Years ago I've done similar with a robot controller and a BASIC module in a PLC rack.  The PLC would get the I/O bits from field devices and stuff them into a byte register.  The BASIC module would take the byte of data, change it to the corresponding ASCII character, and collect into a string of characters with a special end of string terminating character.  When the string was full, the BASIC module would write the string to the serial port.

The robot controller would read the string and pull off each character in turn.  Then convert to the byte of data, and programmatically act on the data in the byte.

And vice versa from robot to PLC.

You would have to do something similar.  Don't know if VB or C++ is easier.  They both have bit and byte and ASCII character functions.

TygerDawg

Do you know a good book/web site that would be able to give me a good kick in the right direction.

Cheers

DG

nope.  I learned it the hard way.

TygerDawg

Try asking/searching for info at these sites

http://groups.google.ca/group/comp.robotics.misc?lnk=sg&hl=en

http://groups.google.ca/group/sci.electronics.design?lnk=sg&hl=en

http://groups.google.ca/group/sci.engr.control?lnk=la&hl=en

Also see

http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/200304/donc/TwoWayRF.htm

Search this site (using Edit-Find) for wireless

http://bestselectronics.com/cat3073211/