C-Map DPS USB User Manual
C-MAP Dealer Programming System
USB Version
User Manual
May 17th, 2002
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Index
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.0 SETTING UP YOUR DPS USB........................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 M INIMUM PC SPECIFICATION ......................................................................................................................................................3
1.2 CONNECTING THE DPS TO YOUR PC...........................................................................................................................................4
1.3 INSTALLING THE DPS USB SOFTWARE ......................................................................................................................................4
1.4 TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................................................................................................................................4
2.0 RUNNING THE DPS USB SOFTWARE........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 THE TOOL BAR ................................................................................................................................................................................6
W ORLD CHART INFORMATION .............................................................................................................................................................6
3.0 SELECTING YOUR C-CARD .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.0 PROGRAMMING YOUR C-CARD................................................................................................................................................. 8
4.0 EXCHANGING OR UPDATING A CARTRIDGE.......................................................................................................................10
5.0 PRINTING LABELS ........................................................................................................................................................................11
6.0 VERIFYING/TESTING CARTRIDGES ........................................................................................................................................12
6.1 FULL CARTRIDGE VERIFY TEST .................................................................................................................................................13
6.2 CHECKSUM VERIFY TEST .............................................................................................................................................................13
6.3 BLANK CARTRIDGE TEST ............................................................................................................................................................13
7.0 ERASING CARTRIDGES ...............................................................................................................................................................13
8.0 CREDIT HANDLING AND PROGRAMMING REPORT .........................................................................................................13
8.1 A DDING CREDIT ..................................................................................................................................................................................14
8.2 CARTRIDGE PROGRAMMING REPORT ..............................................................................................................................................15
9.0 CHANGING THE SCREEN COLOURS.............................................................................................................................................16
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INTRODUCTION
The USB Dealer Programming System (DPS USB) is designed to allow dealers and distributors to demonstrate to potential
customers any available C-MAP NT title and to then program a blank cartridge with the required data. This has many
advantages over the usual choose/order/wait for delivery approach, including; low stock inventory, improved customer
service, faster delivery, etc.
The DPS USB system, consists of the programming unit which can program C-Cards or PCMCIA cartridges, the DPS USB
software which runs under Windows and two CD-ROMs that contains all the available C-MAP NT chart files.
The Price Class, according to their coverage, detail and specific cartographic features, classifies chart files. Possible Price
Classes for NT+ charts are Inland+, Local+, Standard+, Wide+ and SuperWide+.
Chart files for a particular area can be opened and then viewed, programmed and verified.
On-line label printing is also supported and in the future will allow catalogue page printing for the currently selected cartridge.
The DPSUSB software is distributed in two versions: USA version and Europe – Rest of the World version.
The Europe - Rest of The World version of the software allows the dealer to upgrade (program with the updated version of the
same chart title) or exchange (program with another chart title) the customer’s cartridges.
The Dealer costs are split into two parts:
1. The Blank Cartridge Hardware Cost (invoiced when you buy blanks for stock).
2. The Data + HO Royalty cost.
The total of these two costs when invoiced is equal to the Recommended Retail Price of a programmed cartridge less your
agreed discount.
Note that all the costs displayed in the DPS software are for the End User. The dealer is invoiced these costs less agreed
discount.
The programming unit is pre-configured with a maximum credit value. As cartridges are produced, this credit value decreases
until there is not enough credit available to produce any cartridges more. Then the Dealer needs to request additional credit
from C-MAP, which involves sending a Programming Report to the nearest C-MAP office. C-MAP needs the Report to
compute royalties for the Hydrographic Institutes. The Dealer will then receive a 12-digits Credit Code that will add the credit
to the system and will clear the Programming Report.
The USA version of the software allows dealers to program charts on pre-formatted, which means also pre-paid, blank
cartridges. The cost of a pre-formatted blank already includes data cost and royalties so, when a cartridge of this type is
programmed, the dealer’s credit is not decreased. If a not-formatted blank is used, credit is decreased as previously described.
