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The following are compiled from the support emails without going through our editing department. Please contact support@dataq.com if you have a quesiton.
1) With DI-194, how do I start the data acquisition
through an external event?
2) After I retrieve some data using GetData method,
how can I access the individual data points in the variant?
3) Check List Of Trouble
Shooting For WINDAQ Starter Kit
4) The DI-720-USB can, as I've understood it,
communicate through the parallel port as well, does that mean DAC
playback is possible?
5) Whenever I start Windaq Pro my computer CPU usage
goes to 100% , is it normal?
6) Restarting WinDaq USB0 without restarting the
system
7) Windaq-pro features "X2 grow" and
"X2 shrink", allowing me to double or half the signal
amplitude. Do you have another version that will allow for small
incremental up/down gain control?
8) I would like to know if windaq has 1/3 octave
analysis capabilities
9) Is the latest version of Advanced/CODAS able to
work with 2000 Professional, in a PC with speed-configuration
higher than 2.7 MHz? We tested an old version of this software
(dated 1994), and it didn't work.
With DI-194, how do I start the data acquisition through an external event?
If you use Options Remote Storage 0, connect your switch between the DI1 digital input and ground, and use File Record, disk storage should occur whenever the switch is closed, or RECORD* will be displayed whenever it is open.
If you want to start storage on a momentary pulse from a switch, you can make a latch from a pair of cross-coupled 2-input TTL NAND gates, connecting the switch between one free input and ground and connecting the output of the other gate to the DI1 digital input. That output will remain low until a normally open reset button connected between its free input and ground is pushed to pause storage until the next pulse from the start switch.
If you want to avoid using a latch, you could connect the switch between the CH2 input and ground, enable channel 2, and use Options Triggered Storage to start storage when that input crosses 1.4V with - slope. With points after trigger set to 0, storage continues until stopped by the user.
In the manual, "via digital input D0" might be clearer. With a DI-154RS or new DI-194RS, the D0 digital input crosstalks significantly into the second enabled analog channel, so for those devices WinDaq uses the D1 digital input for Options Remote Events, preventing it from being used simultaneously with Options Remote Storage
The variant returned by GetData is a 16-bit integer array. The following codes demonstrate how to access the data directly. Or you can use GetDataEx to retrieve the data and place to a pre-defined array.
If you have N channels enabled, the data in the array will be in the order of Channel 0, Channel 1, .... Channel N, Channel 0, Channel 1,......
Private Sub DataqSdk_NewData(ByVal Count As Integer)
V = DataqSdk.GetData() 'The data will be returned to V as a variant
cn = UBound(V, 1) 'cn = number of channel -1
pts = UBound(V, 2) 'pts = number of data -1
ReDim Channel1(0, 0 To pts ) As Integer
'create an array to accept channel1
For i = 0 To pts
Channel1(0, i) = V(0, i) 'Extract channel 1 from V
Next
DQChart1.Chart (Channel1) 'Plot channel 1
End Sub
Check List Of Trouble Shooting For WINDAQ Starter Kit (Make sure you don't have any signal/sensor connected to the starter kit)
1) Was the software installed succesfully?
If not, write down the error messege, and email to: support@dataq.com. BTW, make sure you have the latest version of WinDaq.
2) Did the machine hang up totally when you try to run Windaq?
If yes, go to 5)
3) Did you see the chart with an erasing cursor moving?
If yes, Windaq is considered running, call (330)-668-1444 or email to: info@dataq.com for your special concern.
4) Did you see any error message like "OpenComm failed with error code -10 or 5"?
If yes, see here
5) Are you using Windows 3.1?
If you answer yes, here you may find the answer
6) Which COM port did you try to use?
If you use any COM port higher than 16, you may have compatibility problem.
If you use COM port 5 or higher or USB-to-RS232 converter, you may not use DEBUG to test it
If you are not familiar with DEBUG or using Windows/XP/ME/2000/NT, go to 12).
