BRONKHORST FlowDDE User manual

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Instruction manual
FlowDDE
Doc. no.: 9.17.067F Date: 14-01-2016
ATTENTION
Please read this instruction manual carefully before installing and operating the instrument.
Not following the guidelines could result in personal injury and/or damage to the equipment.
HeadOffice:Nijverheidsstraat1a,NL‐7261AKRuurlo,TheNetherlands,Tel.+31573458800,[e-mail]

BRONKHORST®
Page2FlowDDE     9.17.067
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Disclaimer
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Theinformationinthismanualhasbeenreviewedandisbelievedtobewhollyreliable.Noresponsibility,however,is
assumedforinaccuracies.Thematerialinthismanualisforinformationpurposesonly.
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Copyright
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Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentationisprotectedbycopyright.
Subjecttotechnicalandopticalchangesaswellasprintingerrors.Theinformationcontainedinthisdocumentis
subjecttochangeatanytimewithoutpriornotification.Bronkhorst®reservestherighttomodifyorimproveits
productsandmodifythecontentswithoutbeingobligedtoinformanyparticularpersonsororganizations.Thedevice
specificationsandthecontentsofthepackagemaydeviatefromwhatisstatedinthisdocument.
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Symbols
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Importantinformation.Discardingthisinformationcouldcauseinjuriestopeopleordamagetothe
Instrumentorinstallation.
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Helpfulinformation.Thisinformationwillfacilitatetheuseofthisinstrument.
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Additionalinfoavailableontheinternetorfromyourlocalsalesrepresentative.
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BRONKHORST®
Page3FlowDDE     9.17.067
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Tableofcontents
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1GENERALPRODUCTINFORMATION....................................................................................................4
1.1INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................4
1.2REFERENCESTOOTHERAPPLICABLEDOCUMENTS...................................................................................................4
1.2.1Manualsanduserguides.........................................................................................................................4
1.2.2Technicaldrawings..................................................................................................................................4
1.2.3Softwaretooling......................................................................................................................................4
1.3SUPPORTEDINSTRUMENTS...............................................................................................................................5
1.4SYSTEMREQUIREMENTS..................................................................................................................................5
1.5INSTALLATIONANDSTARTUP............................................................................................................................5
1.5.1Startupoptions.......................................................................................................................................5
2INTERFACES........................................................................................................................................6
2.1RS232/FLOW‐BUSINTERFACE.......................................................................................................................6
2.1.1D‐connectorforRS232.............................................................................................................................6
2.2RS232ONMULTIBUSINSTRUMENT....................................................................................................................7
2.2.1Applications,e.g.EL‐FLOW......................................................................................................................7
3PARAMETERINFORMATION...............................................................................................................8
4OPERATION......................................................................................................................................10
4.1BASIC:COMMUNICATIONTOINSTRUMENTSANDSERVINGCLIENTAPPLICATIONS..........................................................10
4.1.1Communicationsettings........................................................................................................................10
4.1.2Opencommunication.............................................................................................................................11
4.1.3Closecommunication.............................................................................................................................11
4.2CONFIGURATION.........................................................................................................................................11
4.3SETTINGS...................................................................................................................................................12
4.3.1Polltime.................................................................................................................................................12
4.3.2Systemsettings......................................................................................................................................12
4.3.3Simulationmode....................................................................................................................................13
4.4VIEWANDEDITPARAMETERS..........................................................................................................................13
4.4.1Viewparametersandvalues..................................................................................................................13
4.4.2Editparameters.....................................................................................................................................14
4.5TESTCOMMUNICATION.................................................................................................................................14
4.5.1TestFLOW‐BUSandDDE........................................................................................................................14
4.5.2TestProPar............................................................................................................................................15
4.6SERVICELOG..............................................................................................................................................15
5DDECOMMUNICATIONBYCLIENTS..................................................................................................16
5.1BASICPARAMETERCOMMUNICATION...............................................................................................................16
5.2SPECIALOPTIONS.........................................................................................................................................16
5.2.1Channel0...............................................................................................................................................16
5.2.2Parameter0...........................................................................................................................................16
5.2.3Servertopic............................................................................................................................................17
6FLOWDDETECHNICALDETAILS.........................................................................................................18
7SERVICE............................................................................................................................................19
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BRONKHORST®
Page4FlowDDE     9.17.067
1GENERALPRODUCTINFORMATION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
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ThismanualwillexplaintheoperationofthesoftwaretoolFlowDDE.IthasbeenwrittenbasedonFlowDDEV4.67,but
shouldbesuitedforformer(andfuture)versionsaswell,althoughfunctionalitymaydifferfromwhatisdescribed.
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FlowDDEisaDynamicDataExchange(DDE)server,aneasyconnectionbetweenWindowsapplicationsanddigital
Bronkhorst1)instruments.DDEprovidesabasiclevelofinterprocesscommunicationbetweenWindowsapplications.
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ByusingDDEcommands,sentbysoftwaretoFlowDDE,datacanbesenttoorrequestedfromdigitalinstruments.
FlowDDEhandlesallcommunicationtotheinstrumentsandprovidesthedatatoapplications.
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ExamplesofapplicationswithDDEcommunicationareMicrosoftExcelandLabVIEW(NationalInstruments).Several
Bronkhorst®applicationsrequireFlowDDEforcommunicationtotheinstrument(s),e.g.FlowPlotandFlowView.
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1)Bronkhorst:ThisincludesBronkhorstHigh‐TechB.V.andM+WInstrumentsGmbH.
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1.2 REFERENCESTOOTHERAPPLICABLEDOCUMENTS
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Manualsandguidesfordigitalinstrumentsaremodular.Generalinstructionsgiveinformationaboutthefunctioning
andinstallationofinstruments.Operationalinstructionsexplaintheuseofthedigitalinstrumentsfeaturesand
parameters.Fieldbusspecificinformationexplainstheinstallationanduseofthefieldbusinstalledontheinstrument.
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1.2.1 Manualsanduserguides
Operationinstructionsdigitalinstruments  (documentnr.9.17.023)
FLOW‐BUSinterface    (documentnr.9.17.024)
Profibus‐DPinterface    (documentnr.9.17.025)
DeviceNetinterface    (documentnr.9.17.026)
Modbusslaveinterface    (documentnr.9.17.035)
RS232interfacewithFLOW‐BUSprotocol  (documentnr.9.17.027)
EtherCATinterface    (documentnr.9.17.063)
PROFINETinterface    )documentnr.9.17.095)
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1.2.2 Technicaldrawings
Hook‐updiagramlaboratory‐styleMBCRS232+analog(documentnr.9.16.062)
Hook‐updiagramindustrialstyleMBCRS232+analog(documentnr.9.16.051)
Hook‐updiagramCORI‐FLOWRS232+analog (documentnr.9.16.044)
Hook‐updiagramLIQUI‐FLOWL30digitalRS232+analog(documentnr.9.16.073)
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1.2.3 Softwaretooling
FlowPlot(documentnr.9.17.030)
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Allthesedocumentscanbefoundat:
http://www.bronkhorst.com/en/downloads

