Microlink 851 User Manual
Contents
1. SetupIML 4 1 several copies 3 2 working directory 3 52. lection locations within the site and any special processing of data from each location E me eT Save Site Changes IMSfile Close l Site Details Input Channels Calculated Channels Scheduled Scaling Site Name i840 Add A New Site File Prefix eLog Remove This Installation Date 25 10 2011 2a All data in the loggers before this date is ignored Site is offline and will not be accessed Connections to Logger Units Site Connection COM port number or IP addr xxx xxx xx wx port Modem Telephone Number 192 168 1 61 47471 Figure 5 6 Creating a Site 2 Click the Add a New Site button and type a name for the site Microlink 851 User Manual 5 10 Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software 3 The File Prefix ties together many sites the data for all sites with an identical File Prefix will be collected as a single overall site For exam ple you may have Microlink 851s gathering data in three locations If the File Prefix is S1 then all logged data will be sent to the same file under directory name S1 4 The Installation Date defines the date from which the software will scan for accrued data It defaults to today s date but you can enter any date you wish 5 Enter the correct IP address for example 192 168 1 61 47471 6 When using a modem to transfer data enter the modem s dial up num ber Include only figures not spaces commas etc Remember to al
3. the better the precision and the more random noise is averaged out Start logging to the 851 s memory Section 5 7 Send settings to the 851 which you previously specified in SetupIML Section 5 8 Enable Windmill DDE Panel to show live data even though you are using the 851 as a data logger Section 5 9 Reset counters balance strain gauge bridges change digital ouput states Sections 5 10 5 11 and 5 12 Choose the computer where alarm notifications will be sent Section 5 13 Create a site holding details of a collection of Microlink 851s Section 5 14 1 5 4 Setting the 851 s Clock You can set the Microlink s clock to match that of the PC to which it is connected 1 Connect to a Logger or Site the Logger Details box appears Choose the Logger Settings tab Microlink 851 User Manual 5 3 Logger Details Close Connection Help Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software Logger Settings Details Logger Address Logger Type Logger Clock Epoch Length seconds Current Epoch Total epochs Epoch ends at IMS files DigOut and Balance ps 851 Firmware 1 012 Fri May 11 14 09 55 2012 Reset 2 Change 15203 65024 Fri May 11 14 09 56 2012 Integrator Resolution 15 bits 2 Errors MAC address 40 D4 0E 00 00 42 Start a new recording Note this will record with the existing setup Goto IMS files to change the setup of the 851 Start recording Figure 5 2 C
4. 4 2 Configuring Hardware Channels with SetupIML SetupIML is the Windmill program that lets you save libraries of setup files each holding details about how you want to use individual channels 1 Start SetupIML and choose to create a new setup 2 Type a name and description for your setup An 851 is shown as three devices in SetupIML Analogue Inputs Digital Inputs and Counters Choose one from SetupIML s Device menu Double click a channel to configure it Full details of using SetupIML are in its program Help Microlink 851 User Manual 4 1 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC 4 2 1 General Purpose Analogue Input Connector The input channels are numbered 0O to 15 Using SetupIML you can configure each channel as follows e enable or disable e re name e set to a specific input range or allow the software to pick the range automatically e give anew units name scale factor and offset e set alarm levels 4 2 2 Thermocouple Input Connector The signal inputs are numbered 0 to 15 Using SetupIML you can configure each channel as follows e enable or disable e choose one of six common thermocouple types for automatic linearisation to Celsius or choose to read raw voltage e re name e set to a fixed range or allow the software to pick the range automatically e give anew units name scale factor and offset e set alarm levels Channel 16 is normally disabled but if enabled you can use it to read the cold junction
5. Manual 2 16 Installing the Microlink 851 Half Bridge Connection This figure shows a half bridge connection The HX and QX links must both be fitted The HX link connects the half bridge to the IN of the chan nel whilst the QX link connects the POWER INPUT to the EX Three wires are needed to connect your bridge and the earth is available for a cable screen POWER INPUT Strain in channel x screen Figure 2 4 594 Half Bridge Connection Microlink 851 User Manual 2 17 Installing the Microlink 851 Quarter Bridge Connection The figure below shows a quarter bridge connection The HX link connects the half bridge to the IN The RX bridge completion resistor must be fitted This resistor should be a high precision low temperature coefficient device Its value should be the same as the nominal resistance of your strain gauge 120 and 350 Q being the commonest values In other applications it should be chosen to balance the bridge near the centre of your measurement range For instance if you are making precise RTD measurements around ambient temperature then 100 Q would be suitable If however you were monitoring higher temperatures a suitably larger value would be chosen It is normal practice when making a quarter bridge connection to take all 3 wires to the transducer This balances out the effects of lead resistance POWER INPUT Strain Gauge in channel x in channel x screen POWER INPUT Figu
6. PC you should now close the ML851 Viewer software and can ignore the rest of this chapter Go back to Windmill ConfIML and you will see the new IP settings there 7 Ifyou will be using the 751s as independent data loggers where read ings are saved into the 751s memory then carry on reading this chapter 5 3 Using the 851 as a Data Logger You can either e Use the standard Windmill software suite Windmill Logger Chart etc to log and display data in real time from the 851 ona PC or e Use the 851 to log data to its own memory and then regularly transfer files of collected data to the PC For the former you use the standard Windmill software suite detailed in the previous chapters For the latter use the ML851 Viewer software to set up the 851 as a Data Logger and WM Collect to download data to a PC Microlink 851 User Manual 5 2 Using the ML851 Viewer Software There are various settings and actions you can make when using the 851 as a data logger 1 2 Set the 851 s clock to match that of the PC Section 5 4 Set the 851 s epoch length Section 5 5 This is is the time over which data is logged in seconds and may be an integer or have an interval of 0 1 0 2 and 0 5 Change the resolution and integration time of the analogue to digital converter Section 5 6 This allows you to select the trade off between speed precision and noise rejection Seven settings are available the slower the speed
7. a default folder in which to store these files known as the Working Directory Initially the working directory is set to wherever you installed Windmill To change this press the Directory button Choose a new directory and press Save Windmill will create two sub directories under this choice called setup and data All the Windmill set tings will be stored in setup and all the data you collect stored in data Saving the Settings Save your settings and they will be used every time you run Windmill You do not need to run ConfIML again unless you add more units or want to change the settings After closing ConfIML start the SetupIML program and choose how you wish to use the hardware Refer to the next chapter and SetupIML s pro gram Help for details The Software Signal Generator In addition to data acquisition and control hardware ConfIML lists the Software Signal Generator This is a special driver which simulates a de vice with seven channels each channel producing a different signal No special hardware is required the data values are produced by calculation The Software Signal Generator lets you experiment and practise with Windmill without being concerned about the hardware To install the signal generator you first need to add it to the list of devices In the ConfIML Summary window press the Add button Section 3 4 1 Select Software Signal Generator and again press the Add button You re taken to t
