Automate your next science experiment for under $20 with a datalogger and free up time for more important things like this French Kissing Instructable http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-French-Kiss/
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Signing UpStep 1: Datalogging for dummies
Your teacher has asked you to measure the temperature of a cup of hot water as it cools down. You need to measure the temperature every minute, record the data and make some conclusions. Boring! Why not measure everything automatically with a datalogger and export the data directly into an Excel spreadsheet? Now your graphs will look professional, no one can say you didn't do the measurements properly and, most importantly, you will have freed up some precious time!
This example measures temperature, but can easily be changed to measure things like light, volts, current, speed, rotation, acceleration, soil moisture or any number of other variables. We are using the picaxe as a cheap way of interfacing multiple analog and digital inputs to an RS232 port, though these chips can do a lot more than that - see http://www.instructables.com/id/Control-real-world-devices-with-your-PC/
Parts list
You will need:
1 computer
1 picaxe chip 08M ($3)
Breadboard
Components - resistors, capacitors, temperature sensors, regulator, wires.
Free copies of the picaxe programming software and VB.Net
The picaxe 08M chip available from many sources including Rev Ed http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/ (UK), PH Anderson http://www.phanderson.com/ (USA) and Microzed http://www.microzed.com.au/ (Australia)
The RS232 plug is a D9 female plug. If you are doing a lot of experiments and don't want to keep reaching behind the computer, you can make an "extension lead" using male and female IDC 9 pin plugs and a metre or so of ribbon cable.
The picaxe has been configured in a slightly unusual download circuit which doubles as both a programming circuit and a communications circuit. Flick the switch to go between programming and communications (or just short leg 2 to ground on a protoboard to run in communication mode).
The LM35 devices output millivolts equal to degrees in centigrade. Looking at the writing on the case, the pins are numbered 1,2,3.
This example measures temperature, but can easily be changed to measure things like light, volts, current, speed, rotation, acceleration, soil moisture or any number of other variables. We are using the picaxe as a cheap way of interfacing multiple analog and digital inputs to an RS232 port, though these chips can do a lot more than that - see http://www.instructables.com/id/Control-real-world-devices-with-your-PC/
Parts list
You will need:
1 computer
1 picaxe chip 08M ($3)
Breadboard
Components - resistors, capacitors, temperature sensors, regulator, wires.
Free copies of the picaxe programming software and VB.Net
The picaxe 08M chip available from many sources including Rev Ed http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/ (UK), PH Anderson http://www.phanderson.com/ (USA) and Microzed http://www.microzed.com.au/ (Australia)
The RS232 plug is a D9 female plug. If you are doing a lot of experiments and don't want to keep reaching behind the computer, you can make an "extension lead" using male and female IDC 9 pin plugs and a metre or so of ribbon cable.
The picaxe has been configured in a slightly unusual download circuit which doubles as both a programming circuit and a communications circuit. Flick the switch to go between programming and communications (or just short leg 2 to ground on a protoboard to run in communication mode).
The LM35 devices output millivolts equal to degrees in centigrade. Looking at the writing on the case, the pins are numbered 1,2,3.
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If I create a button that launches the "Form1_Load" module, this program works just fine. I am guessing that something has changed with the nomenclature of events that are supposed to happen on load? I do not have very much experience with VB so maybe I am missing something very silly.
I wonder if you could start with a brand new project in 2010, create a form, compile that and see if it at least loads the form automatically. If that works, then copy things one bit at a time into the new program. Maybe create the buttons from within the new program and then copy the code for that button. So you are creating all the objects like buttons, text boxes in vb2010 and hopefully they will all tie together.
When I gave Form_Load a button-click trigger, everything ran perfectly. I cranked up the refresh rate a little bit (although I noticed my setup did not like anything much faster than 2 seconds) and now everything is working perfectly. Thank you!
Personally I think it is easier to copy it from the schematic than from the photo of the breadboard. Let me know if this helps, cheers, James Moxham
The first picture = hilarious. ;-)