-------------------------Monitor------------------------
The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 177 www.windmill.co.uk April 2013
--------------------ISSN 1472-0221----------------------
Welcome to April's newsletter. If you are interested in
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CONTENTS
========
* Capturing Data from High-Numbered Com Ports
* Excel Corner: Finding the Last Empty Row
* Data Acquisition Exhibitions
* DAQ News Round-up
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Capturing Data from High-Numbered Com Ports
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By default, the free Windmill ComDebug software
logs data from instruments connected to Com ports
numbered between 1 and 24. This month a Windmill user
asked us how to select a virtual port with a higher
number than 24.
There are two ways to do this.
1. Assign a lower number to the virtual COM port.
2. Use, for example, Notepad to edit the ComDebug Instrument File
Assigning a New Virtual COM port number
=======================================
Many people use a USB-to-Serial converter to access data
from their measurement instruments.
When you plug the converter into the computer's USB port,
Windows will assign it a COM port number. You can find out
what this is by opening Windows Control Panel and choosing
first System then Device Manager then Ports. It will look
something like "USB serial port(Com X)", where X is the
COM port number assigned. (A question mark indicates that
there is a problem with the drivers or the connection.)
To resassign a lower number to the port, use Windows Device
Manager. Select your converter and click Properties. Choose
Port Settings then Advanced.
Windows may list all the lower COM port numbers as in use.
This is not always so: look at the computer's actual COM ports
physically available and you may find a lower port number.
For more information see our USB-Serial Converter page at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/usb-serial.html.
Editing the ComDebug Instrument File
====================================
You can alternatively keep the high virtual port number,
and adjust settings in ComDebug.
Within ComDebug, save your current ComDebug settings -
select Save .IMD File from Main Menu.
You can now edit this file manually. Use Notepad (or
similar) to open the *.IMD file you have just saved and
edit the port parameter. Change Port=4 (for example) to,
say, Port=25. Save and close the file. In ComDebug open
the new IMD file: from the opening screen choose "Edit an
Existing Windmill Instrument File".
Download the Free ComDebug Serial Data Collection Software
==========================================================
ComDebug is free to all Monitor subscribers. It logs
data from sensors and devices connected to the PC's Com
port over RS232, RS422, RS485 and Modbus. It also helps
you solve serial connection problems with many trouble-
shooting capabilities.
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Excel Corner: Finding the First Empty Row
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One of our readers, Thomas Hundebøl Thomsen, writes:
"I use Windmill dde to log data into Excel next
row via a macro. It works fine too. But when
the screen is filled by row No. 25, the new data will not
be visible until I manually user page down. How do I get
the screen to follow the latest data as when (one)
normally keys data into Excel? Currently it is a weight
of harvested tubers and the tractor operator must check
that the weight is ok before lifting the next
experimental plot."
To do this you could find the first empty row, jump to
this and then write in the data.
The macro code to find the first empty row is:
Dim LastRow As Long
LastRow = Sheet1.Cells(Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
LastRow = LastRow + 1
Actually, what this does is find the number of the last
row in Column A with data in it and then adds 1 to give
the first empty row. The code above assumes you are
collecting data in a worksheet called "Sheet1".
How the Code Works
==================
Rows.Count returns a count of the number of rows in
the worksheet: eg 65536 in many versions of Excel or
1,048,576 in Version 10 of Excel.
Sheet1.Cells(Rows.Count, "A") means the last cell in
column A - eg Cell A65536.
End(xlUp) is equivalent to pressing the Ctrl and Up Arrow
keys on the keyboard when in Excel. That is, it moves to
the top cell in the current data range. If no data is in
the currenct cell (as in our case) it moves to the
first cell above which contains data.
LastRow = LastRow + 1 just adds one to this to give
the first empty cell in Column A.
To stop this macro press the Esc key.
The full code is as follows
----------------------------------------------
Declare Sub Sleep Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)
Sub SampleData()
'Ask for sample interval.
SamplePeriod = InputBox("Enter sample interval in secs", "Sample Interval")
' Convert to milliseconds - needed for sleep statement below.
