Sensing and Control for hobbyists and schools: Connecting using a serial port, e.g. COM1
Other pages in this site should get you all exicted about the sensors and actuators you can put into a control application. This page addresses some of the options for one of the ways to connect them the the PC which is the brains behind the system.
The page is new.. apologies for it being sketchy, and perhaps having rough edges.
Don't let the "joys" of Windows XP get you down. You CAN still write programs to access the serial port, reasonbly easily. Click here for help with that.
There's a lot at the above referenced page... and more to come here, eventually. Sorry!
Alternatively, there are controllers for MicroLan sensor/ actuator nets which have the "hard parts" already dealt with. You just plug them into your serial port, fire up some comms program. Little "Hyperterminal" which comes free with Windows will do. (You may have to install it... just go to Control Panel | Add remove programs | Windows Setup.)
For news of these controllers, and a bunch of other good stuff, visit Peter Anderson's site.
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Ad from page's editor: Yes.. I do enjoy compiling these things for you...
hope they are helpful. However.. this doesn't pay my bills!!! If you find
this stuff useful, (and you run an MS-DOS or Windows PC) please visit my
freeware and shareware page, download something, and circulate it for me?
At least (please) send an 'I liked the parallel port use page, and I'm
from (country/ state)' email? (No... I don't do spam)
Links on your page to this page would also be appreciated!