INSTALLATION OF THE DRIVER
EN / USB Interface for Solar ChargeMaster / December 2008 5
3 INSTALLATION OF THE DRIVER
Mastervolt SCM Datacontrol USB Interface Driver
software is available as free to download software
on the Mastervolt website (www.mastervolt.com).
Install the software on the desktop of your PC or
notebook.
Installation of the software depends on the operating
systems used:
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista.
3.1 INSTALLING A DRIVER FOR THE SOLAR
CHARGEMASTER INTERFACE
3.1.1 Connection
In order to install drivers, you must connect the Solar
ChargeMaster Interface to a USB port of your
computer. To install the interface driver it is not
necessary to connect the Solar ChargeMaster to the
interface.
You only need to connect the interface cable with
the USB port of your computer.
For installing the drivers for the Solar ChargeMaster,
use the installation guide on the CD-Rom.
3.1.2 Operating systems
This chapter provides users of the Solar
ChargeMaster with a simple procedure for installing
the driver for their Solar ChargeMaster on USB-
capable Windows based PC systems. Use the
Subdirectory Windows 2000 if your PC is based on
Windows 2000 Use the Subdirectory Windows XP if
your PC is based on Windows XP. Please ensure
that older installations of the driver have to be
removed from the PC before the new driver is
installed otherwise you will get a corrupt driver.
3.1.3 Driver type
The driver type is the virtual COM port (VCP) driver.
The VCP drivers emulate a standard PC COM port.
These can be communicated with in the same
manner as any other COM port on the PC.
3.2 INSTALLING FOR WINDOWS 2000
Under Windows 2000, the Found New Hardware
Wizard should be used to install devices when they
are connected to the PC for the first time. Attempting
other methods for installing VCP drivers may corrupt
driver installation and result in the device becoming
unusable with the installation PC.
If a device of the same type has been installed on
your machine before and the drivers that are about
to be installed are different from those installed
already, the original drivers need to be uninstalled.
Please refer to the Uninstalling Solar ChargeMaster
Device section of this document for further details of
this procedure.
• Download the latest available “Windows 2000”
Solar ChargeMaster driver from the Mastervolt web
site or from your Mastervolt CD and unzip them to a
location on your PC (e.g. C:/MastervoltDriver).
• Connect the device to a spare USB port on your
PC. This will launch the Windows Found New
Hardware Wizard. To proceed with the installation
click “Next”.
Select “Install from a list or specific location
(Advanced)” and then click “Next”.
Check the box next to “Specify a location” and
uncheck all others.
• Clicking “Next” displays a dialog box for you to
enter the location of the drivers.
• Click “Browse” to display an open file dialog box.
Locate the folder containing the latest drivers
downloaded from the Solar ChargeMaster website or
the Mastervolt CD above and click “Open”, then click
“OK”. Once Windows has found the required driver
.INF file, click “Next” to proceed.
• Windows should then display a message indicating
that the installation was successful. Click “Finish” to
complete the installation. You now have installed the
serial converter. The COM port emulation driver
must be installed after this installation.
• After clicking “Finish”, the Found New Hardware
Wizard will continue by installing the COM port
emulation driver. The procedure is the same as that
above for installing the serial converter driver.
• Open the Device Manager (located in “Control
Panel\System” then select the “Hardware” tab and
click “Device Manger…”), the device appears as an
additional COM port with the label “Solar
ChargeMaster Port”.
