What's New With DAP Measurement Studio (DAPstudio) - Archive

Visit the current DAP Measurement Studio (DAPstudio) Web site pages.

DAPstudio Version 3.02 was released April 20, 2010.

Input/output procedure tabs

• Added new right click menus to increment pin numbers on set commands by 1 to 8, replacing the old menu that incremented only by 1.
  Incrementing by 2 allows easy configuration of input procedures to use all the channel selectors on xDAP7400 and other new xDAP architecture products that support multiple channel selectors.

xDAP support

• Corrected error in cX:dY notation for set commands when using gain (gain was omitted).

DAPstudio 3.01 Release was released February 16, 2010.

xDAP support

• Adds 3 digits to time/rate resolution for DAPstudio. Continues to use TIME statement to set sampling rate.
• Supports cX:dY notation for set commands. Allows access to xDAP analog backplane sources. Example: c1:d2 accesses channel path 1 differential pin pair 2.

DAPstudio Version 3.00 (posted to the Web site October 31, 2006) made data display and analysis easier for you in several ways. Pick and choose from different displays to create the custom window that shows all of the data – in all of the ways – that you want it to. See instant changes in your application by making adjustments in real-time to the constants and variables you use.

Custom Design Window

• Select any combination of Graph, Table, Waterfall, Bar, Alarm, and Digital Volt Meter displays within a custom design window.
• Create a Custom Design window by selecting Window | New Custom Design.
• To include a display, select Custom Design Options | Add (display type).
• The top left buttons (T, B, <, >, C) allow for top, bottom, left, right, and client alignment. The CONFIG button allows specialized configuration for the display screen. Disable the design mode state using the top right button (D).

Variable/Constant Display

• Send and read variable and constant information from the DAP board with the Variable/Constant display. Access this display through the Custom Design window.
• To include the Variable/Constant display, select Custom Design Options | Add Variable/Constant.

Data File Window

• Open numerous data files using a single Data File window. This allows you to work with configuration of related files in one place. You can then configure multiple groups of files by using multiple Data File windows. In the previous release, each data file you read required a separate Data File window.
• Create a data file window by selecting Window | Open Data File...
• To add a data file, select the + button or Add label.
• To delete a data file, select the tab of the file you want to delete, followed by the - button or Delete label.

Disk Logging Window

• Use a base path and name to easily manage log files – especially for multiple log files for multiple DAP or iDSC boards.
• To use a base path and name, select Disk Log Options | Base Path and Name.
• The Disk Log window also now supports three logging options (overwrite confirm, overwrite, and append).
• To see these new features, select Window | DiskLog. The logging options are visible in window itself.

Table Configuration Dialog

• Select configuration information for a Table window in a new Table Configuration dialog.
• To access the Table Configuration dialog, select Window | Table, then Table Options | Display...

Switching between boards

• Switch between boards quickly – DAP boards, iDSC boards – using a new shortcut method.
• Select Window | Configuration and place the mouse over the board name (i.e. DAP0, DSC0, etc). The board name will highlight. Click on it to show all available boards in the system. Select the board to switch to it.

DAPstudio Version 2.50 (posted to the Web site March 23, 2006) made development easier for you in several ways.

A maintenance release - DAPstudio Version 2.51 - was posted to the Web site May 15, 2006.

Send Data File To DAP Board

• Send any number of data files from the PC to the DAP through input communication pipes.
• To enable, right-click over the second level of tabs under the Processing tab and select Options. In the Tabs Visible group box, select Send To DAP, then OK. A Send to DAP tab will be visible. Choose any number of input communication pipes.
• To select the data file to send to the DAP, open a data file through Window|Open Data File. The data file will appear in the Send to DAP tab.
• Supports all input communication pipes including $BinIn, Cp2In, Cp3In, Cp4In, ..., Cp30In.
• Send to DAP tab displays the file size and the amount of data transferred once Start is invoked.

