Pico Technical Support and Discussion Forum

NeilJordan · User Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 3

I think I must have missed something basic, but I am not sure if I need to try the streaming option or not.

I am using Access with VBA to make samples using the form's timer function. This is set to a delay set by the user, but will most likely be set to 1 minute.

This seems to work ok with the usb_tc08_get_single function being called.

I may want to move on to showing LIVE values as quick as possible, but then simply record one every minute.

Should I be using the streaming mode for this, or can someone please explain, in context, when I should use one and not the other.

Thanks!

Michael · Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:08 am Post subject:

Hello,

The manual states how to use the streaming mode and get single function.

Typically you should use the get_single call to return a value adhoc. For your application, use the streaming mode to reduce processor load. This extract from the manual tells you how:

0Streaming mode is an operational mode in which the USB TC-08 unit samples data and returns it to the computer in an unbroken sequence, using the onboard clock to ensure accurate timing.

The unit can buffer up to two sets of readings at once. To avoid loss of readings, make sure that another application on the PC - including the one you are writing - does not prevent the driver from collecting readings for more than three sampling intervals. To allow the driver to sample continuously, call the Windows Sleep() function in any sampling loops (see example below) to make sure that your application does not use too much processor time.

Hint: Try not to use a Sleep() call for less than 50-100 milliseconds, e.g., Sleep(50) or Sleep(100). If you are programming a Windows GUI application, a good alternative to sampling loops is the WM_TIMER message.

Best regards,
Michael

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