BRONKHORST®
Page5FlowDDE     9.17.067
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1.3 SUPPORTEDINSTRUMENTS
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AllFLOW‐BUSinstrumentsandinstrumentswithRS232communication,withthefollowinglimitations:
RS232/FLOW‐BUSinterface:16‐bitisnotsupportedand32‐bitfirmware>=4.09only
Digitalmassflowmeters/controllerswithoutRS232communication:firmware>=V5.xxonly
Digitalreadoutcontrolmodules(E‐7000):firmware>=V3.xxonly
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1.4 SYSTEMREQUIREMENTS
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Processorx86orx64700MHzorhigher
Memory(RAM)64MB
Harddisk20MBavailablediskspace
Display800x600orhigherresolution,256colorsormore
ConnectionsRS232portwithFIFObuffers
OperatingsystemWindows2000,XP,Vista(x86orx64)or7(x86orx64)
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Thedigitgroupingsymbolofcurrencymustalwaysdifferfromthenumber’sdecimalsymbol.Having
equalsymbolsisnotvalid(notjustinthissituation,butalsoinothersituations)andwillprobablycause
otherproblemsaswell.SeeMicrosoft’sKB198098.
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Toavoidcommunicationerrors,itisadvisedtouseaserial(RS232)portwithhardwarebufferoverrun
detection.FewUSB‐RS232convertershavethisfeature,bute.g.theDigituspartno.DA‐70156has.
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1.5 INSTALLATIONANDSTARTUP
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Followon‐screeninstructionswheninstallingFlowDDE.
FlowDDEwillbeinstalledinC:\ProgramFiles\Bronkhorst\FlowDDE32.
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StartFlowDDEthroughtheStartmenu:Start>>(All)Programs>>Bronkhorst>>FlowDDEV4.67.
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C:\ProgramFilesisasystemfolderandisfollowedby(x86)on64‐bitWindowsversionsandmaydiffer
onnon‐EnglishWindowsversions.
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1.5.1 Startupoptions
Insomesituations,itisconvenientthatFlowDDEbehavesdifferentlyorperformsanactionafterstartup.The
followingstartupoptionsareavailable:
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FlowDDE/o opencommunicationtoFLOW‐BUS
FlowDDE/s startsimulationmode
FlowDDE/d acceptallFLOW‐BUSconfigurationchangesonopencommunication
FlowDDE/q disablepopupmessageboxes
FlowDDEC:\client.exestarttheclientapplicationC:\client.exe(usuallyincombinationwith/o)
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BRONKHORST®
Page6FlowDDE     9.17.067
2INTERFACES
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2.1 RS232/FLOW‐BUSINTERFACE
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TheRS232/FLOW‐BUSinterfaceisaninterfacebetweentheFLOW‐BUSandtheRS232V24serial(computer)port.It
willeitherbesuppliedasaseparateenclosedunitwithaFLOW‐BUSconnectorandaRS232connectororasan
integral14TEmoduleofyourE‐7000orE‐8000readoutandcontrolsystem.Theconverterofferscommunicationwith
abaudrateupto38400baud.Communicationsoftwaresupportisavailable.
Communicationsettingsare:38400,n,8,1.
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2.1.1 D‐connectorforRS232
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ThefemaleRS232(x)(subminiature9‐pin)D‐connectorhasthefollowingpinconfiguration:
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Pinnumber Description
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
notconnected
TXD
RXD
notconnected
0Vd
DTR
CTS
RTS
Shield
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BRONKHORST®
Page7FlowDDE     9.17.067
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2.2 RS232ONMULTIBUSINSTRUMENT
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TheRS232interfaceonamultibusinstrumentcanbeconnectedtoanyRS232V24serial(computer)port.Makesure
torespectthehook‐updiagram.Bronkhorst®offersspecialcablesforcommunication,separatingtheRS232linesfrom
thepowerandanalogin‐andoutput.Onthe9‐pinmaleD‐subconnectoroftheinstrumentRXandTXareavailableon
pin6andpin1.
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SerialRS232communicationonamultibusinstrumentwithRS232canbetreatedasaFLOW‐BUSsystemwithone
instrumentandaFLOW‐BUS/RS232interface.IncaseaFLOW‐BUSfieldbusconnectionispresent,otherinstruments
connectedtotheFLOW‐BUScanbecommunicatedwithaswell.
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RS232communicationispossibleby:
9‐pinSubD‐connector (non‐IP65instruments,e.g.EL‐FLOW)
8‐pinDINconnector(IP65instruments,e.g.CORI‐FLOW)
Fortheexactconnectionspleaseadviseyourhook‐updiagram.
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2.2.1 Applications,e.g.EL‐FLOW
FLOW
mass flow meter/controller
Power
Supply
InstrumentsuppliedthroughtheD‐subDB‐9connector
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FLOW
massflow meter/controller
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Forpropercableinstallationpleaseconsulttheapplicablehook‐updiagrammentionedinparagraph
1.2.2
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Bydefault,theinterfaceofferscommunicationatabaudrateof38400baud.Oninstrumentsthatoffer
thepossibilitytochangetheRS232baudrate,thebaudratemaybeconfigureddifferently.Seethe
technicaldocumentationofyourinstrumentwhichbaudratesaresupported.

