I have two separate but similar projects that involve designing GUIs. I want web browser based user interfaces and if possible I would like to find one solution that addresses the needs of both projects. I'm looking for a recommendation on one or both of these:
project #1: a data acquisition/logging program that communicates with a PLC using manufacturer-specific protocol over TCP. I have already written the code for this (minus the protocol) in Excel VBA. It works just fine; pulls a few hundred bytes of numerical values from the PLC every few seconds, formats the various values to INT, FLOAT, BIN, or BCD, and appends it to the next line of the spreadsheet. I don't like it because it's a kluge; it requires the end user to install a dubious 3rd party OCX (the protocol) and then fight with Excel's macro and ActiveX protection features. It requires strong VB and Excel skills to tailor the spreadsheet to display the info of interest to the user. Graphical charts can only be constructed after the logging session is over. I also have the protocol written in Python, so any solution involving Python would make things easier.
I would like to replace this spreadsheet with a browser-based interface. Instead of a list of values growing line-by-line, I want to have a strip-chart/slow-moving-oscilloscope type display where up to 10 or more values can be plotted over time. I would like to be able to save the plot data to CSV or TXT. This project would be most likely all local; that's to say, there is no server - the web page and supporting script will be stored on the PC which is viewing it.
Project #2: a CAN BUS sniffer (J1939 - not an automotive application). I have a CAN->UART dongle that I want to interface with an SBC like Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone or the likes, and have that SBC host a web page that shows what all addresses are communicating on the network and the data they are exchanging. So the web UI would need to be able to access local serial data and host it over "the internet" (a crossover cable). The user should be able to save session logs to PC.
any ideas?
project #1: a data acquisition/logging program that communicates with a PLC using manufacturer-specific protocol over TCP. I have already written the code for this (minus the protocol) in Excel VBA. It works just fine; pulls a few hundred bytes of numerical values from the PLC every few seconds, formats the various values to INT, FLOAT, BIN, or BCD, and appends it to the next line of the spreadsheet. I don't like it because it's a kluge; it requires the end user to install a dubious 3rd party OCX (the protocol) and then fight with Excel's macro and ActiveX protection features. It requires strong VB and Excel skills to tailor the spreadsheet to display the info of interest to the user. Graphical charts can only be constructed after the logging session is over. I also have the protocol written in Python, so any solution involving Python would make things easier.
I would like to replace this spreadsheet with a browser-based interface. Instead of a list of values growing line-by-line, I want to have a strip-chart/slow-moving-oscilloscope type display where up to 10 or more values can be plotted over time. I would like to be able to save the plot data to CSV or TXT. This project would be most likely all local; that's to say, there is no server - the web page and supporting script will be stored on the PC which is viewing it.
Project #2: a CAN BUS sniffer (J1939 - not an automotive application). I have a CAN->UART dongle that I want to interface with an SBC like Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone or the likes, and have that SBC host a web page that shows what all addresses are communicating on the network and the data they are exchanging. So the web UI would need to be able to access local serial data and host it over "the internet" (a crossover cable). The user should be able to save session logs to PC.
any ideas?