Shared Phidgets Installation And Getting Started

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Step 1. Requirements:

  • Computer system: x86 based computer (64 bit not supported yet), running Windows XP, Vista, or 7.
  • Development: Visual Studio 2005 or 2008

Step 2. Installation:

  • Download the setup: SetupSharedPhidgets''' (ca. 6.5 MB)
  • Run the setup and follow the instructions to install the toolkit.
  • Download the file Utilities.zip
    • extract the ZIP file
    • put the content of this ZIP file into the folder c:\Program Files\GroupLab\Shared Phidgets\utilities\
    • Note: please put the files of the ZIP file directly into the folder, and not into a subfolder.
    • Please replace all previous/exisiting files in this folder.
  • Download the file SharedPhidgetsAppliance.zip
    • Please do NOT extract the ZIP file but put the ZIP file into the folder ..\My Documents\Visual Studio 2008\Templates\ProjectTemplates\
    • If this folder does not exists you have to create the folder manually.
  • Follow the instructions of how to include the Shared Phidgets controls to the Visual Studio toolbox.

Step 3. Connecting hardware and observing device status with the Explorer:

  • Run the SharedPhidgets Connector from the Windows program menu: GroupLab -> Shared Phidgets -> Connector
  • Connect a Phidgets component to your computer
  • Start the 'Explorer' from the Windows program menu: GroupLab -> Shared Phidgets -> Explorer
  • You can now see the connected Phidget component in the list of devices; after clicking on the device you will see a visual representation of the device properties and status on the bottom of the window.

Step 4: Start programming