BRONKHORST®
Page8FlowDDE     9.17.067
3PARAMETERINFORMATION
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FLOW‐BUSisusedforparametervalueexchangebetweeninstrumentsandoperationmodules(keyboardorPC‐
interface).ParameterinformationconsistsofseveralpropertiesforbehaviourwithintheFLOW‐BUSsystem.Inthe
‘parameterproperties’tableyouwillfindalistofparametersandtheirproperties.Inthe‘parametervalues’table,the
valuesaredescribedmoredetailed.Thislistconsistsmostlyofparametersformodesettings.

Propertydescriptioninparameterpropertiestable
ItemDescription
Parameter(DDE)Uniqueparameternumber(alsousedforDDE‐communication:P(x)).
NameNameoftheparameter,usedforparameteridentification.
ProcessProcesswhereparameterisusedonFLOW‐BUSmodule, usedforcommunicationdirectlythrough
RS232.Whenemptyinthetable,theprocesshastobedeterminedfromtheFLOW‐BUSsystem
information(forparameterslocatedinmorethanoneprocess,e.g.setpoint,measure).
FBnr(parameter)ParameternumberinprocessonFLOW‐BUSmodule, usedforcommunicationdirectlythrough
RS232.
TypeVariabletypeoftheparameter
c(unsigned)char1bytevalue0..255whenStrLenis0
cstringMultiplebyteswhenStrLenisotherthan0
i(unsigned)integer2bytesvalue0..65535
ffloat4bytesvalue+‐1.18E‐38..+‐3.39E+38(IEEE‐floatingpointnotation)
l(unsigned)long4bytesvalue0..4294967295
datatypes>1byteareMSBfirst.
StrLenLengthofstringinbytes(characters)usedincombinationwithTypecforstrings
‐2indicatesthatastringiszero‐terminated,notdefinedinlength,butuntilthefirst0‐char.
XindicatesastringwithalengthofXbytes
0meansnoinforequired(notastringtypeparameter)
MinMinimumvalueofparameterallowedwhenparameterisread/written.Thevaluewillbechecked
onthislimit(errorwhenoutoflimit).
MaxMaximumvalueofparameterallowedwhenparameterisread/written.Thevaluewillbechecked
onthislimit(errorwhenoutoflimit).
ReadIndicationifparameterisallowedtobereadviaFLOW‐BUS.
WriteIndicationifparameterisallowedtobewrittenviaFLOW‐BUS.
PollIndicationifparametershouldbepolledcontinuouslybyFlowDDE inordertokeepthe(changing)
parametervalueuptodate.
AdvancedIndicationifparameterisforadvancedusersonly.Thesearemainlyparametersfor
maintenance/service.
SecuredIndicationifparameterissecuredforusethroughFLOW‐BUS.Readingthisparameterispossible,
butchangingitneedsspecialhandling.
HighsecurityIndicationifparameterishighlysecured(onlyfewparameters).Readingthisparameterispossible,
butchangingitneedsspecialhandling.
DescriptionShortdescriptionaboutthe meaningofparameterorwhere itisusedfor.
DDEstrParameterDDEstring(max.10characters).Thisbecomesthe DDEvaluewhenparameterisnot
availableoninstrument.Also:untilFlowDDEV4.58usedforparameteridentification.


