Serial data acquisition.
How to log and analyze RS232 data acquisition?

Serial data acquisition


Contents


  1. What is Data Acquisition and why is it Important?
  2. Professional and powerful RS232 data acquisition software
  3. Learn more about features of serial data acquisition software
  4. How to use: step-by-step guide


What is Data Acquisition?


The process of data acquisition involves measuring real-world conditions and phenomena such as sound, electricity, temperature and pressure. By employing an analog-to-digital converter, various sampling sensors which measure the environment have their analog signals turned into their digital equivalents. This enables computer manipulation of the digital numeric values for use in data analysis, storage and presentation.

Various type of physical sensors form the foundation of data acquisition. The sensors feed electrical signals to data acquisition instruments. These instruments then digitize the signals before sending them to a PC where specialized software tools are used to analyze and manipulate the resulting data.

You may not realize it, but data acquisition and analysis plays a vital part in many diverse fields like life science research, industrial maintenance, and civil engineering, among many others. Data acquisition devices can be found in most factories, public utilities, and research facilities. The devices are monitoring various parameters in the background, with the intent of using the assembled data to suggest improvements in the facility’s efficiency, reliability, and safety.


Log and analyze COM port activity with Serial Data Acquisition Software


RS232 Data Acquisition Software by Electronic Team (aka Serial Port Logger) is a professional and powerful system utility for serial communication logging. You can display, log and analyze all of your system’s serial port activity. This can be an indispensable tool when attempting to debug, test and optimize serial devices during application and driver development.


Serial Port Logger

This RS232 Data Acquisition utility offers many features including a flexible and user-friendly interface, advanced filtering and search capabilities, and professional built-in terminal and data export functionality. No additional hardware is necessary to employ this serial data acquisition software.


Main Features of Serial Data Acquisition Software



★  Collect data

All data transmitted through your system’s serial ports can be monitored and collected using this RS232 communication program. Connect to ports that are currently in use and collect and display data instantaneously using the real-time mode.


★  Record data

This serial port data acquisition tool acts as a sniffer capable of intercepting and recording all serial input/output control codes (IOCTLs). Data can be redirected to a specific location or copied to the clipboard after it is collected. You can save session that you previously monitored and return to them at any time.


★  Analyze multiple ports

Using Serial Logger as your RS232 data acquisition solution allows you to use the unique feature of monitoring multiple ports at a time. One session can display the activities of all devices connected to multiple ports. This data can be saved in a single file in a sequential manner for easier analysis.


★  View & analyze data

Choose from 4 view modes: table, line, dump and terminal. The serial data acquisition tool allows you to view the specific parameters you are interested in without the need to wade through unnecessary data.


★  Simulated Data Transmission

Simulated data transmission to a serial port can be accomplished using SPM’s terminal mode. The port see it as actual data sent by the monitored application. SPM supports string, binary, octal, decimal and mixed data formats. This feature allows you to test the responses of applications and serial devices when they encounter specific commands or data types.

Learn more about serial data loggers in this article which covers both software and hardware tools.


Step By Step Guide To Using Serial Data Acquisition Software


Analyzing COM port activity with RS232 Port Logger is easy following these simple steps. First, download and install the application. Next step is to launch the program and start a monitoring session. Here is how it is done:

1. Go to Serial Port Logger’s Main menu and select Session -> New session. There is also a ‘New’ icon on the main toolbar that you can click, or use the ‘Ctrl + N’ keyboard shortcut. This will launch a screen entitled ‘New monitoring session’.


2. Next select the view modes you want to use to display your monitoring session. You can select as many of these modes as you want to view at the time, and there is a 'Select all’ and 'Select none’ button to simplify your selection.

Here is an overview of the different view modes.

  • Table view – displays recorded IRPs in table form

  • Line view – displays all requests and details that are passed through a selected serial line

  • Dump view – data passed through the serial line is displayed

  • Terminal view – all received data is displayed on a text console in ASCII characters.

3. You have a choice to ‘Start monitoring now’ or ‘Start in new window’ when opening a new session.

You can specify what events you are interested in with the ‘Capture options’ – Create/Close, Read/Write, Device Control.


4. Click ‘Start monitoring’ to activate the RS232 Port Logger session. This displays a new monitoring window.

Saving sessions for further review is done through the main menu’s select ‘Session -> Save session/ Save session As’ option. Again there is a clickable ‘Save’ icon on the main toolbar and a keyboard shortcut is available by using ‘Ctrl + S’.

Give your saved session a unique name to enable easy identification when retrieving it for data analysis.