7) Goto MS-promt, and type in DEBUG from C> prompt
C>debug<enter>
-
8) Type in D0:400 (We try to determine if you have the COM ports)
-D0:400<enter>
-0000:0400 F8 03 F8 02 .... <---- Is this what you read?
If so, the base address for COM 1 is 03F8, and COM 2 is 02F8.
Warning: If you find it hard to handle DEBUG, go to 12).
9) Type in O3FC,F (assuming you are using COM 1 and 03F8 is the base address, or 2FC, 37C, or 27C for COM2, 3, or 4)
-O3FC,F<enter>
10) Measure the voltage on Channel 1 vs. Gound, and you should read about 3.3V
If not, disconnect the starter kit, check the voltage on pin 4 and 7 of the D-type 9 pin connector, using pin 5 as the ground reference.
If any of them is negative, you got the wrong COM port.
If they are both lower than 5V, the COM port does not have enough driving power. Try the module on another PC.
11) Type in Q<enter> to go back to C> prompt.
12) Find the Start->Programs->Accessories group, and run an application called Hyper Terminal (If it is not installed on your PC, you will have to install it from your Windows CD). After you complete the Connection Description dialogue box, you should see the Phone Number dialogue box. Choose Direct to COM1 (if you are using COM1 for your starter kit) for Connect using option. Then set up the COM port as: Baud Rate: 4800, Data Bits: 8, Stop Bits: 1, Parity: None, Flow Control: None and specify the Comm port. If you can't select the COM port, it is not available to Windows, and you have to pick another COM port and try the procedure again. Or, you have to talk to your system administrator for further assistant.
Yes, DAC Playback is possible if you can configure the BIOS setup to put the parallel port in EPP or Bidirectional mode. Install the parallel port software. Make sure the device is connected to the parallel port when it is powered up to keep it from running its flashed USB program, and be sure to run the 720Loader under Start, Programs, Startup to load the DSP code that supports View DAC Playback. Right click the shortcut that starts WWB, click properties, and on the Shortcut tab add "-DDI501NT.DLL -N1" to the end of the command line.
The current DI-720 has insufficient memory to support a flash program supporting both acquisition and DAC playback. However, I will add your name and email address to a list of users to notify when either File Save As can support a .WAV file format or View Dac Playback is enhanced to support use of a system sound device. Note that there will be less flexibility in setting the sample rate than is available through the parallel port, so you may want to select sample rates such as 11.025, 22.05, or 44.1 KHz to allow normal-speed use of these features.
Whenever I start Windaq Pro my computer CPU usage goes to 100% , is it normal?
WinDaq acquisition will use 100% of the CPU unless Edit Preferences Update Interval is nonzero. Setting this to 10 milliseconds under Windows NT4/2000/XP/ME will greatly reduce the CPU usage and allow plotting when menus and dialogs are open, but only slightly degrade the smoothness of the display. Setting Edit Compression to the highest value that allows a fast enough display will further reduce CPU usage.
Setting Edit Sample Rate too high for the parallel port mode will use all the CPU time and eventually hang the system. The parallel port must be in EPP, Bidirectional, or Standard mode. In the attached NTPARPRT.TXT file (see below), follow the instructions in paragraph 4 to confirm the port mode (or watch as AUTOEXEC.BAT executes under Win95/98), and see paragraph 2 for the corresponding sample rate limit.
20-Nov-02 TROUBLESHOOTING WINDOWS NT 4/2000/XP/ME PARALLEL PORT INSTALLATIONS
1. No Dataq parallel interface device can operate in ECP (Extended
Capabilities Port) mode, devices with a dual interface (Universal Serial Bus
or Ethernet) cannot operate in Standard mode, and the DI-220 series devices
cannot operate in EPP mode. Instead of guessing, it is best to check the
computer BIOS setup to make sure it is in a mode which will work. How to do
this varies with computer type, but many machines suggest a key to press
during bootup. Avoid chooisg EPP+ECP or EPP 1.9, which usually do not work
with the current version of our parallel port software. A parallel port cannot
support EPP mode when it is located at address 3BC, since EPP requires 5
ports, the last of which conflicts with the video controller at 3C0.
