Installing WinDaq Cloud Link

There are two components that need to be installed. WinDaq CloudLink and WinDaq. Please install WinDaq based on your instruments' requirement.

Enter the Key to unlock Cloud Link

If you ordered a key for an existing instrument, please follow the steps below.

1. Run WinDaq Dashboard

2. Select the device from the list

3. Click Help->Unlock Device to enter the Key
    

 

Start WinDaq Cloud Link

To use WinDaq Cloud Link, start WinDaq first, then follow WinDaq->View->Add-ons->Cloud Link. WinDaq configuration should not be modified once Cloud Link starts. Stop Cloud Link before changing WinDaq configuration.

 

    

 

Windows may need to install .NET components

If Windows determines extra .NET components are needed for your version of Windows when Cloud Link is started, please have internet connection ready and let Windows finish the job

    

Basic Operation of WinDaq Cloud Link
    

• Destination Email is the destination email for the data capture. Multiple email destinations can be entered, and they should be separated by comma, e.g. mine@gmail.com, yours@gmail.com.
• Trigger Condition allows the user to setup either a sampling interval or trigger condition to capture data. For example: "1 min 30 sec" or "CH1>1 & CH2<2".
• Email Interval determines how often email will be sent out, in increments of minutes. This is only a suggestion to Cloud Link, and Cloud Link may send out data on its own pace based on amount of data collected and network connection.
  
• Start activates WinDaq Clould Link. Once started, it will collect data based on user defined Trigger Condition and send out data at the Email Interval.
• Stop puts WinDaq Clould Link in idle mode.
• Help opens the online help page.
• Spreadsheet ID, this field is for Google automation. Two options are available:
  1. Enter a name in plaintext for a new spreadsheet and the new sheet will be created automatically.
  2. Copy the URL of an existing Google spreadsheet and paste it in the field and the SSID will be extracted automatically.
• Tab Name, reserved for Google automation, allows the user to specify the tab/page within the Google spreadsheet, Sheet 1 will be used if field is blank. Two reserved words are available here, "Daily" and "Monthly", "Daily" option creates daily report sheet for each day when data is available. "Monthly" option creates monthly report for each month when data is available. The following spreadsheet demonstrates four different Tabs, "Sheet1", Specified "TestRun", Monthly report "02/2026", Daily reports "02/13/2026", "02/20/2026" and "02/24/2026"
  
• Archive Email, reserved for Google automation, if checked, the email will be archived (hidden from primary inbox) after the data is successfully extracted to fill the Google spreadsheet.
• Manual Capture allows the user to capture data manually outside of the timed sequence or trigger conditions.
• Source Email Configuration brings up the SMTP configuration panel, where you may need to ask your IT expert to help you if you wish to use your company email account, or you can use Google Email server as your provider.
      

Trigger Methods in WinDaq Cloud Link

WinDaq Cloud Link captures data based on a predefined interval or trigger condition.

• Event Trigger, for example, Trigger Condition: CH1>3
  • 
  • Single trigger point, when the test against the trigger condition goes from false to true, one row of data will be captured. For example, with CH1>3, each time the reading on first channel goes from below 3 to higher than 3, one row of data is collected.
• Paced Trigger, for example, Trigger Condition: 10 sec
  
• 
• Paced trigger is part of the Event Trigger method. Instead of using a math expression to specify a trigger condition, use Sec, Min and Hour notation to set the pace of data capturing. In the example, a row of data will be collected every 10 seconds.
• Derivative Trigger, for example, Trigger Condition: (CH1-CH[T-1]1)>5
  
• 
• Analog Derivative Trigger is powerful tool in data capturing. To demonstrate it, we look at a wavform swinging across the full range, we need to capture a glitch in the chart above, by using trigger condition (CH1-CH[T-1]1)>5, Cloud Link will wait until the reading of first channel has a sudden positive jump greate than 5,  before a row of data will collected.
• Digital Channel Trigger, for example, Trigger Condition: CH9%2==0
  
• 
• Digital triggering provides a reliable way to control when data is recorded using external signals. These signals can come from pressing the instrument’s event button or from a counter channel. In the example above, the system monitors bit 1 of the digital channel, which represents the event button status. Each time the button is pressed, one row of data is captured.
• Manual Capture, pressured whenever you wish to collect a set of data
  • 
    Manual Capture allows the user to add additioanl captures in addition to the scheduled or triggered events.

