-------------------------Monitor------------------------
The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 175 www.windmill.co.uk February 2013
--------------------ISSN 1472-0221----------------------
Hello and welcome to February's edition of Monitor.
Today we've excited to announce a new way to use Excel
to collect data from measurement instruments, with the
launch of our Real Time Data software. What's more, the
new software is free to anyone with the Enhanced
Windmill package. More information below.
For more data acquisition news and tips follow us on
Twitter - @DataAcquisition.
I hope you enjoy this issue, but should you wish
to remove yourself from our mailing please go to
Monitor Newsletter
CONTENTS
========
* New Way to use Excel for Data Logging and Control
* Excel Corner: Real-Time Data Acquisition
* Interfacing a Sartorius Balance
* DAQ News Round-up
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New Way to use Excel for Data Logging and Control
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We are delighted to launch our Real Time Data Server
which sends readings from your data acquisition devices
to an Excel spreadsheet, and lets you use Excel to
control devices and output channels.
Windmill Real Time Data Server is free to owners of
Enhanced Windmill, or costs just £50 or 60 Euro if
bought as an add-on to the standard Windmill. It can
transfer data over USB, Internet, Ethernet, Modbus,
RS-485, RS-422, RS-232 and TCP-IP. Any of the vast
array of devices which can be handled by Windmill,
can also be connected to Excel.
Other features include
* Alarm monitoring with automatic output control on
alarms (eg switch equipment on when a reading goes
into an alarm state)
* Choose how often to read data from devices
* Choose how often to update the data in Excel
* Time of readings recorded
* Configure instruments by making selections in
Windmill software: choose alarm thresholds,
engineering units, channel names and so on
* Easy to use
* Free technical support for life
* Money-back guarantee
Once installed, you simply enter a formula into an Excel
cell, or a line into your Excel macros and VBA programs,
and Excel will start collecting data.
If you already own a copy of Enhanced Windmill that does
not include the Real Time Data (RTD) Server, please
contact us and we will send you the new RTD Server
software for free. (To check, look for
windmillRTDserver in your program list.)
If you have Standard Windmill you can buy the
RTD Server from
https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/excel-data-logging.html.
Further Reading:
----------------
Enhanced Windmill
https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/data-acquisition-software.html
Standard Windmill
https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/rs232-modbus.html
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Excel Corner: Logging and Control
________________________________________________________
You've always been able to log data with Excel using
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). Our new Real-Time Data
Server software makes data acquisition easier and more
robust. Install the Windmill software and you can
then choose:
- How often to read data from your sensors and instruments
- How often to update the readings in Excel
- What to do if an alarm occurs, eg switch equipment
on or off
To get the data into Excel is easy: just enter a formula
into a cell. For example, to show reading from your
instrument you would use:
=RTD("Windmill_RTD_server.IMLRTD","","Temperature")
Where Temperature is the name of the instrument channel
from which you want to obtain data.
To get the time of the reading use:
=RTD("Windmill_RTD_server.IMLRTD","","time")
To send data to an output channel use:
=RTD("Windmill_RTD_server.IMLRTD","","write(Output1 0)")
Where Output1 is the name of the output channel and 0
is the value to send to that channel.
You can combine actions, for instance:
=RTD("Windmill_RTD_server.IMLRTD","","write(Output1 0) list(Weight, Temperature)")
Would read channels Weight and Temperature and
write to channel Output1.
You can run Excel remotely from your data acquisition and
control devices. Imagine Windmill is running on a PC in
a laboratory and continually monitoring temperature and
pressure. You are elsewhere on the network and wish
to see the data in Excel. You would use the call
=RTD("Windmill_RTD_server.IMLRTD","192.168.1.100","List(Temperature, Pressure)")
Where 192.168.1.100 is the IP address of the PC running
Windmill. You could also use the name of the computer
running Windmill rather than the IP address.
Read more on the Real Time Data Server for Excel at
https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/excel-data-logging.html
or contact techsupport@windmill.co.uk
If you prefer, you can still use DDE to send data to
Excel. Full details at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/
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Dripping Liquids onto a Sartorius Balance
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This month a Windmill user contacted us about getting
data from his Sartorius balance. He was dripping a
liquid onto the balance and logging the result with
Windmill. When dripping slowly the results were
accurate, but for faster speeds readings appeared
to be missed.
The problem was one of stability. The Sartorius balance
was only reporting what it considered to be stable
readings. However, with fast drops the readings weren't
having time to stabilise before the next drop arrived and
so the balance didn't report the reading. The solution
was to change the setting at the balance's Setup menu,
to give a weight reading at a lower resolution.
This solved the problem and Windmill is now capturing all
readings successfully.
For more on interfacing Sartorius balances see
https://www.windmill.co.uk/sartorius.html
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DAQ News Round-up
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Welcome to our round-up 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 news on your own web site or
automatically tweet it.
Tongue-tingling interface lets you taste data
Tongueduino's electrodes send signals from sensors
to the tongue, allowing taste buds to "read" information
such as the orientation of Earth's magnetic field
Source: New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/
New formula to understand environmental effects on digital signals
As modern signal speeds are pushed to quickly accommodate
gigabytes of data, disturbances that were once considered
minor, such as weather changes, now become more serious,
with the potential to stop systems and corrupt data.
Researchers have developed a formula to help understand
the effects of humidity and temperature on
electronic signals.
Source: Penn State Harrisburg
http://harrisburg.psu.edu/
Comprehensive Report on Market for Sensors for the Internet-of-Things
Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets today announced the
release of its new report titled "Sensors for the Internet-
of-Things: 2013-2020" The report analyses and quantifies
the opportunities for Internet-connected sensor products
in six key industry sectors: home automation, commercial
building automation, media and gaming, healthcare, the
"Industrial Internet" and "transportation and logistics."
The report covers both the sensors and the hubs through
which they are connected.
The A to Z of Sensors
Source: Arc Advisory Group
http://www.azosensors.com/News.aspx?newsID=5532
IEEE launches Ethernet Study Group
IEEE have formed an IEEE 802.3 "Standard for Ethernet"
study group to explore the requirements for real-time
control in industries such as industrial automation
and automotive.
Source: IEEE
http://standards.ieee.org/
Process Industries Driven by Growth in Developing Nations
Looking at various market characteristics, the worldwide
automation expenditures in process industries is expected
to rebound according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
Source: ARC Advisory Group
http://www.arcweb.com/
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Windmill Software Ltd, PO Box 58, North District Office,
Manchester, M8 8QR, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)161 834 6688
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E-mail: monitor@windmillsoft.com
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