Programming flexible with CR1000 Campbell Update 1st Quarter 2005

The CR1000 is programmed in CRBasic, a flexible programming language capable of creating both straightforward "measurement-and-store" programs as well as those that perform sophisticated control. If you have programs already written for CR10X dataloggers, you can convert them to CRBasic with the Transformer utility provided with PC400 and LoggerNet.

Many datalogger programs can be created using the Short Cut program builder to pick the sensors and outputs. Short Cut 2.2 offers a quick and easy way to build measurement and control programs for the CR1000. Short Cut produces CRBasic code that is straightforward and documented. The datalogger program created by CRBasic is used by both the datalogger and PC; a DLD file is no longer required. This means you can use Short Cut to generate the code for your sensors and final storage, and then load it directly into the CRBasic Editor in LoggerNet or PC400 if refinement or advanced programming is needed. Short Cut is now bundled with PC400 and LoggerNet—the latest version can also be downloaded at no charge from our Web site.

Upgrading Software

Software support for the CR1000 is currently provided by LoggerNet 3.x and PConnect 3.1. The CR1000 will also be supported by forthcoming releases of PC400 1.2, PC200W 3.0, and PConnectCE 2.0.

You can upgrade (replace existing licenses) to LoggerNet 3.x from PC208W, PC400, or earlier versions of LoggerNet at a discounted price. Upgrades for our other datalogger support software packages are also available at a discounted price. Patches are available on our Web site to update within a version (e.g., PConnect 3.0 to 3.1).

Utilities—DevConfigand Transformer

LoggerNet and PC400 include utilities for converting programs from Edlog to CRBasic, configuring devices, and troubleshooting your network.

Transformer

For customers with existing CR10X programs (mixed-array only), we've created the Transformer software utility to convert a CR10X program (.csi or .dld file) to a CR1000 program (.cr1 file). To use Transformer, browse to a CR10X file, specify an output file name for the new CR1000 file, press 'OK', and a .cr1 file is created. The CR10X program and the new CR1000 program are displayed side by side. This provides the ability to see and compare the structure of the CRBasic program with the Edlog program. Comparing the files is a beneficial tool to become familiar with CRBasic programming. In addition, double clicking on an Edlog instruction highlights the corresponding CR1000 instruction. Even customers who prefer to write their CRBasic programs from "scratch" may find Transformer helpful when learning about CRBasic program structure and how Transformer converted the CR10X instructions.

Transformer will convert most of the Edlog code, but because of the differences in programming languages, not all Edlog instructions can be converted using Transformer. Instructions that do not have an exact match, require further input from you, or are suspect are listed in an Action log. Items in the Action log should be reviewed, and the entire program modified and tested as needed to achieve the desired results. The Action log interacts with the CR10X and CR1000 programs to make it easier to identify specific instructions that need to be reviewed and modified. Suspect instructions are highlighted in the CR10X and CR1000 programs when a user double clicks an instruction in the Action log. You can print or save the Action log and use it as a checklist to ensure changes have been completed.

Once the file has been converted, Transformer allows you to launch the CRBasic editor and edit the new CR1000 file. For areas of the program that need to be modified or have instructions added, CRBasic Help contains instruction definitions and descriptions as well as instruction examples. Updated manuals will also be a valuable tool in making necessary modifications or additions to a CR1000 program to achieve the desired results.

DevConfig

The Device Configuration Utility, or DevConfig, helps you configure PakBus^® devices. Using a direct RS-232 connection from the PC, it detects the settings in any CR1000. DevConfig provides an easy-to-use interface to organize the PakBus^® settings and includes help for each setting. DevConfig also lets you store the settings for reuse in other dataloggers. Once your network is up and running, you can fine-tune the settings from the graphical display in PakBusGraph, another utility that's accessible from the toolbar of LoggerNet. DevConfig is bundled with PC400 and LoggerNet, and is available from our website at no charge.