IOcomp Ultra Pack

IOcomp Ultra Pack

High Speed Plotting, Charting, Oscilloscope and HMI Components

IOcomp Software Incorporated

Computers give us a powerful way to interact with and to control external systems. This sort of interaction is loosely termed Human Machine Interface (HMI). The IOcomp Ultra Pack provides an efficient ActiveX and VCL control toolset to create the software for virtually any such system. Suppose you are charged with designing a data acquisition, laboratory information or management, or manufacturing control system? Early in the process you will have to design and implement the methods that your users will use to control the system and to display and analyze results. Use IOcomp Ultra Pack, for a tremendous head start.

Several years ago I created an ActiveX control using VB6 to interface with a simple data acquisition device. I used only intrinsic Visual Basic controls and code to create a digital oscilloscope display. The design and implementation required many hours. Recently, I created a much more professional looking interface using the IOcomp iScopeX control in just a few minutes (11 lines of code). I used the underlying routines that I previously used to interface with the hardware, but then used iScopeX for the display. The old truism, “Time is money,” continues to apply. If I had used this control originally I could have paid for the entire toolset with the time saved in the design of this single application.

While I found the IOcomp iScopeX control to be of immediate use, there are 62 other controls in the Ultra Pack that may offer real productivity gains in your projects. Ultra Pack components are divided into four important categories. All components include double, triple, or quadruple-buffering to improve display performance with minimized processor usage.

Analog Instrumentation Components are a collection of 12 ActiveX and VCL components intended for the display or input of analog and real-number based data. Each component is designed for high-speed and robustness. Here are some of these components:

	Knob is a 3D knob with both mouse and keyboard control.
	Slider is an Analog (Real Number) output control, with both keyboard and mouse control.
	Angular Gauge is a graphical linear gauge with an angular representation of data.
	Odometer control is a basic Odometer with a rotating tenths digit.
	Linear Gauge is a graphical gauge with a linear representation of data.
	LED Bar is a progress bar with 3 different indicator styles and 4 different segment directions.
	LED Spiral is a progress bar component with up to 3 color sections.
	Thermometer is a linear gauge that looks like a thermometer.
	Analog Display is a display used to display analog (real number) values.
	Analog Output is used to enter analog (real number) values.
	Seven Segment Analog is a seven-segment display for display of analog (real number) values.

Digital Instrumentation Components are a collection of 11 ActiveX and VCL components intended for the display or input of digital-based data.

	LED Round and LED Rectangle controls are LEDs with a None, Raised, or Lowered Bevel Styles.
	To display an integer, binary, and hexadecimal use the Seven Segment Integer, Binary, and Hexadecimal controls, respectively. Display time using the Seven Segment Clock control. Display 0-9, A-F, and other special characters use the Seven Segment Character control.
	LED Switch is a binary switch with a rectangle LED indicator.
	Slider Switch is a sliding switch with user configurable positions and labels.
	Toggle Switch is a binary switch with a horizontal or vertical moving slider.
	Switch Rotary is a rotating switch with up to 8 positions with labels.
	Switch Panel is a 2-3-position panel switch.
	Switch Panel is a combo box similar to the other switch components.
	Switch Rotary is used to enter Integer (32-bit) integer, hexadecimal, binary, or octal numbers.

Plotting, Graphing and Scope Components have Custom Property Editors, unlimited number of data channels, unlimited number of X and Y-Axes unlimited number of cursors and limits, Visual Layout Manager (design and run-Time), X&Y-Axes rotation and stacking, linear and logarithmic scales, channel data-point markers, data interpolation, annotations, candlestick and high-low representations, EMF, BMP, and JPG export, value/exponent/prefix/date-time scale labels, a run-time User Toolbar, scroll/zoom, or cursor while plotting, a scrollable legend, auto-scaling, sliding scales, 2GB data capacity, copy/save and Printing, null data point support, and digital channel display. The three real-time components are Plot, Plot XY, and the iScope (featured previously).

Professional Instrumentation Components are a collection of 23 ActiveX and VCL components.

· Spectrum Display displays spectrum with optional peak and peak decay.

· Sliding Scale is a moving graphical gauge with a linear representation of data.

· Sliding Compass is a moving graphical compass with linear and circular representations of data (360 degree circular scale).

· Compass is used to display a graphical representation of a compass. Dual Compass is used to display a graphical representation of a multi-directional compass.

· LED Matrix is a grid of LED elements.

· Seven Segment SMPTE control supports SMPTE time.

· Pie Chart and Percent Bar are used to display a graphical representation of item percentages.

· Object Canvas is a basic canvas with an interface for adding persistent objects at runtime.

· Rotation Display is used to rotate a bitmap in real-time.

· Log Gauge is a graphical gauge with a logarithmic scale.

· LED Diamond and Arrow controls display diamond or arrow shaped LEDs.

· Angular Log Gauge displays an angular representation of data using a logarithmic scale.

· Switch Rocker is a binary switch; Switch Rocker 3-way is a momentary up/down switch.

· Switch Lever is a binary switch while Switch Quad is used for any type of 2-axis control.

· Two timer control types are provided, standard and threaded (with thread priority).

· Phone Pad and fully programmable on-screen keyboard controls are provided for Touch Screen and keyboard-less applications.

· The Panel is used to display characters using a dot-matrix character set.

· The iPipe displays a representation of a pipe. The iMotor displays a representation of a stationary or moving motor or pump. The iTank is a tank that supports a double-value indicator. The iValve is a valve component that supports an opened or closed position.

· The iImageDisplay is used to display a list of images as an animation.

Send mail to dick_grier@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 11/25/09

Send mail to dick_grier@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11/25/09