Monitor Archive
Home
Newsletters
Catalogue
Contents
Search
|
-------------------------Monitor------------------------
The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 119 www.windmill.co.uk June 2008
--------------------ISSN 1472-0221----------------------
Welcome to Monitor. I hope you enjoy the newsletter but
if you want to remove yourself from our mailing list
please do so at http://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html
CONTENTS
========
* Windmill Notes: Messages from RS232 Instruments, Part 2
* Excel Corner: Attaching a File to Alarm Alert E-mails
* DAQ News Roundup
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Windmill Notes: Messages from RS232 Instruments, Part 2
________________________________________________________
Here is the second part of our brief guide to measurement
messages over RS232. Our thanks to everyone who has sent
us details of their instrument and helped us compile
this list.
Notes:
======
The "typical message string" gives an example of the
sequence of characters sent by the instrument when it
transmits data.
Where the instrument requires a command to transmit data,
this is shown below as the "prompt string".
represents a carriage return.
represents a line feed.
The "Windmill parse string" gives an example of how
you might set up Windmill to extract data from the
instrument. We haven't included this for instruments
sending many items of data in one message. For more
details of extracting data see
http://www.windmill.co.uk/parse.html
*
Furuno Sonar
Typical message string = $SDDBT,22.3,f,6.8,M,3.7,F
Windmill parse string = \S"SDDBT"\S"f,"\E","
More details at
http://www.windmill.co.uk/seafloormapping.html
*
MSI 3360 Scales
Typical message string = 2001 LB GROSS
Windmill parse string = \E4
*
OBD - on board diagnostics
Typical message string = 41 0D 37
Windmill parse string = \I06\E02
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/obd.html
*
Orbital Science OBIU with Motorola GPS
Typical message string =
Gps:@ 1/13/1999 22:04:02
Gps:Sec Latitude Longitude Sp Hed V T U Dop St
Gps:02 +455248866 -1226843925 0 64 7 5 3 25 14
Gps:03 +455248875 -1226843911 0 63 7 5 3 25 14
Gps:04 +455248875 -1226843911 0 69 7 5 3 25 14
Gps:05 +455248888 -1226843994 0 59 7 5 3 25 14
Gps: Diff Corr Msg Sent To Gps
Gps:06 +455248894 -1226843880 0 66 7 5 3 25 14
Gps:07 +455248902 -1226843875 0 55 7 5 3 25 14
Gps:Dgps Ack Rxed
Gps:08 +455248913 -1226843863 1 57 7 5 4 22 10
Gps:09 +455248908 -1226843891 1 58 7 5 4 22 10
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/library.html#gps
*
Parallax BASIC Stamp
Message string depends on your Stamp program.
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/stamp.html
*
Sartorius balance
Prompt string = \C027P
Typical message string = + 32.157 g
Windmill parse string = \S"+"\E"g"
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/sartorius.html
*
Telegan Tempest 100 flue gas analyser
Typical message string =
TEMPEST 100 V3.3
DATE 18-06-08
TIME 10:02:31
NETT C -1
O2 % .... 20.6
XAIR O2 > 20%
CO ppm ..... 0
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/library.html
*
Transcell digital indicator
Typical message string: xxxxx.xxKG
Windmill parse string = \S"\C002"\I01\E09
More details at http://www.windmill.co.uk/transcell.html
Further Reading
===============
Parsing Messages from RS232 Instruments
http://www.windmill.co.uk/parse.html
Instrument setup files
http://www.windmill.co.uk/library.html
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Excel Corner: Attaching a File to Alarm Alert E-mails
________________________________________________________
In Issues 17 and 18 we discussed how to use Excel to
monitor measurements, detect whether any of the readings
crossed alarm levels and if so send an e-mail. Details
are at http://www.windmill.co.uk/monitor117.html and
http://www.windmill.co.uk/monitor118.html
The previous examples showed how to attach the measurement
spreadsheet, how to include data in the body of the
message and how to set the e-mail to be from any address
you pleased. This month: how to attach any file to the
e-mail. You can download an example spreadsheet with the
necessary macros from
http://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/sendfile.xls
Our thanks again to Brian Yeager of SCE & G for
suggesting this addition.