Changingparametervaluesispossiblewhenaparameterisnotread‐onlyandnotsecured.Therange
andtypeofparametersaredescribedinthetables.Whenparametervaluesareoutofrangetheywill
beeither'clipped'onthenearestvalueallowedoryouwillgetanerrormessage:'parametervalue
error'.

(FlowDDE)Parameternumbers:
Allparameterinformationisreferencedtotheparameternumber.Thisisauniquenumberforaparametertoavoid
redundancy.ThesenumbersareneededforDDEcommunicationonly.


BRONKHORST®
Page9FlowDDE     9.17.067
ForcommunicationwithFLOW‐BUSthroughotherwaysthanDDE,directlyviaRS232ASCII‐stringsorviaC‐libraries,
usetheparameternumbersfortheFLOW‐BUSmodules(incolumnFBnrofParameterpropertiestable).Alsoyouwill
needtoknowthenodeaddressoftheinstrumentontheFLOW‐BUS,theprocessnumberandtheparameternumber
ontheinstrument.

ThenodeaddressisthenodeaddressoftheinstrumentontheFLOW‐BUS.RS232interfacesacceptnodeaddress128.
Whensendingmessagestonodeaddress128,themessagewillalwaysbeaccepted,regardlessthetruenodeaddress
oftheinstrumentonthebus.
Theprocesscanbefoundintheparametertableorhastobedeterminedwhennothingisfilledin.Inthatcase,the
processnumbermostoftenis1,butondeviceswithe.g.multiplesensorchannels,theprocesswillbe1forthefirst
channel,2forthesecond,andsoonupto32.Onthesemodulesalsoprocess33,65and65aremultipliedinthisway.


Itisimportanttoknowthatnotallparametersareavailableonall(FLOW‐BUS)instruments.
Formoredetailsaboutparametersandtheiruseseealsothetechnicaldocumentationofyour
instrument.TheBronkhorst®softwareapplicationFlowDDEalsogivesanoverviewofwhichparameters
areavailableonwhichdevices.


BRONKHORST®
Page10FlowDDE     9.17.067
4OPERATION
4.1 BASIC:COMMUNICATIONTOINSTRUMENTSANDSERVINGCLIENTAPPLICATIONS

OnceFlowDDEhasbeenstarted,themainwindowwillappear.Itconsistsofamenubar,aninformationlineanda
messagessection.



InthemessagessectionthegeneralproceduretostartservingclientapplicationswiththeFlowDDEserverisdescribed
infoursteps:
1. ConnectaninstrumenttoaCOMportofthePC
2. Setthecommunicationsettings
3. Startthecommunication
4. WaituntilFlowDDEisready

Usingtheinformationofchapter2and/orthehook‐updiagram,physicallyconnecttheinstrumenttotheCOMportof
thePC.

4.1.1 Communicationsettings
Beforecommunicationtotheinstrument(s)canbemade,the
communicationsettingshavetobecorrectlyconfigured.
OpenthecommunicationsettingsfromthemenuCommunication>>
Communicationsettings…orbypressingF2.Thewindowshownat
therighthandsidepopsup.

AtInterface,theCOMportandthebaudratecanbeselected.For
mostinterfaces,thedefaultbaudrateis38400.

AtFLOW‐BUSsomesettingsfortheFLOW‐BUSinterfacecanbeset.
Thedefaultvalues(Autobusmaster+optimizeandbothprocessand
parameterchainingenabled)shouldonlybechangedincasethese
optionsarenotsupported,i.e.onlyforlegacyinterfaces.

OnOKthesettingsareaccepted,whereasonCancelFlowDDEretains
itssettings.

Inthemainwindow,theactualcommunicationsettingsareshown
belowthemenubar,nexttotheinterfacestatus.


BRONKHORST®
Page11FlowDDE     9.17.067
4.1.2 Opencommunication
Oncethecommunicationsettingsarecorrectlyconfigured,thecommunicationtotheinstrumentscanbestartedand
instrumentvaluescanbeusedbyclientapplications.

