Bronkhorst®
Instruction Manual EL-FLOW® Prestige
9.17.084N
21
3.4.1.4
BRIGHT readout and control
Most digital parameters and functions are
accessible via the display interface and control
buttons of a BRIGHT readout and control
module (type B1 or B2). When a BRIGHT module
is installed, no other RS-232 connection can be
established with the instrument.
This example uses the following components:
·
EL-FLOW® Prestige
·
BRIGHT readout and control module
·
Plug-in Power Supply (PiPS, art no. 7.03.422)
Use the 9-pin D-sub connector on the side of the instrument to plug in the T-part that comes with the BRIGHT module.
Consult the
BRIGHT manual
(document 9.17.048) for more information. This manual can be downloaded from the
Accessories and software
section on the Bronkhorst® product pages (
).
3.4.2
FlowDDE
Digital Bronkhorst® instruments can be operated via RS-232 using the Bronkhorst® FlowDDE server application. Dynamic
Data Exchange (DDE) provides a basic level of inter process communication between Windows applications. Together with a
client application, either self-made or with a third party SCADA program, it is possible to create an easy way of data
exchange between the flow meter/controller and a Windows application. For instance, a cell in a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet can be linked to the measured value of an instrument; FlowDDE updates the cell automatically when the
measured value changes.
FlowDDE uses specific parameter numbers for communicating with the instrument. A DDE parameter number is a unique
number in a special FlowDDE instruments/parameter database and not the same as the parameter number from the process
on an instrument. FlowDDE translates the node-address and process number to a channel number.
DDE-client applications communicate with the FlowDDE server by using DDE messages. Before messages can be exchanged,
a DDE link has to be made. A DDE link consists of three parts: the server, the topic and an item. For separation the characters
'|' and '!' may be used, so a DDE link in e.g. Microsoft Excel becomes: Server|Topic!Item.
For standard instrument parameters and the FlowDDE server, these are:
·
Server: FlowDDE or FlowDDE2
·
Topic: ‘C(X)’ for channel number X
·
Item: ‘P(Y)’ for parameter number Y
An example of a DDE link in a Microsoft Excel cell is =FlowDDE|’C(1)’!’P(8)’ to read parameter 8 of channel 1.
When not using FlowDDE for communication with the
instrument, parameters are addressed by:
·
Node address of the instrument
·
Process number on the instrument
·
Parameter number on the instrument
See section
Basic parameters and properties
information about instrument parameters.
For more information about FlowDDE, including setting up a DDE link, consult the
FlowDDE Manual
(document no.
9.17.067) or the help file in the application.
