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1) Some possible reasons for DI-720 not running
2) Where can I find the +5V and Ground connection on
the 5B socket?
3) Does WinDAQ/LITE allow
playbacking data while a channel still being recorded?
4) The system time on our laptop matches the time of
the beginning of the file when we open the file using Windaq
Playback version 1.48; however when we open the file with either
Windaq playback version 2.11 or 2.19 there is a constant 3 hour
discrepency - why does this discrepency occur?
5) I can't install WinDaq/700, and the error message
is: The:\winnt\systemes\drivers\DI7000.sys could not be open.
please check that your disk is not full and that 6) you have access to the distination directory.
7) How do I know if my DI-194 works or not?
8) Can I turn off the demo square wave output on my
DI-194?
9) I use external power for my DI-194, and my
Windaq/194 doesn't seem to exit correctly.
10) I can not get a comment to be retreived
using the Browser? The events seen on the Browser View
Event Markers are always 256 with not comments
11) How do I remove the register key of DI-720/USB
under XP to simulate a fresh install?
12) I've got two funcitonal 12-bit AT-Codas boards
from the days of EGA displays. Is there software/hardware
available, so that they can be adapted to a modern (?) machine
with standard VGA capability?
13) I have a DI221TC portable data
acqusition,parralel port. I recently changed computers and an
unable to get it to work on the new system. I get the error
"Could not open data acquisition device" the green
light on the acq box does light up on boot.
14) I'm using a DI-720 with Windaq Pro. I'm
trying to activate the trigger for Windaq by sending a voltage
signal to the module but it is not working
15) I plugged the 700 in to try it out with nothing
connected to it but the blank DB37 provided. I shifted it
on my desk and the exposed terminals came close to my USB cable
and it rebooted my computer. What's the story with
this? Is the device that sensitive?
16) Common problem with starting parallel-based
devices
17) I note from the data sheets that the maximum
sample rate for the DI- 700 is 975 per second when used with
Windows 98, but only half that rate when used with Windows
XP. What is the maximum sample rate when used with widows
ME?
18) What is this error message "The
dynamic link library SHLWAPI.dll could not be found in the
specified path"?
19) How can I see the difference on the two points in
the waveform?
20) Linearity and accuracy of DI-720
21) I converted an ASCII file to Windaq file, but
noticed wrap-around in the data
22) I lost my HiRes capability when I upgrade to the
latest WinDaq
Some possible reasons for DI-720 not running
If it was "Install resident part of acquisition before Windows starts." that you got earlier, and if you are applying power to the computer and DI-720 at the same time, the problem may be that the computer is trying to run the "CALL C:\WINDAQM\GODATAQ.BAT" command line in C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT before the device has fully powered up. To determine if that is the case, put a "PAUSE" statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT just after that line. When "Press any key to continue" is displayed, look above that message on the screen. If "DI-500 did not respond properly in any mode." is displayed, turn the DI-720 off and on. Make sure both the red and green lights are on, then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to reboot. If "Resident part of DI200AC installed." is displayed at the PAUSE after the reboot, the red light on the DI-720 should be off. Press any key to finish booting into Windows, and the DI-720 should work until it is powered down.
If you get the message "Could not open data acquisition device." or have powered down the device since the resident part was installed (as indicated by the red light staying on when WinDaq acquisition is not running), click Start, Programs, StartUp, SmartLoader to reload the parallel port program into the device. Make sure the red light is off before running WinDaq acquisition. If the DI-720 also has a USB or Ethernet interface, make sure that the parallel port cable is connected to the computer before the device is powered up. Otherwise the DI-720 initializes as a USB or Ethernet device, and will not respond properly to the parallel port.
In WinDaq acquisition, File Save Default Setup saves the calibrations and other setup parameters in the CODASPAR.BIN file for use the next time WinDaq starts. Note that opening an existing file to append data or using File Open Reference File will change the calibrations to match the data file or reference file.
