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Capturing Torque Meter Data to an Access Database

An escalator manufacturer needs to monitor and analyse various tools, in particular torque screwdrivers. The company wanted to send data from their torque meter directly to an Access database. To achieve this quickly, easily, and for free, they used Windmill Software.

Each torque test comprises 5 measurements. To record the torque data they created a form in an Access database. They programmed this to automatically open the Windmill DDE Panel when the form was opened, and close DDE Panel when the form was closed. Once running, the DDE Panel monitors the torque meter, collects its data and sends it to Access in real-time. The company later use Excel for statistical analysis.

If you would like a copy of the Windmill software please subscribe to our free Monitor (ISSN 1472-0221) newsletter. We offer our subscribers Windmill 4.3, plus the LabIML RS232 driver used in this application, absolutely free. Alternatively, consider our newer serial driver - COMIML. This is even more flexible and you can try before you buy.

Windmill Torque Meter Settings

Should you wish to use Windmill to read data from a Desoutter TMP220 Torque Meter, you can quickly get started by downloading its set-up file from our library. If you prefer you can enter the settings by hand:

COMMUNICATION SETTINGS
Baud rate: 4800
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Flow control: None

INSTRUMENT SETTINGS
Reading Protocol: Request/Response Background
Timeout: 1000 mS
Data Persistence: 5000 mS 
Returned Message Length: 16

CHANNEL 0 SETTINGS
Channel Attributes: Read Channel
Reply Parse String: \S"   "\E04