Technical Support

inRealTime™ technical support

Hertzler Systems provides three options for technical support for inRealTime:

  1. Browse the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

  2. The inRealTime Forum connects you to Hertzler technical support staff and other inRealTime users. You can post questions and comments on this moderated forum, or simply browse questions and responses that have already been posted.

  3. Personal assistance with inRealTime is available for a per-incident fee of $125. To use this service, contact Hertzler Systems Technical Support with a credit card number and any supporting documentation on your problem.

Frequently asked questions

Installation and setup

Running inRealTime

Traceability information

General questions

Installation and setup

What are the minimum system requirements for installing inRealTime on a computer?

  • Minimum CPU Speed: 200 MHz.
  • Minimum RAM: 128 MB.
  • Operating System: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT or Windows XP.
  • Adminstrator privileges for the installation process (not applicable on Windows 98).
  • Available disk space:
    • with Microsoft Access already installed: 7 MB.
    • if Microsoft Access is not installed: 20 MB.
  • There are no special video requirements.
  • If using RS-232 data collection, a serial port is required.
    Note: At this time, a serial converter plugged into a USB port will not successfully replace a true serial port for RS-232 data collection using inRealTime.

How big is the inRealTime download?

The inRealTime installer is about 25 MB in size.
A high-speed internet connection is recommended for downloading a file of this size.

How much disk space does an inRealTime installation take?

That depends on whether or not you already have Microsoft Access installed. If you do, inRealTime will only install its own files, resulting in an install of about 5 to 7 Megs. If the Access runtime has to be installed, inRealTime takes 20 Megs.

Is MINITAB required for installing inRealTime?

No. You can install inRealTime on a computer where MINITAB is not installed. However, your data analysis will be limited to the simple control charts and statistics provided by inRealTime. To perform more in-depth analysis of the data entered with inRealTime, consider purchasing and installing MINITAB.

Can I install inRealTime on a system where Gainseeker is already installed?

Yes. The two programs will not interfere with each other, even when installed on the same system. InRealTime uses its own .ini file, database drivers, data source name, and folder for installed files.

I have both MINITAB and inRealTime. Which one should I install first?

Install MINITAB first, so that the inRealTime installation program can add inRealTime to the MINTAB menus.

If you installed inRealTime first, you can still add it to the MINITAB menus. Install MINITAB, then re-run the inRealTime installation. This will update the MINITAB menus without affecting your inRealTime data, templates or license registration.

What If I have MINITAB installed on a different computer than the one with inRealTime?

No problem - you can still share the inRealTime data with MINITAB:

  1. On the computer with inRealTime, you can send a table of data values to a MINITAB file in a shared location (such as a folder on a network drive.
  2. On the computer with MINITAB, use the MINITAB File menu to open the saved file.

Can I install inRealTime on two computers and only have one database, so that both look at the same data?

Not a this time. inRealTime is designed to run on one computer, with all data saved to the hard drive.

If you need to run in a network environment where multiple workstations access the same database, you should consider the full Gainseeker Suite.

Can I reinstall inRealTime without losing my existing data and settings?

Yes. Reinstalling inRealTime will not affect your inRealTime data, templates or license registration.

How do I uninstall inRealTime?

In the Windows Control Panel, click Add/Remove Programs to uninstall inRealTime.

Running inRealTime

How can I enter my specific tag information?

Tag information can be stored in the inRealTime traceability fields.

The traceability fields can be renamed to meet your specific needs. Best practice is to rename the traceability fields before you enter any data with tag information, so that all tag information is entered for the traceability fields you have specified.

For further details, see Traceability Information.

What do I do when I am done entering data in a template?

Click the File menu, and then click Close. This closes the template and allows you to send the data to MINITAB.

Some templates provide a Data Entry Finished button with additional options. For information about finishing data entry on the template you are using, click the Instructions tab.

How much data is sent to MINITAB at one time?

The 25 most recently entered subgroups for this Critical Y/x are sent to MINITAB.

To change the number of subgroups sent to MINITAB, click the Session menu, click Retrieval Settings, and then change the number of data points used to calculate Control limits.

You can also download a template that allows you to choose the time period and the number of subgroups to send to MINITAB. For more information, see Downloading Additional inRealTime Templates.

Why does the data in the inRealTime table look different from the MINITAB table?

inRealTime puts all numeric data values for a subgroup in one row of the table. MINITAB expects each numeric data value in a subgroup to be on its own row.

Can I use devices other than Microridge for the 'RS232 Data Entry for MINITAB' template?

Yes. The device must use the same serial port settings as the MicroRidge. When prompted to Select MicroRidge input option, you must choose Press send button on gage to initiate reading.

The templates that come with inRealTime only allow a maximum subgroup size of 12. Can inRealTime handle larger subgroups?

Custom templates can handle subgroup sizes up to 72. Contact your Hertzler representative for information about custom template development.

The 'Simple File Data Entry' template can only read one column of data from a file. Can inRealTime do more complex file imports?

Custom templates can handle almost any text file format. The full Gainseeker product includes a Data Import Wizard that allows very sophisticated data imports without programming. Contact your Hertzler representative for information about custom template development, or about the Gainseeker Suite.

Traceability information

How many traceability fields are available?

inRealTime includes six traceability fields in addition to the date/time stamp.

The full GainSeeker product includes up to 48 traceability fields, in addition to the date/time stamp. For more information, contact your Hertzler representative

What kind of values can be stored in the traceability fields?

The date/time stamp must be a valid date and time.

The Shift field holds only a single character. The other five traceability fields each hold up to 30 characters. Valid characters include letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks.

My company does not use "Lot Number", but we would like to track our "Work Unit". Can this be changed?

Yes. The six basic fields can be renamed if you need something different. For example, you could change "lot number" to "work unit". One method for renaming these fields is to click the Setup menu and choose Traceability Lists. For more information, open your template and then click the Instructions tab.

Do I have to create a list of valid options for each traceability field?

No. When you enter traceability values during a data entry session, you always have the option to type in a value or select it from a list of valid options that you have defined.

When I create a list of valid options for a traceability field, how many options can I add to the list?

There is no built-in limit, though it could take a long time to scroll through a list that contains hundreds of values.

The full GainSeeker Suite allows you to define a short list of valid options for each user.

General questions

What if my question is not on this list?

Post your question on the inRealTime Forum, or contact Hertzler Systems for fee-per-incident technical support.

Contact Hertzler Systems

When you call for technical support

  1. Be prepared to provide your company name and inRealTime serial number and a credit card number. The cost for addressing one support incident is $125.

  2. If the problem is an error message, please be prepared with the exact text of the error message or a screen capture of the error, as well as the series of mouse clicks and keystrokes that seem to cause the error. Does the error occur on only one PC or on all?

  3. In some instances, knowing the operating system of the PC and the network operating system and version will be helpful.

  4. If possible place the call from the PC that is experiencing the error.

How to reach us

  • Hours: 08:00-17:00 Eastern Time, Monday - Friday.
  • Telephone: +1 (574) 533-0571 ext. 2
  • Email: support@hertzler.com

Version release status

inRealTime Version

Release Date

1.0

November 9, 2005

7.600

April 23, 2007