Where can I find the +5V and Ground connection on the 5B socket?
Click Here
Does WinDAQ/LITE allow playbacking data while a channel still being recorded?
To look at the data already stored to disk while WinDaq is still recording, use File Browse to start WWB. The amount of data available for viewing by WWB may be increased by using the View Refresh command or by using Ctrl+End to go to the new end of file. However, View Event Markers will show 256 equally-spaced markers in the portion of the file already viewable instead of the acquisition starts and acquisition-generated event marks and comments. The user annotation will also be missing, since that is also part of the trailer written when the file is closed.
You can also see the trailer information if you use start WWB with the File Freeze command, which write the trailer but stops recording. After exit from WWB, you can resume recording with File Record. Whether you use File Browse or File Freeze, you cannot use the WWB View DAC Playback command to play back data through the DAC on the data acquisition device, which WinDaq acquisition keeps open.
Program FIXHOUR.EXE may be used to adjust the start and end times in
the headers of WinDaq files by an integral number of hours to correct
for failure to properly set the environment varaible TZ for 16-bit
acquisition programs DI100AC.EXE, DI200AC.EXE, or DI200ACE.EXE. If it
is not set, TZ defaults to PST8PDT, or Microsoft time. In the Eastern
USA time zone, this causes acquisition to add 8 or 7 instead of 5 or 4
hours when converting from local time to UTC. WINDAQEX.EXE (WWB16)
converts back to local time by subtracting the same amounts, but
WINDAQ32.EXE (WWB32) defaults to the time zone of the system clock if
TZ is not set.
To adjust backward by 3 hours the times of all files in the current
directory with .WDQ extensions, at an MS-DOS Prompt type:
FIXHOUR -3 *.WDQ >FIXHOUR.LOG
If some files do not require correction because they were acquired
after installation of 32-bit acquisition software or after correctly
setting the TZ environment variable, an optional local date and time
when 32-bit acquisition software was installed may be entered before
the list of files in 24-hour format:
FIXHOUR -3 /D:10-18-99 /T:17:30 *.WDQ >FIXHOUR.LOG
Unless it was set just by installing WWB32, the last modification date
and time on the INSTALL.LOG in the directory where WinDaq was
installed (from installing 32-bit acquisition) can be used to
determine this threshold, or the date on AUTOEXEC.BAT if it has not
changed since TZ was defined. The date and time must be entered after
the number of hours but before the list of files. All files acquired
after the specified date and time are left untouched, but listed with
a message that they were acquired after the specified date and time.
The last modification dates on the files modified are restored to
their original values. The log file will contain the names of all
files modfied, while the names of all specified files which could not
be modified will be displayed on the screen, each with an error
message. The program can accept a list of filenames separated by
spaces, any of which may include the wildcard characters * and ?. The
right angle bracket and log file name at the end are optional, and if
omitted the names of all files processed successfully will be
displayed on the screen along with those which have error messages. Be
sure to run this program only once on each affected file, or the time
changes will accumulate. If you run it twice by mistake, or if a non-
WinDaq file passes validity checking and is modified, run FIXHOUR
again, specifying the negative of the original time adjustment (omit
the - sign in the above example).
We recommend that you delete all 16-bit WinDaq acquisition
applications (DI200AC.EXE, DI100AC.EXE, or DI200ACE.EXE before V2.32)
and WWB or Playback (WINDAQEX.EXE, WINDAQ.EXE) to prevent confusion in
the future unless you still need them (the 32-bit ones do not run
under Windows 3.1 in systems with a dual boot).
