DAQFactory and WITS

[BeeHay]

Hello, not too sure if this forum is moded by the same fellow that helped me on the phone at Azeotech, but this is great that i have found a daqfactory forum...

We have used DaqFactory for some time now in our mud logging company, but none of us here is a programmer of any sort! the guy who was doing the programming has up and quit on us in the midst of a project!

he made a simple setup to read 3 channels of our Lawson Labs model 302 board (+-200mV, +-5V and +- ~12V) using a custom driver for the hardware and sends the data to a txt file. we then use the data to log into a program called logplot05 and print out our logs...

We would just like to setup a way to send our signals out to a TOTCO pc that is equipped with WITS Level 0 protocol so the "company man" can hang out in his trailer and see gas on his pc in real time....

any help or any advice will help!

[dmnhntr]

Hello BeeHay.

Fellow mudlogger here. Working in the Barnett Shale in TX. I have never used DaqFactory(yet), but I have been working on my own acquisition system in C++. I have wits Level 0 down to an art. My Daq is capable of sending and receiving wits packets, as well as using older analog switching mechanisms for depth, on/off bottom, and pump strokes. Simple toggle switch in the user interface to change between Using the EDR for depth, or an analog switch. I haven't yet begun trying to program a strip chart. Just acquiring raw numerical data for now. My DAQ can't seem to lag gas correctly yet. I will get it eventually. If you still need help with WITS, let me know.

Also, just out of curiosity, what type of gas detector do you use?

[AzeoTech]

I need detail on the specifications for WITS to tell you how to do it. I've seen it before, but don't have the spec handy. I know its actually quite easy to do in DAQFactory, though you'll need a non-Express version for the serial support.

I should also mention that DAQFactory is used by quite a number of mudloggers with Wits and lag depth calculations among other things. Their applications are quite sophisticated.

dmnhntr you should definitely take a look at porting your stuff over to DAQFactory. Yes, of course I'm biased, but DAQFactory script is similar to C, so you should be able to port that Wits code over pretty easy, and DAQFactory will take care of all the serial junk as well. More importantly, you wouldn't have to write any code to graph your data since that is available, as is other advanced display, logging the data, communications with other DAQ devices like the LabJack, easy emailing, FTPing of data, etc, etc. You'd still have to figure out how to do lag depth, but DAQFactory's time tracking and histories (arrays) should make it easier than in C.

[BeeHay]

Thanks dmnhntr! But AzeoTech helped me get it going by helping me set up a serial comm protocol...

After it was all said and done, it looked fairly easy when looking at the script, but getting it there was a different story...

here is the thread AzeoTech helped me get it going with - link

in my first post is the format for WITS...

The tricky thing is not everyone uses the same number format, PASON, TOTCO, and EPOCH all use different decimal formats for the 3rd party gas display. Gotta mess with the decimal format to get it to read properly..

I'm in the process of setting up ROP and a Singles chart, Depth and Lag Time are next on the plate...

The gas detection we use is a Catalytic setup with a Delphian Filament that burns the gas at 2.7v and a Wheatstone Bridge with two 5ohm resistors.

We also have a thermal conductivity setup for high gas shows, and a 1.7v catalytic for PV's when we do oil jobs.

Lag time is calced by pump strokes, and ROP is charted on an old 96min Bristol pressure chart that we wind up with a key!

Check your PM box.

Thanks!

[BeeHay]

oops, PMs don't work here...

dmnhntr, please email me at beehay@comcast.net, I have a few questions for ya!

Thanks!