-------------------------Monitor------------------------ The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control Issue 59 www.windmill.co.uk June 2003 --------------------ISSN 1472-0221---------------------- Welcome to Monitor, the newsletter for data acquisition and control. Today we're pleased to launch a new version of Streamer, our high speed data collection software. It now has transient capture capabilities and can measure strain, temperature, pressure, current and voltage. We only send Monitor to people who have subscribed - should you wish to cancel your subscription please do so at https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html CONTENTS ======== * Windmill News: Streamer version 6 now available - Capturing Transient Events - Measuring Strain - Charting Data - Exporting Data * Excel corner * Data acquisition and control exhibitions ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ WINDMILL NEWS: STREAMER VERSION 6 NOW AVAILABLE ________________________________________________________ We're happy to announce Version 6 of Streamer, the data acquisition software which saves up to 100000 readings per second to disk. You can now use Streamer to monitor voltage signals, thermocouples, strain gauges, and balanced bridges like pressure transducers. CAPTURING TRANSIENT EVENTS Version 6 adds transient capture capabilities to Streamer, so you can see what happened before and after an event. Streamer will continuously collect data, holding it in memory until an event occurs. It only then saves the data to disk. This means that if you don't know when an event will occur, it won't fill your disk with superfluous readings when You tell Streamer about the event by entering high or low signal levels to be crossed on one or two data channels. When these conditions are met data capture begins. Alternatively, if you don't need transient capture facilities, you could trigger data collection simply by pressing the Start button in Streamer or by waiting for a digital signal from some external machine or instrument. MEASURING STRAIN A further improvement in Version 6 is Streamer's new ability to balance strain gauge bridges. The output from unstrained bridges can be large in comparison to the changes that would be caused by strain. This would require a wide voltage range, the changes consequently being measured with poor resolution. However you can now balance the bridge, subtracting the reading to make the bridge outputs show zero. This remains in force until you re-balance, so all readings are as changes relative to the zero level. CHARTING DATA You can view several charts of data as Streamer collects it. By choosing different time scales this lets you see, for example, long- and short-term trends. With the Replay program you can play back waveform data: fast-forwarding, rewinding, zooming in and out and copying areas of interest. EXPORTING DATA Streamer can save data in a variety of formats. These include ASCII for loading into software like Excel, and binary for compact file storage. Streamer runs under Windows 98 and later. For more on the new Streamer contact Windmill Software at sales@biodataltd.com ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ EXCEL CORNER: QUICKLY SUMMING A COLUMN OF NUMBERS ________________________________________________________ Just a quick Excel tip this month, on the speedy adding up of a column of numbers. Position the cursor in the cell beneath the last entry in the column. Now press the Alt key whilst typing an equals (=) sign. Hit the Enter key and the sum of the column is calculated and displayed. For tips on using Excel with Windmill see https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/ https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/excel-charting.html ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ DATA ACQUISITION AND CONTROL EXHIBITIONS ________________________________________________________ Continuing our bi-monthly listing of exhibitions and conferences related to data acquisition and control. Process Control & Instrumentation / Metrology 2003 16-20 July 2003 Bangkok International Trade Centre Thailand Includes PC-based industrial control, field instruments, transducers, automation, industrial software, SCADA, environmental equipment and scientific instruments. http://www.reedexpo.co.uk/app/ Automaatio 2003 9-11 September Helsinki Finland Finland's automation event. http://www.finnexpo.fi/exhibition.asp IEEE AutotestCon 2003 22-25 September Disneyland Anaheim California USA Conference focusing on automated test and related technology for military, government and aerospace applications. http://www.autotestcon.com/2003/2003.htm Viet 30 September - 3 October Messezentrum Wien Vienna Austria Austria´s largest trade fair devoted to electrical engineering, industrial electronics and automation. http://www.messe.at/db.cgi/0DBYZE46AO/messen/2003/ ________________________________________________________ * 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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