Force Gauge Software

Collect is a data collection and interface software program that connects to any Force Gauge RS232 port and reports the Force Gauge data directly to Excel®, files or any Windows® application.

Collect interacts with all different makes and models of Force Gauge including those from manufacturers like Dillon, Mark-10, Chatillon and many others.

Connect Your Force Gauge Directly to Excel® or Any Program

Collect connects with, and controls any Force Gauge through its RS232 serial communication port.

The raw data packet that is received from a Force Gauge typically contains extra characters that are not required by the receiving program. Collect extracts only the required data, such as the numerical values then transfers those reading into your application.

For sending data to Excel®, the Collect software has built-in DIRECT-XL™ technology that connects Force Gauge directly with Excel®, simply and easily.

Unlike older ‘wedge’ technology, DIRECT-XL™ doesn’t rely on the cursor location for placing data in Excel®. This ensures that data from the instrument is always placed in the correct location in your Excel® spreadsheet even if you are working in another application during data collection or if data is being collected while the computer is locked.

Collect’s DIRECT-XL™ interface is so smart, that if data already exists in a cell, it will skip over that data and transfer the reading to the next available cell.

DIRECT-XL™ ensures that data is collected correctly every time.

RS232 Interface to Excel

Library of Pre-configured Instrument Interfaces and Excel® Templates

Many Force Gauge interface setups are already preconfigured in Collect’s Instrument Library. You select your model from a pull-down list and all of the COM port RS232 default settings and command sets (Print or Send Command, and other control commands) are automatically loaded and ready to use.

Features such as Time, Date, Milliseconds, Counter and User ID stamps can be reported along with the data. Other Collect features like timed interval data collection or embedding VBA macro’s for advanced control, allow Collect to meet virtually any application requirement.

Simply select your instrument from the list and you’re ready to start collecting data.

View Collect’s Instrument Library

Collect’s Method Library of Excel® templates for common applications contain special macros and equations; Charting, calculations, limit check flags, statistics, name the file by Date and customized views are just some examples that you are free to use for your own applications.

View Collect’s Method Library

Connect Multiple Force Gauges at the Same Time

With a single mouse click, Collect will automatically open your data destination program (eg. Excel®), initialize all instrument interfaces and start collecting data.

From a single computer, Collect can interface up to 99 instruments at the same time.

View Collect's Main Screen: English – French – German – Italian – Spanish – Japanese

Floating Toolbar and RS232 Command Control

At run-time, every instrument gets its own button on the toolbar which floats over top of the program that Collect is transferring data into. Collect makes it easy to add custom commands for any instrument.

• Collect can send commands automatically on a timed interval basis.
• Use any keyboard key as a hotkey to send a command.
• Multiple instruments can share the same hotkey allowing you to send a command to all instruments at the same time.

The Collect toolbar makes it easy for you to send commands to the instruments.

Collect Provides Superior Performance

Labtronics introduced Collect in 1989 as the World’s first RS232 data collection software. Over the years Labtronics has gained a tremendous amount of experience interfacing instruments and it has used this knowledge to keep Collect at the forefront of technology. Continued innovations, such as DIRECT-XL™, ensure that Collect meets your needs today and in the future.

Collect’s many out-the-box features include:

• Connect any RS232 instrument to any program: Directly to Excel® using DIRECT-XL™ technology, write directly to files, databases, or ‘wedge’ into any Windows® program.
• Instrument Library: Pre-configured interfaces for over 500 different instrument models.
• Hotkey Commands: Start and stop instrument commands using any keyboard key.
• Method Library: Pre-configured Methods including Excel® templates for many common applications.
• Speedy processing: Send commands at a rate of 10 per second, receive and process incoming data at rate of over 20 per second.
• Extra information for readings: Add Date, Time, Milliseconds and User ID meta-data to instrument readings.
• Timed interval data collection setting: Collect data at a defined frequency with option to stop after a number of readings.
• Multiple instrument support: Connect and run multiple instruments interfaces simultaneously.
• Filter and Discard data options: Filter incoming data to convert characters to strings or strings to characters or discard unwanted or erroneous outputs.
• Powerful Parser: Easy to setup parser handles simple to complex raw data outputs to extract only required readings.
• Communication protocols: Support connecting slave devices using Modbus or clinical analyzers with ASTM 1381.
• Free RS232-to-TCP/IP software utility: Connect remote instruments directly to any computer with Collect installed, over your network.
• TCP/IP Ethernet data collector: Connect instruments or converters TCP/IP Ethernet port directly to any computer with Collect installed.
• SAX Basic editor: Ability to add VBA like macros directly within Collect’s instrument interface setups and Method setups to further enhance its many out-of-the box features.
• Multi-lingual editions available on same CD: Install in either English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Japanese.

View Collect’s Full List of Features

Technical Support Included

The software comes complete with free technical support for 1 year including telephone, e-mail and internet services. Using our WebEx account we can host remote meetings to view and/or control your Collect computer’s desktop over the internet to help troubleshoot any communication problems you might be having with the instrument.


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