After correcting files acquired with the incorrect time zone, if you
intend to continue using any WinDaq 16-bit applications be sure to
reboot after adding a line in AUTOEXEC.BAT such as one of the
following in the United States:
SET TZ=EST5EDT
SET TZ=CST6CDT
SET TZ=MST7MDT
This will insure that the correct time zone is used for all future 16-
bit acquisition and playback. Note that these settings may have
similar effects on the operation of other 16-bit non-Dataq programs
which use Microsoft C runtime libraries. If it exists, TZ is also used
by 32-bit programs, including WINDAQ32.EXE and WinDaq acquisition
programs DI200A32.EXE, DI200ANT.EXE, DI100ANT.EXE, DI416A32.EXE, and
DI416ANT.EXE. However, setting TZ has no effect as long as it agrees
with with the system timezone.
In case a Windows 3.1 user needs to adjust time zones, a 16-bit
program FIXHOUR6.EXE is available to do the job, but in this case TZ
should be set up AUTOEXEC.BAT and the computer rebooted before running
it to insure correct interpretation of any date and time switches used
on its command line.
The error message implies that you are not logged in as Administrator. That is required to get access to \WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS, where the DI700.SYS file needs to be installed. In addition to the WinDaq/700 upgrade you downloaded, from the same location where you found newlt_ub.exe please click on "Download device driver only". That part of the upgrade is not included with WinDaq, and you should unzip di700.zip to a floppy and specify A:\ as the location of the driver instead of using the CD-ROM when plugging in the DI-700. It may be necessary to rerun newlt_ub.exe while logged in as Administrator, since you probably also lacked access to \WINNT\SYSTEM32, where files DI700NT.DLL and DISCN700.EXE need to be installed.
How do I know if my DI-194 works or not?
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, HyperTerminal. Double click on Hypertrm.exe, and enter DI-194 as the connection name. Click OK, then click the down arrow at the right of the Connect Using box. Click "Direct to Com1" or other port to which the DI-194 is connected, and click OK. Change the Port Settings to read 4800, 8, None, 1, None and click OK. A voltmeter between a floating CH1 input and GND should read 3.3 Volt or more. You can actually start it scanning from HyperTerminal. Hold down Ctrl while pressing Break, then type S1. If a stream of characters is displayed, typing Ctrl+Break and S0 should stop the characters.
Can I turn off the demo square wave output on my DI-194?
To turn off the square wave output when using WinDaq/194 (release after Dec 4, 2002), set data bit 1 (value 2) at offset 0x3DC in CODASPAR.BIN (4DC in DEBUG).
C:\DATAQ>debug codaspar.bin
-e 4dc
154D:04DC 00.2
-w
Writing 00AAE bytes
-q
C:\DATAQ>
When WinDaq exits, it simply closes the COM port, powering the device down. However, with the DI-194 externally powered, this leaves the device scanning. This problem is fixed on Dec 4, 2002. Please download the latest WinDaq/194 from our website.
The event markers and comments are stored in the trailer of the data file, which is not written until the file is closed. During acquisition, WWB displays 256 equally-spaced event markers in the portion of the file acquired before the latest Ctrl+End or View Refresh command. These allow keyboard navigation in the meantime. However, if Options Event Marks is set, the upward-going spikes in the first channel data are visible and may be located using the Search Next Mark and Search Previous Mark commands. To see the comments, use File Freeze instead of File Browse to start WWB. This suspends acquisition and write the file trailer before starting WWB. When WWB exits, acquisition remains paused until File Record reads the trailer back in and resumes acquisition, overwriting it with new data.
How do I remove the register key of DI-720/USB under XP to simulate a fresh install?
Warning: If you delete a wrong key or file, you may crash your PC!!!!!!!!
Log in as administrator, use RegEdit to open the registry file, from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->ControlSet001->Enum->USB, you should be find folders started with Vid_0683 (DATAQ's registered USB vendor ID). To delete it, you need to select the key, right-click and select Permission and allow Full Control to Everyone, then you can delete it. After that, go to Windows\system32\drivers directory to delete DI720.sys. Finally, go to Window\inf directory and delete DI720.inf and DI720.pnf. Now, you can try the fresh install.
