Ok I think this could be very useful for anyone who runs across the idea or can program in VBA but im having some trouble. At work my boss had a excel workbook that could connect to a comport and log data from a arduino over an ftdi cable reading its RX and TX. Now it doesn't work it says the MSComm controller, which is the VBA function that opens the comm port and reads serial into the workbook, isn't installed or isn't authorized or something. this mscomm controller isn't on my home computer and i am also using excel 2013. A few of my Friends could really use this as could i even at work. If anyone knows how to make excel 2013 be able to communicate with the micro controller over a virtual comm port any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
It was a pop up dialog box that said the MSCOMM controller wasnt regestered this happend after a windows update i believe but im not to worried about that. Im looking for anyone that in anyway has been able to establish serial communication between excel 2013 and and micro and advice on how to do so. Knowing everything i can do with excel vba it would be an outstanding capability to establish communications between the two both for work and for my own project. if anyone has in any way done this, MSComm controller or not, with say a vba function 3rd party or whatever id be very grateful for a little walk through or advice on the matter.
rob40855:
At work my boss had a excel workbook that could connect to a comport and log data from a arduino over an ftdi cable reading its RX and TX.
Maybe the boss was using an older version of Excel with the PLX-DAQ macro, which is God's gift to Microsoft, but which I understand does not work with Excel 2013.
I guess the simplest solution to your problem is to trawl eBay for an older version of Excel. This would enable you to use PLX-DAQ, and also absolve you from needing to know anything about MSCOMM controllers.
Well we both thought that maybe it just wasn't gonna work on 2013 but we have computers at work that still have 2007 which was the excel version it was written on and was working for me on however it stopped working. Granted there was at least a month or two between it working and me trying it again i did try it again on the same computer and version of excel then on 2013 but since most the computers including my own have 2013 i figured id try and find a way to get it to work on these. the VBA code he wrote on the old one did use the MSComm. i don't remember seeing anything like PLX-DAQ but if you have any idea at all that would get any form of serial communication over 2013 to a micro im all ears... or if i just sound like im missing something by all means let me know
rob40855:
2007 which was the excel version it was written on and was working for me on however it stopped working.
That seems very strange. I thought 2007 was OK with PLX-DAQ, but I'm not sure. I'm afraid I'm not aware of another method for later versions of Excel, hence the last par in my previous. There may be other options like MySQL or Open Office, and any terminal can record a file for subsequent export to any version of Excel. The advantage of PLX is that it can give you live graphs but, if you can forego the theatre, there are other options.
I looked up PLX-DAQ and i don't think that's what he used. I think he just used the MSComm controller that i mentioned and it was just a macro that allowed for serial comm through a comm port but it stopped being allowed to work with a windows update. Id prefer this sort of method cause then i can say make buttons to send data that's in cells maybe with a set character that goes with the button for updating specific variables whithen the micro as well as requesting the micro stream in values to be graphed automatically and well imagination is the limit. Also now since we are all using 2013 on most the computers im hoping whatever solution i find will work for 2013. Thanks for trying maybe someone else will come across this and know of a macro or something that can do this it would be a huge help.
rob40855:
it was just a macro that allowed for serial comm through a comm port but it stopped being allowed to work with a windows update.
Yes, that is all PLX is. It effectively makes Excel a terminal, and likely works the same way and fails with modern versions of Excel for the same reason.
Well im on to something i would love for everyone to know about. its someone who made an arduino dash bored in excel over a com port and it works. this is the link.
Roberto Valgolio made this and deserves the credit. Im personally trying to only use what i need to open a com port and read any data that comes in the comm port however i did get it to open the port and close it and get some bytes from the arduino but it all comes in a string id love for it to come into an array or be able to treat the string as an array. if anyone gets a chance to play with it im open to suggestions.