1.0 SETTING UP YOUR DPS USB
Your DPS USB kit consists of the following items:-
? One DPS USB programming unit
? One type A-B USB cable
? The DPS CD-ROMs
When you order your C-Card blanks, you will receive a set of card labels, clear plastic C-Card holders, graphic inlays and foam
inserts. Should you not receive all of these items please contact your local C-MAP office.
1.1 Minimum PC Specification
In order to run the software, you will need an IBM compatible PC with the minimum specification detailed below:
Minimum Recommended
USB equipped PC USB equipped PC
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16 Mb RAM 64 Mb RAM
Windows 95 OSR2 with USB support Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
Vga (640x480, 16 colors) 1024x728, true color
This program does not run under Windows NT 4.0 or previous. USB support is missing on this operating system
1.2 Connecting the DPS to Your PC
When you first receive your DPS USB kit, connect the USB cable to the PC’s USB port. Don’t plug the cable into the
programmer, yet; this has to be done later on, when you are installing the software.
No DC power supply is needed: the programmer will receive power directly from the USB cable when you will connect it.
1.3 Installing the DPS USB Software
The software is designed to run under Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. To
install the software simply insert the CD-ROM and Run the ‘SETUP.EXE’ program (included on the CD-ROM).
The automatic install program will lead you through the installation, copy all required files in the specified directory on your
PC’s hard drive, register the program and setup the Icons. At the end of the software installation, a special setup for the USB
drivers needed by the programmer is automatically launched. You are finally prompted to connect your programmer unit to the
USB cable, and then the Plug & Play driver installation task is performed, in a way that depends on the operating system you
are using. Windows XP users are warned that the drivers are not digitally signed. This warning has to be ignored by clicking
on the “Continue Anyway” button.
1.4 Troubleshooting
When the program starts, it checks for the presence of the DPS hardware. If it is unable to find it, shows a Message Box (see
figure 1).
Figure 1
Check that the USB cable is properly connected to the PC’s USB port and to the programmer. The programmer’s front panel
red LED must be continuously on. This ensures that the unit is powered-on and the drivers are properly installed.
If the LED is off, the programmer is faulty; contact C-MAP to have it promptly substituted.
If you see that both LEDs (red and green) are blinking, the drivers are not properly installed. Browse to the Windows Control
Panel / Device Manager and look for an entry named “C-MAP USB DPS programmer” under the “Universal Serial Bus
Controllers” category. You should see a yellow exclamation mark beside. Select “Driver” / “Update Driver”, then use the
available directory list box to browse to the hard disk location where a backup copy of the drivers is placed.
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The default location (if you didn’t choose an alternative install location during the software setup) is c:\Program Files\C-
MAP\DPS USB Drivers\Win95 or c:\Program Files\C-MAP\DPS USB Drivers\Win98_ME_2000_XP. Choose the right location
depending on your operating system, then click OK. Click on NEXT, then follow the on-screen instruction and wait for the
installation to complete.
2.0 RUNNING THE DPS USB SOFTWARE
After installing the software, you should find a new C-Map DPS USB Icon in the Start Menu / Programs folder called C-Map
DPS USB and on your desktop as well. To run the program, simply double-click the icon. After a slight pause, a Splash Screen
will be displayed which displays the s/w version and date. A status bar at the bottom of the window indicates the program’s
progress as it loads and checks the available C-Card files.
Once loading is completed, the World Background Map is displayed (see figure 3). The initial position displayed defaults to
zero degrees for both Lat and Long, just off the coast of West Africa.
Menu Bar Tool Bar
Figure 3
Cartridge Information Bar Cursor Position Bar
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The user interface of the DPS USB software is designed to be very simple to use. All major functions are either accessible from
the Menu Bar or the Tool Bar. The cursor can be moved around the screen using the mouse or pointing device and the
cursors Lat/Long position is constantly displayed in the bottom right hand Cursor Position Bar. Panning to another area of the
chart is achieved by pressing the Left Hand Mouse button. As soon as the LH mouse button is pressed the screen redraws
centering on the current cursor position. For example, to quickly pan to the East simply move the cursor to the right hand side
of the screen and press the LH mouse button - repeat this process as necessary.
