Practical Laboratory Automation

INTRODUCTION
A Brief Story of Laboratory Automation
Approaches for Instrument Integration
Scripting versus Standardization in Laboratory Automation
Topics Covered in this Book
Learning by Doing: FACACO and FAKAS
Summary and Suggested Reading
 
THE VERY BASIC OF AUTOIT
What Is AutoIt?
Alternatives to AutoIt
Writing Your First Script (Mouse Click Automation)
Knowing More about SciTE
AutoIt on Linux
Summary and Suggested Reading
 
TIMED SCRIPTS
Controlling the Timing of Actions
Moving and Activating Windows
Sending Keyboard Inputs
"For" Loops and Variables
Organizing Your Code: Functions and Libraries
Replacing Mouse Clicks with Keyboard Shortcuts
Summary
 
INTERACTIVE SCRIPTS
Window Monitoring
Pixel Monitoring
"While...WEnd" Loops for Pixel Monitoring
Synchronizing FACACO and FAKAS using Pixel Monitoring
Enhanced Pixel Monitoring Using PixelCheckSum
Blocking Access to Keyboard and Mouse
Summary
 
SCRIPTING WITH CONTROLS
Using AWI to Get Control Information
Functions That Provide Control Information
Sending Commands to Controls
Synchronizing FACACO and FAKAS Using Controls
Dealing with Errors: If...Then
Summary
 
E-MAIL AND PHONE ALARMS
E-mail Alarms
SMS and Phone Call Alarms
Summary
 
USING LOW-COST EQUIPMENT FOR LABORATORY AUTOMATION
G-Code Devices
Robotic Arms
Do-It-Yourself Devices
Summary and Suggested Reading
 
CONTROLLING SERIAL PORTS
Serial Communication Protocols
Controlling COM Ports
Implications for other Devices
 
ARRAYS AND STRINGS
Organized Data: Arrays
Raw Data: Strings
Summary
 
DATA PROCESSING WITH SPREADSHEETS
Exporting Results to Spreadsheet Software
Dealing with Saved Results (Files)
Processing Spreadsheet Files
Summary
 
WORKING WITH DATABASES
Starting SQlite in AutoIt
Creating SQlite in AutoIt
Modifying an Existing SQlite Database
Databases with More Than One Table
Retrieving Data from Databases
Summary
 
SIMPLE

Matheus Carvalho de Carvalho, PhD, is a Senior Research Associate at Southern Cross University, Australia. His diverse research interests include employing stable isotopes to investigate algal photosynthesis and respiration, and developing customized and low-cost automated analytical approaches. He is member of the editorial board of the journal HardwareX, and a member of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.