= BH8-262 Software setup =

== Host Computer ==
The BH8-SERIES control software was written for computers running Windows XP or Ubuntu 9.10.  The !BarrettHand Control GUI requires a good amount of CPU power and memory for running this wxWidgets based application.  Barrett Technology requires the minimum specs for using the corresponding operating system.  A processor with a CPU clock speed of 1 GHz or greater, 1 GB of RAM, at least a gigabyte of free disk space, and a modern graphics card is recommended.  Communications require a 9-pin serial port.

== Installing BH8-SERIES Control Software ==
The BH8-SERIES Control Software consists of the !BarrettHand Control GUI, firmware, example, and demo programs.  The !BarrettHand Control GUI is a graphical user interface that allows you to control the !BarrettHand™ quickly and easily.  The !BarrettHand Control GUI can be used to test Supervisory and !RealTime control sequences, determine communication loop rates, demonstrate functionality, help you learn how to independently write C++ code, and automatically generate  C++ code based on tested algorithms1.  Run the bhand*.exe installer on Windows or bhand*.deb on Ubuntu to install all necessary files that are included on a flash drive or obtained online for using the !BarrettHand Control GUI, the most recent version of firmware, online manuals, and example programs.