Until you select a C-Card (see section 3.0), you can only zoom between the four World Background chart levels.
2.1 The Tool Bar
World Chart Information
Open Print Zoom In/Out Program C-Card
3.0 SELECTING YOUR C-CARD
In order to view or program a specific c-card, you must first select the c-card required. There are two ways to select your
cartridge.
1. If the customer knows the cartridge he requires, click on the Open C-Card Icon. This will then display the c-cards database
(see figure 4) allowing you to select your c-card.
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To select the c-card scroll the blue selection bar down using the arrows, or type in the code number i.e. NA-C307.03 which will
automatically highlight that C-Card. Once the blue selection bar is highlighting your required c-card, click on the Open button.
After a few seconds the chart will be loaded into memory. The screen should now show the chart borders for the selected C-
Card and its ordering details will be displayed in the cartridge information window (bottom left of the screen).
2. If the customer is not sure which cartridge he wants but requires a C-Card to cover a particular area, simply place the cursor
in the middle of the area required and press the right hand mouse button. A shaded area will now be displayed on the World
chart, along with an information box (see figure 5) showing the c-cards available, which cover that area. If you click on each
listed c-card in turn, the shaded area will change to show the coverage of the highlighted C-Card. Once you have found the
best C-Card for that area, click on the OK button to select the C-Card and load it in to memory.
Figure 5
Once you have selected your C-Card and loaded it in to memory using either of the two methods described, it is now possible
to view all of the charts within the C-Card, to program the C-Card or to update/exchange an existing C-Card to this C-Card. It is
also possible to query objects that are displayed on the chart by placing the cursor on, say, a Buoy and pressing the right
hand mouse key or to find out what charts are included on the c-card by clicking on the Information icon which displays a
chart list for the selected C-Card (see figure 6)
Figure 6
The above chart list provides a definitive list of all the original paper charts that are included in the current selected C-Card.
However, it is not possible to print this list in the current version of the DPS program. This feature will be added in the future.
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The C-Card will remain in memory until the DPS program is exited or the World Icon is clicked on - which unloads the current
C-Card and returns the program to the initial World Chart display.
3.0 PROGRAMMING YOUR C-CARD
To program the currently selected c-card, refer to the C-Card Information Window in the lower left corner of the screen. Here it
will indicate the memory size of the blank cartridge required to produce the c-card. From your stock of blanks take the correct
sized blank and insert it into the relevant slot on the front of the DPS USB unit. Please note that the unit has three slots; two
for C-Cards and one for PCMCIA cartridges which are currently only used by JRC plotters and SCS Electronica’s Logbook PC
software. Although there are two c-card slots, it is only possible to program one c-card at a time, however it does not matter
which c-card slot you insert the blank c-card into.
Once the correct blank cartridge is inserted into the DPS USB and you are 100% certain that the currently selected c-card is the
c-card required, click on the Program Icon. The program will then display a choose device window (see figure 7) which allows
you to select the cartridge to be programmed if more than one cartridge is inserted in the DPS USB unit. To avoid costly
mistakes, we suggest that you only ever fit one cartridge into the unit at a time - in which case the program will select the slot
that the cartridge is fitted to by default.
After selecting the cartridge slot to program click on the OK button. The DPS USB program now checks the contents of the
cartridge to be programmed and displays a window (see figure 8) indicating if the cartridge to be programmed is blank.
If the cartridge already has data, it will have to be erased prior to programming (see section 4.0 - Updating/Exchanging a C-
Card).
Figure 8
Figure 7
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If you are happy that the correct cartridge is fitted in the correct slot, click on the OK button. Now the program will display the
very important Cost Window (see figure 9), which details how much the customer will pay for the new C-Card.
Figure 9
The Cost window details how much credit you have available, how much the new cartridge will cost the customer.