2. The maximum acquisition rates under Windows NT, 2000, XP, 95, 98, or ME are
approximately:
DI Devices Port Mode Synonyms Maximum Samples/sec
500,510,720,730 EPP Enhanced Parallel Port 180,000 NT/2000/XP
500,510,720,730 EPP Enhanced Parallel Port 110,000 95/98/ME
500,510,720,730 Bidirectional PS/2 60,000
500,510,720P,730P Standard Compatible, Unidirectional 30,000
220,221,222 Bidirectional PS/2 25,000
220,221,222 Standard Compatible, Unidirectional 12,500
3. If WinDaq acquisition reports "Could not open data acquisition device" or
the title bar shows "DI-000 Acquisition" or "DI-??? Acquisition", the device
is not communicating. The title bar should show the acquisition device model
number, although a DI-500 may show as DI-720 because that board is now used
inside. Try running the loader from the WinDaq or StartUp folder after
powering the device off and on. On a DI-500, DI-720, DI-730, or DI-740 series
device, this should make the red light go out. On a DI-220 series device, this
should make the green light come on and the red light flash briefly. If this
does not happen, rerun the loader and watch the screen carefully.
4. If the error message disappears too fast to read, click Start, Settings,
Taskbar, Start Menu Programs, Advanced. Right click the device loader in the
WinDaq folder, click Properties, and the Shortcut tab. Write down the target
command line and working directory. Start a Command Prompt, type CD followed
by a space, a backslash, and the working directory name, and press Enter. Type
the target command line, press Enter, and read the error message at your
leisure.
5. If "LPT Port is not available." is displayed, make sure that that you have
shut down and restarted the computer after software installation and that the
LPT port which you specified (the number preceding the .BNM filename on the
target command line) is not tied up by an attempt to print. To make sure the
port at least exists, type DEBUG and press Enter, then at the dash prompt
type:
-D 40:8
The first line of the display will start with something like:
0040:0008 -78 03 BC 03 78 02
To quit DEBUG, type:
-Q
To exit the command prompt, type:
>EXIT
The above display means that LPT1: is at address 378 hexadecimal, LPT2: is at
address 3BC, and LPT3: is at address 278. If an address is 00 00, the port
does not exist or is not functioning.
6. If "DI-500/720/730 series driver not installed" is displayed the
PARPORT.SYS driver is probably not started. Under Windows NT 4.0, see the next
paragraph. A workaround under Windows 2000 or XP is to install a fictitious
Epson LX-86 printer on LPT1 (don't leave it as the default printer) and reboot
the computer. If the problem persists, reinstall WinDaq into the same folder
and reboot again. Once the loader and WinDaq are working, the fictitious
printer may be deleted.
7. Under Windows NT 4.0, click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools (Common),
Windows NT Diagnostics. Click Resources, I/O Port and check the hexadecimal
addresses mentioned at the start of this paragraph. At least one of these
should be listed for Device ParPort. If not, enable the device in the computer
BIOS setup, preferably at address 378, and select an appropriate parallel port
as described in paragraph 1. To check the status of the LPT port drivers in NT
4.0, make sure you are logged in as Administrator. Click Start, Settings,
Control Panel. Double click Devices. Scroll the Device listbox down near the
bottom to locate ParPort and Zeecube ParPort 2000. The status of both should
show as Started.
8. Under other operating systems, click Start, Settings, and double click
Control Panel. (On Windows 2000/XP Click Hardware.) Click Device Manager, then
the + sign to the left of Ports, and make sure that the port in question is
not marked with a yellow exclamation point or a red X. If so, right click the
port, click Properties, and if there is a resource conflict, click the
Resources tab. The installation file NEW_ZQ.EXE can be run from the CD-ROM
under Windows 95 or 98 in lieu of our standard software, whose resident part
can support only one acquisition device but is capable of higher sample rates.
