VisionLink by Key Computer Systems

**jwa007** · 04-22-2003, 04:08 PM

My boss showed me an old machine back in our garage today and wants me to figure out how to use it. It is apparently called VisionLink and was manufactured by Key Computer Systems Inc. It looks as though it was used to trace frames. There is apparently a 25 pin serial port on the machine itself. And on switch on the whole machine...an on/off button. I did some digging and found disks #1 and 2 of a 3 disk set. Can anyone give me a clue as to what this machine did? And does anyone out there know where I might obtain a copy of the 3rd software installation disk on 3.5. Thank you.

**Judy Canty** · 04-22-2003, 04:29 PM

I used the VisionLink System from 1996 to about 1998 when Key Computers disappeared. I doubt that you can make the system work because, if I remember correctly, you needed everything to go through their system and then to your lab for processing. I got rid of the diskettes when I got rid of the tracer and replaced it with the Optronics 4T.

Good luck!

**jwa007** · 04-22-2003, 04:40 PM

Thank you!

**JRS** · 04-22-2003, 05:27 PM

The complete VisionLink System (which use to be called KEY) was one of the first remote order entry systems. In a clinic, you could enter the Rx, trace the frame, and remotely transmit the data to your lab. The idea was to promote lens only work, so you didn't have to sent the patients frame to the lab. The lab could use the same system (connected to their optical software system) to trace work in house.
The best part was all systems profiled to meet their labs software items - i.e. lens abbreviation, color, tint codes, etc. And all the systems used the same calibration device, so the sizing was the same... in theory.
The bad part was, the tracer was 2D, and did not have the frame curve to compute the "Z" axis. So there were some sizing issues on base curves greater than 7.00 diopters. and given the way the tracer "locked" a frame down (almost flat) you wouldn't have gotten a good curve from it anyway. I ended up writing some software on my end to calculate the different in radii based on the frame curve (about 2.00 diopters clamped) against the actual lens curve. That cured the problem on my end, but Key never finished the project on theirs.

I ran a lab in Tacoma WA that did most of the beta testing for Key back in the 90's. I liked the system, it just never got enough funding to keep up.

You might actually get it to run, I just don't know what you'll do with it then. Not much good as a stand-alone box.