Windmill Software Ltd
Data Acquisition Intelligence

Interfacing a Sartorius Balance

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Windmill software lets you continually log data from Sartorius balances, and other instruments with an RS232 serial port, on a PC running Windows. All data is time-stamped and can be imported into Excel either during or after data collection. Our Windmill with the COMIML software is currently reduced from £145 to £50. Alternatively, subscribers to the Monitor newsletter (ISSN 1472-0221) can download free logging software: ComDebug. This lets you log data from one instrument and save it in a text file.

1. Run the Windmill ComDebug program and enter your balance's settings.
2. Run the Windmill DDE Panel, Logger or Chart program to save or display data from your balance.

After you have entered your configuration settings with ComDebug, you don't need to use this again and can go straight to the logging and display programs. More details on entering the configuration settings are below.

Note: Sartorius's RS-232 cable has a unique pin out - it is not a standard cable. You need to either purchase the correct cable from Sartorius, or re-wire the connections. See below for more details.

Use ComDebug to enter data about your Sartorius Balance | Data Logging Options | Getting the data into Excel | Trouble-shooting

Use ComDebug to enter data about your Sartorius Balance

Read this in conjuction with the step-by-step instructions on our Getting Started page. Here we give the specific settings needs for Sartorius balances and scales.

COM Port Settings

These must be the same as your balance uses. These are the default factory settings for Sartorius Talent, Gem and Gold balances.

Data Format

Your settings here depend upon how you have configured your balance. In ComDebug's Terminal or Message Screen, enter a command or prompt string to send to the balance to ask for data. Click the Send button, and the instrument should send a reply (see Trouble-Shooting below if not). Now click the Parse button and enter instructions to extract the data from the balance's reply. These settings work for CP balances. Use the non-print menu to enter the Escape character (027).

Instrument Timing

Further Information:
COM Port Settings
Operating Instructions, Sartorius, Interface for EA, EB, GD, GE and TE Balances/Scales
Operating Instructions, Sartorius, CPA, GCA and GPA models

Data Logging Options

1. Log only when new data is available from your instrument: when a weight changes on a balance for instance. Even if two items weigh the same, Windmill knows that a change has occurred, so no readings are missed.
2. Log to a new data file at regular intervals, every hour or every week for example. This is useful in continuous, long-term logging.
3. Log data only when channels are in an alarm state.
4. Log data for a fixed duration, for example during an alarm condition and for ten minutes afterwards.
5. Use Excel to start and stop logging.
6. Log from different channels at different rates.
7. Log from different channels to the same or different files.
8. Log data from RS232 instruments alongside Modbus and Ethernet devices.

Getting the data into Excel

You can use the Windmill Logger program to collect data, and after collection has finished import it into Excel. Alternatively, you can collect data with Excel in real-time by using an Excel macro to read data from the Windmill DDE Panel. For more details see our Excel page.

Trouble-Shooting Sartorius Balances

If you are unable to get data from your balance go back to ComDebug's Terminal screen. Make sure your command is shown in the prompt grid, like in the picture. Click the Send button: does your instrument reply?

1. If you only see your command being sent, and no data...
   1. Make sure that the balance is switched on and plugged into the PC's com (RS232) port.
   2. Check that the communication settings you entered in ComDebug match those currently in use by the balance: COM port, baud rate, parity, etc.
   3. If using a USB-RS232 converter, it's settings must also match those used by the balance - read the USB-Serial page for details, especially point 7.
   4. Make sure that the balance is set to ASCII rather than printer mode.
   5. Check for a cabling problem. Sartorius's RS-232 cable has a unique pin out: it is not a standard cable. You need to either purchase the correct cable from Sartorius, or re-wire the connections.

      Sartorius Connector		Standard RS-232 DB25 Connector
      Description:	Pin#	Pin#	Description:
      TxD Output	2	3	RxD Input
      RxD Input	3	2	TxD Output
      External Signal Signal Ground	4 14	7	Ground
      CTS Input	5	20	DTR Output
      DTR Output	20	5 6 8	CD DSR CTS Input
      Chassis Ground	1 (Optional)		No Connection

   6. If you are still having trouble see our Testing Serial Port Communication page
   7. If all else fails fill in our technical support form.
       
      
2. If you see data but it doesn't make sense, check that your balance's operating mode is ASCII and not Universal Printer. Use the balance's Operating Menu - Data Interface - Communications mode.
    
   
3. If, in ComDebug you see data coming in but DDE Panel isn't showing it, you may need to edit your parsing settings. Go to ComDebug's Terminal or Message Screen, click the Parse button. Enter your Ignore and Extract Settings and click the Step menu. Is your data shown in the Value column? If not adjust your settings. See also our Technical Support page.
    
   
4. If you are getting accurate data readings, but much slower than expected, change your sampling rate. With COMIML, Windmill can make 5 readings per second per channel. So it can record one weight measurement every 0.2 seconds. If you have the sampling interval set much smaller than this, then Windmill may slow down considerably and only make a couple of readings per minute.

Success?

Have you successfully used Windmill with your balance? Let us know about your project.

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