Simulating information exchange through COM DLL - dll

I'm working on a program for a user interface for a PLC; however, the PLC automates a huge piece of machinery, and we don't have the room for one at the office for me to test things out on. It's really inconvenient to try and drive out to one of the manufacturing plants that uses these and try to convince them to let me hook up to their PLCs just so I can test the function of a button.
However, I've picked out the COM DLL that the PLC manufacturers used to get their proprietary interface language (essentially JavaScript, they're not fooling anyone) to communicate with a PLC, and I'm wondering if there's any way to simulate a PLC by figuring out where that DLL tries to get its information from, and feed information into it. It normally communicates via an ethernet interface, but as for how it accesses the PLC registers, I have absolutely no idea.
Without disassembling the DLL, is anyone aware of a way to accomplish what I want to do? I've heard of guys rebuilding 3D models from computer games by monitoring DirectX DLLs; is something like that an option here?

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What syntax does labview use when communicating

I'm using the same code that is still working for a new version of equipment the company the bought.
I can't communicate with the equipment in vb in visual studio (the language of the last code I wrote). But I can make a simple code in LabVIEW to see if the equipment is communicating and it is.
So, my question is what code is labview sending to the equipment?
The only thing I see from the LabVIEW GUI is *IDN?\n
Is that the same as what I writing?
mySerialport.WriteLine("*idn?" + Chr(10))
*IDN?\n
is not the same as :
mySerialport.WriteLine("*idn?" + Chr(10))
The former is capitalized while the later is not and it may cause an issue depending on the instrument.
You are using the serial port, so the most important thing to consider is the baud rate. It is possible that the later model equipment your company purchased has a different baud rate to the one that was used previously.
If you want to see exactly the data that LabVIEW is sending, you can use NI IO Trace or a non NI serial port monitor such as listed here
The question isn’t what language LabVIEW uses. LabVIEW is a programming environment with library APIs to speak to lots of hardware and the ability for anyone to write code to speak to even more hardware. The question is “what language does the HARDWARE speak?” To answer that, you’d post what kind of hardware it is and probably go to the manufacturer’s website for a spec sheet.
“*IDN?/n” looks like a GPIB command, which is just a framework serial protocol. You’d need the spec sheet of the hardware to know the particular commands that your hardware understands.
PS: LabVIEW doesn’t have a GUI showing anything about hardware communication. You have an application written in LabVIEW that has a GUI that is displaying information. You can edit the program to print out more info if you want, just like you could in VB. Complaining about the “LabVIEW GUI” in this case is equivalent to complaining about the Visual Studio GUI when the problem is with the program you’ve written in VS!
"The only thing I see from the labview GUI is *IDN?/n"
That sounds more like you are using the VISA Test Panel in MAX (Measurement and Automation eXplorer). It is related to LabVIEW in that it is also a tool developed by National Instruments (NI). But it does not sound like you have actually touched LabVIEW itself.
As was already stated, *IDN?\n is a typical command that an instrument that follows the SCPI messaging standard. On a Windows system, that is usually the same as "*idn?" + Chr(13) + Chr(10).
As SeanJ pointed out *IDN?\n is not the same as "idn?". Further, make sure that space character in your calling method is visible. Sometimes machines require you to manually type "\r\n" for complete carriage return.

programming nRF51822 and integrating it on a PCB

I have a basic firmware question. I am looking to program a nRF51822 IC and integrate it on my own PCB. The evaluation kit seems to already have the IC soldered on it. Is it a way I can only program the nRF51822 and getting it ready to use elsewhere?
Get yourself one of these J-LINK LITE CortexM:
and hook up your connection header like this to your microcontroller (SWDIO, SWCLK, VCC and GND are the only ones needed):
.
Then, use Keil or nRFGo Studio to program your device.
You don't need J-Link at all. Any STLinkv2 board will work, like STM32 dev boards. But even nicer are these cheap Chinese programmers: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/FREE-SHIPPING-ST-Link-V2-stlink-mini-STM8STM32-STLINK-simulator-download-programming-With-Cover/32247200104.html
All you need to do is connect the Vcc, Ground, SDIO, and SWDCLK lines from your board/chip to the programmer, so make sure those pins are broken out and easy to get to.
There are some good instructions on how to do that here: https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/wiki/Board:-yunjia-nrf51822
I've built Linux workstations for workers on assembly lines to use with this method, and it just loops over and over for new boards. So they don't even need to touch the PC, they can just place a board on the jig or connect a header and it's all automatic.
You will need a programming device, such as a Segger Jlink. The eval kit has an on-board Segger programmer on it (that big chip with the Segger sticker on it).
I'm working through this process myself at the moment. I read somewhere that some people were successful at 'hacking' the eval kit, to bring the SWDIO and SWCLK over to their custom board but that really isn't the right way to go about it.
Instead, purchase an actual programmer and put a programming header on your custom circuit board.
While I am also still in the research phase here as well, it looks like there are 4-5 pins to connect from the programmer to your custom target board. The nRF documentation seems to be rather lacking in the definition of the programming setup, but look under the debugging category and take a look at Segger documentation as well.
If going into mass production there are ways to pre-program the chip before assembly, but I haven't had a chance to learn about that just yet.

