Windmill Software Ltd
Windows Engineering Software
February 2012
Windmill Software Ltd
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February 2012 |
Monitor Archive |
-------------------------Monitor------------------------ The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control Issue 163 www.windmill.co.uk February 2012 --------------------ISSN 1472-0221---------------------- Welcome to February's issue of Monitor. Thank you very much all those who filled in our survey last month. The results are below. If you would like to let us know your thoughts on the newsletter, our software and our technical support service, you can still do so. Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RVRQ9HP I hope you find the newsletter useful, but should you wish to remove yourself from our mailing please go to http://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/Monitor_Newsletter.html CONTENTS ======== * New Year Survey Results * Windmill Notes: Logging data when you press a button on your measurement instrument * Excel Corner * DAQ News Round-up ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ New Year Survey Results ________________________________________________________ Thank you everyone who completed our survey last month. If you haven't yet filled it in, and would like to, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RVRQ9HP. We found that some people wanted information on topics we have already covered - you might find our full subject index of previous issues useful at http://www.windmill.co.uk/monitorindex.html. Regarding the format of the newsletter - whether you wanted plain text; mainly text with just a few pictures or fancy formatting and pictures; - 35% wanted plain text, 40% wanted mainly text but with some pictures and 30% would prefer it fully formatted. We'll therefore be including more pictures in future issues, but will keep the format quite plain. We were pleased to see that most respondants reported having no problems with the software (although of course those that did might just have stopped getting the newsletter). "...Windmill worked better than the other packages for my 'quick and dirty' measurements" was one response. However, if you have had problems we would like to hear from you - contact monitor@windmillsoft.com. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Windmill Notes: Logging data when you press a button on your balance or other measurement instrument ________________________________________________________ The Windmill Logger program regularly saves data from sensors and instruments to the computer's hard disk. You can choose from many logging options, including: to log continuously, to log only when readings cross an alarm threshold, to log for a set time or to log only new data values. The latter allows external events to control logging, for instance when you press a button on your instrument. The data does not have to change to be logged. For example, imagine you are using our COMIML serial driver to gather data from an electronic balance. Every time you press a button on the balance, COMIML takes a reading. It might be that two consecutive readings happen to be identical. However, every time COMIML takes a reading it updates a "record number". Logger watches the record number and so knows when new data is available, even if it is the same value as the previous reading. To set Logger to log data only when you press an instrument button: 1. In ComDebug, create a new data channel and "Extract Record Number" to it. Also, make sure the data persistence time (the time that the data remains valid) is longer than Logger's "Read Inputs Every" interval. 2. Open Logger and select the Inputs menu. Make sure that the first channel in the Connected Channels list is the one to be monitored for updates. For data supplied by COMIML, this should be the channel holding the record number. 3. Select Settings from Logger's menu bar. SubscribingTo 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. |
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Copyright Windmill Software Ltd 2012 PO Box 58, North District Office, Manchester, M8 8QR, UK. E-mail:monitor@windmillsoft.com, Tel:+44 161 833 2782 http://www.windmill.co.uk/  Free measurement news feed... |
4. Select "Log on First Channel Change".
5. Enter a Log Duration of 0 as you only want to take
one reading at a time.
6. Clear the Indicate empty scans box.
7. Decide how often you want Logger to check the first
channel for a new value and enter this into the
Read Inputs Every box.
8. Press the Logger's Start button. Now, whenever your
instrument sends new data, and only then, Logger will
record the value.
To download a trial of Windmill Logger 