Fromthemenu,clickCommunication>>OpencommunicationorpressF3.NowFlowDDEwilltrytomakea
connectiontotheFLOW‐BUSinterface.Onceaconnectionisestablished,FlowDDEwillinitializetheinterfacewhen
neededandscantheconnectedFLOW‐BUSwhenpresent.WhentheFLOW‐BUSconfigurationisdifferentthanthe
previousconfiguration,FlowDDEshowsawarning.Toallconnectedinstrumentsachannelnumberisassignedandfor
eachchanneltheapplicableparameterDDEitemsarecreated.TheseparameterDDEitemsaretobeusedbyclient
applications.
AfterallDDEitemsarecreated,FlowDDEstartspollingseveralparametersfromallinstrumentsperiodically.TheDDE
valuesoftheseparametersareupdatedaftereachpoll,soclientsdon’tneedtoactivelyrefreshthesebeforeusing.

Fromnowon,FlowDDEisreadyforanyclient.FlowDDEcanbeminimizedandactsassilentlyasaserveruntilthe
communicationisclosed.
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4.1.3 Closecommunication
Communicationtotheinstrumentcanbestoppedby,fromthemenu,Communication>>ClosecommunicationorF4.
Pollingisstopped,allDDEitemsareterminatedandclientscannolongersetorgetparametervalues.
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4.2 CONFIGURATION
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WhencommunicationisopenedandFlowDDEhasscannedtheFLOW‐BUSsystem,theFLOW‐BUSconfigurationcan
beviewed:FLOW‐BUS>>ConfigurationorF5.

Thefollowingwindowisshown.



Onthelefthandside,allinstrumentsconnectedtotheFLOW‐BUSareshown,orderedbytheirassignedchannel.In
thisexample,twodigitalcontrollers(channel1and2)andoneRS232/FLOW‐BUSinterfacewith4real‐timechannels
(channel3to6)areconnected.

Ontherighthandside,thetopframeismeanttoaddlegacymodulestotheFLOW‐BUS.Toaddsuchamodule,
connectthemoduletotheFLOW‐BUS,pressSearchandfollowon‐screeninstructions.
CommunicationclosesautomaticallywhenFlowDDEisclosed.

BRONKHORST®
Page12FlowDDE     9.17.067

AtDeviceinformationinformationabouttheselectedchannelinthelistonthelefthandsideisshown.Nodeshows
thecurrentnodeaddressoftheinstrument.ThenodeaddressofaninstrumentcanbechangedbypressingChange
andenteringthenewnodeaddress.Formulti‐channeldevices,e.g.anRS232/FLOW‐BUSinterface,theprocessofthe
channelisshownatProcess.
ThecheckboxPollindicatesthatselectedparameters–thosemarkedPollintheparameterlist–fromthischannelare
polledbyFlowDDEwhenthecommunicationisopen.
AnycommentsabouttheinstrumentcanbeenteredintheInfofield.ThesecommentsarestoredbetweenFlowDDE
sessionsaslongastheFLOW‐BUSconfigurationisnotchanged.

Theconfigurationwindowallowsbasictestingofaselectedinstrument.TheMeasureispolledandaSetpointcanbe
writtenatOperationtest.
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
4.3 SETTINGS

TooptimizeFlowDDEforyourapplicationortocontrolresources,thebehaviourofFlowDDEcanbeconfigured.The
settingsaredividedintotwocategories:polltimeandsystemsettings.

4.3.1 Polltime
ParametersofwhichthevaluemaychangefrequentlyarereadbyFlowDDEperiodically.
ThoseparametersaremarkedPollintheparameterlist.Howoftentheseparameters
arepolled,isdeterminedbythepolltime.Thelowerthepolltime,themoreoftenthe
parametersareread,butthehighertheCPUloadbecomes.

ThepolltimecanbechangedatServer>>Polltime.Thewindowattherighthandside
popsup.Itcontainsthreesettings:
Polltime:thetimebetweentwopollrequests.
Batchofchannels:thenumberofchannelsthatarepolledatonce.Thenextpolltimethenextbatchis
polled.ThispreventshighCPUloadsduetomanychannelsbeingpolled,butreducestheactualpolltimeper
channelasthetotalnumberofchannelsisdividedbythebatchofchannels.
Real‐timepolltime:thepolltimefortherealtimechannelsincaseanRS232/FLOW‐BUSinterfaceboxis
usedwithreal‐timepollingenabled.Thisrequiresspecialconfiguration,usedbye.g.FlowPlot.

4.3.2 Systemsettings
OthersettingsthanrelatedtothepolltimeareavailablebyServer>>Settings.

Thebasicsettingsare:
Retrynetworkaccess:numberoftimesareadorwrite
requestisretriedafterafailure.
Pollparametersoninitialization:afteropening
communicationallparametersofalldevicesareread,
sotheinitialDDEvalueisfilled.
Suppresscompatibilityerrors:olderinstrumentdon’t
havethelatestparameters.Readerrorsrelatedtonon‐
existingparametersaresuppressed.
Hideadvancedparameters:hideadvancedparameters
inparameterslistsandFlowDDEwindows.Fornormal
instrumentoperations,thehiddenparametersarenot
needed.Formaintenanceorservice,theseparameters
maybeneededvisibleandthisoptioncanbedisabled.
Althoughtheseparametersarehidden,theycanstillbe
reachedviaDDE.
TrimCRLFfromreceivedDDEvalue:someWindows
applicationssendacarriagereturnandlinefeedwith
eachDDEcommand.FlowDDEcanremovethem.For
binaryparameters,thiswillnothappen.