Call Metatrader MQL4/MQL5 function from imported DLL

I would like to call MQL4 or MQL5 function from my own imported DLL in Metatrader.
Is it possible?
Forest,
As far as i have experienced during the past 2 years working with MetaTrader, there is no real way to call MQL functions from an external DLL. But there are some custom built APIs that closely resemble to what you want to achieve:
MT4 API
MetaTrader™ Java / .Net API
These APIs do somewhat allow you to use MQL functionality out-of-the-box
Principle
After several hundred man*years in the FX domain, there is another approach to orchestrate a smooth and elegant MT4 Terminal co-operation with other processes than to try to push water up the hill or than to pay USD500+ for a kit, that will stop working right upon the next shock once Build 524-> Build 562->Build 586->Build 600->Build 609->Build 624->... moves again
A non-existent toy
Yes, MT4 architecture does not expose it's own interface to allow self to be "disturbed" by an undeterministic obligation to handle external low-level calls via DLL et al.
How to fix it
Nevertheless, it is possible to reverse the architecture and make MT4 Terminal act as a lightweight thin-Client, operating a smart messaging library, trough which the MT4 functions are being exposed for a remote call ( RPC ).
Example
This way a Python Node may collect MT4 data for numerical processing,
same way a PHP Node may in parallel handle remote-syslog-s,
same way a C++ Node may integrate another task,
same way another Python Node may act as a CLI terminal interface with a Custom-specific scripting-syntax language to command MetaTrader-side activities via command-line / stdio
simply -- whatever your application infrastructure needs can be done this way
( One may even improve a poor real-time features of the native MT4 threads to gain a much better soft-real-time predictability and a low-latency massively parallel architecture .. and still be on a safer-side, protected from being torpedoed by any next "new"-MQL4 )
nota bene: just to imagine the invisible threat, the headbang collision in "new"-MQL4.56789 is, besides others, that string, while being syntax-proposed as string, is not in fact a string but a struct and all your previous DLL-related work simply has to be re-worked and wrapped-around to emulate a string-as-struct or a new DLL-interface has to be designed for cases, which return a value in a buffered ArrayOfBYTEs, which MQL4.56789 side can receive and process, but which it cannot free on it's own and memory leaks.
If it's acceptable for your DLL to be a .NET DLL, then you could try
this MT4 .NET integration library called NQuotes.
With this library it's possible to access any MQL4 function from your DLL.

How to get feedback from MediaCapture API in Windows 8

I'm trying to do face tracking apps in Windows 8 app. And I aware that in order to access the camera stream, I have to use MediaCapture.AddEffectAsync() which has to be done incorporate with C++ as shown in this sample.
Now I'm able to access the stream and track the face, but I'm not able to pass/return the tracking face coordinate to C# for further processing.
One way I've tried is to invoke C# method in C++ to pass back the tracking coordinate. But no avail, because Visual Studio doesn't allow circular dependencies between projects.
Another way is to constantly pull the data from C++, but this is not what I want.
Maybe there is another more straight forward way to access the camera buffer, I would like to know.
So my question is, how to get back the tracking coordinate? Or What is the right way to do it? Thanks!
To overcome this, we simply setup TCP/IP localhost connection between C++ DLL and C# code. That is, we let C# become server, and C++ DLL become client. Whenever C++ DLL wants to talk with C#, C++ merely pass the data to C# through TCP/IP socket. Currently, Windows 8 doeesn't place restriction on TCP/IP communication within same process.
A good starting reference is StreamSocket sample
This is not a best way, and it is having slightly performance pernalty as the data need to go through TCP/IP layer. But, so far, perhaps this is the best we can have, unless Microsoft breaks the barrier.

Which IDE to use for ATMega32 micro controller coding

I am involved in a project which requires designing a mini rover (mars rover types). I am using ATMega32 micro controller. I have other hardware like DC motors, IR sensors etc. My query is that is there any IDE that I can use to code the micro controller? It must be user friendly since I am new to the concept of micro controller coding, and also it must have simulators. I did look it up on the net, but there are so many terms associated with it, that it confused me in the end. I think a simple IDE where I can write code, test it using simulator would be enough. Any suggestions?
I would try the Arduino's IDE: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
It supports a lot of things such as building and debugging and interfacing with avrdude all from inside the IDE, so definitely a good one for embedded work, though I've never used it myself.
Also, while you are there, you may want to give the Wiring libraries a try. They are really nice for new people and are specifically for the ATMega32(I think).
There's no silver bullet.
Start here http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_v2.asp?family_id=607
Look for some videos on Youtube to learn.
Arduino is also a very good choice like Earlz wrote.
The best IDE to use would be ATMEL STUDIO 6. You can find it here http://www.atmel.com/microsite/atmel_studio6/. Also you would need a ICSP programmer to burn the .hex file into the Atmega32. Note: The ICSP programmer can also be use to program other atmega chips