Although using the serial port from within Excel would also be my preferrred suggestion (since it is detailed in my book "Excel by Example") there are several alternative ways in which to achieve this.

a. You could use the Microsoft COM/"automation" interface (nothing to do with the serial port) to allow VB or VC or any other Microsoft language to open Excel and access it via its objects and methods. I actually have covered this approach in an article on creating a Modbus Simulator in the March/April 2007 editions of Circuit Cellar.

b. Most Microsoft langauages have an implementation of "Sendkeys" which will allow you to send data across different applications running under windows as if the keys had been pressed in the destination application.

There are many other ways depending on what your hardware and software that you want to use. Keep in mind that Windows (especially in later iterations) is very non-determinisitic in its serial port accesses so you may need some buffering on your hardware.

There are commercial products like WinWedge (http://www.taltech.com/products/winwedge.html) and Windmill (http://www.windmill.co.uk/) along with Labview

If you don't have VB6 (enterprise or professional editions) you may have a problem getting MSCom32.ocx to register on your machine. I suggest you read http://archive.chipcenter.com/eexpert/r...by057.html

Incidentally if you do have access to the aformentioned versions of VB6, all you need to do is install and uninstall and this will set up the registry. You don't even need to run VB6. I am no lawyer so take it under advisement, but I don't believe that it violate the VB6 license. Queries to Microsoft (by me and others) on the subject over the years have borne no fruit.


-Aubrey