A serial data plotting and recording tool

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1

Hi everyone :vulcan_salute:. I created a simple java application for plotting and recording serial data, I named it as MicroPlotter. I think it might be useful for anyone who wants to make a project centered on monitoring sensor data. The application works for any operating system and I included a user guide inside together with the software files for configuring this application (just uncompress the file).

I would be happy if anyone can take a look at this application and share some comments about it. My motivation behind this project was to give something back to the opensource community from which I have benefited from for so many years, specially the Arduino community that has made possible so many of my projects :smiling_face_with_tear:.

Find the application here --> GitHub - dmpine/MicroPlotterJava: Serial data plotting and recording tool

While Arduino IDE has a serial plotter, it is only useful for rapid testing of variables, it cannot hold many data points and you cannot record your data. You might also find yourself making your own custom board with an Atmel or PIC chip which are not programmed with Arduino IDE. MicroPlotter is suited for long experiments where you need to keep track of your variables for days if you need while at the same time recording your data on a file. If you right click the plot you'll find options for customization and exporting as an image. You can even change both axis to be logarithmic if you want, which is desirable in many situations. One big advantage is that it is a small app that can run on very old computers and you can launch several instances of the software if you have more than one microcontroller, you can even launch it on a Raspberry.

Here is a screenshot of the software:

MicroPlotterCapture
MicroPlotterCapture989×730 76.9 KB

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Looks nice, but on the Github page, I don't see any operating instructions or a description of all the program features. Where would I find those?

For Arduino forum users, could you summarize what MicroPlotter can do that the built in Arduino Serial Plotter can't do?

For example, X/Y plots would be nice.

3

Thanks for your recommendation. The instructions manual is included as a pdf file inside the compressed file along with the application. This is mentioned at the beginning of the description on the GitHub page. The difference between the plotting option on the Arduino and MicroPlotter is that the latter is more focused on data logging and monitoring, you can record your data on a file while at the same time keeping track of the data in form of a plot with thousands of data points for several days if you need. MicroPlotter is more suited for experiments while the Arduino serial plotter is usually used for testing basic device operations and can only hold a few data points.

This plot is a typical data vs time plot but the axis can be configured as log log too. There are several options for customizing the plot and export it as an image. The application is very lightweight and can be installed on very old devices and even a raspberry pi. Finally, you could also find yourself using a raw Atmel or PIC microcontroller, that are not programmed with Arduino. Every instance of MicroPlotter can graph up to 9 plots and if you need more, you can open another instance (another window) and connect an additional serial device.

Later I'll add a list of some characteristics of the software as you suggested. Thanks.