-------------------------Monitor------------------------
The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 182 www.windmill.co.uk September 2013
--------------------ISSN 1472-0221----------------------
Are you using the free ComDebug software? Want a quick
way to change your set-up? Our article below tells
you how. Plus, the Excel corner is back and we answer a
question on logging soil pH and GPS co-ordinates.
For more measurement and control discussion and tips
see the Windmill web site -
https://www.windmill.co.uk/
Should you wish to remove yourself from our mailing list
please go to
Monitor Newsletter
CONTENTS
========
* Get Started more Quickly with free DAQ Software
* Questions on Using Windmill: Logging soil pH
and GPS co-ordinates
* Excel Corner: Live Column of Data Links
* DAQ News Round-up
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Get Started more Quickly with free DAQ Software
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We are pleased to offer all subscribers a free copy of
ComDebug. With it you can:
1. Trouble-shoot COM and TCP/IP communication problems
2. Log data from devices connected over RS232,
RS422, RS485, Modbus or TCP/IP.
You need to tell ComDebug about your instrument, making
choices from menus and dialogue boxes. When you click Save,
ComDebug saves your settings in a *.imd file.
Some advanced users, when they want to make a small change
to their settings, like to edit the imd file directly.
Here we tell you exactly what the entries in the imd file
mean, so you can more quickly get up and running.
You will find your imd file in the Windmill directory.
You can edit it in any text editing program, like
Notepad or Wordpad.
IMPORTANT: Before editing your imd file please
make a backup!
The first part of the file stores details about your
communications. For example:
[COMMUNICATIONS]
Port=24
Baud=115200
Bits=8
Parity=0
Stopbits=1
Handshake=0
IPAddress=
IPport=0
IPName=
These are the details you entered in the COM Port Settings
or TCP/IP boxes.
Port - the number of the COM port to which your
device is connected
Baud - the baud rate of the instrument
Bits - the group of Data Bits used, 7 or 8
Parity - 0 represents no parity,
1 odd parity,
2 even parity,
3 mark parity and
4 space parity
Stopbits - 1 or 2
Handshake - 0 represents no handshaking or flow control,
1 Xon/Xoff or software handshaking,
2 hardware handshaking.
Should you be interested in explanations of all the COM port
terms used, we've a tutorial at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/comport.html.
However, all you really need to know is what settings your
instrument is using and set ComDebug to use the same.
IPAddress, IPport, IPName
These are the settings for instruments communicating over TCP/IP.
IPAddress - when your instrument has a fixed
IP address. It will be in the format
89.29.204.24.
IPport - the Port Number within the IP address.
IPName - when your instrument has a dynamic
IP address.
You can learn more sabout TCP/IP settings at the
Understanding TCP/IP page.
The remainder of the imd file covers the timing and
data extraction settings. More on these in next
month's Monitor.
If you need any help setting up ComDebug to work with
your instrument - we have a series of examples at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/serial_driver.html.
Alternatively you could e-mail your *.imd file, together
with details of your instrument and a description of the
problem, to techsupport@windmill.co.uk
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Questions on Using Windmill
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In this section we answer a question we've been asked
this month about using Windmill. If you have a question
on Windmill, e-mail techsupport@windmill.co.uk.
Question:
I would like to log soil pH and GPS position
based on a on/off switch. Also, I need a way to record
the same information based on a manual keystroke of my
computer.
Can I input and datalog the two types of information
(soil pH and GPS position )into one software program?
Answer:
You can log both pH and GPS data into one file with
the Windmill Logger program.
Logger will take readings when you press a key on your
keyboard. It can also log data when an alarm occurs.
If you set the on/off switching as an alarm in
Windmill, Logger could monitor the switch and log at
the appropriate time.
More details of Logger, its data logging options and
how to download a free trial, are at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/logger.html
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Excel Corner: Live Column of Data Links
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Windmill can send data directly to Excel. One way to
do this is simply to copy links from Windmill and paste
them into the spreadsheet. Normally the links go across
the spreadsheet, with data filling up the columns
below.
This week a Windmill user asked
"Is it possible to paste links as a column in
Excel rather than as a row?"
You can't do the directly, but you could "transpose the
links".
1. Paste the links as normal. They will be pasted as a
row.
2. Select the cells where you would like the links to be,
for example cells B2 to G2.
3. Into the formula bar, type
=TRANSPOSE(A1:G1)
and press Ctrl-Shift-Enter to enter as an array.
For this method to work you also need to keep the original
row of live data links.
Alternatively you could either just copy one channel at
a time into the column, or use a macro to insert the
links.
Read more tips on using Excel for data acquisition at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/excel-tips.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 follow us on Twitter -
@DataAcquisition.
Ocean Colour Seen
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is working to
improve ocean colour measurements vital for modelling
climate and monitoring the health of the oceans.
Source: NPL
http://www.npl.co.uk/news/ocean-colour-seen
Food-Beverage Industry Sensor Demand Grows
Sensors already have a wide range of applications in
the food and beverage industry. According to a new
report from Frost and Sullivan, the uptake of sensors
is set to receive further impetus from the increasing
automation of food and beverage plants and processes.
Legislation encouraging greater investments in
automation and control solutions will reinforce
these trends.
Source: Frost & Sullivan
http://tinyurl.com/oz8rvft
The school carpet that generates energy and tracks pupils' every move
Carpet tiles produce power from your footsteps and can
pin-point people's movement through a building.
Source: The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/
Scientists help farmers create greener dairies
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have
started a slew of studies to determine how dairy farms
can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Environmental Expert
http://www.environmental-expert.com/
NIST Nose a Hit When They Smell It
Traditionally, the training of bomb-sniffing dogs
has been a hazardous job, but newly developed odour-
releasing materials could take the risk out of that
work. Scientists at the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) are seeking to patent
a novel system that can capture scents and release
them over time.
Source: NIST
https://www.nist.gov/
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* Reprinting permitted with this notice included
* For more articles see https://www.windmill.co.uk
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and an index of articles at
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