8. are 5 screw terminals These are arranged in 5 rows labelled OV EX EX IN IN with channel number printed by each terminal Common to all channels are the POWER INPUT terminals and two precision resistors connected across the power supply to form a half bridge The power input terminals are directly connected to the auxiliary channel of the 851 Windmill software reads this channel to measure the ex citation voltage for use in the bridge equations Each channel has associated with it 2 link mounting positions and one resistor position These are RX Position for mounting a quarter bridge completion resistor QX Link to short out the quarter bridge completion resistor HX Link to connect the half bridge to the IN of channel X Microlink 851 User Manual 2 14 Installing the Microlink 851 POWER INPUT in aux channel IN n channel x in channel x IN Hx in aux channel POWER INPUT OV Microlink Common PER CHANNEL COMMON TO ALL CHANNELS Figure 2 2 General Arrangement of 594 Microlink 851 User Manual 2 15 Installing the Microlink 851 Full Bridge Connection The figure below shows a full bridge connection The QX quarter bridge link must be fitted to connect the POWER INPUT to the EX Four wires are needed to connect your bridge and the earth is available for a cable screen POWER INPUT Strain mare POWER INPUT Figure 2 3 594 Full Bridge Connection Microlink 851 User
9. general voltage measurement Microlink 851 User Manual 3 3 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software Strain Bridges Choose this if you are using a 594 strain gauge bridge connection unit This monitors an external bridge excitation supply so that strain gauge outputs can be converted into readings in microstrain Again you can use channels not required for strain for general voltage measurement Select the Integration Time Resolution This allows you to select the trade off between speed precision and noise rejection Seven settings are available the slower the speed the better the precision and the more random noise is averaged out The exact speeds and resolutions vary with the computer transducer type and so on but the following table gives some typical figures Setting Typical Speed Voltage Resolution 12 bit 80 reads sec 5 mV in 10 V 13 bit 64 reads sec 3 mV in 10 V 14 bit 48 reads sec 1 5 mV in 10 V 15 bit 32 reads sec 0 8 mV in 10 V 16 bit 16 reads sec 0 4 mV in 10 V 18 bit 6 reads sec 0 1 mV in 10 V Settings from 15 bit to 18 bit will be effective at removing 50 Hz mains noise as these integrate over one or more complete mains cycles The resolution figures show the ability to detect small changes The absolute accuracy will depend on several factors including your transducers Interval Between Automatic Recalibrations in Minutes This selects how frequently the software pauses to perform a recalib
10. in real time you need to return to using the standard Windmill programs rather than logging to the 851 s memory 1 As inthe last section Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the IMS Files tab 2 Click the Prepare Windmill for SetupIML tab This launches the SetupIML program and reconfigures the system 5 10 Changing the State of Digital Output Channels 1 Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the Digout and Balance tab Logger Details Close Connection Help Logger Settings IMS files Digital Output Channels Counter reset Strain bridge channels Channel M State New State a Channel Count Action Analog Channe Offset 0 0 0 Leave 00 0 Leave 0 Leave 0 Leave 0 Leave 0 Leave 0 Leave 0 Leave Set Digital Reset Balance Outputs selected Figure 5 4 Changing the state of digital outputs resetting counters and balancing strain gauge bridges Microlink 851 User Manual 5 7 Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software 2 The digital ouput channels are listed n the left Click a channel to change its state Click the Set Digital Outputs to send the changed states to the 851 Logger Note if you are using the standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section 4 3 use the Windmill DigOut program to change digital output states and not the ML851 Viewer 5 11 Resetting a Counter 1 As discussed in the previous section Connect to a Logger or Site and c
11. is a boxed milliamp current detection card arranged as 8 cur rent and 8 voltage inputs The same extra facilities are available with this card as with the 590 2 9 3 593 Unit Screw Terminals with Temperature Measurement The 593 is an isothermal box specialised for thermocouple monitoring of temperatures It includes a cold junction sensing RTD with an associated constant current source 0 8 milliamps The RTD determines the tempera ture at the termination point This reference temperature is used with the analogue input channel s voltage reading to calculate the temperature at the thermocouple junction The Windmill software automatically connects the cold junction to the aux iliary channel and compensates for it It reads the channel directly showing the cold junction temperature in Celsius Protection from high voltage inputs is provided when series resistors are added Noise problems can be solved by fitting an input filter and broken thermocouple leads can be detected The cold junction sensing circuitry is located between the two leftmost rows of screw terminals This circuitry is connected by the PCB to the aux iliary channel Bias resistors are fitted to produce a small current through the thermocouples This allows thermocouple break detection 2 9 4 594 Unit Screw Terminals with Strain Measurement The 594 is a boxed 16 bridge inputs card which enables the 851 unit to monitor strain gauge bridges and balanced bridg
12. is an RTD resistance temperature device with 0 8 milliampere flowing through it If inputs are unconnected the thermocouple break detection circuitry will cause them to read positive full scale Pins 18 and 37 15 V and 15 V provide a power supply for the 593 don t connect any other signals to these pins For more on connecting thermocouples see Section 2 9 3 Use with 594 Bridge Input Unit When used with this unit the auxiliary input automatically measures the excitation voltage connected to the 594 For more on connecting strain gauges see Section 2 9 4 Microlink 851 User Manual 2 3 Installing the Microlink 851 2 3 Analogue Input Pin Connections Table Make your connections to the analogue 37 way D connector as detailed on the next page Microlink 851 User Manual 2 4 Installing the Microlink 851 Microlink 851 16 Analogue Inputs Pin Connections for 37 Way D Plug Wiring View 19 OV 15 V 37 18 15 V Auxiliary 36 17 Auxiliary Input 15 35 16 Input 15 Input 14 34 15 Input 14 Input 13 33 14 Input 13 Input 12 30 13 Input 12 Input 11 31 12 Input 11 Input 10 30 11 Input 10 Input 9 29 10 Input 9 Input 8 28 9 Input 8 Input 7 27 8 Input 7 Input 6 26 7 Input 6 Input 5 25 6 Input 5 Input 4 24 5 Input 4 Input 3 23 4 Input 3 Input 2 22 3 Input 2 Input 1 21 2 Input 1 Input 0 20 1 Input 0 Please
13. is switched on 33 V if it is switched off If the over voltage is transient then protection extends as far as 300 V When a voltage above the power supply is applied to the unit its protection mechanism comes into action and this draws some current from the signal source This effect can be a problem when the computer is switched off as it now draws current from any signal This current is limited by 4K7 resistors Extra series resistors can be added to reduce this fault current 2 2 4 Unconnected Inputs You can leave unused inputs unconnected but if you attempt to read from these unconnected inputs do not expect to get 0 V They could be any value If another connected channel has recently been read the unconnected input will return a similar value This is not crosstalk It occurs because the input capacitance of the amplifier is charged to the voltage of the previous chan nel and has little incentive to change when connected to an open circuit 2 2 5 Auxiliary Input This input has all the facilities of the other sixteen In Windmill software it is reserved for measuring cold junction temperatures with thermocouples or excitation voltage in bridge circuits If using a 593 thermocouple input unit or a 594 bridge input unit the auxiliary input is automatically connected as required by the software Use with 593 Thermocouple Input Unit When used with this unit the auxiliary input is automatically connected to the cold junction sensor This