Although it runs a VGA display in 640x350 EGA mode to use the extra video memory for smooth scrolling, AT-CODAS full length ISA boards marked DI-410 (not to be confused with the more recent 8.25 inch long DI-410 cards that WinDaq supports) connected to a DI-420 signal module will still run on semimodern Win3.1/95/98 computers, and probably in modern ones as well if you install a dual boot to DOS 6.2, Win95, or Win98. Don't forget to connect the vertical retrace plug from the VGA pass-through cable cable to the jack on the back of the board. ACODAS must run from a command prompt before Windows starts. In Win95/98, press F8 within 1 second after "Starting Windows 98..." appears and press 5 and Enter to select "Command Prompt Only".
Download and unzip the attached latest ATCODAS.ZIP to C:\ACODAS to install the software, and run CONFIG to make sure that the base address and IRQ match the jumper settings on the card, which must not conflict with other hardware in the system. If ADVPOST works without a "vertical retrace interrupt timeout" message, ACODAS should run as long as there are 40 hexadecimal free I/O addresses at the configured base address. After acquiring files, type "WIN" at a command prompt to start Windows, where the files may be reviewed with the latest WWB, but avoid checking Options Time/Div or setting Options Grid Spacing to values other than 0. These new features use file header bits that will cause ACODAS and ADVPOST trouble if saved back into a file.
Some modern computers with multiple buses often ignore DMA requests on the ISA bus while processing PCI bus graphics requests, causing channel rotation problems on DI-200 and DI-300 series cards. If you cannot get your boards to work or have channel rotation problems, please contact Roger Lockhart or John Bowers about possible trade-in deals on new systems.
After running 220LDRNT under Windows XP, the System process turns out the power light within 5 seconds. Work around the problem by creating a batch file DI221TC.BAT to run the loader before launching WinDaq, containing: CD \WINDAQNT 220LDRNT.EXE 1 DI-221.BNM DI200ANT.EXE -DDI221NT.DLL -N1
Right click on the shortcut that launches WinDaq acquisition, click Properties, and on the Shortcut tab change the Target command line to: C:\WINDAQNT\DI221TC.BAT
There is a small chance that the system will turn off the power before the last line in the batch file. If WinDaq fails to start, just exit and rerun the batch file. The DI221TC is not designed to work in EPP or ECP mode, although the latter may work like Standard mode if it is not detected as Bidirectional.
I'm using a DI-720 with Windaq Pro. I'm trying to activate the trigger for Windaq by sending a voltage signal to the module but it is not working. Everything is connected like it is supposed to be according to the insturctions. I went to the OPTIONS menu and checked the Remote Storage 1. The external disk storage symbol "S" comes on but when we send a voltage across the START/STOP AND EVNT connections nothing is triggered. We are however sending .6 volts to the module. My question is: What are we doing wrong? Can you give a more descriptive procedure as to how to initate a remote data storage?
The remote storage signal should be applied to the START/STOP input with respect to ground (pin 7). The EVNT signal is used only with Options Remote Events. Each signal floats high through a pullup resistor. With Options Remote Storage 1 checked and START/STOP held low, the status field should show RECORD* to indcate that storage is suspended. When the signal goes high, the asterisk should disappear and storage should proceed.
Shorting the +5V PWR on pin 2 to ground could cause some computer to reboot by exceeding the current allowed by the USB controller. The maximum allowable is usually 500 mA, and the DI-700 normally requires 300 mA.
Common problem with starting parallel-based devices
Under Windows 98, the files DI501NT.DLL and DISCN501.EXE are installed in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM only if the user explicitly runs new_zq.exe, the Windows NT4/2000/XP/ME version of the software that installs application DI200ANT.EXE. This software does not allow scanning as fast under Windows 98 as the software designed for that system.