If an update or exchange is being programmed, this window also shows how much credit the customer will receive for his old
cartridge.
For new cartridges, programmed onto a blank cartridge, the cost is simply the retail price (ex. VAT) that the customer is
expected to pay. For full details of the pricing structure and how much you will be invoiced check the latest DPS Pricing
Information from C-MAP.
It should be noted, that in the Cost window, all prices listed are Retail (end-user) prices excluding VAT. This has been done
intentionally so that if a customer is present during the viewing or programming stage that he/she will only see retail prices
and not discounted dealer prices.
The Cost window is the very last window to be displayed prior to cartridge programming. If for any reason, you do not want to
program the cartridge, click on the Cancel button to terminate the process and not be charged for the programming.
Figure 10 Figure 11
If you accept to go on with the cartridge programming click on the OK button. Now a Programming Window will appear (see
figure 10) which has a status bar that displays the progress of the cartridge programming operation and the green LED on the
DPS unit will flash.
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Depending upon the cartridge type, it takes on average 40 seconds to program every 1 Mbytes of data, so even in the worst
case of a 16 Mbytes cartridge, the maximum programming time is 11 minutes. If the programming is successful, then a Cartridge
Programming Successful window will appear (see figure 11).
Whilst the Programming Window with the status bar is displayed, it is possible to cancel the programming operation by
clicking on the Cancel button. If this occurs, the DPS USB program stores the fact that the programming failed and you will not
be invoiced for this cartridge.
If you do need to cancel the programming operation, it will be necessary to Erase the Cartridge - see section 7.0.
Upon successful programming of a cartridge, the DPS USB program stores details about the cartridge programmed in the
Cartridge Programming Report - see section 8.2.
4.0 EXCHANGING OR UPDATING A CARTRIDGE
As well as programming new blank cartridges, the DPS USB program allows existing cartridges to be updated or exchanged. If
a customer wishes to update his cartridge or have the contents of an existing cartridge changed to a different area, first select
and load into memory the new cartridge data to be programmed onto his/her cartridge.
Do not erase the customer’s cartridge. When updating/exchanging a cartridge, it is very important that you let the program
detect what data is on the existing cartridge and then let it automatically erase this old data prior to programming the new data
onto the cartridge. If you do not follow this procedure, then you could end up being invoiced for a more expensive new
cartridge sale and not an update/exchange.
Once the new data to be programmed into the customers cartridge has been selected and loaded into memory, insert the
customers existing cartridge and click on the Program Cartridge Icon. The program will now read the customers cartridge and
detect that the inserted cartridge already has data on it. It will display a warning window and ask you to confirm that you wish
to overwrite the new data over the existing cartridge data (see figure 12). If the new data is too large for the existing cartridge
then a warning window will be displayed (see figure 13). If this occurs, you will need to use one of your stock cartridges of the
correct size instead of re-using the customer’s own cartridge. Contact your local C-MAP office to report this occurrence, as
they will need to credit you the difference in hardware cost of the new cartridge compared to the customer’s original cartridge.
Figure 12
Figure 13
Clicking on the OK button will confirm that you wish to update/exchange the cartridges data content, whilst clicking on the
Cancel button will return to the chart display and leave the cartridge content unchanged.
If you confirm the update/exchange then the program will now display the Cost Window (see figure 14), which details the cost
of the update/exchange. The previous content of the cartridge generates a Credit Back that is subtracted from the full cost of a
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new cartridge. The Credit Back is computed as the 70% of the less expensive content between the new and the old. This
mechanism has been designed to avoid the possibility to have to give money back to the customer.
Figure 14
If you and the customer are both happy with the update/exchange cost shown, click on the OK button otherwise click on the
Cancel button to return to the chart display and leave the cartridge content unchanged. If you confirm that you wish to
update/exchange the cartridge, then the program will first Erase the cartridge and then program it with the new data.
During this Update/Exchange operation, it is not possible to Cancel the Erase and Program sequence, once it has been
initiated, so it is important that you are 100% sure that everything is correct prior to pressing the OK button.
