PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS APPLICATION will run IN A DEMO
MODE, for **FREE**, and that if you decide to upgrade
to the multi-sensor use, you don't have to re-install it,
just add something to your ini file.

========
Visit....

http://sheepdogsoftware.co.uk/ssds025.htm

... for the latest information on this application.

========

This help file, edited 8 May 12, is the most up to date file in the zip archive it lives in. The basic .exe file, DS025.exe (the only .exe file) is probably the next freshest file. Other things... help file, manual, etc, may be dated in some respects. But the program should work at least as well as claimed in supporting documents!

========

If you get the "The application has failed... IBFS32.dll not found..." message, it is only because you haven't yet set up the basic 1-Wire support yet.

========
The application WILL NOT find devices "beyond" a hub on a Microlan. There are no near-term plans to do anything about that. Sorry! You can use the OneWireViewer to switch specific branches on before starting DS025, but that, frankly, is not a very good option.

It will not, at present, report wind direction. It will probably be a while before I address this issue. Try the software, see if you like it apart from the lack of wind direction sensing. Then write if you do. (Sheepdogsoftware.co.uk, or see program's "How to contact author")

It doesn't let you choose where to put its two data files. They will go in the root of C. DS025DtLg.txt is a file with all of your logged data. DS025ErLg.txt holds the error messages that the program has generated.

The file DS025ini.txt must be in the same folder as DS025.exe

===
That's all you really need to read. The other things here are either not terribly important, or covered in the program's help file, or internal messages.
===

Don't look for data in the data log too quickly! If your text editor can open a file already open by another application (see www.textpad.com for one that will), you can look at the data file once the program is running. You should see a '- - System started' line. The 8 characters after the ss (SystemStarted) give the date and time. '04c28p07' decodes as follows: 2004, 'c'th month.(January is 'a', so 'c' is March), 28th day, 'm'th hour (1am is 'b', so 'p' is 3pm), 07th minute.... so, more concisely: '04c28p07' represents 28 March 2004, 15:07.

N.B.>>>> When the program starts, you should get an 'ss' entry in the log file. If you are running the demo version, your first logged temperature may not show in the data log before 30 minutes or more have passed. (The program tries.... code isn't perfect yet... not to report temperatures too often, especially if they are not changing.) There also some issues I don't quite understand which mean that sometimes data which WILL be written to disc are held in a buffer beyond my reach, so even if you use the "Make comment in data-log-file" feature of the program, that comment will not immediately appear in your log file. Isn't Windows fun? Not.


======================
Setting Up The Program---

THIS IS AN OLD DESCRIPTION... probably mostly right... but look in the help file (DS025.hlp) for the definitive guide.

First: Get your PC working with the Dallas iButton Viewer.
This is a little application provided (free) by Dallas with the 1-Wire drivers. It is enormously useful in all sorts of debugging work, and costs very little in terms of hassle.

You'll need an adapter and a temperature sensor. These have to be purchased. See...

www.arunet.co.uk/tkboyd/e1dhw.htm

... for sources.

You'll need the Dallas drivers. They are well behaved, do not "upset" other things when installed on your machine. Get them from Dallas...

www.ibutton.com

Attach at least one temperature sensor to your 1-Wire. It can be a DS1820, or any similar chip with an ID ending $10 or $28 or a DS2438 (ID ends $26) The 2438s are used in various weather sensing modules, e.g. the Atkins/Bray barometer. Determine the chip's ID with the iButton viewer. Note that there are some faulty DS18x20s in circulation. Be sure your sensor works with the iButton Viewer before trying to run DS025. See www.1wire.org and look for the discussion thread "DS1820 B7 Die Corruption Problems" for details of the problem. Note that a chip that was okay the last time you booted the system may not be okay now. Sounds pretty dire? Well, tedious. Don't use DS025 to control the safety mechanisms of a nuclear power plant. But don't let the problem which doesn't often arise stop you having the fun that you will have most of the time.

Edit the file called DS025ini.txt which came with my program. You may need to change what is on lines h and i, which specify the com port and type of adapter you are using. Note that every line in the ini file should start with a letter and that should be followed by a space.

Edit line l (that's "ell", as in line after line k). Between the "e" and the "zzz" put the id of your temperature sensing chip.

Good luck! If you have trouble and sort it out, please let me know what parts gave you grief... maybe I can improve program or instructions for the next person? If you have grief and can't get DS025 to work AS LONG AS THE OneWireViewer (or iButtonViewer) IS SHOWING YOUR TEMPERATURE SENSOR WORKING, please get in touch and I'll try to help.

Once you have the program running in demo mode, if you want to send me the id of your temperature sensor, I will send you a key to unlock the program for more extensive use... more sensors, and more types of sensors. You will only have to edit two lines of the ini file, not reinstall or download anything. Visit sheepdogsoftware.co.uk or see the program for how to reach me.

Enjoy!  Tom Boyd

Don't hesitate to get in touch....

ng10066504jan@yahoo.co.uk

... if you are NOT "enjoying" my weather monitoring application. (Get your 1-Wire system working... at least returning a value from a DS1820 or DS18B20 temperature sensor first. Use the Dallas-supplied "OneWireViewer" to debug that part of the weather station set-up process. There are good forums discussing general 1-Wire setup issues.)