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 WATCONNECT is Watlow's Windows®-based software library for Modbus™ RTU and Modbus™ TCP communications. This software tool kit makes it easy for programmers working in Visual Basic, C, C++ and Visual C++ to develop Windows® applications that communicate with Watlow controllers using the Modbus™ RTU and Modbus™ TCP protocols. The simplicity of the interfaces insure a short learning curve and shortened development times for Human Machine Interfaces or other applications that communicate with controllers.
The main benefit of the tool kit is that the programmer does not need to learn the details of the Modbus™ protocol, Windows® serial port or Ethernet communications to successfully develop programs that read and set parameter values in controllers.
The kit provides:
- A dynamic link library (DLL) for Modbus™ RTU
- An ActiveX control (OCX) for Modbus™ RTU
- An ActiveX control (OCX) for Modbus™ TCP
The Modbus™ RTU DLL provides four, easy-to-use functions: open port, close port, read data and write data. To use these functions, the programmer just needs to know the communications port settings and address of the desired data, found in the controller documentation.
The ActiveX control for Modbus™ RTU provides the same easy to use functions as the DLL with the addition of asynchronous read/write functions with a callback notification (event) issued to the host upon completion of message transactions.
The ActiveX control for Modbus™ TCP provides the analogous functionality for Modbus™ communications over Ethernet. All the programmer supplies is the host server name and the data address.
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