Omega Engineering M-4066 - Manual (Page 7)

OMWT-SOFT-OPC Server Overview N 3
Description
OMWT-SOFT-OPC is a data acquisition OLE for Process Control (OPC) server that
acquires data from devices and passes this data using OPC to a client application.
OMWT-SOFT-OPC waits for the device to transmit and then processes the
transmission.
Any Windows® application that can use OPC can obtain this data from the OMWT-
SOFT-OPCServer. Examples of such applications include Wonderware® Intouch,
National Instruments® LookOut, Capital Equipment Corp.® TestPoint, and general
development applications like Microsoft® Visual Basic and Borland® Delphi.
OMWT-SOFT-OPC can be a stand-alone data logger. When data logging is enabled,
OMWT-SOFT-OPC will also store collected data in an ASCII file at a programmable
interval. Another program such as a spreadsheet or a database manager can import
the data. See section "OMWT-SOFT-OPC Server Data Logging".
OMWT-SOFT-OPC Server and Wireless
OMWT-SOFT-OPC Server can receive transmissions from wireless devices such as
the wireless temperature transmitter. Other devices include the wireless humidity
sensor and wireless analog input. OMWT-SOFT-OPC uses a wireless receiver such
as the OMWT-REC232-600, OMWT-XREC-SER and OMWT-RECIP to receive
transmissions from wireless sensors. OMWT-SOFT-OPC can also use multiple
OMWT-RECIP Receivers to receive data through a TCP/IP connection.
When setting up a wireless network, OMWT-SOFT-OPC passively waits for
transmissions instead of actively polling for devices. This can make the acquisition
of sensors take a longer time than for a wired network as OMWT-SOFT-OPC must
wait for the device to transmit. You can speed up this process by pressing the service
button on the device so that it transmits while you are in the OMWT-SOFT-OPC
Wireless Setup screen.
Each device has an entry in the device's INI file section. The INI entry and OPC tag
"polltime" for each device has a different meaning when working with wireless
transmitters. OMWT-SOFT-OPC cannot poll the wireless sensors. It must wait for a
transmission. Therefore, OMWT-SOFT-OPC uses polltime to estimate how
frequently a transmission should come from a device. It also uses a multiple of this
time to determine if a device is offline. This multiple is configurable by the user.
Wireless Setup
If you have OMWT-SOFT-OPC running with a wireless receiver such as an OMWT-
REC232-600 or OMWT-XREC-SER, OMWT-SOFT-OPC will display the Setup
screen when it starts for the first time. The setup screen is the method by which
OMWT-SOFT-OPC acquires wireless devices. The default on the setup screen is to
accept only packets that are sent in service mode from the device (the packet is sent
by pressing the service button on the device.) To change this default, uncheck the
"Service Mode Only" checkbox. OMWT-SOFT-OPC will then display all the
packets it receives. When OMWT-SOFT-OPC receives a packet from a device new
to it, it names the device following the naming conventions detailed below, and it
displays the device's name and serial number in the window.
You have several options after the device has been displayed. The "Clear New"
button will clear all the devices that have just been received. The "Delete" button
will delete a single device. Click on a device to select it and click on "Delete" to