Windmill Software Ltd
Windows Engineering Software

Windmill LabIML and comDebug Technical Support

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This page gives answers to questions asked about our free software, namely...

• The Windmill 4.3 suite of logging, charting, output control and DDE panel software.
• The Windmill 4.3 LabIML driver, which lets you collect data from serial instruments sending ASCII messages. (Note: for Windows XP systems you may be better with the more recent COMIML software: the free LabIML is not always reliable under Windows XP).
• The Windmill 6 comDebug program, which is a terminal emulator for RS232, RS485, RS422 and Modbus devices connected to the PC's COM port. This has many diagnostic features which make it easy to confirm that you can talk to your instrument, before using our LabIML or (new) COMIML drivers to automatically acquire data.

(The Windmill 4.3 software is only available to our Monitor newsletter subscribers.)

Technical Support Questions and Answers

1. How do I use Windmill with my DAQ board or USB device?
2. What do I do if my laptop has no RS232 serial ports?
3. Anything special I need to do with a USB-Serial converter?
4. Can I run Windmill under DOS or Linux?
5. LabIML handles analogue data - how do I switch digital outputs?
6. Can I use LabIML to control valves or other instruments over RS485?
7. Can I incorporate a picture of my chart in my report?
8. Can I scroll the chart?
9. Can I use Windmill Chart to display data from Excel?
10. Can I plot an x-y diagram?
11. How do I use Excel to send data to the serial port?
12. My Excel macro is asking me to start DDE Panel. Can I do this automatically?
13. In Excel, how do I store each data sample in a new cell?
14. Is there a setup file available for my instrument?
15. Why do the values and channels not look like my data?
16. When in SetupIML, why is my measurement type "analogue" rather than "serial"?
17. Can LabIML parse data fields of differing lengths?
18. Can I get rid of the Signal Generator (channels 10000 to 10006)?
19. Can I get Logger to log a value only when I press a key?
20. Can I remotely trigger data collection by Logger?
21. How do I collect only new data?
22. Can I read the entire contents of an RS232 data logger into Excel?
23. What are channels?
24. Can I capture more than 20 characters to a channel?
25. How quickly can I collect data?
26. How do I communicate with Modbus devices?
27. What are the settings for instruments following the NMEA standard?
28. Why can't I parse data with multiple Ignore commands?
29. Can I monitor traffic signals to and from the modem?
30. Why am I getting "Error 114"?
31. In comDebug, why are all bytes sent but no reply received?
32. In comDebug, why do I get the message "failed to open the com port"
33. Why can I send and receive messages from my instrument using comDebug, but not LabIML?
34. What do I do about an ISINST30 error during installation?
35. Why am I being told I need different hardware?
36. Why does my screen look funny when I plug my GPS in?
37. Other Sources of Information

1. How do I use Windmill with my DAQ board?

The free software is for serial instruments connected to the RS232 COM port. If you wish to use a data acquisition board or USB device, you need to buy its specific driver. Please contact Windmill Software for advice on your hardware, or visit our on-line catalogue to purchase one of the Microlink or Windmill hardware series.

2. What do I do if my laptop has no RS232 COM ports?

The free software is for serial instruments connected to the RS232 COM port. If your laptop is without COM ports, you can add them by installing a serial card in the computer's PCMCIA slot, by purchasing a USB to Serial RS232 adaptor or, for Wi-Fi networks, by connecting a serial device server.

3. Anything special I need to do with a USB-Serial converter?

You need to make sure that your converter's serial settings match those of Windmill (or vice versa). For instance, if you have set Windmill to continually aquire data you must make sure that your USB-to-Serial converter is continually providing data and not buffering it. How you do this depends on your converter. For a 930-based Edgeport converter, for example, you need to use its utility program to set its ports for "low latency" and "fast read and writes". Use the Edgeport configuration utility program to do this (Port Flags button). Get more tips on using USB-Serial converters...

4. Can I run Windmill under DOS or Linux?

No is the short answer (sorry). Windmill 4.3 runs under Windows 3.1 and later (but not Windows XP). Windmill 6 (comDebug) runs under Windows 95 and later.