14. its IP address T oo102 T 00103 Prepare Windmill for SetupIML digital La digital output Input digital digital Close Figure 5 3 Configuring the Channels of an 851 Choose an IMS file to load into the 851 Logger The contents of the currently selected IMS file are shown on the right To see what this means go back to SetupIML where you can view and change the set tings If you are interested in deciphering the IMS file shown on the right you can read about it in Issue 87 of our newsletter at http www windmill co uk monitor87 html IMS When using the 851 to log data into memory if you also want to dis play data in real time on the PC you must enable the ComIML generic serial driver Tick the Create a comIML ims file and Prepare the Windmill system to use comIML You can now use the Windmill DDE Panel to show real time readings whilst logging to the 851 s memory Microlink 851 User Manual 5 6 Using the ML851 Viewer Software 4 Click the Go button to load the settings To also start logging tick the Start a New Recording box and then click Go Note if you are using the standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section4 3 use Windmill Chart Log ger or DDE Panel to send the hardware settings and not the ML851 Viewer 5 9 Returning to Real Time Logging on the PC with Windmill If you decide you want to log and chart data and control outputs on the PC
15. page are those for the digital 37 way D socket The analogue input pin numbers are on page 2 5 Microlink 851 User Manual 2 Installing the Microlink 851 Microlink 851 Pin Connections for Digital Inputs Outputs and Counters 19 OV Port 3 Bit 0 37 18 Port 3 Bit 1 Port 3 Bit 2 36 17 Port 3 Bit 3 Port 3 Bit 4 35 16 Port 3 Bit 5 Port 3 Bit 6 34 15 Port 3 Bit 7 Port 2 Bit 0 33 14 Port 2 Bit 1 Port 2 Bit 2 32 13 Port 2 Bit 3 Port 2 Bit 4 31 12 Port 2 Bit 5 Port 2 Bit 6 30 11 Port 2 Bit 7 Not used 29 10 Not used Not used 28 9 Not used Port 1 Bit 0 27 8 Port 1 Bit 1 Port 1 Bit 2 26 7 Port 1 Bit 3 Port 1 Bit 4 25 6 Port 1 Bit 5 Port 1 Bit 6 24 5 Port 1 Bit 7 Port 0 Bit 0 23 4 Port 0 Bit 1 Port 0 Bit 2 22 3 Port 0 Bit 3 Port O Bit 4 21 2 Port 0 Bit 5 Port 0 Bit 6 20 1 Port 0 Bit 7 Please read the Connection Notes on the previous pages before making your connections Microlink 851 User Manual 2 8 Installing the Microlink 851 2 7 Connecting the 851 to an i hi Network Connect your Microlink 851 to a network enabled PC You can use a crossover cable to make a direct connection or connect through a hub via normal UTP Ethernet cables 2 For Wi Fi networks use an Ethernet cable to connect the Microlink to a Wi Fi router 3 Allow 10 seconds for the 851 to boot up 4 Use the Windmill ConfIML software configure the 851 as detailed in Chapter 3 2 8 Specifications 2 8 1 Microlink 851 Unit Dimensions m
16. reference temperature at the screw terminals This can be used to linearise the voltages from other types of thermocouple in some external software such as a spreadsheet 4 2 3 Strain Gauge Bridge Connector The signal inputs are numbered 0 to 15 Using SetupIML you can configure each channel as follows e enable or disable e set to one of six bridge configurations see below or set to read raw voltage e re name e set to a fixed range or allowing the software to pick the range automatically e set to a gauge factor e if transverse strain is being measured specify Poisson s ratio for the material under test e set alarm levels See also the Special commands described on page 4 3 The supported bridge configurations are Microlink 851 User Manual 4 2 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC Quarter bridge One active gauge and three fixed resistors Half bridge One gauge measuring tensile strain E one measuring compressive strain E and two fixed resistors Half bridge One gauge measuring normal strain E one measuring transverse strain vE and two fixed resistors Poisson s ratio must be specified Full bridge Two gauges measuring tensile strain E and two measuring compressive strain E Full bridge Two gauges measuring normal strain E and two measuring transverse strain vE Poisson s ratio must be specified Full bridge One gauge measuring normal tensile strain E one measuri
17. states are called ON and OFF You can change these names to more suitable ones for example FAST and SLOW or OPEN and SHUT SetupIML lets you group the lines within each port into multi bit channels which are displayed or controlled as single values transferred via the first channel in the group Multi bit values can be chosen as binary decimal or hexadecimal e g Binary Decimal Hexadecimal 11 3 3 1010 10 A 10001 17 11 11111111 255 FF Channels 0108 0118 0128 and 0138 are the direction control signals for ports 0 to 3 When set to 0 the whole port is used for input when 1 the port is used for output These channels can be viewed and also altered but they are normally disabled and must be explicitly enabled from SetupIML be fore use As noted above direction control can usually be sensed automatically by the software Channel 0109 0119 and 0129 are not used and cannot be enabled 4 2 6 Event or Frequency Counters The Microlink 851 unit provides eight 16 bit event or frequency counters The default names are 0200 0201 to 0207 If you are using counters use the Windmill SetupIML software to set Port 3 where the counters are located as an input only Double click a counter channel and use SetupIML to change the names en able or disable each channel and choose Accumulating Event Counter Resetting Event Counter or Frequency Counter Accumulating Event Count Each counter starts at zero and counts pulses on the corresp
18. Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the Alarm tab Microlink 851 User Manual 5 8 Logger Details Close Connection Help Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software Logger Settings Alarm Settings Fixed IP address IMS files DigOut and Balance Errors Alarms Named PC Name PC Address h 92 Sub net Gateway hes fi ho Name Server Address 192 fies fi Sub net mask 255 Gateway Address fs2 fes fi Send to Logger Figure 5 5 Choosing where to send alarm notifications Each computer on the network has an IP Address The address may be fixed for that computer or allocated dynamically when the PC powers up For a fixed address type it into the relevant box For a dynamic IP address the computer is identified by a name eg Office PC When it powers up it asks the server to allocate an IP Ad dress to Office PC Type either the name or IP address of the PC into the Named PC area Type the subnet mask of the target computer You can view this via Control Panel and the TCP IP properties of the computer Large net works are physically divided into subnets Two devices which are on the same subnet can send messages directly to each other without the messages being seen by the rest of the network This reduces traffic in the wider network Note that if a unit whose IP Address puts it onto one subnet is physi cally plugged into another subnet then you will not be able to t
19. Microlink 851 User Manual File Inputs Settings File Options Help Inputs Display Ranges Speed Help 100 microstrain si Load pi on on on on on Type gt Started at 11 25 43 Biodata Limited Manual Code 851 1 0 Issue Date June 2012 Information in this document is subject to change without notice For updates see http www microlink co uk techsupp html Biodata Limited 2012 10 Stocks Street Manchester M8 8QG UK Telephone 44 0 161 834 6688 Facsimile 44 0 161 833 2190 E mail sales microlink co uk http www microlink co uk http www windmillsoft com Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Installing the Microlink 851 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 0 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 9 3 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC 4 1 4 2 4 3 The Microlink 851 s Light Analogue Input Connection Notes Analogue Input Pin Connections Table Digital Input and Output Connection Notes Counter Connection Notes Digital Input Output and Counter Pin Connections Table Connecting the 851 to an Ethernet Network Specifications The 59x Screw Terminal Units What is Windmill Software Getting Started with Windmill Installing Windmill Software Telling the Software about the Devices you have Connected Introduction Configuring Hardware Channels with SetupIML Data Logging Charting and Output Control 5 Using the ML851 V