Once the new data has been programmed onto the cartridge, the program stores all of the information about the old cartridge
and what it has been updated/exchanged to in the Cartridge Programming Report - see section 8.2.
5.0 PRINTING LABELS
Once a cartridge has been programmed or updated/exchanged, it is necessary to print a new label for the cartridge.
To print a label, click on the Print Icon. The program will then display the Print Label Window (see figure 15). If a C-card has
been previously selected, the program will fill the fields for the label text.
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Figure 15
From the Print Label window, you can change the number of labels to be printed and specify the label position that the next
label should be printed on. This allows additional labels to be printed on label sheets that have already been used. At the
bottom of the window is a position correction option that allows a print offset to be specified to cater for differences in label
sheets and printers. Once the position correction has been setup for the printer used, it should not need to be adjusted again.
To print the labels, insert a label sheet into the printer and click on the Print button. The labels will then be printed on the
current default windows printer unless another printer is specified in the Print Setup option.
6.0 VERIFYING/TESTING CARTRIDGES
Once a cartridge has been programmed and a label produced for it, it is good practice to test it prior to supplying it to the
customer. Although the DPS USB program reads and verifies every byte of information it programs onto the cartridge, it does
not hurt to verify the cartridge after programming. Also these tests can be used for cartridges returned by customers because
they are suspected to be faulty.
There are two methods of testing a cartridge: Full Verify or Verify Checksum. The latter method is slightly faster as it simply
adds up all of the bytes of data in the cartridge and compares it to the checksum stored at the beginning of the cartridges
memory.
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6.1 Full Cartridge Verify Test
To do a full cartridge Verify, select and load into memory the same cartridge data as the cartridge to be tested has programmed
in it. Then select the Verify option in the Card menu. The program will then compare every byte of data in the cartridge to the
data loaded in memory. If a byte of information fails to compare correctly, then the program reports a failure.
6.2 Checksum Verify Test
To do a Checksum Verify, select the Verify Card Checksum option in the Tools menu. The program will add up all of the bytes
of data in the cartridge and compare the result to the cartridges checksum. If the two values are different it will display a fail
window, if they are the same it will display a correct checksum window and also display the actual checksum value.
It should be noted, that you do not have to select and load into memory the cartridge data for the cartridge to be Verified. The
Checksum test purely tests the data in the actual cartridge and so can be used even for older cartridges not included on the
CD-ROM. However, if you do have the cartridge data loaded into memory, you can do a further test by comparing the
checksum in the cartridge to the checksum in the master cartridge file on the CD-ROM. To do this select the Verify File
Checksum option on the Tools menu and then ensure that the checksum printed at the end of the test is the same as that
displayed at the end of the Verify Card Checksum test.
In most cases, the Verify Card Checksum test is the best method of testing a programmed cartridge.
6.3 Blank Cartridge Test
To test whether a cartridge is blank, select the Blank Check option in the Card menu. The program will now test every byte of
data in the cartridge to ensure that they are all blank. This test is very rarely required, but is sometimes useful for checking
stock or unknown cartridges. If the first few bytes of the cartridge are blank, then it is very likely that the rest of the cartridge
is blank. If after a few seconds the Blank Check is still running and has not displayed a failed window, then it is fairly safe to
assume that the cartridge is blank and to stop the test by clicking on the Cancel button.
7.0 ERASING CARTRIDGES
Occasionally, it may be necessary to erase a cartridge. In normal operation, there should be no reason to erase a cartridge but
if you have a cartridge that fails to program or that has a defect, then Erasing the cartridge may cure the problem. To erase a
cartridge, place the cartridge into one of the DPS unit’s slots and select the Erase option in the Card menu. The program will
prompt you to select the slot that the cartridge is fitted in and then when you click on the OK button, immediately start Erasing
the cartridge. It takes about half the time to erase a cartridge as it does to program one and when the program has completed, it
will display and Operation Complete window. Click on the OK button to return to the chart display.