5. LabIML handles analogue data - how do I switch digital outputs?

LabIML works by sending and receiving ASCII strings of characters; it does not expect digital data. When our hardware set-up program, SetupIML, sees an instrument being handled by LabIML - it therefore assumes all its channels are analogue. You can circumvent this by editing the hardware setup file (*.ims) by hand.

1. Use Windows Notepad to open the file.
2. Find the appropriate channel (to find a channel's number open the ims setup file in SetupIML, select your channel and look at the status bar).
3. Change the channel letter to a T (T signifies a digital input and output channel).
4. Save and close the file. (Be careful not to make any other changes, and save a backup before editing.) If you use SetupIML again, it will reset the file and you will have to edit manually again.

For example: an analogue output channel called Channel 00002, configured by SetupIML, might have the following settings in its ims file.

V 00002 N= E=1 M=A O=0 S=1 U=

To change this to a digital output channel replace the V with a T

T 00002 N= E=1 M=A O=0 S=1 U=

6. Can I use LabIML to control valves or other instruments over RS485?

As long as each device on an RS485 cable has its own address - you can use the LabIML driver for data acquisition and control. To do this simply include the address in your string to request data (the prompt string).

7. Can I incorporate a picture of my Chart in my report?

Whilst Chart is the active window, press the Alt and Print Screen keys to copy the Chart image to the clipboard. Now simply paste the picture of Chart into your Word, Excel or other Windows-based report. This is also useful when printing Chart, as you can annotate the image as necessary.

8. Can I scroll the Chart?

The Windmill Chart program is designed to display data in "real-time", and so there is no scroll function. To show more data at a time, change the paper speed. (See the Help file for details.) Should you wish to review previously saved data, you need the Windmill Replay software. This lets you scroll through, fast-forward, rewind, zoom in and out, see tables of data, etc.

9. Can I use Windmill Chart to display data from Excel?

Yes, but you need to purchase the optional Windmill Harvester program to do so. You then copy the contents of Excel cells to the clipboard and paste them into Harvester. Windmill Chart can now read and display your Excel values as though they were from normal hardware channels. For full details see the Harvester Help file.

10. How do I use Excel to send data to the serial port?

You can create an Excel macro which uses dynamic data exchange to send data to analogue or digital channels on your instrument. For full details see the new version of the Windmill DDE Panel Help file, wmdde.hlp, which you can download from our Help File page. More information is also on our Excel web page.

11. Can I plot an x-y diagram?

The free Windmill Chart program plots data against time. However, with Windmill you can collect data from your device and send it in real-time to other software like Excel. You can then create your x-y diagrams in Excel. For more details see our Excel Interfacing and Excel Charting pages.

12. My Excel macro is asking me to start DDE Panel. Can I do this automatically?

Yes - use this code in your macro.

Shell "start c:\windmill\wmdde.exe siggen.wdp"
Application.Wait Now + TimeValue("00:00:03")

Replace siggen.wdp with the name of your DDE Panel setup file. (See the on-line Help, wmdde.hlp, for more on setup files.)

13. In Excel, how do I store each data reading in a new cell?

This depends on whether you wish to analyse the data in Excel after collection has finished, or whether you need the data in Excel in "real-time". In the first case you simply use Windmill Logger to save the data, then later open the data file in Excel. In the second you need to set up DDE data links using the DDE Panel, and then create an Excel macro to read and store the data. For full details open the DDE Panel Help file, wmdde.hlp, and see the "Example Excel Macro to Repeatedly Sample Data" topic. The information is also on our Excel web page.

14. Is there a setup file available for my instrument?

We've provided a library of hardware setup files, containing all the details needed to quickly configure your instrument. To use these files simply download them and follow the instructions in the readme.txt file. If your instrument is not yet included, we'd be very grateful if you'd send us your files when you've completed your installation.

15. Why do the values and channels not look like my data?

You may be getting data from the Software Signal Generator, rather than from your instrument. The Signal Generator mimics signals from real hardware, and lets you practice with Windmill programs. It shows readings as voltages. However, to read real data from your instrument you need to enable the LabIML driver. To do this run the SetupIML program and from its Device menu select LabIML. Double-click each channel (labelled 10000, 10001, etc) and make sure its Enabled for Input box is checked. If LabIML is not listed, close SetupIML then follow the 4 steps on the Installation Tips page.