20. _ Offset This shows the bridge output level which is currently being used as the zero strain reference level as a fraction of excitation voltage Disable_Offset Resets the zero strain reference to zero volts so absolute readings are obtained This is the default state each time the software starts running 4 2 5 Digital Ports The Microlink 851 unit provides four digital ports each with 8 lines You can use each port for input or output You can explicitly control the choice or it can be deduced automatically by the software All ports start as inputs but if any data is sent to a port by a Windmill program it immediately switches to output mode Output lines can also be controlled by the alarm detection features of the input channels This will cause the whole port to switch to output mode You can also use port 3 for event counting in which case you must set it as an input The channels are numbered as follows 0100 Line 0 of port 0 0101 Line 1 of port 0 0102 Line 2 of port 0 0107 Line 7 of port 0 0108 Direction control signal for port 0 0109 not used 0110 Line 0 of port 1 0111 Line 1 of port 1 0117 Line 7 of port 1 0118 Direction control signal for port 1 0119 not used 0120 Line 0 of port 2 etc In SetupIML you can replace the numbers with meaningful names Microlink 851 User Manual 4 4 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC By default each channel is linked to a single line and the two digital
21. a to or display data from any number of analogue and digital channels Logger logs data to disk from up to 100 channels whilst Chart displays moving charts of data from up to 8 channels For more channels or different logging and charting speeds simply run more instances of Logger and Chart Full details of all these pro grams are given in their on line Help files Should you need more sophisticated analysis or presentation you can share data with other Windows applications using dynamic data exchange DDE For example you can process data as it s collected using Microsoft Excel See the DDE Panel program Help or the Windmill web site at http www windmill co uk excel for more details There are many other optional programs in the Windmill range Graphics lets you design and create your own Windmill displays process mimics wiring diagrams bar charts annunicator panels whatever you wish Test Seq interprets a file of commands and controls a test rig accordingly Replay replays a data file graphically For details of other optional pro grams see http www windmillsoft com daqshop software html The programs described above run on the PC and collect data from the 851 in real time You can instead use the 851 to log data internally and then the WM Collect software to collect the saved readings at regular intervals ev ery hour or every day for example To set up the 851 to behave in this way use the ML851 Viewer software det
22. ailed in the next chapter Windmill Program Jobs e To implement unit wide settings use ConfIML e To set up each individual channel setting names engineering units alarms etc use SetupIML e To log analogue and digital data in real time use Logger e To chart data in real time use Chart e To control analogue outputs use AnalogOut e To change the state of digital outputs use DigitalOut e To reset a counter use AnalogOut e To send data to other programs via DDE Use DDE Panel Microlink 851 User Manual 4 7 Using the ML851 Viewer Software 5 Using the ML851 Viewer Software Up until now this Manual has described how to collect and display data in real time from one Microlink 851 using the Windmill standard suite of software This is the method of data collection most often used However you can also use the 851s to log data to their own memories The data can then be collected by software at regular intervals This is most useful when you have many 851s on a network To setup up the 851s to work in this manner use the ML851 Viewer soft ware This also lets you set up several 851s on an Ethernet network 5 1 Running the ML851 Viewer Software 1 2 Make sure your Microlink 851 units are connected and switched on Close any other Windmill programs that are open for example ConfIML From the Windows Start menu choose the Windmill program group and select ML851 Viewer 5 2 hanging the 851 s IP Address Close an
23. alk to it as your messages will be sent to the wrong subnet When the target computer is on another subnet the 851 will need to send the alarm message via a Gateway This is another computer which relays the message to the destination address The 851 needs to know the IP Address of the Gateway You can view this in the TCP IP properties of the computer Enter the relevant addresses of the computer to receive alarm notifica tions then click Send to Logger Microlink 851 User Manual 5 9 Using the ML851 Viewer Software 5 14 Connecting to a Site A site allows you to communicate with one or more Microlinks These must all have the same IP addresses For different IP addresses you will need to create multiple sites By default the system has one site called ML851 This assumes one Microlink 840 is connected at IP address 192 168 1 61 and port 47471 See the next section for details of creating other sites 1 From the opening ML851 Viewer screen choose the Connect to a Windmill Site menu then select To an existing site 2 Click the Connect button The Logger Details box appears for you to configure channels alarm and so on 5 14 1 Creating a Site By default the system has one site called ML851 but you can create others 1 In ML851 Viewer choose Site Manager This holds the information about each place where data is collected For example the name of the site the communications link the number and names of the data col
24. amp can easily be switched Power Up State The 851 unit will power up as all inputs If you intend to use the card to con trol outputs then you may want to define logic states at power up This can be done by resistors which tie the lines to either 0 or 5 V mounted on a 590 unit Pin Numbers Make the I O connections to the digital 37 way connector See the Pin Connections Table on page 2 8 Microlink 851 User Manual 2 6 Installing the Microlink 851 2 5 Counter Connection Notes The Microlink 851 unit provides eight 16 bit event or frequency counters These are located on Port 3 of the digital I O connector If you are using counters use the Windmill SetupIML software to set Port 3 as an input only The 851 unit monitors the state of the 8 input lines once every millisecond and maintains a count for each of them It does this whether or not you in tend to use the lines as counters You can still read Port 3 as a normal digital input even if you are also using it to count 2 5 1 Input Voltages See Section 2 4 1 for safe voltage levels 2 5 2 Count Inputs A valid count is declared if the input is low for 100 seconds then high for two milliseconds This gives a theoretical maximum count speed of 5 kHz 2 5 3 Pin Numbers Make the counter connections to Port 3 of the Digital Connector The counter pin numbers are on page 2 8 2 6 Digital Input Output and Counter Pin Connections Table The pin numbers given on the next
25. and select the Options tab 2 Enter a running time and tick the Apply box Microlink 851 User Manual 5 12 Index 590 screw terminal unit 2 11 590 8A current unit 2 11 2 13 593 thermocouple unit 2 3 2 13 594 bridge unit 2 3 2 13 2 15 ac input 2 11 analogue input 2 1 auxiliary input 2 1 2 3 2 13 biasing to ground 2 11 bridge input 2 3 2 13 changing hardware settings 3 3 charting data 4 7 cold junction 2 3 2 13 ConfIML 2 1 2 contact closure 2 6 2 11 controlling outputs 4 7 counter 2 7 counting 4 7 current input 2 13 data logging 4 7 differential inputs 2 2 digital input and output 2 6 7 directory 3 5 earth 2 2 Ethernet 2 9 event counter 2 7 Excel 4 7 filter 2 12 13 folder 3 1 high voltage 2 11 input 2 1 2 6 input filter 2 12 13 input protection 2 11 13 integration time 3 4 Microlink 851 User Manual IP address 5 2 isothermal box 2 13 logging data 4 7 low pass filter 2 12 new hardware 3 3 noise 2 11 13 output 2 6 7 pressure transducer 2 13 programmable resistance 2 11 range 2 3 resetting a counter 4 7 resistance 2 11 resolution 3 4 sample period see epoch screw terminals 2 11 sending control values 4 7 SetupIML 4 1 software see Windmill software specifications 2 9 10 strain gauge bridge 2 1 2 3 2 13 temperature measurement 2 3 2 13 thermocouple 2 1 2 3 2 13 totalise counter 2 7 Windmill software 2 1 2 3 2 13 14 3 1 6 ConfIML 3 2 earlier versions 3 2 installing 3 1