BRONKHORST®
Page13FlowDDE     9.17.067
Showdate,time,msec.inmainwindowofFlowDDEforeachline.

Severaladvancedsettingsareavailablefortroubleshootingpurposes.Someapplicationsdonotsupportenabling
thesesettings.Ifyouexperienceproblems,disabletheseoptions:
Enableindirectpolling:eachFLOW‐BUSinstrumentkeepstrackofwhichparametersarechangedbyitselfor
anyotherinstrument.Parameter81showstheprocessinwhichaparameterischanged.Whenthisoptionis
enabled,FlowDDEreadsparameter81andpollstheprocessesthatarechanged,soapplicationsdon’tneed
topolltheparametersthemselves.Note:thisoptionslowsdowncommunication,asmuchmoredataisread
fromtheFLOW‐BUS.
Enablecommunicationtounavailableparameters:DDEitemsarecreatedforparametersabovenumber237
whentheinstrumentdoesnotcontaintheparameter.Closeandopenthecommunicationafterchangingthis
setting.
Ignoredatabaserestrictions:FlowDDEdoesn’tgenerateerrorsbasedontheparameterinformationinits
database(seechapter3and6),butreadsandwritesallcommandtotheinstrument.Whentheinstrument
returnsanerror,thaterrorisshown.

4.3.3 Simulationmode

InsimulationmodeonlyDDE‐communicationwithavirtualsystemstoredinthedatabaseispossible.Thiscanbeused
whenyoudon’thaveaFLOW‐BUSsystemavailable.ParametervaluescanbereadandwritethroughDDEbyyour
client.Onlycontrollersaresimulatedinthismode.Sendingasetpointwillresultinthesamevalueformeasureaftera
fewseconds.
Simulationstart‐up:
- Start‐upFLOWDDE.EXE,byclickingtheicon
- Select[Server][Simulate]
- Waituntilmessage"Simulation=ON"
‐Start‐upyourclientapplication

4.4 VIEWANDEDITPARAMETERS

AllparametersanyBronkhorst®instrumentcanhavearestoredinthedatabaseofFlowDDE,whichisusedforcorrect
communicationtotheinstruments.Thecontentsofthisdatabasecanbeviewedandedited.

4.4.1 Viewparametersandvalues
Thelistofparametersanditspropertiesasdescribedinchapter3canbeviewedbyInfo>>Parameterlist.The
meaningofthevaluesofseveralparameters,canbeviewedbyInfo>>Parametervaluelist.
Toviewtheparametersthatamodule(instrument)canhave,opentheViewmodules/parameterswindowfromthe
FLOW‐BUSmenu.SelectthecorrectmoduleandclicktheViewparametersbutton.

















BRONKHORST®
Page14FlowDDE     9.17.067
4.4.2 Editparameters
AttheParameterssection,allpropertiesofparametercanbeviewedandchanged.Itisnotadvisedtochange
anything,butforperformanceimprovementitcanbeusefultoremoveaparameterfromthepolllistorfromDDEat
all.Thesetwooptionsaredescribedhere.

Tochangeapropertyofacertainparameter,
findthecorrectparameternumber,eitherby
theSelectbuttonsorbyenteringitsnumberin
thefieldbelowitandpressingSearch.The
propertiesareshownnow.

TostopFlowDDEpollingtheparameterinits
pollsequence,uncheckthePollcheckbox.(To
startpollingaparameter,checkit.)Tostore
thenewvalue,changetheparameternumber
orclosethewindowandanswerthequestion
byYes.

RemovingaparameterfromDDEmeansthat
clientapplicationscannotreachitandFlowDDE
doesnotreadtheparametervaluefromthe
instrument.ToremoveaparameterfromDDE,
unchecktheAvailableatDDEcheckbox.By
defaultallparametersareavailable(checked).


ChangingparameterinformationcannotbeundoneotherthanbyreinstallingFlowDDE!
Unlessyouarefullyawareoftheeffect,pleasedoNOTmakeanychanges!

4.5 TESTCOMMUNICATION

Formaintenanceandserviceoperations,itisoftenrequiredtoreadfromorwritetoacertainparameter.FlowDDE
containstwotestfacilities:onetotestFLOW‐BUSandDDEcommunicationandonetotestlowerlevelProPar
communication.

