Optional Equipment - Section 6 OM6008 02/03 Page 6-16 Payload Meter III Sprung Weight Data The payload meter is constantly monitoring the live payload calculation. This value naturally rises and falls for a loaded truck depending on road and driving conditions. The payload meter records the top 5 highest payload calculations and the time they occurred. This information is stored in permanent memory inside the meter. System Configuration PLMIII needs to be configured for operation when it is first installed on the truck. This process requires several steps and uses the laptop computer to make the necessary settings. The setup procedure can be broken down into several steps:
Connecting the laptop to the PLMIII system. Starting communications Setting the time & date Setting the truck type Setting the truck ID Setting the speedometer/display gauge units Maximum Speed Data The payload meter records the top 5 highest speeds and the time they occurred. This information is stored in permanent memory inside the meter. Installing the PLMIII Software The CD ROM containing the Payload Data Management (PDM) Software will automatically begin installation when it is inserted into the drive on the PC. If this does not happen, the software can be installed by running the Setup.exe program on the CD ROM.
PC Software Overview PC Overview The PC software has several basic functions: Configure the PLMIII system on the truck. Troubleshoot and check the PLMIII system. Download data from the PLMIII system. Analyze data from the payload systems. The minimum PC requirements for running the software is a Pentium 133Mhz with 64 MB of ram and at least 300 MB of free hard drive space available. For improved performance, the recommended PC would be a Celeron, AMD K6-2 or better processor with 128 MB of ram running at 400 Mhz. The PDM Software uses a powerful database to manipulate the large amounts of data gathered from the PLMIII system.
Using a more powerful computer and added memory to run the software can result in a significant improvement in performance. The software is written to use a minimum 800x600 screen resolution. Configuration, troubleshooting and downloading require a serial connection to the payload meter on the truck. Analysis can be done at any time without a connection to the payload meter. Payload data is downloaded from several trucks into one database on the PC. The database can be queried to look at the entire fleet, one truck or truck model. The data can be graphed, reported, imported or exported.
The export feature can take payload data and save it in a format that spreadsheet programs like Excel or word processing programs can easily import.