3D Graphical Display

• All graphical displays allow a 3D view. The 3D view also includes depth grid lines, labels, and angle adjustments.
• To enable 3D, double-click over the display window to open the graphical display dialog and select the 3D tab.
• The 3D tab allows configuring the 3D view, angle, colors, grids, and labels.
• 3D view is also accessible through the 3d button located on the top left of the graphical display. The row of buttons are called the Display Tools. To enable/disable the Display Tools, open the graphical display dialog and select the General tab.

Waterfall Window

• Displays acquired data as blocked waveforms that progress back in time. The most common use of this type of display is to show a series of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) plots in time. The waterfall display is very effective when used with Block Scroll. To open, select the Window|New Waterfall menu.
• Double-click over the Waterfall window to open the Waterfall display dialog.
• The Waterfall display dialog has a Waterfall tab for configuring the Depth Number. The (Depth Number x View Points) must be <= History, so the History or View Points may need to be adjusted accordingly. The Waterfall tab also allows rotating colors for its waveforms so that a specific event moves back in time with the same color.

Bar Window

• Displays acquired data as vertical bars.
• To open, select the Window|New Bar menu.
• Double-click over the Bar window to open the Bar display dialog.
• The Bar display dialog has a Bar tab for configuring the bar border color (to configure the bar color itself – not its border color – go to the Colors/Legend tab), bar width, and the overlap amount between all bars. It also supports tools for automatic bar border color on all channels.

Clone Active Window

• Clones the active display window by creating a new copy of itself. The new copy has all of the exact attributes of the original active window, except its caption.
• To clone, select the active window, then the Window|Clone Active Window menu item.
• You can clone all display windows: Graph, Table, Alarm, Bar, Waterfall, and Digital Volt Meter windows.
• You cannot clone Configuration, Disk Log, Server Disk Log, or Data File windows.

Live Data File Access

• Allows viewing a data file while it is being logged to.
• There are two ways to access a live data file. As an example, use a Graph display to view Data0.bin.
  • Select the Window|Open Data File menu, and open Data0.bin. From the Graph window, select the Graph Options menu, followed by Connect To, and then Data File: Data0.bin for viewing the data.
  • Select the DiskLog window and open file Data0.bin for logging to disk. From the Graph window, select the Graph Options menu, followed by Connect To, and then Disk Log: Data0.bin for viewing the data.

File Open History

• Maintains a history of the last nine files opened. Accessible from the File menu.

New User Interface Features

• Distinct icons in the Diagnostics and Window menu items simplify selecting the different window displays.
• Display Tools located on the top left of the graphical display simplify 3D management. To enable/disable the Display Tools, open the graphical display dialog and select the General tab.

DAPstudio Version 2.0 (posted to the Web site October 11, 2005) made development easier for you in several ways.

Named a Data Acquisition Products of the Year Winner for 2005 by Scientific Computing magazine.

• Multiple data rate transfer capabilities
• New display types – including alarm windows for pass/fail testing – and many new graph configuration options
• Fully integrated support for iDSC 1816 anti-aliasing boards

Multiple Data Rate Transfer

• Use multiple communication channels to send data with differing rates to the PC at the same time. For example, send really fast and really slow data at the same time, several fast channels with differing rates, or one continuous channel and a trigger controlled channel, either slow or fast.
• Multiple data rate transfer to the PC based on communication pipes.
• To enable, select the Processing|Send To PC tab of the Configuration window. Click on '$BinOut' and add new communication pipes.
• Supports all output communication pipes including Cp2Out, Cp3Out, Cp10Out, Cp20Out, etc.

iDSC Support

• Provides full iDSC support.
• To enable, select the System|Multiple Boards Configure menu and add a new iDSC by clicking the DSC button.
• Allows configuring iDSCs and DAPs through one program.

Memory Used Window

• Displays memory used, input count, and output count of all DAPs in the system.
• To open, select the Diagnostics|Memory Used... menu.

