Sampling data (I have a deadline for 12:00 AM!!!) PLEASE HELP!

Question

Hello,
I am getting data in such a format:
01\s\s343.43\s\s\3434\s\s454\r\n
02\s\s etc
03\s\s etc
04\s\s etc
and from another source:
01\s\s343.4\s\s43.3\s\s\s545.6\r\n
01\s\s etc
01\s\s etc
I am receiving the data from the second source (both are Polhemus Fastrak data collectors) four times faster than the first source, since it has four inputs.
I would thus like to record only one data array every four- how would I do this?
In the end, I would like to make an array looking like this:
01\s\s etc02\s\s etc03\s\s etc04\s\s etc01\s\setc\r\n (the last one is from the second source)
01\s\s etc02\s\s etc03\s\s etc04\s\s etc01\s\setc\r\n
01\s\s etc02\s\s etc03\s\s etc04\s\s etc01\s\se
tc\r\n
01\s\s etc02\s\s etc03\s\s etc04\s\s etc01\s\setc\r\n
and so on- therefor this would be time synchronized, so that all data coming in at cetrain point is in same row of array.
I would really, REALLY appreciate your help- I have a deadline for 12:00 am!!!
Thank-you so much!
Ivanka

Answer 1

There are a few different string functions you could put to use to help parse out only 1 of the 4 data records from the faster device. Offhand, I'd think that 'Scan String for Tokens' (found in the String-->Additional String Functions palette) might be pretty straightforward if you use "\r" and "\n" as delimiters.
How important is the time synchronization? Have you worked out a plan, if necessary, to determine which of the 4 transmissions from the second device most closely matches the same "capture time" as the 1 transmission from the first device?
Alternately, is it possible to slow down the transmission rate of the second device to match that of the first? Or could you live with running in the query mode, where data is only transmitted on
request?
-Kevin P.