Designed & Made in the USA Since 1983
Get your instrument’s readings into your software. We find the settings and write out every setup step.
Scales, balances, indicators, force gages and other instruments with an RS-232 port send each reading as a line of text. The configurator works out how to get that text into your software: the serial settings, the cable, the WedgeLink keyboard wedge that types each reading into Excel, Minitab or SPC software, and every setup step. It knows 531 RS-232 instrument models from 138 manufacturers, and can look up the rest.
The configurator chooses for you. It recommends the WedgeLink AT whenever the AT can do what you asked. When nothing in the reading needs changing and an SP model matches the instrument’s settings, it offers the WedgeLink SP as the simpler option. WedgeLink software is for instruments that already appear as a COM port.
| WedgeLink | Best for | Settings | Changing the data | Computer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WedgeLink AT$275 | Most RS-232 instruments, and anything that needs the reading changed | Learns them by itself (AutoBaud, 600 to 57,600 baud) or set by hand | Keep just the number, round, units, date and time, up to 3 values, foot or hand switch | USB keyboard on any computer; setup program for Windows |
| WedgeLink SP$180 | Readings typed exactly as sent, with no setup | Fixed: four models (4800, 9600 and 19,200 baud) | None: every character as sent | No drivers on Windows, macOS or Linux |
| WedgeLink Lite and Standard$99 Lite, $199 Standard | USB instruments that appear as a COM port, and instruments faster than 57,600 baud | Set in the software, 300 to 115,200 baud | Lite: date and time, delimiters. Standard: full parsing | Windows, one license per PC, 3-day trial |
RS-232 models on MicroRidge’s list, by manufacturer. Select a name to search its models.
Calipers, micrometers and indicators with a digital SPC output (not RS-232) connect with MobileCollect wireless or GageWay. Find their parts in the Measurement Collection System Builder.
More on wiring: null modem or straight-through cable?
It takes you from “I have an RS-232 instrument” to readings arriving in your software. Find the instrument, and it shows the serial settings (baud rate, parity, data bits, stop bits), how it’s wired, what one reading looks like, and lets you choose what your software receives. Then it picks the WedgeLink that does it and writes out every setup step, saved as a plan with a plan number.
MicroRidge’s list has 531 RS-232 instrument models from 138 manufacturers, including scales and balances, indicators, force gages, hardness testers and thickness gages. Instruments that aren’t on the list can be looked up online, read from an uploaded manual, or worked out from a pasted reading.
A keyboard wedge sends each reading to the computer as if it were typed on a keyboard, so it lands wherever the cursor is: an Excel cell, a field in your SPC software, a web form. There’s nothing to program on the PC. The WedgeLink AT and SP are hardware keyboard wedges that plug into USB; WedgeLink Lite and Standard are the software version for a PC with a COM port.
If the instrument is on MicroRidge’s list, the configurator shows its settings and whether they can be changed. If not, it can look them up online with sources or read them from the manual’s RS-232 section. The WedgeLink AT can also learn them by itself (AutoBaud): press Reset, then send a reading. When nothing works, the configurator walks you through finding them with ComTestSerial, MicroRidge’s free serial test program.
It depends on which pin the instrument transmits on. Instruments that transmit on pin 2 use a straight-through DB9 cable; ones that transmit on pin 3, like a PC, need a null modem cable or adapter. The configurator shows the wiring for your instrument when it’s known, and recommends the DB9 Adapter Kit (gender changers and null modem adapters) when the plug or wiring isn’t certain.
Yes, with the WedgeLink AT. In step 2 you arrange the reading as blocks: keep only the measurement, round it to 0 to 9 decimal places, drop the + sign, keep or drop the units, add the date and time or your own text, and end each reading with Enter or Tab. The AT can also send up to three values from one reading. The configurator writes the exact AT setup for it.
Yes. A keyboard wedge types into any program that accepts typing, including Excel, Minitab, SPC and quality software, ERP and MES screens, and web forms. If your software reads a COM port instead, the WedgeLink AT can appear as a COM port too.
Yes. The WedgeLink AT and SP plug into a USB port and need no serial port. WedgeLink software needs a COM port, which can be a USB to serial adapter or an instrument with a USB connection that shows up as a COM port.
The WedgeLink SP needs no drivers on Windows, macOS or Linux. The WedgeLink AT types like a USB keyboard on any computer, though its setup program runs on Windows. WedgeLink Lite and Standard are Windows software.
The configurator says so. Digital gages with an SPC output go to the Measurement Collection System Builder instead. DB25 ports, special plugs and TTL-level serial go to MicroRidge, and an engineer confirms what works with you, free.
Every plan gets a number (WL- and five characters). It goes with your order, so tech support sees exactly what you set up, and it’s your reference for MicroRidge’s 30-day guarantee: if tech support can’t get it working with your instrument, return it within 30 days for a full refund. Download the plan as a PDF or email it to yourself.
Send what you have from the configurator, or email sales@microridge.com with the instrument’s make and model. A MicroRidge engineer typically replies within one business day.
Designed and made in the USA by MicroRidge Systems, Sunriver, Oregon, since 1983.