26. are See Section 3 4 for details 3 3 1 Upgrading From Earlier Versions of Windmill You can run Windmill alongside earlier versions of the software Once you are happy that you no longer need a previous copy of Windmill simply run its Uninstall program to delete it 3 3 2 Running Several Copies of Windmill Unless you have bought a multiple licence you are only permitted to run one copy of the software at any one time Please contact your supplier if you require a multiple licence 3 4 Telling the Software about the Devices you have Connected The Windmill Configuration program ConfIML records the details of your data acquisition hardware It will run at the end of the installation pro cess and you should run it again from Windows whenever your acquisition hardware changes for example when you install additional units Configure IML Hardware Hardware Device Save Device 1 Software Signal Generator Seven Channels Cancel Settings Ekk Add Description Software Signal Generator Remove IML device number 1 module number 0 Software Directory itll Confiml 7 01 Copyright Windmill Software Ltd 2003 2011 Help Figure 3 1 Running ConfIML The first thing you need to do is press the Add button to include your 851 unit Microlink 851 User Manual 3 2 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 3 4 1 Adding New Hardware The Add IML Hardware dialogue l
27. dmill Logger program to start data collection and not the ML851 Viewer Microlink 851 User Manual 5 5 Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software 5 8 Configuring the Hardware You should have already created at least one ims file with the SetupIML program Chapter 4 This holds details about how you want to use the indi vidual channels of the 851 For example you may have two channel connected to thermocouples five channels counting and eight channels controlling digital relays With SetupIML you can set alarm levels give channels meaningful names specify engineering units choose input ranges and so on With ML851 Viewer software you can choose a setup file and send it to the 851 Logger Logger Details Close Connection Help Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the IMS Files tab Logger Settings Send a setup to the logger DigOut and Balance Errors Current ims file F 01 IMSLIB 6 00 D IMS file to load into the logger 00000 N chan0 E Browse 1 00001 N chan1 E 00002 N chan2 E Create a comIML ims file for on line readings from the logger while it is logging I Prepare the Windmill system to use comlML for on line readings I Start a new recording ie Set START TIME for this logging session to NOW Run Windmill SetuplML to create an IMS file for this logger Liata 00003 N chan3 E N 66 z BEERRRRRRBBRE Go This will re configure your Windmill system to talk to the logger at
28. eed is reduced The exact speeds and resolutions vary with the computer transducer type and so on but the following table gives some typical figures Setting Typical Speed Voltage Resolution 12 bit 80 reads sec 5 mV in 10 V 13 bit 64 reads sec 3 mV in 10 V 14 bit 48 reads sec 1 5 mV in 10 V 15 bit 32 reads sec 0 8 mV in 10 V 16 bit 16 reads sec 0 4 mV in 10 V 18 bit 6 reads sec 0 1 mV in 10 V Settings from 15 bit to 18 bit will be effective at removing 50 Hz mains noise as these integrate over one or more complete mains cycles The resolution figures show the ability to detect small changes The abso lute accuracy will depend on several factors including your transducers 1 From the Logger Settings screen select the Integrator Resolution Note if using standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section 4 3 use the Windmill ConfIMLprogram to set the resolution and not the ML851 Viewer 5 7 Staring Logging In the Logger Settings screen click the Start Recording button This will send the settings you specified with the SetupIML program engi neering units etc to the 851 and start it data logging 2 Alternatively you can go to the IMS Files screen detailed in the next section tick Start and new recording and click the Go button there Note if you are using the standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section 4 3 use the Win
29. equences of control actions See http www windmillsoft com for more information The rest of this Manual tells you e About the Microlink 851 unit and how to connect your signals Chapter 2 e How to install the Windmill software Chapter 3 e How to use the standard Windmill software with the 851 unit to log and chart data in real time Chapter 4 e How to use several Microlink 851s as data loggers on a network with the ML851 Viewer software Chapter 5 Microlink 851 User Manual Ll Installing the Microlink 851 2 Installing the Microlink 851 The 851 has two 37 way connectors one for analogue connections and one for digital and counter connections If you prefer you can make your con nections to screw terminals using one of the optional Microlink 59x range of external units You will also need a 59x unit if you plan to interface transducers like thermocouples or strain gauge bridges 2 1 The Microlink 851 s Lights The Microlink 851 has green and red lights labelled PWR and BUSY Neither of these will come on until you have installed the Windmill software PWR This is lit when the Microlink has been powered on BUSY This is lit for the duration of each communication 2 2 Analogue Input Connection Notes The Microlink 851 provides 16 differential analogue inputs It also has an auxiliary channel which is reserved for special inputs such as cold junction measurement or bridge excitation monitoring used with
30. es such as pressure trans ducers For strain gauges you need an external excitation voltage which can supply sufficient current to keep all the bridge circuits energised Four sets of 16 screw terminals give and excitation and and signals for each of 16 bridges Two 1 KQ termination resistors are mounted in half bridge config uration whilst high quality 350 and 120 Q resistors can be provided for the completion of quarter bridges The auxiliary channel of the 851 unit moni tors the excitation voltage The A D converter is suitable for direct measurement of voltage imbalance provided you choose a high resolution When monitoring a bridge input the Windmill software automatically reads excitation voltage and performs the bridge calculation to produce a reading in microstrain You can set a zero reference level and monitor changes relative to that level Microlink 851 User Manual 2 13 Installing the Microlink 851 With the 594 unit you can configure each input channel for any of the fol lowing inputs voltage input quarter bridge single strain gauge half bridge tensile compressive strain gauge half bridge normal transverse strain gauge full bridge 2 tensile 2 compressive gauges full bridge 2 normal 2 transverse gauges full bridge tensile normal compressive normal tensile transverse compressive transverse gauges Figure 2 2 shows the general arrangement of the 594 For each input chan nel 0 15 there
31. hanging an 851 Logger s Settings The Clock is the date and time which is currently set inside the Microlink 851 Logger To set this to match the computer press the Reset button This is used to determine when data is transferred to the PC The Microlimk keeps a count of seconds It has no internal knowledge of days or months As time in the Microlink logger is reset according to the PC time you should ensure that all computers that you might use to collect data are on the same time 5 5 Setting the Epoch Length Data is logged at the end of every epoch 1 2 Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the Logger Settings tab Enter the epoch length This can be in whole seconds or 0 1 0 2 or 0 5 seconds You could not for example have an epoch of 1 5 seconds As the Epochs progress they are numbered The values will be stored at the end of the current epoch You can t edit this setting When the maximum number of epochs is reached the earliest data will be overwritten Data should have been collected by the WM Collect software before this happens Microlink 851 User Manual 5 4 Using the ML851 Viewer Software 5 6 Setting the Resolution and Integration Time of the A D Converter This allows you to select the trade off between speed precision and noise rejection Seven settings are available the higher the resolution the better the precision and the more random noise is averaged out However the maximum sp
