Chapter 4 - Software Tools and
Communications
Introduction
Galil software is available for PC computers running Microsoft Windows
®
to communicate with DMC-1600
controllers. Standard Galil communications software utilities are available for Windows operating systems, which
includes
SmartTERM
and
WSDK
. These software packages operate under Windows 98SE, ME, NT4.0, 2000, and
XP, and include the necessary drivers. In addition, Galil offers software development tools (
DMCWin
and
ActiveX Toolkit)
to allow users to create their own application interfaces using programming environments such as
C, C++, Visual Basic, and LabVIEW.
Galil also offers some basic software drivers and utilities for non-Windows environments such as DOS, Linux, and
QNX. For users who prefer to develop their own drivers, details are provided in this chapter describing the
communication registers.
This chapter is an introduction to the software tools and communication techniques used by Galil. Figure-1
illustrates the software hierarchy that Galil communications software employs. At the application level, SmartTERM
and WSDK are the basic programs that the majority of users will need to communicate with the controller, to
perform basic setup, and to develop application code (.DMC programs) that is downloaded to the controller. At the
Galil API level, Galil provides software tools (ActiveX and API functions) for advanced users who wish to develop
their own custom application programs to communicate to the controller. Custom application programs can utilize
API function calls directly to our DLL’s, or use our ActiveX COM objects, which simplifies programming. At the
driver level, we provide fundamental hardware interface information for users who desire to create their own
drivers.
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Chapter 4 - Software Tools and Communications
DMC-1600
