-------------------------Monitor------------------------
The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 108 www.windmill.co.uk July 2007
--------------------ISSN 1472-0221----------------------
Thank you for subscribing to Monitor. I hope you enjoy
the newsletter but should you wish to cancel your
subscription you can do so at
https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html
CONTENTS
========
* Windmill News:
Video Tally people counters use Windmill software
* Excel Corner
* DAQ News Roundup
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Windmill News:
Video Tally People Counters use Windmill Software
________________________________________________________
Biodata are pleased to announce new, low-cost, people
counters. Called Video Tally, the new system
uses CCTV cameras and intelligent units to count
people. The counts are collected on a PC using
Windmill Software.
Video Tally is designed for businesses which want to
monitor people coming through just one or two doorways.
The small Video Tally unit connects to a CCTV camera
above a doorway. It determines when people are passing
through the doorway and increments its people count.
Every five minutes Video Tally gives its count to the
Windmill data collection software running on a PC.
The count is stored in a text file which can be
analysed in the software of your choice, Microsoft
Excel for example.
Windmill has also written the configuration software
for the Video Tally system. This lets you fine tune
the people counting settings for each doorway. For
example, during setup you can make adjustments for:
- shadows,
- the height of the camera above the floor,
- whether crowds are expected,
- people turning sharply left or right after entering,
- whether children should be counted,
- lighting conditions,
- different situations such as counting people getting
off escalators
Other Windmill programs supplied with the new system
include "VT Real Time" to display the live, on-going,
count and "VT View Log" to show an historical record
of the logged data.
For more on counting people with Windmill contact
[email protected] or see the Video Turnstile People Counter site
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Excel Corner:
Can I Choose the Markers in a Scatter Chart?
________________________________________________________
"Can I choose the type of marker used in a scatter
chart?" asked Charles Willson when he filled in our
Excel Help form. Here's how...
1. In your chart double-click a data marker which you
wish to change. The Format Data Series box appears.
2. Choose the Patterns tab.
3. Select the style of marker you wish.
For more tips on creating Excel charts see
https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/excel-charting.html
For information on using Excel for data acquisition see
https://www.windmill.co.uk/excel/
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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 https://www.windmillsoft.com/monitor.xml. Read
https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsfeed.php for notes
on how to display the news on your own web site,
read it via e-mail, mobile phone or a newsfeed viewer.
New Vibration Powered Generator For Wireless Systems
The periodic replacement of batteries is not feasible
for embedded applications and is highly unattractive
in wireless sensor networks containing hundreds of
sensor nodes. Engineers at the University of
Southampton have developed an efficient kinetic
energy generator which generates electrical energy
from the vibrations and movements present within its
environment. The generator has been designed to power
wireless sensors that monitor the condition of
industrial plant and is intended to be installed
within an air compressor unit.
Source: Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Earplug provides steer-by-tongue control
A new sensor detects tongue movements inside the mouth
and converts them to cursor movements or wheelchair
commands. Engineers of Southern Illinois University
suspected that tongue movements could be detected
using ear pressure, because the way the Eustachian
tube connects the middle ear to the back of the
mouth. In tests people wore a custom earplug
containing a microphone pointing into the ear. This
microphone picked up subtle pressure changes inside
the ear caused by the tongue forcing air around.
Each movement created a distinctive signal that
could be mapped to a computer command or a
wheelchair control.
Source: New Scientist
http://www.newscientisttech.com/
Printed electronics needs organic focus
The use of organic semiconducting materials rather
than silicon is a key development for the
commercialisation of printed electronic components
such as sensors, displays, and functional transistors,
according to a report by Research and Markets.
Source: Electronics Weekly
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/
ISA Security Compliance Institute Proposed
An ISASecure designation is planned to identify and
promote security standards, conformant products and
systems. Certification will provide the formal
recognition of a product's conformance to an
industry standard security specification. The ISA
Security Compliance Institute is seeking
founding members.
Source: ISA
http://tinyurl.com/2lsfae
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
* 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)161 833 2782
Facsimile: +44 (0)161 833 2190
E-mail: [email protected]
https://www.windmill.co.uk/
https://www.windmillsoft.com/
Do you have a question, comment or suggestion on this
newsletter? Fill in this form to contact the editor.
Previous Issue
Next Issue