-------------------------Monitor------------------------ The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control Issue 151 www.windmill.co.uk February 2011 --------------------ISSN 1472-0221---------------------- Hello and welcome to Monitor, published by Windmill Software. This year is our 20th anniversary. To mark our birthday we are planning a series of special offers throughout the year. We also thought that after 20 years our web sites could do with an overhall, so we've started with our data acquisition shop site. In January's Monitor we launched the new Windmill data acquisition software for Windows 10, 8, 7, at the special price of £50. This has proved very popular and so we are keeping it at this price for the next two months. It is available from https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/rs232-modbus.html For several years we have offered you free software to collect readings from instruments connected to the PC's COM port. This software - Windmill 4.3 with LabIML - is now very old and so we would like to offer you some new software to replace it. Still free of charge. Read the Windmill News below for details or go to https://www.windmill.co.uk/windmill7.html We hope you find the newsletter useful, but should you wish to remove yourself from our mailing list please go to Monitor Newsletter CONTENTS ======== * Windmill News: Windmill 7 Trial and Free Logging Software * Interfacing Modbus Devices * Excel Corner: Logging data, timestamping and showing interval sub-totals * Data Acquisition and Control News Roundup ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Windmill News: Windmill 7 Trial and Free Logging Software ________________________________________________________ We are delighted to offer you some new free logging software for instruments plugged into the PC's COM port. We have modified our existing ComDebug application to allow it to save data from instruments connected over RS232, RS422, RS485 and Modbus. Previously ComDebug would let you see data from these instruments, but would not save readings for you. With the ComDebug download we have also packaged a trial of the other major Windmill programs: Logger, Chart, DDE and Control Panels. You can use these, with full functionality, for a month. At the end of the month's trial you can, if you wish, licence your programs and keep using them. Even if you choose not to do this, you can still keep using ComDebug to log data from your instrument. ComDebug also lets you trouble-shoot data communications at the COM port. You can control the state of the PC's COM port output lines, setting them high or low. ComDebug works with instruments communicating in ASCII or binary. It lets you send ASCII values, twos complement integers, unsigned integers, single bits, floating point, CRCs etc, to your instrument. You can see all bytes sent and received, even non-printing characters like carriage returns. This is crucial when dealing with binary data. With a flexible approach to building command strings, and parsing the received data strings to extract data values, the majority of serial analytical instruments are supported. These include GPS, sonar, digital indicators, gas analysers, pH transmitters, data loggers, PIC microcontrollers, titrators, particle analysers, pressure transmitters, water baths, hygrometers, oxygen electrodes, I2C devices, DMR, plcs and laboratory scales. You can use Windmill to interface up to 10 instruments, from different manufacturers. For example, serial devices from A&D, Anton Paar, Advantec, Ashtec, Dataq Instruments, Datel, Datataker, Denver, Desoutter, Ecom, Edge Tech, Electro Industries, Fisher, Furuno, Garmin, Horiba, Mettler Toledo, Microchip Technology, Motorola, Molyteck, Newmar, Nu-Metrics, Ohaus, Omnistar, Omron, Orion, Parallax, Paroscientific, Patton, Phytron, Quantum Logic, Quest Scientific, Sartorius, Siemens, Telegan, Telemecanique, Texas Instruments, Transcell and TTi. Many channels of data can be accepted from each instrument. I hope you find the new software useful. Please let us know what you think - any suggestions for improvement, difficulties you encountered or indeed comments on the features you most liked would be appreciated. The trial comes with demo setups to get you started, with full hypertexed Help files. