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SoftWIRE is a new graphical programming tool for building data acquisition applications. What makes it special is the fact that is the first software of its kind to use industry-standard Visual Basic code, making it easy to incorporate custom Visual Basic routines into your application.
A lot of people have been waiting for a product like this. ComputerBoards' SoftWIRE offers the chance to combine the flexibility of text-based programming with the speed and ease of use of graphical alternatives - and it produces code in Visual Basic, the world's most popular programming tool.
SoftWIRE represents a real breakthrough both for experienced Visual Basic programmers, who will see their system development time slashed, and for those who are happy to create specialist routines in Visual Basic but do not wish to design complete systems.
Using SoftWIRE is as easy as any other graphical programming system. The user simply places objects on the screen which represent data acquisition or user interface controls, then connects them with simple drag-and-drop Ôwires' through function and logic blocks. The code for the data acquisition system is automatically generated.
But SoftWIRE does not generate hard proprietary code - it runs in Visual Basic and generates Visual Basic code. Users can include custom VB routines as blocks within the application.
With graphical programming techniques, although system building is always straightforward, adding certain specific or custom elements means having to add on more components and increase the complexity of the system. With SoftWIRE, any Visual Basic routine, perhaps to support an I/O board or instrument, can be integrated into the system using the User Function control block. When this block is placed on the SoftWIRE screen, a VB syntax window automatically appears: users simply place their code at the 'Add your custom code here' prompt.
Nobody wants to throw out the investment already made in software, so SoftWIRE is completely ActiveX (COM) based. All SoftWIRE control blocks are fully COM/ActiveX compatible and are easily interfaced to Visual Basic programs. It's also straightforward to convert existing ActiveX controls for use with the SoftWIRE graphical programmer.
OEMs and systems integrators will be particularly attracted to SoftWIRE as the compiled applications created may be distributed as .EXE programs royalty free. Of course, SoftWIRE supports Computerboards' complete line of measurement, control and GPIB interfaces, but any other hardware with a Visual Basic interface can be incorporated into a SoftWIRE-generated system.
The heart of PC-based data acquisition is normally the I/O board which interfaces the PC with the signals. But not all I/O boards are equal. How do we know our measurements will continue to be accurate? With ComputerBoards' multifunction boards, ongoing auto-calibration is built in - and that's something well worth looking out for when comparing specifications.
So you've made the decision to move away from manual recording of data and intend to use a PC for continuous monitoring. Good move. But how easy is the change going to be? Quite possibly easier than you think. If you've only had passing knowledge of PC-based data acquisition in the past, you might have thought it all looked a bit fiddly. Well, good news. The days of data acquisition boards with rows of potentiometers which the user had to 'tweak' should be long gone.
With the advent of PCI 'Plug and Play' I/O boards, and features such as automatic self-calibration, there really is very little to setting up a system these days. But it's essential to choose a board with the latest ease-of-use features, because there are still a few relics knocking around which can take up an unnecessary amount of your time.
Like any other part of a measurement chain, the precision and stability of the I/O board is vital if the system is to achieve its requirements. And with Computerboards PCI multifunction boards, that's all catered for using the latest techniques, as standard.
The boards use digital potentiometers and calibration digital-to-analogue converters which require no user involvement. Just click on the 'calibrate' icon on screen, and the 'InstaCal' process begins. Calibration is completed in just a few minutes, and the correction coefficients for all gains and offsets are stored on the board in non-volatile memory. These are true hardware adjustments, not post-processing of the raw data via software corrections. Each board has a voltage reference with extremely low temperature drift (<5ppm/degC) and extraordinary long-term stability (<<10ppm/1000hr). This will have been characterised with traceable measurements and all adjustments to the board are made with reference to this standard.
Although we won't go any further into the technicalities here, it's important to remember when you're buying a system that not all I/O boards are equal, so ensure you always look for features such as autocalibration. If you'd like more in-depth explanations of the technology, do send for the latest ComputerBoards catalogue, using the number below.
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