16. When in SetupIML, why is my measurement type "analogue" rather than "serial"?

As LabIML deals with ASCII messages, SetupIML expects them to contain data from analogue channels. It doesn't really care that serial communications are used; it is only concerned by the type of data it is receiving. Should you wish to use digital channels - switches or relays say - see question 4.

17. Can LabIML parse data fields of differing lengths?

Yes. For full details please see either our Parsing the Message page or the LabIML Help file, labiml.hlp. See especially the "Parsing Messages from Instruments" and "Control String Reference" topics.

18. Can I get rid of the Signal Generator (channels 10000 to 10006)?

Yes, in SetupIML disable its channels.

1. Open your hardware setup file (*.ims).
2. From the Mode menu choose Select Channels.
3. Double-click each of the SigGen channels. They are now greyed-out and will be ignored by the other Windmill programs like Logger and DDE Panel.
4. Save the *.ims file and close SetupIML.

19. Can I get Logger to log a value only when I press a key?

Choose a long sampling interval (Settings menu), press Start and then Pause. When you're ready to take a reading press Resume (Alt R). Carry on alternating Pause and Resume to take readings at will. (With the latest version of Windmill you can set logging to start on a keypress as the default, removing the need for pressing the Pause and Resume buttons.)

20. Can I remotely trigger data collection by Logger?

You can start automatically start the free version of Logger whenever you start Windows. If you also set Logger to "skip empty scans" this will remove the need to click the Start button. For details how see the Logger Help file. Alternatively you can send a DDE command to Logger to start collecting data. See the Controlling Logger from Other Applications topic of the Logger Help file.

For more sophisticated starting methods you need Windmill version 6. You would then be able to start when you pressed a key on the keyboard, when a signal crossed into an alarm state or when new data arrived.

21. How do I collect only new data?

Some instruments supply new data at irregular intervals. However, the Windmill 4.3 programs regularly save and display data. When using Windmill Logger, though, you can set it to "skip empty scans". Alternatively, to save data only when readings change, you could use version 6 of Logger or a spreadsheet like Excel. For more details see Monitor Issue 56 and 57.

22. Can I read the entire contents of an RS232 data logger into an Excel spreadsheet?

No, Windmill is designed to take readings from a data acquisition instrument at regular intervals. You can either send the data as it is read to an Excel spreadsheet, or you can use the Windmill Logger program to save the data in a file then open this file in Excel after collection is finished. You cannot use Windmill to download a block of previously collected data (unless you are using a Microlink data logger).

23. What are Channels?

Windmill can extract one or more items of data from an instrument's response message. Each data item is stored in a "channel". So you might have one channel storing temperature readings and another storing pressure readings.

24. Can I capture more than 20 characters to a channel?

No, split long sequences of data up into several channels.

25. How quickly can I collect data?

Windmill will collect 10 readings per second per channel, up to a maximum of 200 readings per second with 20 channels. When using COMIML though, you are limited to 5 readings per second per channel.

26. How do I communicate with Modbus devices

Use comDebug to communicate with Modbus devices. Full details of the Modbus settings are in the latest version of comDebug's on-line Help. To download a copy of the Help go to our Help page.

27. What are the settings for instruments following the NMEA standard?

Instruments following the NMEA standard will generally work with these settings: baud rate - 4800; bits - 8; parity - none; stop bits - 1; flow control - Xon/Xoff or hardware (you may have to try both: consult your instrument's Manual), reading protocol - continuous flow, data persistence - 2 seconds. For settings for specific instruments see our Setup File Library.

28. Why can't I parse data with multiple Ignore commands?

The Ignore Until Character command tells Windmill to ignore characters in the data string until one of the specified characters arrives. The next operation takes place at this character. So, if you repeatedly told Windmill to ignore everything until the next comma (meaning to skip several commas) it would get stuck on the first comma it found. For more help see the Parsing Messages from RS232 Instruments page.