9. If the loader runs successfully but the WinDaq/Lite, Pro, or Pro+
application title bar still shows "DI-000 Acquisition" or "DI-???
Acquisition", aggressive Power Management (see Control Panel, Power and the
computer BIOS for settings you can change) may be turning off the port in the
meantime, or a printer port monitor program may corrupt the DSP program. Press
Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up Task Manager to look for such programs, and try
closing them one at a time, then rerun the loader and application after
shutting down each one that can be closed (except Explorer and Systray). After
identifying the offending program, remove it from the StartUp folder, or run
REGEDIT or remove it from the keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run Services
10. If you want to print through the parallel port, exit acquisition first. To
resume acquisition after printing, disconnect the printer and connect the
Dataq device. If the device is DI-220 series or was powered down, it is
necessary to rerun the loader before starting acquisition. Otherwise it is
just good practice to make sure the DSP program was not corrupted while
disconnected.
Restarting WinDaq USB0 without restarting the system
If WinDaq USB0 crashes or a DI-720/USB is unplugged while WinDaq is
running, processes called DISCN720, DICMP720, WDQDK720, and DI200ANT
may be left running. WinDaq will not restart properly until these
processes are ended. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the Close Program
box under Win98/ME, or Task Manager under Windows 2000/XP, where you
should click the Processes tab. Click to highlight each of these
processes, and click "End Task" to stop each one, preferably in the
order listed. Under Windows 2000, DISCN720 will probably remain after
trying to end it, but further attemps fail with error messages. It
will disappear later when the device is powered down (which also
results in an unsafe removal warning that may be safely ignored after
removing it from the screen). DI200ANT may need to be ended twice
under Win98/ME, with a wait of a few seconds after the second attempt
before a confirming prompt, after which it disappears from the task
list.
The device itself may be hung, so turn it off until it disappears from
the devices listed by clicking the + sign to the left of "Universal
Serial Bus Controllers" in Control Panel, System, [Hardware under
Win2000/XP], Device Manager. Then turn it back on. If it reappears,
WinDaq should start without having to restart the system.
WinDaq acquisition and WWB both allow small incremental scaling adjustments using the mouse. Click and hold the left mouse button in the waveform area of the selected channel, drag to draw a rectangle of the same color as the waveform, and release. Left clicking in the annotation margin for the channel will then cause range of values bounded by the vertical limits of the rectangle to grow to fill the strip, or right clicking will cause the range of values between the vertical limits of the strip to shrink into the portion of the strip bounded by the vertical limits of the rectangle.
These functions are mentioned in the WWB online help under "Waveform Playback and Analysis Using WWB", "Mouse Operations", "Left Annotation Margin". On the Help menu, Mouse is supposed to bring up this topic, and Keyboard is supposed to bring up the preceding "Keyboard Operations" topic like they do in acquisition. We intend to fix these dead menu items in the next release of WWB.
If you need more precise control or a method not requiring a mouse, use the Scaling Limits command. An Options Units/Div command to display the vertical scale instead of the strip upper limit and a Scaling command to directly change that value are likely enhancements for a future release.
I would like to know if windaq has 1/3 octave analysis capabilities
WinDaq does not have 1/3 octave analysis capabilities. If you do not need to do that in real time, you could probably export the the data from WWB using File Save As in format "5) Spreadsheet print (CSV)" and analyze it using software from National Instruments. See http://www.ni.com/analysis/sound/octaveadv.htm. If you need to do that in real time, search http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/ for the quoted string "octave and FFT". If the sample rate is not too high, you could ask National Instruments if it might be possible to use those example programs with your Dataq hardware and its Labview drivers.
The 1994 16-bit version of Advanced CODAS fails to work under Windows 2000 if too many environment variables are defined in AUTOEXEC.BAT, or if the data file resides on a disk partition with more than 2 GB free space. Under Windows NT4/2000/XP, Advanced CODAS version 2.23 or later installs 32-bit software that does not have these problems and performs faster because it can use more memory. On www.dataq.com, click Products, Software, Advanced CODAS Upgrade. The cost is $100.