Gene Vogel
EASA Pump & Vibration Specialist

Periodically, members will need to update computer systems with EASA's AC Motor Verification & Redesign (ACR) software program installed. The procedure for moving the program to a new computer depends on the version of the currently installed program. Early in 2022, an update was released with a modified database structure, and installation of the update included an automatic restructuring of the data tables for members’ redesigned motor history. Therefore, if a member's current installation has not been updated, the procedure for moving the program to a new computer will include the update and automatic data table changes.

When moving the program to a new computer in all cases, it is recommended that a new copy of the program installation file be downloaded from the EASA website, easa.com. Members should log in to their website account with their EASA credentials and click the My Account tab at the top of the page. Members should then select the Downloads item in the middle of that page. A list of the EASA downloadable products will be displayed. Select “AC Motor Verification & Redesign - Ver. 4 (Windows) - Download” from the list. The program installation file will be downloaded to your computer. If the program is not listed, contact EASA Member Services regarding your purchase of the program. The download for the program installation file can also be found by searching for “Update” from the EASA home page and selecting “Important Software Update” from the results. Of course, you must be logged in with your EASA credentials.

On the new computer, be sure the ACR program files, C:\Program Files\MotorDB, are not on the new hard drive. (The program may have been moved from the old computer if files were transferred from the old computer.) The program data files should be copied from the old computer to the new hard drive, so move the C:\Users\LoginName\Documents\EASA Winding Data folder to the new hard drive. If this folder is not on the old computer, a very old version of the program may have the program data files in the C:\Users\LoginName\Documents\AcRedesign folder. In either case, copy the entire folder to the new computer hard drive in the same location. With the program data files copied to the new hard drive, the new computer is ready for the program installation. Note: If there is no desire to have the members’ redesigned motor history on the new computer, then simply skip transferring the data files to the new hard drive.

The next step is to run the install program that was downloaded from the EASA website; simply double-click the file to start the installation. The program will prompt for your Company Name and your EASA Member Number. Please use your EASA Company Member Number. You will be prompted for your “directories for databases”; it is recommended that the default locations be used. Please contact EASA Technical Support if there is a need to use alternate data directory locations.

Also, on this prompt dialogue there is a selection to “Start with no custom motors” or “Transfer existing motors from previous version.” If data files have been copied from the old computer, select “Transfer existing motors from previous version” and be sure the “previous ACR database” field points to the correct location. If the old database is from an older version, a text screen will display as the records are copied and restructured. The installation should then continue; when complete, a prompt will appear with options to “Create a desktop icon” and to “Run the EASA program.”

If the program does not run when the installation completes, start the program manually from the icon or from the Windows program menu; there will be an EASA folder in the Windows program menu. When the program initially starts, it will look for an internet connection to check for program and database updates. If an internet connection is found, the program may restart one or two times as updates are installed – be patient as this may take several minutes depending on internet connection speed.

When the program has finished installing updates, the Welcome screen will be displayed. If your users are not familiar with the program operation, the Tutorials available from the Welcome screen are an excellent resource to get them going. Tutorials for Basic Software Operation, Motor Database Searches, Using the Selection Grid and doing Bare Core Redesigns are available. Even experienced users may find these tutorials helpful. To access the program features, close the Welcome screen by clicking the X next to Welcome on the tab at the top.

Tip: The program includes a Customer database so that each redesigned motor can be tagged to a specific member Customer. It is helpful if frequently used Customers are set up ahead of time so that users can select them from the list rather than typing the Customer name each time. This also helps to prevent a Customer from being entered multiple times with various spellings. Select the Database->Customer item from the menu to access the Customer database.

If any problems are encountered during the program installation process, please contact EASA Technical Support for assistance. Also, the program has options for using the Online or Local Motor Winding Database, which is different from the members’ redesigned motor history database, and options for the automatic transfer of redesigned motor data to EASA. For recommendations on changing these from their default setting, contact EASA Technical Support.