WinLIMS Bridge Module

QQuuaalliittyy SSyysstteemmss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoorrppoorraattiioonn 545 Island Road Ramsey, NJ 07446 1.201.251.2101 (Phone) 1.201.740.0905 (Fax) http://www.qsius.com http://support.qsius.com 06-JUN-2009 WinLIMS.NET - Serial Bridge - 091011.docx Page 1 of 5 QSI Product Information Sheet WinLIMS.NET Serial Bridge Many laboratory instruments are simplistic in nature and only supply unidirectional information in the form of results that are sent out of the system via a serial or USB port. Examples of such instruments include pH meters, ion meters, balances, and a myriad of other industry-specific devices. The data that is generated from this type of instrument needs to be captured by a computing device that can convert the signals that are output to a file and then provide a human interface in order to make contextual meaning the data provided. To use LIMS (or lab) vernacular, the values that are output need to be related to the sample, the test that was applied to the sample and the individual result with which it is associated. To accommodate this need, QSI provides The Serial Bridge. The Serial Bridge is one of the components of The Bridge Option that is used to acquire, parse and associate data from this class of instrument for processing using this powerful and flexible API. The Bridge Option is a general interface tool that provides flexible and easy interconnection between WinLIMS.NET and any type if external application (e.g. ERP, Process Control, Accounting, Project Management, etc.) or device (e.g. Analytical Instruments, Process Control Sensors, Data Loggers, etc.). The following is a general overview of the various components of The Bridge Option. QQuuaalliittyy SSyysstteemmss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoorrppoorraattiioonn 545 Island Road Ramsey, NJ 07446 1.201.251.2101 (Phone) 1.201.740.0905 (Fax) http://www.qsius.com http://support.qsius.com 06-JUN-2009 WinLIMS.NET - Serial Bridge - 091011.docx Page 2 of 5 The Serial Bridge Interface The Serial Bridge is a configurable tool that runs on a local PC and connects to the WinLIMS.NET™ database either directly or via XML file transfer. The Serial Bridge is a flexible tool that can connect to multiple instruments and can even run on tablet PCs in order to limit the number of computing devices (which saves you money) and save bench space. Upon opening The Serial Bridge, the user will be asked to log into WinLIMS.NET™ using their id and password in order to ensure that the user has the appropriate security access to run the test(s) for which data is acquired and to provide an audit trail for all entered and calculated results. Upon entering the page, the user is connected to the database and is be permitted to locate the samples and tests for which results are being acquired using the data filters that are appropriate for their WinLIMS.NET™ configuration. In the following illustration, The Serial Bridge has been configured to allow the user to select a Device (Instrument) and then locate associates samples and tests by selecting, entering and/or barcoding additional categories of information that serially filter subsequent selections to simplify the process of locating tests for which results are required. In this case the filtration fields include the unique Sample Id, the Sample Status, the Order No (e.g. Lot or Batch), the Test Method Name. Here, the user has decided to use an instrument (or Device) named Tensile – 02. The instrument is selected from a drop-down list of pre-configured instruments. After selecting the Device, the decided to select, enter or scan (via barcode reader) the unique Sample Id, Upon selecting a Sample Id, several things happen. First, the Test Method Name(s) are filtered to present only those that are associated with the selected Sample Id. In the following illustration, we see there are 5 assigned Test Methods (named Appearance, Tensile, Tensile – Elongation, Tensile –Ultimate and Tensile – Yield Strength). QQuuaalliittyy SSyysstteemmss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoorrppoorraattiioonn 545 Island Road Ramsey, NJ 07446 1.201.251.2101 (Phone) 1.201.740.0905 (Fax) http://www.qsius.com http://support.qsius.com 06-JUN-2009 WinLIMS.NET - Serial Bridge - 091011.docx Page 3 of 5 In addition, the Parameters (or results) that are expected and/or previously entered will be displayed within the application for your information. The next step is to select the specific Test Method for which results are to be acquired from the instrument. Just select the Test Method Name and the Parameters (or results) will be further filtered. The following illustration shows the Parameters filtered by both the selected Sample Id and the Test Method Name. At this point, all you need to do is click your mouse into the desired cell (in this case) The Parameter (PARAM_NAME) named YS (1) and the data will flow from the instrument to The Serial Bridge. In this case the result that passed to WinLIMS.NET™ is 152 psig. QQuuaalliittyy SSyysstteemmss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoorrppoorraattiioonn 545 Island Road Ramsey, NJ 07446 1.201.251.2101 (Phone) 1.201.740.0905 (Fax) http://www.qsius.com http://support.qsius.com 06-JUN-2009 WinLIMS.NET - Serial Bridge - 091011.docx Page 4 of 5 At this point you just continue to click into a cell and the result will flow into The Serial Bridge. You can allow the data to simply pass to the WinLIMS.NET™ database without any interaction or you can force the user to click the Enter Value button to ‘push’ the data into the WinLIMS.NET™ database. This was just one example of how The Serial Bridge can be used. You can also use it to fetch a series of samples for a single test in order to make it very simple to take multiple readings in sequence. For example, if you need to weigh 25 samples you can use the filtering tools to simply select the Test Method Name of Weights and select the Sample Status of ‘P’ (pending results entry) and the list of samples will be retrieved and you simple position your mouse into the cell that represents the sample that is being weighed, place the sample on the balance, wait for the balance to stabilize and the data will be passed to WinLIMS.NET™. No errors, no time-consuming data transcription and data is immediately available for viewing and/or calculations. Instrument Setup Instrument setup is easy. Just assign each instrument connection with an Instrument Name, a Configuration Name (a single instrument may have multiple names because they can have different functional capabilities) and a Communication Port. Then fill in the rest of the information using the document that is provided by the manufacturer. Once the configuration has been completed, the instrument’s configuration is ready for use. Conclusion The WinLIMS.NET™ Serial Bridge adds great efficiency to your lab by acquiring data directly into WinLIMS.NET™. The time, effort and error associated with transcribing data is totally eliminated. Data is immediately available for viewing and use within calculations to promote time-critical decision-making. Finally, your analysts can spend more of their time being productive instead of performing mundane, mistake-ridden tasks. QQuuaalliittyy SSyysstteemmss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoorrppoorraattiioonn 545 Island Road Ramsey, NJ 07446 1.201.251.2101 (Phone) 1.201.740.0905 (Fax) http://www.qsius.com http://support.qsius.com 06-JUN-2009 WinLIMS.NET - Serial Bridge - 091011.docx Page 5 of 5