Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic [Paperback]

Mark F. Russo (Author), Martin M. Echols (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0471254932 | ISBN-13: 978-0471254935 | Edition: 1st

A Volume in the Wiley-Interscience Series on Laboratory Automation.

The complete, step-by-step guide to using Visual Basic(r) in a laboratory setting Visual

Basic(r) is fast becoming the de facto laboratory programming language, yet existing books typically discuss applications that have nothing to do with science and engineering. This primer fills the gap in the field, showing professionals seeking to improve the productivity of their laboratories how to use Visual Basic(r) to automate laboratory processes.

Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic(r) helps laboratory professionals decide when and if to use Visual Basic(r) and how to combine it with the many computing technologies used in modern laboratories such as RS-232 port communications, TCP/IP networking, and event-driven control, to name a few. With an emphasis on getting readers programming immediately, the book provides clear guidelines to the appropriate programming techniques as well as custom-developed software tools. Readers will learn how to build applications to control laboratory instruments, collect and process experimental data, create interactive graphical applications, and more.

Boasting many working examples with the complete source code and backward compatibility to previous versions of Visual Basic(r), Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic(r) is an indispensable teaching tool for nonprogrammers and a useful reference for more experienced practitioners.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A Volume in the Wiley-Interscience Series on Laboratory Automation.

The complete, step-by-step guide to using Visual Basic(r) in a laboratory setting Visual

Basic(r) is fast becoming the de facto laboratory programming language, yet existing books typically discuss applications that have nothing to do with science and engineering. This primer fills the gap in the field, showing professionals seeking to improve the productivity of their laboratories how to use Visual Basic(r) to automate laboratory processes.

Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic(r) helps laboratory professionals decide when and if to use Visual Basic(r) and how to combine it with the many computing technologies used in modern laboratories such as RS-232 port communications, TCP/IP networking, and event-driven control, to name a few. With an emphasis on getting readers programming immediately, the book provides clear guidelines to the appropriate programming techniques as well as custom-developed software tools. Readers will learn how to build applications to control laboratory instruments, collect and process experimental data, create interactive graphical applications, and more.

Boasting many working examples with the complete source code and backward compatibility to previous versions of Visual Basic(r), Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic(r) is an indispensable teaching tool for nonprogrammers and a useful reference for more experienced practitioners.

About the Author

MARK F. RUSSO is Senior Researcher with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Combinatorial Drug Discovery Group and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems at Drexel University. He is the developer of several laboratory computer applications and robot systems and has published extensively on related topics.

MARTIN M. ECHOLS is Site Manager for Combinatorial Chemistry Automation for Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has authored several software applications for automating laboratory systems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience; 1st edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471254932
• ISBN-13: 978-0471254935
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book on Automation with Visual Basic, January 19, 2001

By 

"winson_mao" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic (Paperback)

If you want to study Visual Basic with this book, it may not be a right choice. However, if you want to do automation with VB, this is a right book. Several topics in this book are very useful to me. 1)Communication methods with VB. One of the foundamental thing in automatic control of devices/instrument is to establish the communication between computer and devices/instrument. Several useful methods are covered. They are Dynamic Data Exchange(DDE), RS232(computer serial communication), and TCP/IP. This book will not enable you to understand in deep details what's really going on in RS232 or TCP/IP communications, but this book will definitely enable you to implement these methods. Actually, in most cases if not all, we do not need to know what's really going on in RS232 or TCP/IP communications at all. 2)Device control and data handling. This part covers how to handle the data transferred in communication--parsing, and control multiple devices/instrument. 3)Graphic interfaces, which will enable developers to build a friendly interface between the control system and end users. Please do not overlook this, it is most probably that the users' commends on your system depend a lot on this interface, because this is what they can see and handle with.

This book is one of the valuable books on my shelf, and I would like to recomment to other people. Anyway, all depends on what you need and what you expect. This is just my 2 cents.

Good luck in finding a book valuable for your use.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timely addition to any scientists library, February 13, 2000

By 

Erik Rubin (Plainsboro, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic (Paperback)

A paradigm shift in today's pharmaceutical industry is forcing many traditionally trained scientists to embrace an automated environment. As a result, software for controlling instrumentation is more important than ever and many companies have turned their efforts toward in-house development to answer this need. In their book, Mark Russo and Martin Echols show how today's most popular Windows development language can be used to create robust and reliable software for instrument control. The authors also include a terrific section on graphical displays, which will help you provide the user friendliness and visual representation of data that your users will expect. This book was a lifesaver for me. I recommend that anyone looking at integrating automation into his or her company's workflow buy this book and read it before doing anything else!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical book with a clear focus, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Automating Science and Engineering Laboratories with Visual Basic (Paperback)

If you want to use PCs for any kind of monitoring or control project, this book will give you a quick start. It covers both RS-232 and TCP/IP communications. It even shows you how to display and graph your data after you've collected it. Experienced Visual-Basic programmers will pick up many tips, and beginning programmers will find a good introduction to using Visual Basic for a practical purpose.