8.0 CREDIT HANDLING AND PROGRAMMING REPORT
The DPS USB unit has internal memory that stores details (Programming Report) of all of the Cartridges that are programmed.
In order to control the invoicing and HO royalty collection, C-MAP need to be sent the Programming Report file at least once
per month. This can either be done by sending the Programming Report file on a floppy disc or as an e-mail attachment or by
printing the report and faxing it through to C-MAP.
When you receive the DPS USB system, it will be pre-programmed with a certain credit value. As you program cartridges, this
credit value will reduce until it reaches zero or a very low value. When this occurs, it will not be possible to program any more
cartridges until your local C-MAP office issues you with a new credit value.
To view your currently available credit, select the Programmer Status option in the Tools menu. A window will then be
displayed (see Figure 14) that shows the Programmer Status. This window shows all the information about the DPS USB
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programmer unit, although the only item normally of interest is the Available Credit. A Low Credit Warning occurs when the
Available Credit value is less than the value needed to program a SuperWide+ C-Card.
Figure 16
When your Available Credit value starts to get low, it is necessary to increase the Available Credit in order that cartridges can
continue to be programmed. This involves contacting your local C-MAP office - see section 8.1, Adding Credit. It should be
noted that Credit can be added at any time and it is not necessary to wait until the Low Credit warning occurs.
8.1 Adding Credit
Select the Add Credit option in the Tools menu. The program will now display an information window that details the
procedure to follow (see figure 17), click on the Continue button to proceed or the Cancel button to return to the chart display.
Figure 17
Once you click on the Continue button, the program will then ask you where to save the DPSREP.TXT file, that the program
creates when adding credit (see figure 18). This file is a text file that contains the Cartridge Programming Report and lists all of
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the programmed cartridges since the last time that the Add Credit function was initiated. This file must now be sent to your
local C-MAP office by e-mail or copied to a floppy disk and sent by post.
Figure 19
Figure 18
It is recommended that you make a printout of the DPSREP.TXT file prior to sending it to C-MAP. This should then be filed as
a permanent record of the cartridges you have produced and which you will now be invoiced for.
When C-MAP receives the DPSREP.TXT file, they will produce a special Credit Code numb er that will be faxed/e-mailed to
you. When you receive this number, select the Add Credit option again in the Tools menus. This time, instead of displaying
the Add Credit window shown in figure 17, a new window will be displayed (see figure 19).
At this window, you should type in the Credit Code number that C-MAP has sent you. Then click on the Continue button,
and the program will tell the DPS unit that it’s Available Credit value has been increased to the new value authorized by C-
MAP. Also at this stage, the program will clear the current Cartridge Programming Report up to the point where the Add Credit
function was run.
It should be noted that after you have run the Add Credit function and sent the DPSREP.TXT file to C-MAP, it is possible to
program more cartridges (as long as you have enough credit) before you enter the Credit Code and increase your credit.
8.2 Cartridge Programming Report
It is often desirable to view or print the Cartridge Programming Report to see what cartridges have been programmed. In order
to do this, select the Programming Report option in the Tools menu. The program will now display a window similar to that
shown in figure 20.
It is possible to scroll up/down through the report or scroll left/right to see additional details using the Slider bars. From this
window it is also possible to print the report by clicking on the Print button or save a Text file (DPSREP.TXT) to disk by
clicking on the Create File button. Alternatively, once you have finished viewing the Report, click on the Close button to
return to the chart display.
It should be noted that Printing or saving the Report File from this window does not initiate the Add Credit function and can
be done at anytime for record keeping purposes.
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Figure 20
9.0 CHANGING THE SCREEN COLOURS
When demonstrating cartridges to customers, it is often useful to show what a chart will look like on a Mono LCD or CRT
chart plotter. The DPS program can emulate these displays by selecting Color, Grey or Green Levels in the Options setting of
the Tools menu (see figure 21). Simply select the required display option and click on the OK button.
Figure 21
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