Interpreter Window

• Interpreter screen is available now as its own window and in the Interpreter tab of the Configuration window.
• To open, select the Diagnostics|Interpreter... menu.
• As its own window, it is easier to switch between active functions and error messages while DAPL is running.
• Click the Hide/Show button to display commands to send to the DAP live. Send any of the commands in the drop-down list, or type your own commands.

Graph Window

• Allows block scroll and fixed limits for the x-axis. This is particularly useful for FFT display.
• Double-click over the Graph window to open the Graph Display dialog.
• The Graph Display dialog allows additional configuring of channel, background, border, and legend colors and fonts. It also supports tools for automatic color update on all channels.

Server Disk Log Window

• Allows easy access to server disk logging when DAPcell Local or DAPcell is installed.
• To open, select the Window|New Server Disk Log menu.

Alarm Window

• Displays acquired data as alarms to support arbitrary logical expressions for pass/fail criteria.
• To open, select the Window|New Alarm menu.
• Double-click over the Alarm window to open the Alarm Display dialog.
• The Alarm Display dialog has an Alarm tab for configuring the alarm types, minimum and maximum values, and minimum and maximum colors. It also supports tools for automatic alarm update on all channels.

Digital Volt Meter Window

• Displays acquired data in rows and columns using a digital volt meter look.
• To open, select the Window|New Digital Volt Meter menu.
• Double-click over the DVM window to open the DVM Display dialog.
• The DVM Display dialog allows configuring the number of columns, titles, units, and background and border colors. It also supports tools for automatic text and color update on all channels.

Visual Icons

• Distinct icons for the various windows simplify selecting and managing multiple window displays.
• Unique signal icons in the Output|Pipes tab of the Configuration window simplify selecting and viewing output signals.

Environment

• System|Tabs Reduce menu allows the window tabs to only display its distinct icon. This saves window tabs space when displaying multiple windows.

DAPstudio Version 1.50 (posted to the Web site 5 January 2005) made development easier for you in several ways, with the most dramatic improvement in processing massive files fast and in accessing logged data immediately

(Note: A minor upgrade to version 1.51 was posted 23 March 2005.)

For Multiple Data Types DAPstudio now

• Supports all DAPL data types (word, long, float, double) for processing and sending to the PC.
• Displays all DAPL data types in graphs and tables.

For Logged Data Files DAPstudio now

• Displays logged data files on disk in graphs and tables.
• Uses a logged data configuration file (.DSD) to store channel names, data types (word, long, float, double), and display rates to simplify user configuration. This .DSD file is easily created if it does not exist.

For Processing DAPstudio now

• Automatically creates pipes or variables with DAPL expressions. This feature is invoked by typing '='.
• Supports startup and shutdown tabs under 'Sequencing' to record the start and stop statements.
• Automatically inserts DAPL commands from the DAPL command-tree view into the memo by double-clicking the DAPL command.
• Supports automatic and manual declarations in the 'Declarations' tab. For automatic declarations, the display and creation of pipes, triggers, constants, etc. are handled by DAPstudio. For manual declarations, the user has complete control and can type anything in any order - no checking takes place.
• Includes Ctrl-C/Ctrl-E (copy, increment, paste, recopy) feature in the 'Declarations' tab.
• Simplifies output configuration with 'same as first' for the signal source, amplitude, and period on either all channels or selected channels.

For the User Environment DAPstudio now

• Uses window tabs to simplify the handling and managing of multiple window displays.
• Displays errors and warnings from the DAP to alert the user of problems.
• Allows configurable window titles for all display windows.
• Displays visual icons to tell the user if the system is running, locked from configuring, etc.
• Supports visual tools for acquiring data, configuring multiple DAPs, etc.
• Supports DAPL context-sensitive help in the 'Interpreter' tab.
• Saves DAPL listing using file menu option.
• Selects entire columns by clicking on the title bar and entire rows by clicking on the side bar in the table window.
• Shows/hides the sample counts as an option in the table window.

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