DAQ Workstation: User Guide

Installation:

  1. Download the Windows Installer from the P09311 SVN repository “P09311\private\Installers\SetupDAQWorkstation.msi”
  1. Double click SetupDAQWorkstation.msi to initiate the installation
  1. Select location to install program. Default is “C:\Program Files\P09311\DAQ Workstation”
  1. Select Next to continue installation
  1. Installer will check for the required components on PC (.NET Framework 3.5) and download and install them if necessary.
  1. A Shortcut to the program will be created on the desktop. Click shortcut to start program.

Code:

1. Code can be found in the P09311 SVN repository “P09311\private\code\DAQ WorkStation\”

  1. Double Click “DAQ Workstation.sln” to open project solution in Visual Studio 2008
  1. “Program.cs” is the main entry point for the application. “Terminal.cs” is where the core of the program is contained.
  1. Almost all of the code is commented about every 3 lines, so I won't go into detail here.

Suggested programs to install:

  1. Virtual Serial Port Emulator (VSPE). Available freely from:
  2. ArbExpress Waveform viewer. Available freely from:

Virtual Serial Port Emulator (VSPE) Usage:

  1. Run VSPE: Start → Programs → Virtual Serial Port Emulator → VSPE


  1. Click Device → Create to specify a device type to emulate.
  2. Choose Connector or Pair to use for testing DAQ Workstation software.


  1. Select Next and assign Virtual serial port a COM number.


  1. Select Finish
  2. Start COM port emulation by selecting the COM port just created and clicking the green arrow button.


  1. Serial port is all set up and read to go!
  1. COM port can be stopped by clicking the black square button.

DAQ Workstation Usage:

  1. Click DAQ Workstation icon located on the desktop to start program.


  1. Select Communication Device, Data Mode and Data Direction.
  2. Data Direction can either be Outgoing, Incoming, or Both Outgoing and Incoming.
  1. Click browse to locate the Outgoing CSV file to send (If Outgoing direction is selected)
  1. Click browse to select the location where the Incoming CSV file will be saved (If Incoming direction is selected). The file will be saved to the pc in the desired location as “output.csv”.
  2. If Outgoing data direction is selected you will also need to select the outgoing file type.
  3. “Arb CSV” for CSV files generated by Tektronix ArbExpress
  4. After selecting Arb CSV you will have to select a voltage offset. This is because when you export a waveform from ArbExpress it does not save any offset information for some reason. Input's to the DAQ should be fron 0-5V so typically this offset will be set 2.5.
  5. “9311 CSV” for firms in the CSV form: “"Date (MM/dd/yyyy)","Time (hh:mm:ss.fffffff tt)","Analog/Digital","Data (Hex)","Transfer Speed (bps)","Channel Number"
  1. Verify the correct COM port, Baud Rate, Parity, Data Bits, Stop Bits are selected under Serial Port Settings. Note: Baud rates above 115200 are only supported with Serial to USB cables or through emulation on the PC.
  2. The rest of the settings should typically be the following: Partiy: None. Data Bits: 8, Stop Bits: One.
  1. Click Establish Connection to open COM Port.
  1. Click Send Data to send Outgoing file.
  1. Incoming Data will automatically be recorded to the “output.csv” file in the user selected location.
  1. Click Close connection once all data is done being sent or received (or both) to terminate serial connection.
  2. Note: There is a chance for an exception to occur if there is still data being sent when you try to terminate the connection in the workstation. On the FPGA interface to the DAQ we implemented a switch that terminates data communication to solve this problem.
  1. To convert the incoming CSV file (output.csv) to ArbExpress CSV make sure it is selected under the Incoming File selection box and choose File → Export → Tektronix ArbExpress CSV.


  1. Select a location to save the Tektronix CSV file (ArbOutputCh[x].csv).
  2. An ArbExpress CSV will be created for each channel found in the 9311 CSV file you are converting.



Generated files:

Tektronix ArbExpress Usage:

  1. Open ArbExpress Application: Start → Programs → Tektronix ArbExpress → ArbExpress Application
  1. To generate a waveform select Waveform → Type (Sine, Square, Triangle, Pulse, Noise, DC, Exponential Rise, Exponential Decay, Sinc, Sweep, Etc..)
  1. Select properties of the waveform and click OK.


  1. Select File → Save As
  2. Make sure to select “AWG csv (*.csv)” as the Save as type.


  1. Click Save.
  1. To open a CSV to view in ArbExpress select File → Open
  2. Make sure to select “csv (*.csv)” as the file type.
  3. Click Open


  1. View your reconstructed waveform
  2. Note: ArbExpress Seems to work better when only 1000 data points are in the file. If you are viewing data from the DAQ in ArbExpress file it might be better to cut the number of samples down to 1000 for better a resolution.