4.5.1 TestFLOW‐BUSandDDE
OpentheFlowDDEtestformfromthemenuFLOW‐BUS>>TestFLOW‐BUSandDDEorF6.Thefollowingwindow
appears.




BRONKHORST®
Page15FlowDDE     9.17.067
Thewindowconsistsoftwosections.AttheTestFLOW‐BUSsectionparameterscanbereadandwrittendirectlyto
theinstrument,regardlessoftheDDEbehaviourthataseparatepollcommandisrequiredtoreadaparametervalue
andonlychangesarewrittentotheinstrument.TheDDEvalueisupdatedonread,butnotonwrite.
Onthecontrary,attheTestDDEsectionparameterscanbereadandwrittenlikeanyDDEclientwoulddo.Pressing
ReadshowsthecurrentvalueattheDDElevel,buttheactualinstrumentvalueisnotreadandmaybedifferent.At
WritethevalueiswrittentotheDDEleveland,becauseofthenatureofDDE,onlyifitisdifferentthantheprevious
value,thevalueiswrittentotheinstrument.

AttheTestDDEsectionlinks
toclientapplications,e.g.
MicrosoftExcel,canbeeasily
made.Selectthechannel
andparametertowhicha
linkistobemade.

PressCopylinktocopythe
linktotheclipboard.Inthe
clientapplication,usethe
PasteSpecialoptionand
selectPastelinktopastethe
link(e.g.PasteSpecialin
MicrosoftExcel,seeimage).
Anyparametervaluechange
willbesenttotheclient
application.
Theotherwayaroundis
possibleaswell.Copyalink
fromanyapplication(e.g.
copyacellfromExcel).Inthetestform,pressPaste.Anychangeintheapplication’sfieldresultintheparameter
valueinFlowDDEtobeupdated.Notethatwhenthecommunicationisclosed,alllinkswillbeterminatedandwillnot
berestoredwhenthecommunicationisopenedagain.

DisablestandardpollingtemporarilystopsFlowDDEfrompollingtheselectedparametersandonlythereadactionsin
thistestform(oranyclient)areperformedontheinstrument.

4.5.2 TestProPar
Forlowleveltestingpurposes,FlowDDEcontainstheTestProparform,in
whichindividualFLOW‐BUSmessagesmaybereadandwrittentoan
instrument.ThisformreplacestheformerDLLtestapplication.

Thisformcanonlybeopenedwhenthecommunicationisclosedby
Communication>>TestPropParorShift+F6.Usingthisform,messagescan
besentatthenode/process/parameterlevel,soevenparametersthatare
notintheFlowDDEdatabasecanbereadand/orwritten.
AssoonastheReadorWritebuttonispressedforthefirsttime,the
communicationisopened.Whenthewindowisclosed,thecommunication
isclosedaswell.


4.6 SERVICELOG

Incaseofproblemswithyourinstrument(s)andyouneedtocontactanexpert(e.g.Bronkhorst®Support),all
parametervaluesofyourinstrumentcanbeloggedtoafile.Tocreatesuchaservicelog,clickFile>>Servicelogor
Ctrl+Landenterthefilename.


BRONKHORST®
Page16FlowDDE     9.17.067
5DDECOMMUNICATIONBYCLIENTS

5.1 BASICPARAMETERCOMMUNICATION

ClientapplicationscommunicatetotheFlowDDEserverbyusingDDEmessages.Beforemessagescanbeexchanged,a
DDElinkhadtobemade.ADDElinkconsistsofthreeparts:theserver,thetopicandanitem.Forseparationthe
characters'|'and'!'maybeused,soaDDElinkine.g.MicrosoftExcelbecomesServer|Topic!Item.

ForstandardinstrumentparametersandtheFlowDDEserver,theseare:
Server:FlowDDEorFlowDDE2
Topic:C(X) forchannelX
Item:P(Y) forparameterY

AnexampleofaDDElinkinaMicrosoftExcelcellis=FlowDDE|’C(1)’!’P(8)’toreadparameter8ofchannel1.


5.2 SPECIALOPTIONS
5.2.1 Channel0
SpecialcommandscanbesenttoFlowDDEbymeansofthecommandchannel0,C(0).Thischannelisnotrelatedto
anyFLOW‐BUSinstrument,butisforFlowDDEcontrolonly.Channel0containsP(0),P(1)andP(2)itemsonly.

P(0)isthecommandparameter.WriteanumbertoP(0)willtriggerFlowDDEtoreadallparametervaluesfromoneor
morechannelsandupdatetheparametervaluesattheDDElevel.Toreadasmalleramountofparameters,parameter
groupscanberead.Whichparametersareinwhichgroupcanbefoundintheparameterlist.
C(0)!P(0)=X readvaluesofallparametersofchannelX
C(0)!P(0)=X.Y readvaluesofallparametersingroupYofchannelX
C(0)!P(0)=‐1 readvaluesofallparametersofallchannels

OtherspecialactionscanbetriggeredbyP(0):
C(0)!P(0)=‐2 openalogfile,readallparametervaluesonallchannels,andclosethefile.
C(0)!P(0)=‐3 bringthemainwindowtothefront
C(0)!P(0)=‐4 bringtheFLOW‐BUSconfigurationwindowtothefront
C(0)!P(0)=‐6 bringthePolltimewindowtothefront
C(0)!P(0)=‐7 bringtheSystemsettingswindowtothefront
C(0)!P(0)=‐8 restartthecommunication
C(0)!P(0)=‐9 terminateFlowDDE
C(0)!P(0)=‐10 minimizeFlowDDE 

P(1)isthereadstatusinformationchannel.WhenFlowDDEisreadingdatafromtheFLOW‐BUS,allstatus/error
messageswillbesendtothisparameter.Whenthevalueofthisparameteris0,everythingisOK,otherwisewill
containthestatus/errormessage.

