Designed & Made in the USA Since 1983
WedgeLink is a software keyboard wedge that captures RS-232 serial data and types it directly into any Windows application — Excel, Minitab, SPC platforms, web-based inspection systems, or custom databases. Connect your RS-232 device to a COM port or USB-to-serial adapter, point WedgeLink at your target application, and measurement data is entered at the cursor exactly as if an operator had typed it by hand.
Two editions are available. WedgeLink Lite ($99) handles direct pass-through for devices whose output is already in the format your application needs. WedgeLink Standard ($199) adds a full seven-stage data parsing pipeline — match strings, character-level masking, removal, replacement, math functions, prefix, and suffix — for instruments that output compound packets requiring reformatting before reaching your application.
Both editions support two simultaneous RS-232 inputs, keyboard wedge output to any Windows application, and parallel output to a CSV or TXT file. Preview Mode lets you configure serial ports, build and test your complete parsing scheme, and validate output before starting the 3-day full free evaluation.
Input Interface – RS-232 via physical DB9, USB/serial adapter, or USB VCP
Simultaneous Input Ports – 2 (Port A always active; Port B optional)
Electrical Standards – RS-232, RS-422, RS-485
Output Application – Any Windows application via keyboard emulation
Output File – CSV or TXT file
Data Parsing – Lite: date/time stamp + delimiter conversion — Standard: 7-stage pipeline, 5 parsing groups
Send Commands – Up to 50 configurable serial commands (Standard only)
OS Compatibility – Windows 7, 8, 10, 11
Evaluation – Preview Mode + 3-day full evaluation
Licensing – Per machine — unique Registration ID
Origin – Designed & Developed in the USA
Price range: $99.00 through $199.00
WedgeLink is a software keyboard wedge — a Windows application that sits between your RS-232 serial device and your target application, capturing incoming serial data and delivering it as keyboard input. Whatever application is in focus receives the data exactly as if an operator had typed it. No custom drivers, no API integration, no modification to the receiving application.
Unlike hardware keyboard wedges — such as the WedgeLink AT and WedgeLink SP, which are standalone devices requiring no PC software — WedgeLink runs as a background process on the workstation PC. It requires a COM port (physical or virtual) and a Windows environment. In exchange, it offers greater parsing flexibility, dual-port simultaneous operation, math functions, and configurable serial command control that hardware wedges cannot match.
WedgeLink is available in two editions. WedgeLink Lite handles straightforward pass-through: data arrives from the serial device and is delivered to the application with optional date/time stamping and delimiter conversion. WedgeLink Standard adds a full seven-stage parsing pipeline for instruments whose output requires reformatting — stripping headers, extracting numeric fields, reordering data, replacing characters, applying acceptance limits, and appending navigation keystrokes — before anything reaches the target application.
WedgeLink Lite is the right choice when the serial output from your device is already in the format your application needs. Many barcode scanners, simple scales, and single-value instruments output a clean packet — one measurement, a carriage return, nothing extra. Lite handles this with zero configuration beyond serial port setup.
Where Lite adds value beyond raw pass-through:
Many RS-232 instruments don’t output a clean measurement value. A bench scale might transmit:
ST,GS,+ 1.3485 lb {CR}
A DRO might include axis labels, coordinate prefixes, and units. A hardness tester might prefix the result with a test mode identifier. A raw pass-through delivers all of it to your application. WedgeLink Standard processes the incoming packet through an ordered parsing pipeline, so your application receives exactly what it needs — nothing more.
Stage 1 — Match
Each incoming packet is evaluated against up to 5 configurable match strings (up to 50 characters each, case-sensitive). Based on whether a match is found or not found, WedgeLink routes the packet to the appropriate parsing group, discards it, or passes it unchanged. This is the mechanism for conditional parsing — handling multiple instruments on a single port, filtering out non-measurement packets, or applying different parsing schemes based on packet content.
Stage 2 — Mask
Character-level control over every position in the packet. The mask operates on up to 500 character positions and supports five operations per position: sort/reorder the character to a different output position, delete the character, replace the character with a string, insert a string before the character, or insert a string after the character. Strings for replace/insert operations can be up to 15 characters; up to 25 total insert strings per mask. This is the most granular parsing tool in WedgeLink — used when field positions in the packet are known and consistent.
Stage 3 — Remove
Strip unwanted characters globally across the entire string. Options include predefined groups (blanks, linefeeds, commas, non-keyboard characters below ASCII 32, extended characters above ASCII 126, alpha, numeric, non-numeric) or individually specified characters. Unlike the Mask, which operates positionally, Remove operates on every occurrence of the specified character throughout the packet.
Stage 4 — Replace
Substitute strings globally — up to 5 replacement pairs, each up to 50 characters. Common use: replace every comma with a tab before sending a multi-field packet to Excel, placing each field in a separate column automatically.
