Re: Tech question - interface between receiver and central station software

["Greene Security NZ" <gs_newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi there,

I'm new to this group, and came across your postings. Interestingly
enough, what you are talking about as a theoretical project, I am
attempting to do for real. Any advice or assistance I can get along the
way would really be appreciated.

I am connecting to an FBII Digital Receiver, model CP-220FB. We
currently use an old DOS-based piece of software as the automation
package. I am attempting to write my own automation software using
Microsoft Access as the front-end, and Microsoft Desktop Engine (the
cut-down version of SQL Server) as the back-end. I haven't as yet
gotten as far as the serial-port interface, but that will definitely be
happening in the not-too-distant future. We also have a SafeCom Radio
Receiver, which also outputs on the serial port, so I will be
interfacing with that as well.

I am a novice programmer, and can cut VBA and VB code, and have minimal
SQL knowledge. Most of my programming is done by way of plagiarism - a
snippet of code from here, a snippet from there.

I am doing this for the security monitoring company I work for, as a
pet project. They needed something better than the old DOS system, but
aren't prepared to pay the $50,000+ for a licence for professionally
written automation software. There is no set timeframe for completion.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, so if anyone wants to contribute
constructive advice (please don't tell me it can't be done!) I look
forward to hearing from you.


Robert Frittmann
Database Administrator