Automate Google Spreadsheet

WinDaq Cloud Link opens a gateway to a personalized cloud provided by Google. If you do not need Google automation to help you to organize data in Google Sheets, you can skip this section.

Setting up a custom automation can feel a bit like being handed the keys to a high-performance engine - it’s powerful, but the initial "start-up" involves a few specific steps. We will be the first to admit that the process requires a bit of focus, and you might even see some intimidating security warnings from Google along the way. These are standard precautions for custom-built tools, and to ensure your total peace of mind, we have secured the project with a digital SHA256 signature to verify its authenticity and integrity.

Think of this setup as a one-time "initiation" into a world of seamless automation. By following the steps below, you aren't just installing a script; you are unlocking a personalized cloud application designed to handle the heavy lifting for you. It’s a small hurdle for a massive leap in your digital experience - take the leap, and let’s get you into the cloud.

 

How to Create a Trigger Condition

• How to Add Signals to the Math Expression
• To use readings from a channel, use CH notation, the number matches what is in WinDaq. In the following example, CH3, CH6, CHA4 and CHA7 are available to use.
• 
• To reference the sample rate in the math, use RATE.
• To use an earlier reading from a channel, add [T-n] after CH, where n represents the sample interval, n<=16. For example CH1 is the latest reading from channel CH1, CH[T-1]1 is the reading from CH1, one sample interval earlier, CH[T-2]2 is the reading from CH2, two sample intervals earlier.
• The reading from channels matches the engineering unit of WinDaq.
• Trigger Can Be Based on Analog Calculated Trigger Conditions, for example:
• (CH1*CH2)>40, can be used to calculate the power consumption based on the readings of voltage on channel CH1 and current on channel CH2
• (CH1-CH[T-1]1)>1 will catch a sudden change of greater than 1(V) on channel CH1
• CH1>1 triggers when channel CH1 is higher than 1(V)
• CH1>1 & CH2<1 triggers when channel CH1 is higher than 10 AND channel CH2 is lower than 1
• Trigger Can Be Based on Digital Calculated Trigger Conditions, for example:
• CH11!=CH[T-1]11, since channel 11 is the counter channel, this condition will be triggered when the count changes
• CH11%10==0, modulo operation is used, this condition will be triggered when the count is a multiple of ten, in the following example, 800, 810, 820
• True Math Expressions
  • Operators include
    

    +	Addition
    -	Subtraction and unary minus
    *	Multiplication
    /	Division
    ^	Power
    %	Modulo
    &	Logical AND
    |	Logical OR
    !	Logical NOT
    >	Greater
    >=	Greater or equal
    <	Smaller
    <=	Smaller or equal
    !=	Not equal
    ==	Equal

  • Math functions include:  abs, sqrt, ceil, log10, sum, max, min, round
  • The math equation parser uses standard English (United States) notation without the present of digital grouping symbol, the decimal point must be "." (period) instead of "," (comma).

Note: The timestamp has the resolution of 1 second and it is acquired when the data is read from WinDaq.

 

What is inside a Google Spreadsheet

• Refer to the detail of Google Spreadsheets generated by Cloud Link

How to use AI to process a Google Spreadsheet

• Refer to AI for Google Spreadsheets

Some Good Practice with WinDaq Cloud Link

• Do not change WinDaq's configuration while it is live. Always push the stop button to pause the link before changing WinDaq configuration.
• WinDaq Cloud Link has a 4096 event buffer, make sure you have an internet connection and appropriate email sending interval to empty the buffer in timely basis. If the internet is lost for a long time, or too many events are collected, the old data will be overwritten by new data.
• Google Spreadsheet's maximum cell limit is 10,000,000. WinDaq Cloud Link's default configuration limits maximum row number at 100,000.
• Can I work on the Google sheets while WinDaq Cloud Link is sending data to? Yes, check this for more info.
• If you use Gmail as the mail agent of Cloud Link, please be aware its daily user sending limit, which is 500. These limits apply to the total number of recipients; one email sent to five people counts as five emails. If you pass the limit you will not be allowed to send out new email until it is reset by a period of inactivity, which is 24 hours.

Errors of WinDaq Cloud Link

• If you see an error message or need to locate the configuration file, please click here for more info.