Follow these steps to get the BACnet client started up.

1. Connect your PC to the Babel Buster 485XL BACnet port (NET terminals next to power) via an RS-485 interface. This may consist of an adapter on a standard PC COM port, or a USB to RS-485 "dongle" with its manufacturer's drivers installed to make it appear as a COM port.

2. Initialize the stack. Select the COM port that your RS-485 interface is connected to or configured as. Select the baud rate. The Max Master count will default to 127 unless you enter some other number. The Babel Buster 485XL defaults to a Mac/Station ID of 1 and device instance of 2. Set the tool port to anything other than what the device is set to. If you are connecting to an existing network with multiple devices already installed, you will need to know what those devices are set to so that you can select port settings that do not conflict.

All of the settings shown in the Tool Port Settings box apply to the configuration tool only. It becomes another MS/TP device on the network. Click Init Stack. Once clicked, the BACnet MS/TP protocol stack will begin polling, and when you click Find, it will send "who is" looking for the device instance entered as Target.

NOTE: If you are uncertain of the station ID, device instance, or baud rate your Babel Buster 485XL is currently set to, hold the INIT button down for about 30 seconds (until you see red LED inside) after you power it up. (Wait for initial power-up red LED to go out, then hold INIT button until you see red LED again.) This will force it to reset with temporary defaults of station ID=1, device instance=1, and baud rate=9600. Out of the box as shipped, it will default to station ID=1, device instance=2, and baud rate=9600.

3. Look for your device. Until the stack finds your device, you cannot communicate with it. Enter the device instance your gateway is currently configured for (see note above), and click Find. This sends out the "Who Is" message.

You need to click Find once to send the initial Who Is, and click it a second time to see if you got a response. If you are lucky, you will get "Found device" right away, but you may need to click Find a few times.

4. Test the connection. Once MS/TP finds your device, you can test the connection by simply clicking Read. You will be reading Analog Input object #1 if you have not clicked anything else on the screen yet. You do not need to have any LonWorks network variables mapped to read a BACnet object. It will just return a value of zero. The example below illustrates reading an object from a previously configured gateway. This area of the screen is for diagnostics only, does not configure anything, and should always respond with a value when an object is read.

5. Proceed with configuration as applicable. You will now begin to use all other areas of the screen. Refer to the overall configuration tool help, and click on each area of the dialog box screen shot to review instructions for that area.