Using a DI-720P under Windows 98, our CD-ROM installation normally runs new_wdq.exe, which installs application DI200A32.EXE that links to \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DI2S32.DLL for device access, which it passes to 16-bit code in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\200SDK.DLL that communicates with a resident part \WINDAQM\DI-500M.COM. The resident part is installed when AUTOEXEC.BAT calls GODATAQ.BAT, assuming that the device is powered up and responds properly when the computer starts . By inserting a line containing "PAUSE" in AUTOEXEC.BAT after the line which calls GODATAQ.BAT, at "Press any key to continue..." you can look at the DOS screen to see if "Resident part of DI200AC installed" is displayed above. If not, an error message should be displayed.
The message "DI-500 did not respond properly in any mode." is displayed if the device is not turned on, the BIOS setup has the port configured in ECP mode that the device does not support, or the port, DI-720P, or cable is not firmly connected or defective.
The message "Invalid port address." is displayed if a Plug-and-Play parallel port is not assigned an address by the computer BIOS. Try configuring BIOS setup to assign a port address such as 378, 278, or 3BC. If that cannot be done, you can press a key to finish starting Windows 98 and determine the port address. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Device Manager. Click the + sign to the left of "Ports (COM and LPT)", click "Printer Port (LPT1)", then click Properties, Resources. Note the port address, and in C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, replace the 1 at the end of the "CALL GODATAQ.BAT" line with the port address, followed by a space and the port mode: 1 for EPP mode 2 for Bidirectional mode 3 for Standard mode Then shut down and restart the computer. Even if the device is turned off, a "The DI-500 responded properly" message for the specified mode will be displayed before "Resident Part of DI200AC installed." The SmartLoader in the StartUp folder should load the device and turn off the red light shortly after the Windows desktop appears.
Under Windows ME, DI-700 maximum rate is 976.5625 samples/sec. To prevent low-speed devices from using too much CPU time, under Windows XP Microsoft decided to limit the minimum polling interval for USB interrupt endpoints to 8.192 msec, enforcing a provision in the existing USB specification. The DI-700 can transfer up to 4 samples per polling interval. Although WinDaq/Lite allows the DI-700 to operate at maximum speed, gap-free storage to disk at rates above 244.140625 samples/sec requires that the user have a very fast computer or limit concurrent activities. Gaps are reported on the screen during acqisition, marked in the data, and listed by the WWB View Event Markers command.
Our old laptop that ran the
Windaq software won't boot, so we installed it on an IBM Thinkpad
600 running Windows NT 4.0. It appears to install normally
except that when we try to run the Windaq software we get an
error message that reads:
"The dynamic link library SHLWAPI.dll
could not be found in the specified path."
The error occurs because our HTML help files will not run unless Internet Explorer V4.0 or later is installed on the computer. We have alternate WinHelp files that WinDaq acquisition and WWB revert to if HTML help is disabled by renaming C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\hhctrl.ocx to hhctrl.ocs. If you later want the features of HTML help, you can install Internet Explorer V4.0 or later and rename the file back.
I was trying to upgrade our acquisition PC with the latest version of WinDAQ Pro from your website (to 2.72, with 2.10 we were seeing random infrequent drop outs in the data that may be solved with an upgrade). As directed I uninstalled our old version (2.10) and installed the new, but it installed the WINDAQ Lite. I removed WINDaQ Lite, reinstalled Pro off our original CD - it runs but now I cant load our 16 bit ('hi res') files.
A) What is the correct upgrade procedure
B) Are there seperate files for 16 bit support and where do
I get them?
What is the month and year printed on your original CD? Since acqusition version 2.10 was released 9/28/98 only on floppies, I will assume that your CD installs WWB version 2.10, released 5/31/01. In that case, assuming your device uses a parallel port interface, you can install the HiRes version under Win95/98 by running D:\DATAQ\UPGRADE\ALL\new_wdqh.exe, or under Windows NT4/2000/ME/XP by running new_zqh.exe.
