Installing RT Box Target Support Package

Installation

  1. Please download the appropriate ZIP archive, extract it and move the folder PLECS_RT_Box e.g. to HOME/Documents/PLECS/CoderTargets.
  2. In PLECS, choose the entry Preferences... from the File menu (PLECS menu on Mac OS X) to open the PLECS Preferences dialog.
  3. On the Coder tab click on the Change button and select the folder HOME/Documents/PLECS/CoderTargets. The RT Box Target should now be listed under Installed targets.

Firmware Update

The firmware of the RT Box is stored on a SD Card which is accessible on the back side of the box. The version of the installed firmware is displayed in the Info tab in the RT Box web interface.

Follow these steps for updating the firmware:

  1. Turn off the RT Box. Remove the SD Card from the slot on the back of the box by pushing it in.
  2. Put the card into an SD card reader connected to your PC.
  3. Locate the new firmware: Open the directory containing the target support package, then open the folder PLECS_RT_Box\firmware. It contains a sub-directory versionnumber, e.g. 1.2.0, with another subdirectory rtbox1 (for RT Box 1 and CE) and rtbox2 (for RT Box 2 and 3). The firmware consists of three files: image.ub, BOOT.BIN and uboot.env.
  4. Copy the files image.ub, BOOT.BIN and uboot.env to the root directory of the SD card.
  5. Eject the SD card and remove it from the card reader.
  6. Place the SD card back into the slot on the back of the RT Box.
  7. Turn on the box and reload the web interface of the RT Box in your web browser. The new firmware version should be displayed in the Info tab of the RT Box Web Interface.

Set up Zeroconf

The RT Box uses the Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf) protocol to facilitate network communication without the aid of additional network servers. To use Zeroconf, the corresponding software components are required on your host computer (which runs PLECS). See the RT Box User Manual for instructions on how to alternatively use the RT Box without Zeroconf.

On Mac OS X, Zeroconf is integrated into the operating system.

On Linux, the avahi daemon and the libdnssd compatibility library must be installed. On Debian/Ubuntu Linux, the corresponding packages are named avahi-daemon and libavahi-compat-libdnssd1.

On Windows, Zeroconf is available through Apple’s Bonjour drivers, which may already be installed on your computer. Alternatively, you can install the appropriate mDNSInstaller package that is bundled with the Target Support Package. You find the 32-bit and 64-bit installer packages in the folder PLECS_RT_Box/bin/win.

Connect the RT Box

  1. Use an Ethernet cable to connect the RT Box to your local network or – if your host computer supports Zeroconf – directly to an Ethernet port on your host computer.
  2. Turn on the RT Box by flicking the power switch on the rear panel. The green Power LED at the front panel will turn on. When the RT Box has acquired a dynamic IP address from a DHCP server on the network, it will turn on the green Ready LED to indicate that it is ready to communicate.
  3. To test the network connection, open a web browser on the host computer and enter the address http://rtbox-0123456789ab.local, where 0123456789ab is the MAC address of the RT Box (without colons), which you find on a sticker below the SD card slot on the back.

Video

The video below provides basic instructions for setting up a PLECS RT Box.

If you are still having trouble connecting to the RT Box, view the following video on advanced network configurations.

To learn how to build a simple demo on the RT Box and configure its inputs and outputs, click here.