Free Software to Read and Control Serial Instruments

Windmill Software announces a versatile package to interface serial devices to the PC. Running under Windows, the new driver handles RS-232, RS-485, RS-422 and Modbus instruments. The package also includes data logging, charting, output control, DDE and COM port trouble-shooting applications. Furthermore, Windmill offer free technical support for life.

To enable people to confirm they can talk to their device before buying the Windmill package, the set-up part of the system is freely available. Engineers can download this program from Windmill's web site, enter their device communications and ensure they can transmit data. The program, called comDebug, also provides many diagnostic facilities - helping resolve any problems with the COM port connection. If users have no need for automatic data acquisition, they can use free comDebug program on its own as a terminal emulator.

With Windmill, users can view the state of the PC's COM port input lines and control the PC's output lines. Data can be sent to devices as ASCII values, signed or unsigned integers, signed or unsigned bytes, single bits and floating point numbers. Cyclic redundancy checks can be inserted into messages. This and a flexible approach to parsing information obtained from devices, means that most serial instruments are supported. Windmill is therefore suitable for a vast range of test and measurement applications.

The Windmill package costs 145 (around US$210 or 230 Euros). If needs grow, Windmill offers a series of optional extras. These include drivers to interface GPIB, USB and Ethernet devices; Visual Basic data acquisition tools; alarm alerts by telephone and a process mimic generator.

For more details visit http://www.windmillsoft.com/acatalog/comiml.html or contact:

Windmill Software
PO Box 58
North District Office
Manchester
M8 8QR
UK
Tel: +44 161 833 2782
Fax: +44 161 833 2190
http://www.windmill.co.uk/
sales@windmill.co.uk