32. he Hardware Settings dialogue Section 3 4 2 where you can choose options for five of the channels Press the Help button in this dia logue for more information on the signal generator Microlink 851 User Manual 3 5 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 3 4 8 The IML Device Icon Whenever you run a Windmill program one or more IML Device icons will appear Different icons identify different hardware drivers software signal generators and so on The Windmill applications can t run without these so don t close them whilst using Windmill Microlink 851 User Manual 3 6 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC 4 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC 4 1 Introduction This chapter explains how to use the standard Windmill software suite for real time data acquisition and control on your PC You can use the Microlink 851 to monitor voltages With additional Microlink 59x units you can also monitor currents thermocouples and strain gauge bridges If you wish to measure resistance or pH please con tact Biodata for advice Use the Windmill SetupIML program to specify how each input or output channel is to be used Before starting Windmill make sure your 851 is plugged into the Ethernet network and if you are using a 59x unit that it is plugged into the 851 s analogue connector You should also have used the ConfIML software to add the 851 to your system as detailed in the previous chapter
33. hoose the Digout and Balance tab 2 Click the counters you want to reset 3 Click the Reset Selected button Note if you are using the standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section 4 3 use the Windmill AnalogOut program to reset a counter and not the ML851 Viewer 5 12 Balancing Strain Gauge Bridges The output from unstrained bridges can be large in comparison to the changes that would be caused by strain This requires a wide voltage range the changes consequently being measured with poor resolution The bal ancing zeroing facility however solves this problem 1 Connect to a Logger or Site and choose the Digout and Balance tab 2 Click the strain channels you wish to balance 3 Click the Balance button This subtracts a suitable voltage from the in put signal to make the bridge output read approximately zero This subtraction will remain in force until the bridge is rebalanced so all fu ture readings are as changes relative to the new zero level Changing the input range can invalidate the balancing if you change the range make sure you re balance the bridge Note if you are using the standard Windmill programs for real time data acquisition and control via the PC Section 4 3 use the Windmill SetupIML program to balance a bridge and not the ML851 Viewer 5 13 Choosing where to send Alarm Notifications Alarm notifications can be sent to a PC on a network 1
34. iewer Software 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 5 6 Running the ML851 Viewer Software Changing the 851 s IP Address Using the 851 as a Data Logger Setting the 851 s Clock Setting the Epoch Length Setting the Resolution and Integration Time of the A D Converter 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 4 2 6 2 7 2 7 2 9 2 9 2 11 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 2 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 7 5 1 5 1 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 5 7 Starting Logging 5 8 Configuring the Hardware 5 9 Returning to Real Time Logging on the PC with Windmill 5 10 Changing the State of Digital Output Channels 5 11 Resetting a Counter 5 12 Balancing Strain Gauge Bridges 5 13 Choosing where to send Alarm Notifications 5 14 Connecting to a Site 5 15 Setting where Data is Stored 5 16 Collecting Data Microlink 851 User Manual 5 5 5 6 5 7 5 7 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 10 5 11 5 12 I Introduction 1 Introduction The Microlink 851 lets you e Measure temperature strain pressure voltage and current through 16 analogue input channels e Switch up to 32 digital outputs e Monitor up to 32 digital inputs e Count events or measure frequency with up to 8 counters e Log data from all channels up to 10 times a second The Windmill Software lets you e Configure the Microlink 851 e Log data e Chart data e Control outputs e Send data to Excel and other Windows programs Optional Windmill modules are available for example to display process mimics or send s
35. indmill is a ready to run suite of applications for data acquisition and control You can be up and running in very little time as no programming is required The standard suite includes real time data logging charting and output control applications You can also transfer data directly into third party applications like Microsoft Excel or Access Other Windmill modules are available see the Windmill Software catalogue for details http www windmillsoft com 3 2 ening Started with Windmill Install the software onto the hard disk Use the ConfIML program to add the 851 to your Windmill system Use the SetupIML program to choose how you want to use the 851 s input and output channels set alarm levels choose transducer types rename channels and so on Use the Windmill Logger Chart DDE and Control Panels to display data and send digital output values 3 3 Installing Windmill Software f 2 Run the setup exe program The software is normally installed into the c program files windmill software folder where c is the drive on which Windows is running Two other folders are created c windmill software setups Microlink 851 User Manual 3 1 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software for details of the program settings and c windmill software data for your data files 3 When installation is complete the Windmill Configuration program ConfIML automatically starts This asks for details of your hardw
36. ists the acquisition and control devices for which you have installed drivers Select the Windmill 851 Ethernet Logger and press the Add button This will take you to the Hardware Settings dialogue Section 3 4 2 3 4 2 Changing Hardware Settings ConfIML needs to know some information about your 851 unit Press the Help button or see below if in doubt about the answers Settings for IML device number 0 module number 0 Settings for Device Windmill 851 Unit Analogue Inputs Which type of transducer connection card is attached None Gen Purpe Select the integration time resolution 20mS 15 bit Interval between auto recalibration in minutes IP Address First Byte IP Address Second Byte IP Address Third Byte IP Address Fourth Byte Default Help Figure 3 2 ConfIML Adding the 851 to your System Which Type of Transducer Connection Unit is Attached There are three options Which you choose depends on the 59x units you have connected The 59x units let you for example monitor current thermocouples or strain gauges None General Purpose Choose this if you e are not using a 59x unit e are using a 590 screw terminal voltage unit or e are using a 590 8A screw terminal current unit Thermocouple Choose this if you are using a 593 thermocouple terminal unit This monitors the temperature of connections which is essential when using thermocouples You can use channels not required for thermocouples for
37. low for additional dialling numbers such as those required for external lines 7 Save the site information and the ML851 Viewer stores the details in a text file called sites xml 8 You can now connect to the site you have created as detailed in the pre vious section 5 15 Setting where Data is Stored By default the data is stored in c windmill data and setup files in c windmill setups You can move the windmill folder elsewhere but you need to tell the ML851 Viewer where it is 1 Inthe opening ML851 Viewer screen choose Program Setup 2 Inthe General tab enter the new location in the File Locations box If Data in Monthly Directories is ticked then the daily data files will be placed in a folder called C windmill data site_prefix mmyy where mmyy is the current month and year otherwise all the files will appear in c windmill data site_prefix Microlink 851 User Manual 5 11 Using the ML amp 51 Viewer Software 5 16 Collecting Data You can regularly download blocks or epochs of data from the Microlink 851 using the WM Collect utility You use WM Collect to automatically collect stored data from the Microlink at regular intervals You can either run it continually or if you just want to collect data daily weekly or monthly trun it as a Windows schedule Note to collect data in real time use the Windmill standard software de tailed in the previous chapter 5 16 1 Collecting Da