29. Can I monitor traffic signals to and from the modem?

No. As the software is designed to acquire data from measurement instruments it needs sole control of the serial device. Other applications cannot therefore access the modem whilst you're using LabIML or comDebug.

30. Why am I getting Error 114?

Error 114 indicates that no data is available from your instrument. This is most likely due to you not parsing the instrument's message properly, but might also be caused by too short a persistence time or by the "returned message length" being shorter than the actual length of the message. Our new comDebug terminal emulator program lets you quickly check your settings. You can then make the appropriate changes in ConfIML. See these topics in the on-line Help (labiml.hlp) for more details: Adding a New Instrument - Data Persistence; Adding a New Instrument - Returned Message Length; Configuring Channels - Reply Parse String.

Note: if you can get data with comDebug then the new version of the serial driver - called COMIML - will be able to obtain readings from your instrument even if LabIML cannot. This is available from our on-line store.

To further investigate problems with LabIML, open its debug window. Right-click the LabIML icon on the tool bar and select "Debug Options". If the LabIML Debug window says "Parsing Failed", you have not properly defined how to extract your data.

1. Close all Windmill programs and IML Device icons.
2. In ConfIML select your instrument.
3. Press the Settings button.
4. Press the Channels button and enter the Reply Parse String. For more information see our Parsing Help page, or the Parsing Messages from Instruments topic in the labiml.hlp file.

Note: For request/response data LabIML goes back to the beginning of the string each time for each channel. For continuous flow data it proceeds along the string for each channel.

31. In comDebug, why are all bytes sent but no reply received?

Select the Status menu to see possible errors and make sure you've entered your COM port settings correctly. For a detailed explanation of RS232 connections and communications, see the "Understanding RS232" topic in comDebug's on-line Help. You might also find our RS232 tutorial helpful. Another possibility is that you have not entered any instructions that your instrument requires before it will send a reply.

32. In comDebug, why do I get the message "failed to open the com port"?

There two possible reasons for this error.

1. The COM port is already in use. comDebug needs sole control of the port: if other software has already opened the COM port, comDebug will not be able to access it.
2. You have selected a COM port that isn't present on your computer - choose a lower COM port number.

33. Why can I send and receive messages from my instrument using comDebug, but not LabIML?

comDebug has more options than LabIML. For example, it lets you handle instruments sending binary messages as well as those sending ASCII messages, and lets you insert CRC checksums. Also, LabIML does not always work well under Windows XP. In these cases you need new Windmill 6 COMIML serial driver to continuously acquire data.

34. What do I do about an ISINST30 error during installation?

The error is caused by another program running in the background and affecting the installation process. Close all programs before installing Windmill. Sometimes you might not be able to stop all programs running - in this case boot your computer in Safe Mode. To do this, when starting Windows press F8 and choose Safe Mode. Now install the software. After installation restart Windows normally.

35. Why am I being told I need different hardware?

If you are using more than one channel, make sure that you have not chosen "Request/Response - On demand" or "Request/Response - Background" as the reading protocol

36. Why does my screen look funny when I plug my GPS in?

Sometimes when you plug a GPS receiver into the computers COM port, Windows detects the RS232 data as indicating that a serial mouse has been plugged in. This causes the screen to behave erratically. The solution is simply to wait until the Windows system has settled down before trying again.

37. Other Sources of Information

1. Read our Step-by-step guide to installing LabIML.
2. See our technical support index.
3. See if your instrument is in our Setup File Library or has its own support page.
4. If you haven't yet done so download our free terminal emulator software, comDebug. This can help you identify and correct errors.
5. LabIML, comDebug and the other Windmill programs, have comprehensive on-line Help. Download the latest version of the Help and unzip it into your Windmill folder.
6. If your question is not answered by the Help please give as many details as possible below.

Version of Windows: (Note - For Windows XP 
you need Windmill 6 not Windmill 4.3)


Type of instrument:


Using which Software:
comDebug LabIML
 
Problem:
(Please also say if you have purchased any 
Windmill modules and if so which ones)

Name:        
Organisation:
Email: