We have taken great strides to make the transition from a static, paper-type format to a dynamic, web-based format. We believe that this site will substantially improve your ability to navigate through our documentation. Finding the right information has never been faster or easier. But, before you can fully take advantage of the features on this site, there are a few things that you need to know that will help you optimize your time and effort.

System Recommendations

It is recommended that you use a version of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 5.0+ browser to view this site. Although you will be able to view the pages with alternate browsers like Netscape Communicator, we have optimized our site for IE. You can download the latest version of Internet Explorer for FREE by clicking here.

This site has been organized into five core sections (manuals): Software, Sample Applications, Hardware, Utilities, and PDFs / Notes. Each core section may have up to four subsections, which will appear as clickable tabs below the main header. The Tech E-mail tab will appear on each section (except for PDF / Notes). This will link to a form page that will allow you to email our Technical Support team at MEI, provided that an Internet connection is available. Each core section (except for PDF / Notes) will have a "Download PDF" icon to the right of the subsection tabs. This icon will either be a direct link to its pdf version, or a link to a page that will list various pdfs of that particular section. (The PDF / Notes section is a compilation of all pdfs.) At any time, you may click on the MEI logo to return to the start page.

The Software section replaces the Software Reference Manual. This is where you can find information about each object, and look up various data types and methods. The tabs allow you to search by Object, Data Type, or Method. By its nature, this section is a comprised of several navigational tools; therefore, it does not have a keyword search like its Hardware and Utilities counterparts. The MPI Library Basics section is a valueable resource for users that are new to the MPI library and its object-oriented programming. These links will help any user become familiar with MEI's nomenclature and structure so that the reading and writing of code becomes more intuitive. The Topics and Sercos sections provide additional information on more advanced topics and Sercos-specific issues.

The Search by Object page, also lists all of the objects that makeup our MPI Library. You can click on any Object and it will take you to that Object's home page. Each object home page will have a description of that object, and a functional breakdown of all the Methods, Data Types, Constants, and Macros.

The Search by Data Type and Search by Method pages provide conditional pulldowns. Each of the 180+ data types and 510+ methods have their own description page, which includes the structure, a brief description, returns, and other relevant links. You can reach these pages by one of two routes. The example below shows 2 different ways of getting to mpiCompareFlashConfigGet.

The Sample Applications section replaces the Sample Applications Manual. This is a collection of several C-coded applications that demonstrate various functions. This is a good resource to use when you are writing your own application. There are two different ways of finding a specific application.

• Application Index - lists the applications alphabetically by their filename.
• Select by Function - lists the applications according to the type of function they demonstrate.

To view an application, simply click on it and you will be taken to an html version of the code. You can copy and paste code directly from these pages into your own code.

The Hardware section replaces the Hardware Installation Manual. This section details the proper installation of an XMP controller. Many users find it useful to have a printed copy of this section. You can always print out a copy of the Hardware Intallation Manual by using the pdf version. This section has provides three ways of finding information. You may browse through the pages using the Table of Contents, perform a Keyword Search, or look up a word in the Index.

The Utilities section replaces the XMP Software and Utilities Guide. Each chapter explains how to use each of our Utility tools: Motion Console, Motion Scope, VM3, and XMP Configuration Utility. A Keyword Search that searches within the Utilities section is also available.

The PDF/Notes section is a compilation of all the pdfs that are available of the documentation. The pdfs are divided into the following sections: Manuals, Release Notes, and Application Notes. This page also includes a few PowerPoint (ppt) presentations and an HTML Help file of our website.

To access a pdf, simply click on the icon. If you are using a pdf-supported browser, the selected pdf will open inside a new browser window.

To access a ppt, simply click on the icon. If you are using IE, the ppt will open inside a new browser window. If you are using Netscape, you will be prompted to open the file in PowerPoint. Likewise, if you prefer viewing the ppt presentations within PowerPoint, you may save the file and open it within PowerPoint.

To Save the file, right click on the icon, select Save Target As and save the file to a desired location like the Desktop. Open the file in PowerPoint.

The HTML Help file is extremely useful for software programmers who frequently use MSDN as a resource when writing code. The HTML Help file (support_motioneng.chm) can be used as a standalone file, or it can be integrated with MSDN. This is the best way to perform global searches of the documentation. Also, this will allow you to select an MEI-specific term like MPIMotorConfig in MS Visual Studio, hit F1, and the documentation for that data type will appear within MSDN! For more information about how to integrate MEI's documentation with MSDN, click here.

It is recommended that you use the pdfs for most print jobs. Although you can print pages from the browser, you will get the most consistent and reliable results from the pdf versions. If you do print within the browser window, it is important to click in the area of the page you want to print. Since the site uses frames in its design, you may accidentally print the wrong frame. To ensure that you print the appropriate frame, simply click inside the main body frame (on the text you want to print) to tell the browser which frame you want to print and go File > Print. The quality of a print job is NOT affected by whether or not you print using the browser's print feature or Acrobat Reader's print feature. Both print jobs will yield the same results.

The Hardware and Utilities sections have search engines that are specific to their section. Although there is currently no global search on the website, you can perform effective global searches by using the HTML Help files. See the section on HTML Help.