38. m 180 x 120 x 40 Maximum number of 851s Limited only by the number of addresses on the network Memory 65000 scans 2 8 2 Analogue Inputs Number of inputs 16 differential Maximum safe input voltage Computer on 48 V Computer off 33 V Transient 300 V Ranges set from software 10 V 1 V 100 mV 10 mV Common mode range 13 V Relative accuracy of ranges gain 1000 0 1 gain 1 10 100 0 05 A D performance set from software Resolution bits Integration Time msec 12 2 5 13 5 14 10 15 20 16 40 18 160 Maximum speed of sampling 10 scans per second subject to integration time Maximum linearity error 0 02 Input impedance 100 MQ Microlink 851 User Manual 2 9 Installing the Microlink 851 2 8 3 Digital Inputs and Outputs Maximum number of inputs Maximum number of outputs Power up state Voltage Inputs Compatibility Range Voltage Outputs Compatibility Drive 2 8 4 Counters Maximum number of counters Resolution Type of counters Gate time for frequency Maximum frequency Compatibility Input voltage range 2 8 5 Software Operating system Microlink 851 User Manual 32 32 all inputs TTL and 5 V CMOS 0to5 V TTL and 5 V CMOS 15 LSTTL loads 8 23 bits Event totalise Frequency 1 or 10 seconds 5 kHz TTL and 5 V CMOS Oto5V Windows 10 8 7 64 or 32 bit Vista XP 2000 98 or later 2 10 Installing the Microlink 851 2 9 The 59x Screw Terminal Units The Mic
39. ng normal compressive strain E one transverse tensile strain vE and one compressive transverse strain vE Poisson s ratio must be specified In all these cases the answer is reported directly in microstrain Channel 16 is normally disabled but if enabled it can be used to read the bridge excitation voltage which must be the same for all channels and is used in the calculations 4 2 4 Special Hardware Commands The channel dialogue boxes will have the Special button enabled This al lows access to the following commands Recalibrate Forces an immediate recalibration of the whole board This is in addition to the periodic calibration cycles which happen automatically described in Section 3 4 2 Cal_ Interval Displays the time between automatic calibration cycles as selected in ConfIML described Section 3 4 2 Resolution Displays the resolution and integration time for this card as selected in ConfIML described Section 3 4 2 Show_Cal_ Data Used only during manufacturer s test procedures Microlink 851 User Manual 4 3 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC When a strain gauge bridge is in use three additional commands are available Set_Zero_ Now This reads the bridge output ratio and uses it as the zero strain reference level All subsequent readings will be changes in strain relative to that point until another special command is issued or the software is closed down Describe
40. onding input lines to a maximum of 1 000 000 A counter can be reset to zero at any time by sending 0 to the channel using the AnalogOut or optional Graphics or Test Seq programs No other values can be sent to the counters Resetting Event Count Starts again from zero after each reading This shows the number of pulses since the last reading but it can only be used where a single program is reading the counter If several different programs were accessing the counter simultaneously they would all be resetting it at different times so the results would be unpredictable Microlink 851 User Manual 4 5 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC Frequency Counter In frequency mode you can choose a gate time of 1 or 10 seconds from the Input Range Mode box The 851 counts the number of cycles occurring at its count input during this gate time SetupIML also lets you apply a scale factor and offset to the count For ex ample when event counting if the pulses came from a flow meter which produced one pulse for each 50 millilitres then a scale factor of 0 05 would give a reading in litres Microlink 851 User Manual 4 6 Real Time Data Acquisition and Control on the PC 4 3 Data Logging Charting and Output Control The standard Windmill suite of software comprises ConfIML SetupIML the display and control panels AnalogOut DigitalOut amp DDE Panel Logger and Chart The display and control panels let you send dat
41. or via a resistor would solve the problem The 0 V of the Microlink 851 is connected to computer earth which is usu ally connected to the mains earth When making your connections you should follow this policy a If your signal source is floating i e has no reference to mains earth then you must provide a reference by connecting one end of it to the 0 V input either direct or via a resistor The resistor could have any value up to several MQ However large values could cause 50 Hz problems if your signal source has much leakage to earth b If your signal source is itself earthed then you should connect only posi tive and negative inputs You should make no connection to the Microlink 851 earth y 0 V pin 19 Floating Signal Channel input Source MICROLINK Earthed Signal Channel input Source MICROLINK L Figure 2 1 For floating signals you need to connect one end of the signal to the 0 V input on pin 19 Microlink 851 User Manual 22 Installing the Microlink 851 2 2 2 Input Voltage Range The Microlink 851 operates correctly with input voltages in the range 11 V The inputs will reject voltages which are common to both positive and negative inputs These common mode voltages could be as large as 13 V 2 2 3 Maximum Input Voltage The input multiplexers are protected against dc voltages of 33 V above the power supply This means 48 V if the computer
42. ponent positions S1 to S37 0 4 inch pitch are available to mount components in series with D type pins 1 to 37 Only S1 and S37 are named on the PCB because of lack of space However the numbering sequence is the same as that of the nearby B1 to B37 components To fit a component in series with for example pin 10 Microlink 851 User Manual 2 11 Installing the Microlink 851 e Place the component in the S10 position level with B10 e Solder it on the copper side e Cut the track under S10 at the point where it narrows The main application of series components is series protection resistors These could have any value from hundreds of ohms to megohms depending on requirements Parallel Components Component positions PO to P17 0 2 0 3 0 4 inch pitch are provided to mount components across analogue inputs 0 to 15 16 is the auxiliary input 17 completes the pattern Components can be simply soldered into these positions Input Filters Low pass analogue input filters can be produced by fitting resistors in the 2 series elements of an analogue channel and a capacitor in the parallel element For instance a filter can be implemented on channel 1 by fitting resistors to S2 and S21 and a capacitor to P1 Typical values would be 10 KQ and 1 uF These would produce a cut off frequency of about 8 Hz Microlink 851 User Manual 2 12 Installing the Microlink 851 2 9 2 590 8a Unit Screw Terminals with Current Measurement The 590 8A
43. ration of the Microlink 851 using its stable on board reference voltages This will cancel any errors introduced by temperature or power supply changes since the last recalibration but can take up to a second to complete During this time no readings may be taken You can vary the interval from 1 to 1440 minutes 24 hours but every 20 minutes is generally sufficient IP Address The default IP address of an 851 is 192 168 1 61 Change this to match the actual address of your 851 To change the IP address of your 851 use the ML851 Viewer program Section 5 2 When you save your IP address in the Viewer it will automatically update the ConfIML settings Microlink 851 User Manual 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 6 3 4 7 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 851 Devices After making your choices and pressing OK the ConfIML Summary win dow appears showing your 851 as three hardware devices 851 analogue inputs 851 digital ports and 851 counters Adding the ComIML Serial Instrument Handler You may also like to add Windmill s generic serial instrument driver This lets you communicate with most instruments over RS232 RS485 Modbus and Ethernet including the 851 Click the Add button and choose ComIML Serial Instrument Handler Setting the Working Directory When you use Windmill you will create two types of files those which hold data and those which hold the Windmill programs settings You can spec ify
