Windmill 7 lets users read up to 10 devices

The software comprises ready-to-run applications to chart and log data, control analogue and digital outputs, monitor the com port and send data directly to Microsoft Excel.

The new software is offered at an introductory price of GBP50 - a 65 per cent discount on older versions.

Technical support for life is included in the price, and there is a money-back guarantee if the software fails to live up to expectations.

Windmill works with instruments communicating with ASCII or binary messages.

With a flexible approach to extracting data values, it is suitable for collecting readings from the majority of serial instruments that can be plugged into the computer's com port.

These include PICs, power meters, digital indicators, multimeters, data loggers, GPS receivers, gyro compasses, motion sensors, gas analysers, pH transmitters, pressure transducers, thermo regulators, particle analysers and laboratory scales.

Users can mix and match equipment from a variety of manufacturers in many combinations.

For example, serial devices from A and D, Bruel and Kjaer, Dataq Instruments, Datel, Datataker, Denver, Garmin, Mettler Toledo, Microchip Technology, Motorola, Molyteck, Newmar, Nu-Metrics, Omnistar, Omron, Orion, Parallax, Sartorius, Siemens and Texas Instruments have all been handled by Windmill.

Many channels of data can be accepted from each instrument.

Also included in the package is a program to monitor com port communications.

This lets users see all bytes sent and received - even non-printing characters such as carriage returns.

This is crucial when dealing with binary data.

Called Comdebug, the software also shows the state of the input and output lines to the computer's com port.