Stage 5 — Math
Extract a numeric value from the packet and apply mathematical operations before output. WedgeLink can find the first valid numeric field automatically (requires minimum 3 characters, must contain a decimal point) or locate a numeric value at a specified character position. Once extracted:
Note: Math operates on the packet after Mask, Remove, and Replace have run, and before Prefix and Suffix are applied.
Stage 6 — Prefix
Prepend a string of up to 50 characters to the beginning of the output packet. Supports any printable character plus control characters and special keystrokes enclosed in { } — including Date, Time, Tab, Enter, F-keys, arrow keys, and others. Typical use: prepend {Date}{Tab}{Time}{Tab} to place a timestamp in the first two cells of an Excel row before the measurement value.
Stage 7 — Suffix
Append a string of up to 50 characters to the end of the output packet. Same character support as Prefix. Typical use: append {Tab} or {Enter} to advance the cursor after each measurement, or {Down}{Left}{Left} to reposition the active cell in Excel for the next data entry row.
Each parsing group maintains its own independent configuration across all seven stages — its own match string logic, mask, remove list, replace pairs, math settings, prefix, and suffix. Up to 5 groups can be active simultaneously, each triggered by a different match string or assigned to a different serial port. This is the key capability for quality stations running two instruments simultaneously with different packet formats: Port A routes to Group 1, Port B routes to Group 2, and each is processed independently before output.
Groups can also be assigned custom names (e.g., “Caliper” and “Scale”) for documentation clarity, and the Match tab supports “Go to next match” chaining for sequential evaluation across multiple groups.
WedgeLink Standard supports three methods of end-of-packet identification, configurable independently for Port A and Port B:
Method | Description |
|---|---|
Specific Character | Select any ASCII character as the packet terminator. CR (ASCII 13) is the default and covers most RS-232 instruments. CR/LF devices should use LF (ASCII 10) as the terminator. |
Gap Time | Configurable silence period from 100ms to 60,000ms (60 seconds) in 100ms increments. Used when the device sends no termination character — WedgeLink treats the gap as the packet boundary. |
Character Count | Fixed-length packet detection — specify the exact number of characters per packet (up to 4,000). Used when packets are fixed-length with no delimiter. |
Maximum packet length: 4,000 characters. If a packet exceeds this length, characters are discarded and the next character begins a new packet.
WedgeLink Standard supports sending commands from the PC to connected serial devices — the mechanism for instruments that require a trigger command before transmitting a reading, or that accept control strings for zeroing, unit switching, or mode selection.
Preview Mode — No Time Limit When WedgeLink is first launched, it opens in Preview Mode. In Preview Mode you can configure serial ports, build and test your complete parsing scheme using the built-in Test tab, and validate output with or without a live device connected — with no time restriction. Preview Mode does not send data to applications or files, but gives full access to all setup and diagnostic functions. There is no need to start the evaluation clock until you are ready to test live data transfer.
3-Day Full Evaluation Activate the evaluation period from within the program when ready. All features are fully active for 3 days. Complete your configuration in Preview Mode first so the evaluation window is used for live testing, not setup. The evaluation period cannot be extended by reinstalling.
Licensing Each PC running WedgeLink requires a unique Registration ID — one license per machine. Configuration files (.WLC) can be distributed to multiple workstations — each machine enters the same configuration but requires its own license.
Every WedgeLink installation includes ComTestSerial, MicroRidge’s free standalone serial communications diagnostics program. Use ComTestSerial before configuring WedgeLink to:
{ } notationComTestSerial is available as a standalone free download for anyone integrating RS-232 devices, regardless of whether WedgeLink is in use. Download ComTestSerial.
WedgeLink configurations are saved to a .WLC file. In multi-workstation deployments, a single configuration file can be distributed to all PCs — operators open the file and begin collecting data. Each machine requires its own Registration ID, but the configuration itself is identical.
The Preferences dialog gives administrators control over restore behavior at file open: which states (serial port enabled, send to application, write to file, paused) are restored from the saved configuration, and which are forced to off regardless of the saved state. The Run Minimized option launches WedgeLink minimized to the taskbar or system tray, keeping it out of the operator’s way during data collection.
The Delay tab provides a configurable inter-character delay (50ms to 2,000ms) for applications with slow keyboard buffers that drop characters when data is delivered at full speed.
Description | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
Price | $99 | $199 |
RS-232 serial input ports | 2 | 2 |
Output to Windows application | ||
Output to disk file | ||
Date / time stamp | ||
Delimiter conversion | ||
ComTestSerial included | ||
Match string filtering & packet routing | ||
5 independent parsing groups | ||
Parsing mask (character-level) | ||
Global character removal | ||
String replacement (up to 5 sets) | ||
Math functions (min/max, extract, equation, decimal places) | ||
Data prefix / suffix | ||
Packet position control (row/column targeting) | ||
Send commands to serial device (up to 50) | ||
Built-in parsing test & validation | ||
Configurable character delay |
WedgeLink Standard | WedgeLink AT | |
|---|---|---|
Software on host PC | Yes — runs as background process | None for operation |
COM port required | Yes | No (HID keyboard output) |
Parsing | 7-stage pipeline + math + date/time | 3 parse groups + remove/replace |
Math functions | Yes — equation, min/max, decimal places | No |
Send commands | Up to 50 configurable serial commands | Yes — via read switch |
Simultaneous devices | Up to 2 | 1 per unit |
Locked-down PC compatible | Requires software installation | Yes — USB HID, no install |
Best for | Office/lab, COM port accessible, math or timestamp required | Production floor, locked-down PCs, operator-facing |
WedgeLink works with any device that transmits data over RS-232, via physical DB9 serial port, USB-to-serial adapter, or USB virtual COM port (VCP). Supported electrical standards: RS-232, RS-422, RS-485.
