Interfacing a YSI 2300 Stat Plus to a PC: Download Driver Software

Windmill software lets you continually log data from YSI 2300 Stat Plus, and other instruments with an RS232 serial port, on a PC running Windows. All data is time-stamped and can be imported into Excel either during or after data collection. Our Windmill data acquisition software handles up to ten instruments and is currently reduced from £145 to £50. Alternatively, subscribers to the Monitor newsletter (ISSN 1472-0221) can download free logging software: ComDebug. This lets you log data from one instrument and save it in a text file.

To use Windmill to collect data from a YSI 2300 Stat Plus: download the software then..

Run Windmill ComDebug, select Create a new Windmill Instrument File, and enter your balance's communication settings.
Run the Windmill DDE Panel, Logger or Chart program to save or display data from your balance.

After you have entered your configuration settings with ComDebug, you don't need to use this again and can go straight to the logging and display programs.

Connect the 2300 to the computer using a null modem cable. The 2300 acts as a DTE device.

Using ComDebug to Enter Data about Your YSI 2300 Stat Plus

For a more thorough description of entering the configuration settings see the Getting Started with COMIML and ComDebug page. Specific example settings for YSI 2300 Stat Plus are given below.

COM Port Settings

These must be the same as your meter uses. These are the defaults

Comm Port:	Select the port to which your instrument is connected.
Baud Rate:	9600
Data Bits:	7
Parity:	Even
Stop Bits:	1
Flow Control:	Hardware

Instrument Timing

Read:

Direct

Data Format

The 2300 responds to a command from the PC.. The command is in the following format, where <cr> is a carriage return, <Esc> is Escape, <cmd> is command and [arg] is argument.
<Esc>&<cmd>[arg]<cr>

Go to ComDebug's Terminal or Message Screen, you should see a reading from the meter (see Trouble-Shooting below if not). Now click the Parse button and enter instructions to extract the data from the balance's reply.

Further Information:
COM Port Settings

Getting the data into Excel

You can use the Windmill Logger or ComDebug program to collect data, and after collection has finished import it into Excel. Alternatively, you can collect data with Excel in real-time by using an Excel macro to read data from the Windmill DDE Panel.

Trouble-Shooting

If you are unable to get data from your oxygen meter go back to ComDebug's Terminal screen.

If, in ComDebug you see data coming in but DDE Panel isn't showing it, in the Terminal screen click Run. Do you see your data values?
1. If you see some information coming in but not the data values you are expecting you may need to edit your parsing settings. Go to ComDebug's Terminal or Message Screen, click the Parse button. Enter your Ignore and Extract Settings and click the Step menu. Is your data shown in the Value column? If not adjust your settings.
2. If you see the correct data you may have specified the Initialisation message rather than a data collection message. The Initialisation message is sent only once when the instrument is first switched on: it will not let you repeatedly collect data. Open the *.imd file and copy the settings as detailed in the Technical Support page.
For other problems see the Technical Support Page.

Notes on the 2300 Communications protocol

Hardware Handshaking: The 2300 drives RTS when it wishes to transmit and waits for CTS before transmitting each character. It asserts DTR when it is ready to receive data and receives only when DCD is asserted.
Software Handshaking: In XON/XOFF, RTS and DTR are always asserted and CTS and DCD always ignored.

Success?

Have you successfully used Windmill with your oxygen meter? Let us know about your project.

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