reading an unknown binary file format

[abraxas1]

i'm trying to read in the binary file output from the HeavyWeather Software that reads weather data from the WS-2310 from La Crosse. the heavyweather software seems to have been written in labwindows since it comes with the cvirte.
i can guess that there are 12 different columns and i can guess at the sequence of doubs and int and strings, but it's just a guess...
is there any way to read in a binary and figure out the data flow? or is guessing a suitable means?

thanks a lot.
this is a pretty great weather station. you can alos download software to draw simple plots of data and another program that will post an image to the web. (very simple, but free, stuff)

michael

[Jeremy_L]

Hi Michael,

Unfortunately, without really knowing how the data is stored, it will be very difficult to translate it back into a legible form. If there is a way to find documentation on how the data is written to file, you can easily reformat the data using the scan functions. Otherwise, you'll just have to make a stab at it and see if the results match up with what you would expect to see. If you have to guess, it may be best to create a simple application that formats the data into several different datatypes so that you can compare them and see which makes the most sense.

Jeremy L.
National Instruments

[abraxas1]

My true hope is to contact who wrote the original HeavyWeather software. seeing that it's shipped with the cvi/rte, i'd love access to any info i could get
(this doesn't sound to pleading, does it? 😉

thanks, a programmatic approach to finding the right combination would make the most sense. i know how many columns they are and guessing the type won't be impossible, but first i got to read in the header.... etc....

michael

[Robin D'Souza]

Hi Michael
I tried to look at http://www.heavyweather.info/ but there dose not seem to be any contact information. I found another website where you could get more information on the developer of the software. You can call 1-800-728-6999 or visit www.scientificsonline.com for more information.
Robin D'Souza
National Instruments