Since your software is over a year old, getting an updated WinDaq/Pro password to install the latest requires a $200 upgrade. Your software may be new enough to get by if you save the old DI416A32.EXE or DI416ANT.EXE application under another name, install the latest WinDaq/Lite acquisition, and copy the saved WinDaq/Pro HiRes application over the WinDaq/Lite application of the same name.
In any case, please use the latest HiRes WWB, which now supports the Edit Insert Mark, Edit Delete Mark, and Edit Clear Marks, and File Calculate commands. Note that the latest version of Advanced CODAS now supports calculations on HiRes files.
If by "random infrequent drop outs" you mean gaps reported during acquisition and shown with "gap restart" comments in WWB View Event Markers, the software upgrade is unlikely to affect the rate of occurrence, which is mostly a function of sample rate and the concurrent use of other applications. What will probably help is eliminating graphics overhead by using Options Pause Graphics. If that fixes the problem, you can probably compromise to get graphics of adequate quality by avoiding Options Scroll Mode, increasing Edit Compression, increasing Edit Preferences Skip Factor, or reducing window size. Reducing the screen resolution or number of display colors may help, since WinDaq only requires 16 colors.
How can I see the difference on the two points in the waveform?
The WWB Options Select Live Display command, if set to "Difference from TM pt" with Options Enable Time Marker checked, causes the difference between the data value at the cursor for the selected channel and the uncompressed data value for that channel at the Time Marker position to be displayed instead of the TBF value. Note that just after setting Options Enable Time Marker, this value may be nonzero unless Edit Compression is 1, since the value at the cursor is the MID, MIN, or MAX of the values comprising the compressed point.
If you want to temporarily see the TBF without unchecking Options Time Marker or changing Options Select Live Display, press 0 to deselect the channel. Press the strip number to reselect.
Linearity and accuracy of DI-720:
The following was done on March 12, 2003
Signal source: JDR DFG 600 Function generator
Verifying instrument: Fluke 45 MultiMeter (ID: 827543-6990034, Calibrated on 8/28/2001 by Tech #59860 of Fluke)
DI-720 SS#: 3E6E1191 (Sample Rate 100Hz, Max Sample Rate: 50K, Only single-ended Channel 1 is enabled, Averaging mode, 10V input range)
Fluke vs. WinDaq
0.000 0.000
0.494 0.492
1.020 1.018
1.509 1.508
2.008 2.006
2.505 2.504
3.004 3.002
3.515 3.513
4.030 4.028
4.506 4.503
5.015 5.012
5.499 5.497
6.021 6.018
6.501 6.499
7.028 7.025
7.505 7.502
8.005 8.003
8.513 8.511
9.009 9.008
9.516 9.512
9.928 9.923
-0.486 -0.487
-0.996 -0.996
-1.502 -1.503
-2.005 -2.006
-2.501 -2.502
-3.007 -3.008
-3.495 -3.496
-3.977 -3.978
-4.520 -4.521
-5.014 -5.015
-5.506 -5.507
-6.031 -6.031
-6.495 -6.495
-7.013 -7.013
-7.498 -7.498
-8.017 -8.016
-8.500 -8.499
-8.995 -8.994
-9.494 -9.491
-9.944 -9.940
I converted an ASCII file to Windaq file, but noticed wrap-around in the data
On 8-23-02 a bug was fixed in the CONVERT program from non-WinDaq file formats that had been introduced 11-15-02 but not distributed until the June 2002 CD-ROM. This caused overflow with resulting wraparound for signals which were larger than +-25% of full scale. Please download the latest. The latest version also supports a new input type, "15) Convert Spreadsheet print to CODAS with fixed scale." This allows you to specify fixed +- full scale limits if you want to override the autoranging done for input type 2. If you want to use this feature, from www.dataq.com click support, Upgrades, WinDaq Playback and Analysis Software, WinDaq Wavewform Browser and download the latest.
