Re: receiving serial data/email alerts?

[Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Paul,

Paul Gale wrote:

> I’ve got an aquarium computer that outputs it’s values via RS232. The
> output data looks like:
>
> E12:34    Th, 14.07.
>
> E1 (Te-) 26.3  °C
>
> E2 (Lv ) Water
>
> These values continuously loop and update.
>
> I also have a program that logs this data into an access db and can
> automatically output to CSV and Excel file. This program will also
> email alarms if values are exceeded (the email content is
> configurable). It also allows charting and upload to FTP and an online
> database controlled by the program writer. This program is quite good
> and provides some functionality that I wouldn’t really like to have to
> replicate (e.g. charting).
>
> I need some help working out how to get this data into the xAP realm
> and then perform actions such as:
>
> 1)      Email me if the temperature exceeds a max and min value
>
Your existing program does this doesn't it ? But xAP can do it too

> 2)      SMS me if the temperature exceeds a max and min value
>
xAP'able

> 3)      Speak via xAPTTS a warning/alarm if the temperature exceeds a
> max and min value
>
XAP'able

> 4)      Do something else via HomeVision if the temperature exceeds a
> max and min value
>
you can trigger HV macros via xAP

> 5)      Do the same if the pH exceeds a max and min value
>
ditto

> I guess I want to work with the access, excel or CSV file as the
source?
>
Probably not, the best place to work with the data is at the serial
level as that is always available and not dependent on some other
application running.  You can feed the data into two serial ports
simultaneously of course.  This will require some coding of course .
From a xAP hardware perspective you could add a xAp netiom which as
well as 16 inputs and outputs has a bidirectional serial port and that
will put the data straight onto xAP.

Failing that you could work from the alarm emails the software sends but
that is dependent of course on them being received. xAP applications are
available that will then effectively get this content onto xAP and then
you could use a script running in either xAP Desktop or xAP Floorplan to
check monitor the emails and resend as a TTS or SMS message.  Less
coding but a much less resilient approach too.  I think working from the
CSV files would be more awkward and less responsive. And I assume time
of response is an issue here.   Glenda Goldfish votes for the serial
data option ;-).

> Any ideas what I need to do and a good approach? I don’t want to have
> to write any code as I’m not a programmer (unless anyone can help?).
>
I am thinking that you will be snookered then. This is a bespoke
application so some code will have to be written somewhere. The size of
that undertaking is dependent on how capable a solution you want.  Using
a Netiom and a 'script' in xAP Floorplan is probably the easiest with
BSC Skeleton app next.

> Thinking about it from a different approach – it would be nice if
> there was a xAP application that could listen to serial data and
> perform actions based on this data (a bit like the HomeVision
> functionality).
>
The xAP BSC skeleton app will do all the xAP/BSC stuff - just need to
add your device interface code - in this case a serial I/O handler  -
and the TOM10 project is a good eample of exactly this . However the
parsing and resultant actions for the serial data is written using VB
which is a little more complex than the HV macro language.  The TOM10
code could be adapted fairly easily to this though (reminds me I haven't
posted it yet.... ahhhh so many things to do).

> I didn’t want to use HV as I don’t have a spare HV serial port
> although I guess I could use ACE to forward the serial data to HV.
>
If you are comfortable with HV and HV can provide these capabilities via
ACE then this probably sounds the right route - (particularly if you do
not have VB6). Have you added the maximum number of serial ports to HV
then ??

> Thanks,
>
> Paul.
>
>
K