Function InsertFile(ByVal sfile As String) As String
'This function supports attaching a file to an
‘outgoing CDO e-mail.
Dim fso As Object
Dim ts As Object
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set ts = fso.GetFile(sfile).OpenAsTextStream(1, -2)
InsertFile = ts.readall
ts.Close
End Function
Sub SendEmail()
Dim iMsg As Object
Dim MsgTextBody As String
MsgTextBody = "The temperature reading in cell A2 is in alarm: "
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set iMsg = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
With iMsg
'Change the values below to your e-mail addresses
.To = "myemail@mycompany.com"
.CC = ""
.BCC = ""
.From = "alarmalert@mycompany.com"
.Subject = "Alarm alert"
.TextBody = MsgTextBody
'Change c:\MyReport.txt to the path and name of the
'file which you want to attach to the e-mail
.AddAttachment "c:\MyReport.txt"
.Send
End With
Set iMsg = Nothing
Set iConf = Nothing
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
*
Further Reading
===============
For more tips on using Excel for data acquisition and
analysis see http://www.windmill.co.uk/excel.html and
http://www.windmill.co.uk/xlchart.html
For more on sending e-mail from Excel
http://www.windmill.co.uk/monitor117.html
http://www.windmill.co.uk/monitor118.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb268022.aspx
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
DAQ News Roundup
________________________________________________________
Welcome to our roundup of the data acquisition and
control news. If you would like to receive more
timely DAQ news updates then grab our RSS newsfeed
at http://www.windmillsoft.com/monitor.xml. Read
http://www.windmill.co.uk/newsfeed.html for notes
on how to display the news on your own web site,
read it via e-mail, mobile phone or a newsfeed viewer.
Robot fish may track whales or pollution
In the world of underwater robots, new Robofish are a
team of pioneers. While most ocean robots require
periodic communication with scientist or satellite
intermediaries to share information, these can work
cooperatively communicating only with each other,
wirelessly, underwater. Messages were sent between
the robots using low-frequency sonar pulses, or
pressure waves.
Source: SCUBA News
http://www.news.scubatravel.co.uk/
Bug-Inspired Engineering for Better Sensors
Security, health and safety sensors in coal mines or
underground public areas, where air or water does not
readily flow may one day be improved by research on
young mayflies. Engineers have identified a biological
mechanism in the mayflies that could enable sensors
in stagnant environments to make air or water flow
past them so they can detect harmful substances.
Source: University of Maryland
http://www.eng.umd.edu/
Bluetooth system tracks travel time
Engineers have created a system that uses Bluetooth
signals from cell phones and other wireless devices
to determine how long it takes vehicles and
pedestrians to travel from one point to another.
Because each Bluetooth device has its own distinct
digital signature, its travel time can be tracked by
detectors installed at intersections or along
highways and other locations.
Source: Purdue University
http://www.purdue.edu/
Kew provides climate for agricultural change
A device to help some of the most impoverished
farmers in Africa maximise their crop yields is
being tested at London's Kew Gardens. Developed by
engineers at the University of Leeds, the sensor
device gathers data on air temperature, humidity,
air pressure, light, and soil moisture and temperature
– information crucial to making key agricultural
decisions about planting, fertilisation, irrigation,
pest and disease control and harvesting.
Source: University of Leeds
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/
Robot knocks to enter
Spanish researchers have developed an autonomous,
intelligent robot that can find its way around a
new building, identify doors and ask permission to
enter. The robot can navigate indoors where GPS
navigation does not work, using sonar infrared lasers.
Source: The Engineer Online
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
* Copyright Windmill Software Ltd
* Reprinting permitted with this notice included
* For more articles see http://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
http://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html
and an index of articles at
http://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html
Windmill Software Ltd, PO Box 58, North District Office,
Manchester, M8 8QR, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)161 833 2782
Facsimile: +44 (0)161 833 2190
E-mail: monitor@windmill.co.uk
http://www.windmill.co.uk/
http://www.windmillsoft.com/
Do you have a question, comment or suggestion on this
newsletter? Fill in this form to contact the editor.
To receive Monitor every month please fill in your e-mail address below. We will not pass your address to any third parties, nor send you any unsolicited e-mail.
|
Free measurement news feed...