44. re 2 5 594 Quarter Bridge Connection Power Supply The bridges must be powered by an external power supply The voltage used should be chosen by the user to suit his application The current re quirement can then be calculated as follows Full Bridge current voltage Rg where Rg gauge resistance usually 120 or 350 Q Half or Quarter Bridge current voltage 2 Rg Typical Examples 16 120 quarter bridges with 10 V excitation These use 42 mA per bridge making a total of 0 67 amps Microlink 851 User Manual 2 18 Installing the Microlink 851 16 350 Q full bridges with 10 V excitation These use 28 mA per bridge making a total of 0 45 A Connection of Power Supplies Power supplies are often floating devices i e they are not referenced to mains earth If this is the case a connection must be made from Microlink 851 0 V to the power supply negative This can easily be done on the 594 If this is not done the bridge output voltages may be beyond the range of the 851 input amplifiers and false readings will result If several 594 units are used on a common power supply each should be given its own connection to the power supply This minimises the current flowing in any particular power supply wire and so reduces voltage drop in the wires Microlink 851 User Manual 2 19 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 3 Installing and Configuring the Windmill Software 3 1 What is Windmill Software W
45. read the Connection Notes on the previous pages before making your connections Microlink 851 User Manual 2 5 Installing the Microlink 851 2 4 Digital Input and Output Connection Notes 2 4 1 2 4 2 2 4 3 2 4 4 2 4 5 2 4 6 The Microlink 851 provides digital input to the computer and output con trol by the computer Its 32 general purpose input and output lines are arranged in 4 groups or ports Each port can be either input or output set us ing the Windmill SetupIML program All ports power up as inputs The ports are referred to as Port 0 to Port 3 Port 3 also functions as 8 event counters detailed in the next section Input Voltages All inputs are high impedance CMOS type They are TTL and 5 V CMOS compatible Input Voltages should be within the range 0 to 5 V Higher Voltages can be dealt with by the addition of resistor networks This can be conveniently done on a 590 unit Input protection can be provided in a simi lar manner Contact Closures You can interface to contact closures using a resistor to tie the input to ei ther 5 or 0 V The contact then switches the line to either 0 or 5 V The resistor can be fitted to a 590 unit Noisy Inputs Input Filters can be fitted to a 590 unit if required Output Drive The outputs are TTL and 5 V CMOS compatible They can drive 15 LSTTL loads You can increase the output drive by using additional transistors which can be fitted to the 590 unit Currents of 1
46. rolink 59x range provides screw terminals for the Microlink 851 allowing signals to be permanently wired These boxed 59x units sit next to the Microlink 851s Some of the 59x range allow transducers like thermocouples and strain gauge bridges to be monitored by the 851 Extra facilities are available when components are fitted such as protection from high voltages There are 4 units in the range 590 Screw Terminals 590 8A Screw Terminals and Current Measurement 593 Screw Terminals and Temperature Measurement 594 Screw Terminals and Strain Measurement The 59x range is optional so you can ignore the rest of this chapter if you have bought just the Microlink 851 and Windmill package 2 9 1 590 Unit Screw Terminals The 590 is a boxed screw terminal card Extra facilities are available with this card including e noise filtering e input protection from high voltages e higher voltage inputs than normal e contact closure inputs e ac inputs e biasing to ground e external current source switching e programmable resistance e special output ranges Connection The 590 unit has space for 3 rows of 18 screw terminals The row nearest the front panel is connected to pin 19 of the analogue D connector on the front of the Microlink This pin is connected to 0 V The other 2 rows are connected to pins 1 18 and 20 37 as indicated by the small figures by the terminals Fitting Application Components Series Components Com
47. ta Many Times a Day with WM Collect Use the WM Collect program to automatically collect data from the Microlink 851s at regular intervals For example you could collect data ev ery 5 minutes or every hour For counts you can choose to reset the counter when you collect data 1 Inthe opening ML851 Viewer screen choose Program Setup 2 Choose the Schedules tab and click Add New Event 3 Choose how often to upload the data and whether to reset counts when you do so WM Collect must be running continuously in order to collect the data Make sure that WM Collect doesn t automatically shut itself down 4 Choose the Options tab 5 Clear the Apply box 5 16 2 Collecting Data Daily Weekly or Monthly Use Windows Task Manager or Scheduled Tasks depending on your ver sion of Windows to schedule automatic data collection daily weekly or monthly For example in Windows 7 you will find Scheduled Tasks in Start gt All Programs gt Accessories gt System Tools gt Task Scheduler Look for the WM Collect program and click the Next button Choose whether to collect data daily weekly or monthly Select the time for collec tion Set WM Collect to run once then close The command to initiate a download is the path of wmcollect exe For example C Program Files Windmill Software wmcollect exe When running WM Collect as a scheduled task you should tell it for how long to run before shutting down 1 Choose the Program Setup menu
48. thermocouples and strain gauges It uses an integrating analogue to digital converter where the integration time and resolution are under software control set in the Windmill ConfIML program which starts automatically when you in stall the software At regular intervals Windmill uses a stable on board reference voltage for recalibration Use ConfIML to set this recalibration interval Microlink 851 User Manual 2 1 Installing the Microlink 851 2 2 1 Differential Inputs All the inputs are differential for each input signal there are two signal wires The measurement is the difference in voltage between the two wires The two signals go into separate high impedance amplifiers which monitor the voltage between the input and ground The outputs of the two amplifiers are then subtracted to give the difference between the and inputs For small signals differential inputs are much better than single ended inputs because the subtraction of the voltages on each of the input wires means that any voltage common to both wires is removed so reducing noise It is important to remember that the voltages at both inputs must be within the amplifier operating range A classic error is to connect a battery be tween positive and negative inputs with no other connection Although the difference between the inputs is well defined the actual voltage at each in put could be anything Connecting one end of the battery to the 0 V input either direct
49. y other Windmill programs that are open for example ConfIML Make sure there is only one 851 on the network Otherwise you may change the IP addresses of all the units on the network This would re sult in you being unable to contact any of them It is best to use a crossover lead and to have a one to one connection with the 851 From the opening ML851 Viewer screen choose the Connect to a Windmill Site menu then select Direct to an Ethernet Logger Microlink 851 User Manual 5 1 Using the ML851 Viewer Software 4 To change the IP address of the 851 select Change the IP Address and type the new details for example IP Address 192 168 1 61 and port 47471 Logger Direct Connection Connect TCP IP port Close TCP IP communication You can make a temporary change to the IP address of the logger so that it matches the IP sub net of your computer You should have a one to one connection with the logger this will not work through routers and gateways This computer IP address 192 168 1 47 Current logger IP address 192 168 1 61 TCP port 47471 UDP port 47473 Figure 5 1 Changing an 851 s IP Address 5 Click Connect If the software can communicate with the Microlink 851 the BUSY light will come on the unit If it doesn t make sure that all other Windmill programs and IML device icons are closed then try again 6 Once connected if you plan to use the standard Windmill suite for real time logging to a
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