-------------------------Monitor------------------------ The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control Issue 61 www.windmill.co.uk August 2003 --------------------ISSN 1472-0221---------------------- Hello, and thank you for subscribing to Monitor. This month we're pleased to announce that Windmill has been chosen for the new Video Turnstile people counting system. 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: - Windmill chosen for new people counting system - Transient capture unit now available from Windmill on-line catalogue * Excel Corner: Using Excel's text functions * Data Acquisition and Control Exhibitions ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ WINDMILL NEWS ________________________________________________________ WINDMILL CHOSEN FOR NEW PEOPLE COUNTING SYSTEM Many businesses find it useful to count people entering and leaving premises: shops, galleries, banks and clubs to name a few. Amongst other reasons, it lets them evaluate their advertising campaigns, plan their staffing levels and see how many people are on the premises at any moment. The newest people counting system is called Video Turnstile, and we're pleased to say that it is using Windmill software. At its simplest, the system comprises an overhead CCTV camera connected to a Video Turnstile unit which detects, counts and logs people. Windmill runs on a PC in a back office and lets staff view the count as it progresses. Alternatively, Video Turnstile can be connected to a modem and data collected remotely by Windmill running in the Head Office. Each Video Turnstile system can monitor up to 120 entrances. It is extremely accurate. You can view the video and easily validate the count: marker lines flash when the system detects someone crossing the threshold. Each Video Turnstile unit has two counts, one for people going in and one for people going out. Not all the detection and counting units need to log data. An elegant design means one logging unit can be connected to three other non-logging units, and collect the count from them. This reduces the cost of the system. Occupancy and Visitor Count Meters, which can be mounted over doors, are available for instant views of the number of people currently on the premises, or the numbers visiting today. The video counting systems start at 535 GB pounds. For details see the Video Turnstile People Counting website * TRANSIENT CAPTURE UNIT NOW AVAILABLE FROM WINDMILL'S ON-LINE CATALOGUE You can now buy the Microlink 770 transient capture unit over the internet from https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/data-acquisition.html The new Microlink 770 plugs into the USB port of a PC and monitors up to 16 voltage, temperature, strain, pressure or current signals, at speeds up to 100 kHz. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ EXCEL CORNER: USING EXCEL'S TEXT FUNCTIONS TO CONVERT LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE TO DECIMAL DEGREES ________________________________________________________ When Windmill saves data readings it does so in text format. This means that you can use Excel's text functions on the data. For instance, suppose you were using Windmill to save latitude, longitude and depth data with a view to creating a contour map of a lake. Your GPS receiver saves data as degrees, minutes and seconds. However, some mapping software requires the information in decimal degrees. This is quickly done with Excel's LEFT and MID functions. For example, a longitude of 5330.25 North is 53 degrees, 30.25 minutes (or 53 degrees, 30 minutes and 15 seconds). This converts into decimal degrees as Degrees + Minutes/60. In our example this would be 53 + 30.25/60 = 53.50416667. To do this in Excel for a longitude contained in cell E3 you would use =LEFT(E3,2)+MID(E3,3,5)/60 The LEFT statement first specifies the cell reference, and then the number of characters to extract. The MID statement first specifies the cell reference, followed by the position of the first character you want to extract, and then the number of characters to extract. A screenshot of Excel doing this is at https://www.windmill.co.uk/seafloormapping.html For more 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 ________________________________________________________ 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/ ICEM2003 13-17 October Hungary Conference on Environmental Measurement. http://www.icem2003.mtesz.hu/ ISA Expo 21-23 October Reliant Center Houston Texas USA Includes training courses, seminars and the newest products, technologies and trends in automation and control. http://www.appcluster05.com/App/homepage.cfm North West Manufacturing Exhibition 5-6 November Bolton UK The professional engineering solutions exhibition dedicated to manufacturing. http://www.industry.co.uk/event.asp?CONTSUPREF=SOUTH2004 Scanautomatic 18-21 November The Swedish Exhibition Centre, Goteborg, Sweden Sweden's industrial sector apparently has lots of money to spend, and this is Sweden's only automation exhibition. http://www.swefair.se/scanautomatic/index.asp?Lang=EN ________________________________________________________ * 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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