Visual Link

VisualLink is a RAD toolkit for the creation of SCADA / HMI (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition / Human Machine Interface) applications supporting a wide range of instrument protocols. The Mantracourt range of intelligent instrumentation is supported along with a range of common 3 rd party instruments. Generic drivers enable you to connect to unsupported instruments.

We also offer a service to add drivers for other instruments. The advantage of this is that it is simple to select the parameters and readings you wish to talk to as opposed to using the low level generic drivers.

Drivers included

Generic

• Serial Port - Any serial port connected instrument. Also a Packet Handler for structured packets.
• Mantrabus1 (Fast Format) - Any Mantracourt Mantrabus1 instrument.
• Mantrabus2 - Any Mantracourt Mantrabus2 instrument.
• MantraAscii2 - Any Mantracourt MantraASCII2 instrument.
• Modbus RTU - Any modbus instrument. PLCs etc
• Hardware Port - Any PC boards.
• Eagle Technology Boards - A large range of A/D, D/A and digital IO PC boards. (Available from Amplicon LiveLine)
• OPC Client - connect to any OPC compliant server. This enables VisualLink to connect to hundreds of devices.
• TCP/UDP - connect to any TCP or UDP instrument over the network.
• IEEE - Any IEEE based instrument.

Specific

• ADP15 - Process control instrument, panel mounted.
• UAB15 - Process control instrument, surface mounted.
• RUA15 - Process control instrument, rack mounted.
• ADP TLQ - Quadrature totaliser.
• ADP-SP16 - 16 setpoint process control instrument, panel mounted.
• ADW15 - Weighing control instrument, panel mounted.
• ADW-SP16 - 16 setpoint weighing control instrument, panel mounted.
• RCA15 - Weighing control instrument, rack mounted.
• LCA15 - Weighing control instrument, surface mounted.
• ADW FPT - Fast peak / trough ADW.
• ADW FFW - Fast fill by weight.
• ADL20 - Mantracourt Analog Data
• BW5/12 - Batch Weigher ADP ATL - MODBUS version of the analogue totaliser
• LCA15 - MODBUS Weighing control instrument, surface mounted.
• RCA15 - MODBUS Weighing control instrument, rack mounted.
• C71C - Mantrabus1 I/O controller. Connect up to 32 digital outputs and 16 digital inputs.
• 'D'Cell - (Mantrabus1) - In-sensor digital signal conditioner
• 'D'Cell / DSC Card - (Mantrabus2) - In-sensor digital signal conditioner
• 'D'Cell (MantraASCII2) - In-sensor digital signal conditioner
• 8255 PC I/O Card (FPC-024) - Low cost 48 channel digital IO card.
• 12 bit PC A/D Card (FPC-010) - low cost 12 bit A/D card.
• Arcom PCAD16/16H - 16 channel diferential 12 bit A/D card.
• Arcom PCADADIO - Multi-function A/D, D/A, I/O card
• Arcom PCIB32 - 32 channel I/O card.
• Arcom PCIB40 - 40 channel I/O card.
• Adam 4000 series range of analogue input modules.

Features

The library of drivers will be added to continually and updates will be available via this web site and on request.

There are a wide range of object tools including:

• Thin client monitoring of remote site using web browser over internet or intranet. Note that this is true thin client with no extra software necessary other than your browser. VisualLink contains an advanced web server so you can serve pages containing property value references and images and also interact with object properties from the browser.
• Drivers for Mantrabus2, MantraASCII, Generic Serial Port and Generic MODBUS support 2 wire RS485 communications where the converter requires RTS control over data direction.
• Database - for database manipulation down to field level.
• Database Reports allow records to be added to existing databases and spreadsheets.
• Support for reports created using Crystal Reports.
• File - file manipulation.
• Animation - using animated GIF files. You can represent pumps, valves etc.
• Reporting - records can be written to databases, spreadsheets etc. Text reports can now consist of formatted text and images.
• Virtual Keyboard - for systems that have no access to physical keyboards such as touch screens, light pens etc.
• Dialog - for using a wide range of dialog and message boxes such as password entry.
• Line/Pipe - a connecting line with colour changes based on expressions.
• Transparent Vessel - to mimic vessels with user definable transparent areas.
• List - Add and remove items from a list and react to mouse clicks.
• Batch Tool - helps construct batching systems.
• Chart - chart object stores more than the visible data. This can be scrolled and zoomed to view required history data.
• Rate Object - calculates rate of change when fed manually or automatically with values. Has built in real-time configuration window for on the fly alarm setting by the end user. Use this to calculate acceleration, deceleration etc.
• Network links to enable Client/Server application construction across TCP/IP networks and dial-up connections.
• Image Server - ability to write an image file of the window to hard disk for inclusion into other applications or web pages etc. Ideal for image serving for an intranet.
• DDE and Net DDE connectors for interfacing with other applications.
• User Object Library - you can now group together objects and save them into a library. These can then be reused in future applications. i.e. save an object that gets a password and if correct switches to another page.
• User Programs - you can save and load any properties from the objects or instruments. This gives a very flexible method of creating program types such as instrument parameter settings or recipes for batching.
• Run-time set-up kit to install your design onto other computers without the ability to edit.
• Email support. Send mail via MAPI or SMTP.
• Speech synthesis.
• Also available are:
  • Display objects with averaging, peak/trough capture etc.
  • Readwrite objects provide a simple way to interact both ways with instrument properties.
  • Image and picture objects to display dynamic images for valves, pumps or any other boolean states. Also used to create graphical buttons.
  • Scales to place against other graphics.
  • Vessels objects to display hopper & vessel levels. These can use custom bitmaps.
  • Floodbars
  • Boolean Checkboxes that can be directly linked to properties.
  • Crystal Report linking to offer real time reporting of database information. Sound generation based on WAV files.
  • Sliders and textboxes can be directly linked to instrument and object properties.
  • Grid controls with script control over cell contents

System Requirements

Minimum hardware recommendation (recommended in brackets):

• Pentium 300 Mhz
• CD ROM drive
• 128 Mb RAM
• 40 Mb Disk Space Required
• Mouse or alternative pointing device

A hardware key (dongle) is required on the design software computer and a hardware or software key is required on each run-time installation created for other computers.