ACR-EX GUI

ACR-EX GUI is a graphical user interface for ACR-EX devices. It is a tool that allows you to configure and read out your ACR-EX devices.

Using the GUI

To manage the ACR-EX device, you need a Chromium-based browser (Google Chrome is recommended) and an optical probe.

Connecting to the GUI

1. Connect the optical probe to the computer via USB port.
2. Open the browser and navigate to ACR-EX GUI.
3. Put the device in IEC mode and connect the probe to the device.
   warning

   Firmware versions 1.1.5 and older have an IEC mode timeout of 30 seconds. If the device doesn't receive any commands in that time, it will switch back to the previous mode. This timeout is reset with every command received.

   info

   Firmware versions 1.1.6 and newer have an IEC mode timeout of 5 minutes.

4. Click on the Connect button. The optical head should be detected (make sure the driver is installed), select it and click on Connect.
5. If the device connected successfully, you should see the following screen and be able to navigate through the tabs.
6. Once the device is connected, the device will generate the key pair, which can be further exported into csv file. The device is then locked automatically, see password manager section for details.

warning

We recommend saving the csv files by export and storing them safely - use the password manager for that. This way, the device can be accessed by multiple different pcs - by importing the csv files.

Alternatively, and if interested, we may provide the files and configurations ourselves.

In case you need to recover the device, contact us at acrios@support.com

Reading the archive

1. Navigate to Read Archive tab and click on the Read Archive button.
2. The archive will be read and displayed in the table.

Configuring the device

warning

Beware, the device is locked by default once the configuration is saved for the first time. This means imported keys must be used to access it.

info

Due to compliance with RED DA security directive, the device is locked after the first configuration by default and requires use of *.csv files containing individual device keys in order to access the device. As mentioned above, after the first unlock in a browser on a pc, the device can be unlocked by using the same pc repeatedly without a need for csv file import, because it is stored in the browser.

1. Navigate to the Device Configuration tab.
2. You can either Load Config From Device or Show Default Values by clicking on the appropriate button.
3. Configure the device settings according to your needs.
4. Click on the Save Config To Device button to save the configuration. After successfully saving the configuration, you should see the following screen.
   warning

   If the device mode is changed (for example from Pulse Counter to Signal Tester), the device will automatically restart to apply the new configuration.

Setting the counter

1. Navigate to the Set Counter tab.
2. To load the current counter value, click on the Load Counter button.
3. To set the counter value, enter the desired values and click on the Set Counter button.
   interesting

   The GUI automatically parses downscaling ratios (e.g. 1:10, 1:100), number of decimal places, and extended display mode based on the entered pulse counter value.

   tip

   To set a custom ratio, number of decimal places, or extended display mode, first enter the desired pulse counter value, then adjust the other settings as needed.

Setting the time

info

The ACR-EX device automatically synchronizes the time on startup and on month change.

1. Navigate to the Device Time tab.
2. You can load the current time or the set timezone from the device by clicking on the appropriate Load button.
3. To set the time or timezone, enter the desired values and click on the appropriate Set button.
   tip

   By selecting the Sync Time with System option, the GUI will synchronize the set time and timezone with the system time of the computer.

   

Updating the firmware

1. Navigate to the Firmware Update tab.
2. Select the firmware file you want to upload by clicking on the Select Firmware button.
   info

   Firmware files are named acrex_X.X.X.fw, where X.X.X is the version number. The .fw is a custom extension used by ACRIOS Systems for firmware update files (NB-IoT devices). It is a binary file that contains the firmware for the ACR-EX device.

3. After selecting the firmware file, you can either click on the Update Firmware button to start the update process or also update the bootloader by selecting the Update Bootloader option.
4. If you selected the Update Bootloader option, you will need to select the bootloader file by clicking on the Select Bootloader Firmware button.
   info

   Bootloader firmware files are named acrex_tfw_X.X.X.fw, where X.X.X is the version number. The TFW in the filename stands for Transition Firmware. This type of firmware only updates the bootloader. It works by loading the new bootloader into application memory and updating the bootloader to the new version after the device is restarted.

   warning

   After the Bootloader update, only the bootloader is installed — the main application firmware is not present and must be uploaded manually.

5. After selecting both firmware files, you can start the update process by clicking on the Update Firmware button. The update process will start and you will see the progress bar. The bootloader is updated first.
6. The firmware update will start after the bootloader update is finished. You will see the progress bar for the firmware update.
7. After the firmware update is finished successfully, you should see the following screen.

Other actions

1. Navigate to the Other tab.
2. Click on the appropriate button to perform the desired action:
   • Exit IEC: Exits the IEC mode.
   • Reset Device: Resets the device to factory settings.
   • Battery Change: Resets the Coulomb Counter for consumed energy.
   • Switch To Bootloader: Switches the device from application to bootloader.
   • Manual Send Periodic Report: Sends a periodic report immediately, regardless of the configured periodic report interval.

Password Manager

warning

The Password Manager stores passwords in the local storage of your browser. This means the saved passwords are only available on the device and browser where they were added, and are not synchronized or stored on a server. The csv file can contain as many IDs as needed.

warning

Beware, the device is locked by default once the configuration is saved for the first time. This means imported keys must be used to access it.

info

Due to compliance with RED DA security directive, the device is locked after the first configuration by default and requires use of *.csv files containing individual device keys in order to access the device. As mentioned above, after the first unlock in a browser on a pc, the device can be unlocked by using the same pc repeatedly without a need for csv file import, because it is stored in the browser.

Locking the device

1. To open the Password Manager, click on the Key button next to the Connect button in the top left corner of the GUI.
2. When the Password Manager is opened, device IMEI and password are automatically loaded into input fields. You can save them by clicking on the Add button or by locking the device.
3. To lock the device, click on the Lock Device button. The GUI checks if the password is correct and locks the device. The device is also locked by default at any time, the configuration is saved.

Importing and exporting passwords

1. To import passwords, click on the Import CSV button and select the CSV file with passwords. The CSV file should have the following format:

   imei,password
   863266052122432,FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
   863266052123240,3CEE46621E5F05892A22FB2EBC5B67D5
2. After selecting the CSV file, the passwords will be imported and displayed in the table.

• To export passwords, click on the Export CSV button. The passwords will be exported to a CSV file named acr-ex_passwords.csv with the same format as described above.