Technical issues can be perplexing! In this section we attempt to explain technical matters that have special interest in the WISL community.

Process Control

In the past several years WISL has developed several process control applications that run on a special purpose computer that is designed to interface directly with the control unit of a manufacturing machine. Some of the machines for which control processes have been developed include a stretch wrapper, a box maker and extruding devices.

The computer utilized for these process control applications is a LANPoint PRO from Intelligent Instruments Inc which runs the DOS operating system and is wired directly into the control unit of the manufacturing machine. The LANPoint is also attached to the corporate network as is a server that runs WISL's Process Management System. Information flows from the server to help control the production process and data flows back from the LANPoint that provides information about actual production activities. The development system that WISL uses to generate the control process that runs on the LANPoint is called DesignPoint. It is a graphical programming system that is also a product of Intelligent Instruments Inc.

In the past few months WISL has been working with a new device from Intelligent Instruments that differs from the LANPoint PRO in one inportant respect. It runs the Microsoft CE operating system which supports multiple contiguous processes and the familiar desktop graphical user interface. The LANPoint CE also offers an optional "touch" screen which can help to minimize the need to utilize the keyboard.  An optional RF interface also  enables the device to function without  a hard wire connection to the network.

WISL has developed applications for the LANPoint CE using the   C++ programming language. Installations that incorporate multiple processes being run from the same device are planned and the LANPoint CE is also being considered to serve as the platform for vehicle based mobile applications. The same development tools being refined in developing process control and mobile applications with this device may also be utilized to develop applications for PDA's that can run MSCE.