DonationCoder.com Software > Finished Programs

SOLVED: Serial port data filter to keyboard output

(1/1)

Byte:
I have a scale.  This scale weighs an item and after both a button is pressed and a stable weight is determined, that weight can be sent via RS-232 to a Windows 7 workstation.  It communicates well with HyperTerminal, however I can't collect the weights into a table or form using HT.  Also, the output from the balance is right-aligned with empty characters (spaces?) and contains the unit of weight (in this case, "g" for grams).

What I would like to see is a program hiding in the system tray which will read the serial data and strip out the empty characters as well as the unit of weight (no matter what letter or letters), passing along only the numerical values to an empty field in the Windows environment.  An example of an empty field would be Notepad or Excel - anywhere the cursor will place text.  Also requested is the ability to choose whether to place a carriage return & line feed and/or tab value after the data is sent, as well as the typically configurable serial port stuff.

I could really use something like this in the next week...  I hope this sounds easy enough for someone to take on, or if someone knows of something like this which is currently available please point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

Byte:
Forgot to mention, needs to pass along the decimal point in addition to the numerical data...

Thanks for your consideration!

Byte:
Cancel this request.

Found WinCT with RSKey which is a free utility with configurable serial port options, and after some fiddling it does everything I need it to do.

Thank you for your time.

TaoPhoenix:
Hello Byte!

I'd just like to say this is one of the more unusual and cooler topics here! It inspires me to make a fun little post about "unusual applications of tech"! See elsewhere!

Byte:
Thanks TaoPhoenix, it is nice to see someone found this interesting enough to reply!

This was a real world scenario from an industrial manufacturing environment - a company wanted to digitally capture weights from their production line utilizing existing hardware, which commanded the use of RS-232 ports.  Sure, RS-232 is "outdated" and no longer found on the typical home computer these days, but despite that fact serial communications are still extensively used in manufacturing environments and on analytical equipment.  It would be quite handy for a programmer to know how to interface their programs with serial ports if they wish to be hired to work in a manufacturing environment.

Navigation

[0] Message Index