WinTECH Software Newsletter

Vol. II March 1999

In response to several requests, WinTECH Software has introduced a slave version of it's modbus ActiveX Control. This control allows any Visual Basic application to quickly and easily expose data to a modbus master device connected to the PC either serially or via TCP/IP. A simple API command set allows your application to define blocks of data which are "shared" between the slave driver and your custom logic. Each data block definition is configured to represent a range of modbus data corresponding to a particular slave and memory address. Data written to the data block is automatically updated and made accessible to a connected master. This control represents the easiest way possible to interface data from a PC application into a modbus system without having to learn the details of the protocol or Windows serial driver interfaces. An evaluation version of the slave control may be downloaded using the following url: ftp://ftp.win-tech.com/demos/mbslvocx.zip

OLE for Process Control is rapidly becoming a viable technology for exchanging information between PC applications. Several OPC compliant Client and Server applications are now commercially available even while the OPC Foundation is working to complete the Version 2.0 specification. In the course of developing an OPC Server application for one of its customers, WinTECH Software saw the need for a simple low-cost test tool which could be used to test and verify compliance with various OPC designs. This resulted in the following two applications:

OPC Client is an application which may be used to test the interfaces and access data from an OPC compliant server. OPC Client may be configured to read and/or write data from/to multiple servers, using synchronous, ascynchronous and callback notifications. All Required OPC Version 1.0 custom interfaces are supported and OPC Client may be used to test each interface supported by the server.

OPCSvrSim is an OPC Server application which may be used to simulate data for testing OPC Clients. OPCSvrSim may be configured to represent multiple data points whose values may be changed sequentially or randomly based on a timer. OPCSimSvr supports all required interfaces as defined by OPC Version 1.0, and may be accessed by multiple client applications simultaneously.

Each OPC application is implemented as a Microsoft MFC design using MSDEV version 5.0. Complete source code for each application is available as a packaged toolkit to assist in the development of custom OPC designs. These toolkits are supplied at a very reasonable cost and contain no "hidden" charges. You get all the source code necessary to implement the design and no additional royalty fees are required to incorporate the code into your own design(s). For additional information, download one of the demos or go to: https://www.win-tech.com/demos/opc.htm

An optional feature has been added to the popular ModScan32 application which allows you to create custom forms to display modbus data. Different types of data points may be configured on the same screen and several graphical objects are available to create displays representing your particular slave device characteristics. Register data may be displayed in several formats, (including scaled values), and in any available PC color & font. They may also be designated as read-only or read/write, enabling the user to change the value by simply double-clicking the display. Bitmaps, automatic trend charts, and other graphical objects may be included on the form for a highly customizable display. The latest version of ModScan32 may be downloaded using the following url: ftp://ftp.win-tech.com/demos/modscan32.zip Existing users who have registered the application without the option may still utilize Custom Forms for the 3 1/2 minute demo period.

Thinking of buying a WinTECH Software application? Consider a multi-user or Site License instead. If the application proves useful for your requirements, chances are that there are others within your organization who could benefit from it as well. Substantial discounts are available for the purchase of multiple licenses. Please contact sales@win-tech.com for a quotation to cover multiple user or site licenses.

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