SamplePeriod = SamplePeriod * 1000
'Repeats data collection
DoAgain:
'Initiates conversation with DDE_Panel
ddeChan = DDEInitiate("Windmill", "Data")
'Requests data from all channels and stores it in
'memory in an array called mydata.
mydata = DDERequest(ddeChan, "AllChannels")
' Ignores any warnings generated
On Error Resume Next
'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)
'Finds first empty row
Dim LastRow As Long
LastRow = Sheet1.Cells(Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
LastRow = LastRow + 1
ActiveSheet.Cells(LastRow, Column).Select
'Inserts data from the array into a row of cells in Sheet1.
For Column = Lower To Upper
Sheets("Sheet1").Cells(LastRow, Column).Value = mydata(Column)
Next Column
'Closes the DDE conversation
DDETerminate (ddeChan)
'Waits for the specified sample interval
Sleep SamplePeriod
'Repeats the process
GoTo DoAgain
End Sub
----------------------------------------------
More Excel macros - including timestamping, logging only
when new data arrives and automatically starting and
stopping logging - are on our website at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/excel-tips.html
Have an Excel question? Send it to
monitor@windmillsoft.com.
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Data Acquisition Exhibitions and Conferences
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The quarterly update of data acquisition and control
exhibitions around the world.
SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing
29 April - 3 May 2013
Baltimore United States
Conferences on optics, imaging and sensing for
defence, security, industry and the environment.
http://spie.org/defense-security-sensing.xml
Israchem
30 April - 2 May
Tel Aviv, Israel
Trade show for processing, chemical engineering,
measurement, control and instrumentation.
Medtec UK
1-2 May
London UK
Conference for medical equipment manufacturers.
Topics include: wearable wireless sensors and devices
and agile approaches to electronic device development.
http://medtecukshow.com/
National Manufacturing Week
7-10 May
Melbourne Australia
Biennial exhibition includes process &
control and manufacturing.
http://www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au/
International Fair of Technique and Technical Achievements
13-17 May
Belgrade, Serbia
Covers measuring devices and instruments and
processing equipment.
http://www.beogradskisajamtehnike.rs/
Manutec Africa
14-16 May
Gauteng South Africa
Manufacturing technologies expo including process
control, automation, computers in manufacturing,
sensors and instrumentation and drives and controls.
http://www.exhibitionsafrica.com/ems/manutec.html
Sensor + Test
14-16 May
Nurnberg Germany
Fair of sensors, measuring, and testing systems.
http://www.sensor-test.de/
Product Design + Innovation
15-16 May
The Oval, London, UK
Conference explores how product design can drive
economic growth. Topics include: Internet of things -
designing connected objects; Emerging industries - new
fields for design and The circular economy - designing
for reuse, repair and recycling.
http://www.pdesigni.com/
MTA Vietnam
2-5 July
Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Incorporating Metrology and Automation Vietnam.
http://www.mtavietnam.com/
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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.
In-Road Sensors Weigh Lorries in Motion
A project in Norway aims to deter hauliers from
overloading their vehicles by developing a system
that checks and weighs HGVs whilst they are in
motion. Advanced sensors installed in the road
surface, combined with number plate recognition
systems, will enable the detection of far more
incorrectly loaded trailers.
Source: The Engineer
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/
Wireless "Smart Skin" Sensors could provide remote Monitoring of Bridges
Major bridge failures in recent years have focused
attention on the need to monitor highway bridges and
other infrastructure. Researchers are developing a
novel technology that would facilitate close monitoring
of structures for strain, stress and early formation
of cracks. Their approach uses wireless sensors that
are low cost, require no power, can be implemented on
tough yet flexible polymer substrates and can identify
structural problems at a very early stage. The only
electronic component in the sensor is an inexpensive
radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=206881
Underwater Robot Successfully Tested at Sea
Underwater robot passes test to retrieve aircraft
black boxes at sea.
Source: SCUBA News
http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/underwater-robot.html
Remote Sensing Study Yields Unprecedented Detail on Arctic Wetlands
A team of geoscientists using newly available remote-
sensing technology has achieved unprecedented detail
in quantifying subtle, long-period changes in the water
levels of shallow lakes and ponds in hard-to-reach
Arctic wetlands.
Source: Southwest Research Institute
http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/2013/alaska-wetlands.htm
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