model is compatible with these requirements. Make sure they know which version of firmware you have since this often makes a difference, even with the same model.

If the indicator is compatible it will probably need some settings changed. Please consult the manufacturer for help in getting the indicator ready for use with Fusion.

You can have as many scale indicators connected as you want. Most people only need one, but if you are in a feeding situation where a loader mixes loads into feed boxes which are then dumped into delivery trucks, you may need to connect to multiple scales. This will work as long as each one presents itself on one of the serial ports in the computer.

Adding an Indicator

To add a new indicator, click the + button and then set it up as described below. To remove an indicator, select it in the Scale Head list and click the - button.

Serial Port Setup Tab

In the Indicator Setup window in Fusion, the Serial Port Setup tab is where you tell Fusion which serial port the scale indicator is communicating on and the parameters for connecting. An example value is shown to the right of each field, but you will need to consult the scale indicator manual to find out which settings to use.

Communication Setup Tab

This tab is where you can enter specific codes and other settings for communicating with the scale indicator after the connection has been made.

• Start using scale code. If Fusion needs to send a command string to the scale indicator to tell it to start streaming weights, enter the string here. Leave it blank if this is not necessary.
• Stop using scale code. Similarly, if Fusion needs to send a command string to the scale indicator to tell it to stop streaming weights, enter the string here.
• Streamed weight is prepended with. If the scale indicator sends one or more special characters before each weight it streams, enter the string here.
• Streamed weight is appended with. This field is not optional. The scale indicator must send one or more special characters at the end of each weight that is streamed to Fusion. Enter that string here.
• Weight Is Only Part of the String. If, after the prepend and append strings have been stripped off the string sent from the indicator the actual weight value is only part of the remaining string, you should turn this option on and specify which characters Fusion can find the actual weight from.

Device Setup

• Device Name. If you have multiple scale indicators, you can use this field to give each a meaningful name. This name is shown in the interface when you are switching scales and it is also stored with a load when it is made. If you are using an AHI micro machine that dispenses in multiple directions, it is important to name each scale head a special way. See Micro Machine Setup for details.
• Device Units. This is where you let Fusion know whether the scale indicator is streaming weights in kilograms or pounds. It doesn't matter which is used because Fusion will convert it on the fly as necessary.
• Weight Rounding. If you want Fusion to round the weights received from the scale indicator, choose a setting here. We highly recommend setting the device to not do any rounding and let Fusion round to whatever you want.
• Dampen Count. If you want Fusion to further dampen the weights from the scale indicator, you can enter how many values to average. For example, if the scale indicator was streaming weights to Fusion 10 times/second, and if you set a dampen count of 5, the displayed weight in Fusion would always be the average of the last 5 weights or about half a second worth. Leave it at zero for no further dampening.
• Timeout Seconds. If Fusion doesn't receive a weight from the device for so many seconds, it will show an error. You can set how many seconds it waits before timing out here. This is important so that Fusion realizes the device isn't sending new weights anymore instead of just thinking the same weight is sitting on the scale.

When you enter command strings in the first four fields, you may need to enter characters that don't have a keyboard equivalent. You can do this by entering the ASCII decimal value surrounded by less than and greater than signs. For example, the ASCII decimal value for a carriage return is 13 and could be entered into the command string as <13>. Fusion will convert these codes to the appropriate character during communication with the scale indicator.

If you need to enter a < or > sign directly, you will need to escape it with a backslash (\) character like this: \<. A backslash character can escape itself like this: \\.

While you can type the command codes in directly, Fusion makes it a little easier when you click the … button to the right of each field. After clicking any of these buttons you will see the command string on the right and a list of ASCII codes on the left. The list shows the ASCII symbol along with both the decimal and hexadecimal equivalents. Some scale indicator manuals will give you the special characters in decimal while others will give it to you in hexadecimal. Find the character you want and either Double-Click it or click the Insert button to insert that code into the command string. Click OK when you are done.

Gear Button

If you click on the button, you will be given a list of scale indicators to choose from. If you choose one of the indicators, the settings for all three tabs will automatically be filled in for you. Or you can choose one that is close to start with and make changes from there. If you have successfully set up a scale indicator that is not listed, please send us the model number and a screenshot of the settings and we will add it to the list in the next version of Fusion.

Saving Changes

Once the serial port settings and the communication setup settings are in place, you can click the OK button to save. If the Scale Indicator window is already open, you can also click the Apply button to give you a chance to try connecting to the scale without this window closing. This makes it easier to quickly test different settings until you find the ones that work.

Getting Here

You can open this window by clicking the appropriate Setup… button in the Physical Computer Management window.

Related Topics

• Physical Computer Management Window
• Serial Port Debugger Window
• Scale System
• Scale Indicator Window