General HydroStatics
Ship Stability Software |
Command of the Week
(New or interesting aspects of GHS that you may not know about) |
CUSTOM (GHSERIAL)
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Tucked away under the CUSTOM command heading is a very capable data I/O facility. For example, |
VARIABLE TANKLEVEL CUSTOM (GHSERIAL) READ 2 TANKLEVEL |
This could get the second data item from the serial data input stream
and store it in the variable named TANKLEVEL.
Similarly CUSTOM (GHSERIAL) WRITE sends data out. A number of protocols are supported, including "Modbus" (serial and TCP), "VIGO", serial master/slave type "NCA DL 94", and serial broadcast types "AN-PRO3", "Datasound 53", "Musasino", "NMEA 0183", and "Sentry IV". Additional commands like CUSTOM (GHSERIAL) START/STOP are provided. Of course there are details about the communication channel to be specified. This is handled by means of a configuration file containing all the pertinent parameters. The usual application is receiving and sending tank levels and other signals on board a ship. More than one I/O stream can be accommodated simultaneously, and each can use a different protocol. If tank levels, draft sensors, and crane position information all have separate communication systems and I/O ports, GHS can handle them. There are no restrictions or limitations. For someone familiar with GHS it could serve as a convenient prototyping or development tool for any kind of controller or data display platform. If you see someone seeming to be having too much fun with GHS, you might check to see if there is an extra cable coming off the back of their computer. |
Questions, comments, or requests?
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