Commonly used instruments:
Common target applications:
If you have a question about a specific instrument or application, contact our technical team.
Q: Does WedgeLink require any special software or plugins in my target application?
— No. WedgeLink delivers data as keyboard input — the target application sees it identically to a user typing. No macros, plugins, DDE connections, or application-side configuration are required. If the application accepts keyboard input, WedgeLink can send data to it.
Q: What is Preview Mode and how is it different from the 3-day evaluation?
— Preview Mode gives you unlimited time to configure serial ports, build parsing schemes, and test output using WedgeLink’s built-in Test tab — without starting the evaluation clock. It does not allow data to be sent to applications or files. The 3-day evaluation activates all features including live data transfer. We recommend completing your full configuration in Preview Mode before starting the evaluation so your 3 days are used for live testing, not setup.
Q: Can WedgeLink handle instruments that output more than just a measurement value?
— Yes, with WedgeLink Standard. The seven-stage parsing pipeline is specifically designed to extract the data you need from compound packets that include units, labels, headers, timestamps, stability flags, or status information. The Math tab’s Find First Numeric Field function extracts the first valid numeric value from any position in the packet automatically.
Q: Can I run two different instruments with two different output formats simultaneously?
— Yes. WedgeLink Standard supports two simultaneous serial ports, each with independently configured parsing groups. Match strings route each packet to the correct parsing group automatically. Port A and Port B can each have different baud rates, comm parameters, end-of-packet detection, and parsing schemes.
Q: Can WedgeLink add a timestamp to each measurement?
— Yes, in both Lite and Standard editions. Date and time can be added as a prefix or suffix to each data packet. In Standard, the Prefix and Suffix tabs support {Date}, {Time}, or both, combined with {Tab} characters to place them in separate cells in Excel before or after the measurement value.
Q: Can WedgeLink send commands to my serial device?
— Yes, with WedgeLink Standard. Up to 50 commands can be configured with descriptions, port assignments, repeat counts, and cycle intervals. This supports instruments that require a trigger command before transmitting data, and instruments that accept control strings for zeroing, unit selection, or mode changes.
Q: Is WedgeLink compatible with USB-connected instruments?
— Yes. WedgeLink works with any device that appears as a virtual COM port (VCP) in Windows — which covers the majority of modern USB-connected instruments using RS-232 over USB adapters. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting the correct COM port in WedgeLink’s serial port setup.
Q: How does WedgeLink differ from the WedgeLink AT or WedgeLink SP hardware wedges?
— Hardware wedges are standalone physical devices that operate independently of any PC software — they sit between your RS-232 device and USB port and require no software installation on the workstation. WedgeLink software runs on the PC and communicates directly with the COM port. Hardware wedges are preferred when you need zero software footprint on the workstation, operate in locked-down enterprise environments, or need a portable per-instrument solution. WedgeLink Standard offers greater parsing depth, math functions, dual-port operation, and configurable serial commands that hardware wedges cannot match. See the full comparison.
Q: Can WedgeLink screen out-of-range measurement values?
— Yes, with WedgeLink Standard. The Math tab supports configurable minimum and maximum acceptable values. Packets where the extracted numeric value falls outside the defined range can be withheld from the target application entirely or replaced with a user-defined string — useful for catching instrument errors or operator mistakes before they enter the SPC dataset.
WedgeLink Software Specs | |
|---|---|
Serial input ports | 2 (Port A always active; Port B optional) |
Supported interfaces | Physical serial (DB9), USB/serial adapter, USB VCP |
Electrical standards | RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
Baud rates | 300 to 115,200 |
Default parameters | 9600-N-8-1 |
Max packet length | 4,000 characters |
Max parsing mask length | 500 characters |
Parsing groups | 5 (Standard only) |
Max prefix / suffix / match string | 50 characters each |
Max mask insert strings | 25 total (Replace + Insert Before + Insert After); 15 characters each |
Max replacement string sets | 5 (50 characters each) |
Max send commands | 50 (Standard only) |
Character delay range | 50ms – 2,000ms |
Packet gap time range | 100ms – 60,000ms |
OS compatibility | Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 |
License type | Per machine — unique Registration ID |
Configuration file format | .WLC |
Origin | Designed & Developed in the USA |