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Interfacing Modbus Devices ________________________________________________________ The free ComDebug can communicate with Modbus devices connected to the PC over RS232 or RS485. The Modbus serial protocol defines two modes of transmission: ASCII and RTU (Remote Terminal Unit). Windmill supports both modes. In ASCII mode each 8-bit byte in a message is sent as two ASCII characters. Messages start with a colon and end with a Carriage Return followed by a Linefeed. The advantages of ASCII mode is that it allows intervals of up to a second to occur between characters without causing an error. RTU mode uses binary coding. Each 8-bit byte in a message contains two 4-bit hexadecimal characters. Greater character density allows better data throughput than ASCII for the same baud rate. Each message is transmitted in a continuous stream. The final part of a RTU message is a cyclic redundancy check, CRC. This calculates its value based on all earlier bytes in the message, it then adds its 2 bytes into the message. The computer therefore knows when it has received a corrupted message and can ask the instrument to resend its data. Each message comprises four parts: device address, function code, data, error check. The Device Address identifies your instrument. It contains one byte of information. In ASCII it is coded with two hexadecimal characters, in RTU with one byte. Valid addresses are between 0 and 247. The Function Code specifies the type of message. It contains one byte of information. In ASCII it is coded with two hexadecimal characters, in RTU with one byte. Windmill supports any mix of digital and analogue inputs and outputs. These can be distributed across any set of Modbus slave devices. With ComDebug you can configure the slave device address and the parameter number (register number) for each channel individually. Modbus COM Port Settings ======================== This data is the same for all devices on a network. ASCII Start Bit = 1 Data Bits=7 If Parity is even or off then Stop Bits = 1 If Parity is none then Stop Bits = 2 RTU Start Bit = 1 Data Bits=8 If Parity is even or off then Stop Bits = 1 If Parity is none then Stop Bits = 2 Modbus Settings in ComDebug =========================== You can enter all your Modbus communication settings with our ComDebug program, available free to our newsletter subscribers. Modbus Messages =============== Use the prompt grid in the ComDebug Terminal screen to send commands and data to your Modbus device as a series of bytes. Use the NonPrint menu to enter addresses, codes, etc. For example, to enter a device address as Byte 1, select NonPrint Decimal from the NonPrint menu. Type the device address into the blue box. Address 1, for example, would be shown as Char 001 (and Hex 01). To Read a Single Modbus Register (RTU) ===================================== Byte 1 = device address Byte 2 = Modbus function code: 03 or 04 Byte 3 = msb of register Byte 4 = lsb of register Byte 5 = msb of number of bytes to read: normally 0 Byte 6 = lsb of number of bytes to read: for example 2 Byte 7 = CRC: use the CRC menu The Reply Comprises Byte 1 = device address Byte 2 = function code Byte 3 = number of bytes read Byte 4 = 1st word, msb Byte 5 = 1st word, lsb Byte 6 = 2nd word, msb Byte 7 = 2nd word, lsb etc Byte n = CRC To Write to a Register ======================== Byte 1 = device address Byte 2 = Modbus function code: 06 Byte 3 = address of word, msb Byte 4 = address of word, lsb Byte 5 = value of word, msb Byte 6 = value of word, lsb Byte 7 = CRC The Reply Comprises Byte 1 = device address Byte 2 = function code: 06 Byte 3 = address of word, msb Byte 4 = address of word, lsb Byte 5 = value of word, msb Byte 6 = value of word, lsb Byte 7 = CRC Notes ===== The function code 03 reads the holding register. This comprises 2 bytes and may be used to return measured values like temperature. A holding register can be read or written to. The code 04 reads an input register; this can only be read. The register number is not the same as the address. For example, Register 1 is Address 0. More Information: ================= Connecting ASCII and RTU Modbus Devices, via RS232 or RS485 ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Excel Corner: Logging data, timestamping and showing interval sub-totals ________________________________________________________ One of our readers is collecting readings every five minutes. These steadily increase over time. Rather than show just the increasing total, in Excel he wanted also to see the totals for each five minute interval To do this you need first to open Windmill DDE Panel and show the data there. Once DDE Panel is running you can use an Excel macro to grab the data from DDE Panel. It will write the data into the spreadsheet, together with the time of the reading. It will also subtract the current reading from the last reading to give the five minute interval sub-totals. Copy the macro given below. Open Excel, create a new macro and paste the example into it. On running the macro you will be asked how many readings you want to collect, and the interval between taking the readings. Make sure DDE Panel is running before starting the macro. - Sub SampleData() 'If NoOfRows = 1, the first data value 'will be placed in row 1. NoOfRows = 1 'Ask for number of sets of samples and sample interval. NoOfSamples = Val(InputBox("Please enter no of samples to collect", "No of Samples")) SamplePeriod = InputBox("Please enter sample interval in seconds", "Sample Interval") 'Coverts interval to fraction of 24 hours '(Excel expects times in this format). SamplePeriod = (Val(SamplePeriod)) / 86400 'Initiates conversation with DDE_Panel