P(2)isthewritestatusinformationchannel.WhenaclientapplicationsendsdatatoFlowDDEandFlowDDEsendsthe
valuestotheFLOW‐BUS,anystatus/errormessageswillbesendtothisparameter.Whenthevalueofthisparameter
is0,everythingisOK,otherwisewillcontainthestatus/errormessage.

5.2.2 Parameter0
Similartothewayparameter0ofchannel0canbeusedtoreadparametersfromanychannel,parameter0ofany
channelcanbeusedtoreadparametersfromthatchannel:
C(X)!P(0)=Y readvalueofparameterYofchannelX
C(X)!P(0)=Y‐Z readvaluesofparametersYtoZofchannelX
C(X)!P(0)=GROUPYreadvaluesofallparametersingroupYofchannelX
C(X)!P(0)=ALL readvaluesofallparametersofchannelX


BRONKHORST®
Page17FlowDDE     9.17.067
Anycombinationoftheaboveisvalidbyseparatingthepartsbyacomma,e.g.C(X)!P(0)=1‐10,20,GROUP3willread
parameters1to10,20andallparametersingroup3ofchannelX.

5.2.3 Servertopic
InformationabouttheFlowDDEserver,severalsettingsandFLOW‐BUSconfigurationinformationcanbeobtainedby
clientsthroughtheservertopic.

Theservertopichasseveralitems:
Server!ProductNameFlowDDEorFlowDDE2
Server!FlowDDEVersionVersionofFlowDDE
Server!DatabaseVersionVersionofFlowDDEdatabase(FlowDDE.mdb)
Server!FLOWBUSDLLVersionVersionofFlowb32.dll
Server!Status StatusofFlowDDE
Server!ComStatusStatusofFlowDDE–Idle,Normalpolling,Simulation,ScanningFLOW‐BUS
Server!OpenCom Communicationstatus/command–0=close,1=open
Server!MaxChan MaximumchannelnumberinFLOW‐BUSconfiguration
Server!MaxNode MaximumnodeaddressinFLOW‐BUSsystem
Server!MaxPar MaximumparameternumberinFlowDDEdatabase
Server!SelChan Selectchannelforchangingpollingmode–0=allchannels
Server!Polling Pollingstatus/commandforchannelsetbySelChan–0=dis‐,‐1=enabled
Server!PollTime Polltimeintervalforpolledparameters(notreal‐time)
Server!PollBatch Numberofchannelstopoll
Server!RTPIntervalPolltimeintervalforreal‐timechannels
Server!InterfaceChanChannelnumberofinstrumentwhichcommunicateswithFlowDDE
Server!Interface Communicationinterface,e.g.COM1
Server!Baudrate RS232communicationbaudrate




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BRONKHORST®
Page18FlowDDE     9.17.067
6FLOWDDETECHNICALDETAILS

Inthefollowingdiagram,thecommunicationfromaDDEclienttotheinstrumentisschematicallydrawn.The
FlowDDEapplicationmakesuseoftheFlowb32.dllandtheparameterdatabase.




ADDEclientcommunicatestoFlowDDEusingDDEmessages.FlowDDEusestheparameterdatabaseforparameter
informationandtheFlowb32.dlltoperformthelowlevelcommunicationtotheFLOW‐BUS.TheFlowb32.dllhas
methodstoeasilysendorrequestaparametervaluetoacertainnode,processandparameterandtogetthe
answers.Fromthecallstothesemethods,itconstructstherequiredFLOW‐BUSmessagesinthebinaryProPar
protocol,sendsthesemessagesandreceivesandinterpretstheanswersfromtheinstruments.
Includedinthe
FlowDDEinstallation
FlowDDEapplication
DDEclient
Flowb32.dll
RS232/FLOW‐BUSinterface
ormultibusinstrument
FlowDDE
parameterdatabase
DDEmessages
ProPar(binary)
callstoDLL

BRONKHORST®
Page19FlowDDE     9.17.067
7SERVICE

ForcurrentinformationonBronkhorst®andserviceaddressespleasevisitourwebsite:
http://www.bronkhorst.com
Doyouhaveanyquestionsaboutourproducts?OurSalesDepartmentwillgladlyassistyouselectingtherightproduct
foryourapplication.Contactsalesbye‐mail:
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Forafter‐salesquestions,ourCustomerServiceDepartmentisavailablewithhelpandguidance.TocontactCSDbye‐
mail:
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Nomatterthetimezone,ourexpertswithintheSupportGroupareavailabletoansweryourrequestimmediatelyor
ensureappropriatefurtheraction.Ourexpertscanbereachedat:
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