ddeChan = DDEInitiate("Windmill", "Data") 'Keeps conversation open until the required 'number of samples have been collected. While NoOfRows < NoOfSamples + 1 'Requests data from all channels and stores it in 'memory in an array called mydata. mydata = DDERequest(ddeChan, "AllChannels") 'Selects first sheet in default workbook. Sheets("Sheet1").Select 'Finds the lower & upper boundaries of array, 'to determine the number of columns needed to 'store the data. Lower = LBound(mydata, 1) Upper = UBound(mydata, 1) 'Inserts data from the array into a row of cells. For Column = Lower To Upper Cells(NoOfRows, Column).Value = mydata(Column) Next Column 'Inserts the time into the next column Column = Upper + 1 Cells(NoOfRows, Column).Value = Now 'Subtracts current reading from previous reading 'and inserts it into the next column Column = Upper + 2 Cells(NoOfRows, Column).Value = "=RC[-2]-R[-2]C[-2]" 'Waits for the specified sample interval Application.Wait (Now + SamplePeriod) 'Increments number of rows, so next set of samples 'is inserted in the next row down. NoOfRows = NoOfRows + 1 'Stops loop when required sets of samples collected. Wend 'Closes DDE Connection DDETerminate (ddeChan) End Sub - Further Reading: Using Excel for data acquisition ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ DAQ News Roundup ________________________________________________________ Welcome to our roundup of the data acquisition and control news. If you would like to receive more timely DAQ news updates then grab our RSS newsfeed at https://www.windmillsoft.com/monitor.xml. Read https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsfeed.php for notes on how to display the live news on your own web site. Bee sensor picks up queen bee's farewell vibes Accelerometers embedded into the walls of a beehive can help beekeepers prepare for the moment when the queen bee deserts the hive. The accelerometers detect the motion caused by the buzzing insects. The sensors are hooked up to a computer to monitor changes in the hives' vibrations over five months. Source: New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/ Researchers double the speed of wireless networks A new technology that allows wireless signals to be sent and received simultaneously on a single channel has been developed by Stanford researchers. Up until now, when a radio is transmitting, its own transmission is billions of times stronger than anything else it might hear from another radio. "It's trying to hear a whisper while you yourself are shouting." If a radio receiver could filter out the signal from its own transmitter, weak incoming signals could be heard, doubling the communication speed. Source: Stanford University http://news.stanford.edu/news/ UV-Spectroscopic Methods Transformed Image sensors as used in cell phones are partially colour-blind. This is because of their coating, which prevents UV light from passing through. CMOS chips have as a result not been suitable for spectroscopy up to now. A new production process makes the coating transparent. This could revolutionize UV spectroscopic methods, which are used in laboratories around the world, significantly improving their accuracy. Source: Eureka http://www.eurekalert.org/ New Sensor Designed to Accurately Measure Strain on Curved Mounting Surfaces Columbia Research Laboratories has introduced a new sensor to measure circumferential strain around the diameter of the surface to which it is mounted. Source: Columbia Research Laboratories http://tinyurl.com/68x8pot Global Investment in Smart Water Meters to Rise During the past century, demand for water has increased by more than twice the rate of population growth. Water utilities are increasingly turning to advanced sensor networks and automation systems to enable more accurate leak detection. One of the most important strategies for utilities will be the installation of smart water meters on customer's premises. According to a recent report from Pike Research, cumulative global investment in smart water meters will total $4.2 billion during the years from 2010 to 2016 Source: Pike Research http://www.pikeresearch.com/________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ * Copyright Windmill Software Ltd * Reprinting permitted with this notice included * For more articles see https://www.windmill.co.uk We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and use extracts from it on your own web site or publication, providing the above notice is included and a link back to our website is in place. An archive of previous issues is at https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html and an index of articles at https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html Windmill Software Ltd, PO Box 58, North District Office, Manchester, M8 8QR, UK Telephone: +44 (0)161 834 6688 Facsimile: +44 (0)161 833 2190 E-mail: monitor@windmillsoft.com https://www.windmill.co.uk/ https://www.windmillsoft.com/
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