Distant and offline PC evaluation software program
Given the price of digital check devices like oscilloscopes, most instrumentation suppliers are discovering methods to entry them extra freely. A method during which they’re doing that is to supply software program that helps distant entry and offline evaluation of saved knowledge. So, in the event you’re a technician working within the lab and you’ve got a query, you possibly can entry the oscilloscope remotely and see what the issue is. Or, in the event you completed per week of testing and found that some vital measurements had not been made, you possibly can hearth up your PC and add the required measurements to your recorded knowledge with out having to return to the lab. All that is potential by way of these software program instruments.
All three main oscilloscope suppliers have provided distant and offline evaluation instruments. This contains Maui Studio from Teledyne LeCroy, TekScope™ from Tektronix, and Keysight’s PathWave BenchVue Oscilloscope software program. Normally, they provide a free model with restricted functionality and an upgraded model (or variations) for a value, with a full set of options. This text is predicated on the Teledyne LeCroy Maui Studio, however different instrument suppliers have software program with comparable capabilities.
Maui Studio
Teledyne LeCroy’s Maui Studio software program presents the power to work remotely out of your oscilloscope whereas having all of the performance of your oscilloscope obtainable proper at your fingertips. Maui Studio additionally permits entry to a distant oscilloscope, the power to import knowledge and setups utilizing an enhanced LabNotebook file, the capability to import waveforms from different producers oscilloscopes for comparability and evaluation, in addition to the potential to mannequin source-response testing utilizing the built-in arbitrary operate generator which might provide commonplace in addition to arbitrary waveforms. All this out of your native private laptop.
Distant management
Distant management of an oscilloscope is widespread to all of the distant management and evaluation software program choices. Maui Studio connects to the distant Teledyne LeCroy Maui oscilloscope by way of a community connection. Clearly, the community should be setup to permit the distant entry. Merely enter the IP handle or the Hostname of the distant oscilloscope on the Maui Studio distant scope tab below the file pulldown and press the Join button to hyperlink to the distant instrument as proven in Determine 1.
Determine 1 An instance of a distant connection between Maui Studio and a distant oscilloscope. The connection is managed utilizing the Distant Scope tab in Maui Studio.
Maui Studio can management all features of the distant oscilloscope this contains acquisition settings, triggering, hint management, and show. Information may be transferred from the oscilloscope to Maui Studio or from Maui Studio to the oscilloscope. When transferring knowledge from the oscilloscope, not solely are the settings and waveforms transferred, however Maui Studio is reconfigured to match the distant oscilloscope’s mannequin and possibility content material. Maui Studio may be configured as any of 6 completely different oscilloscope households and as much as a complete of 39 distinct fashions. It is a essential characteristic because it permits Maui Studio to have full entry to all of the capabilities of the mannequin of the distant oscilloscope and all its obtainable choices.
The consumer can elect to synchronize Maui Studio with the distant oscilloscope on connection or to switch knowledge manually. Within the instance in Determine 1, a segmented waveform from an ultrasonic ranging system is transferred to Maui Studio. The sign may be processed or analyzed utilizing any of the maths or evaluation instruments obtainable within the distant oscilloscope. Examples proven embrace the of averaging the 5 segments and making use of a filter to the waveform. Parameter and cursor measurements may be carried out as proven.
When your evaluation is full, the outcomes may be recorded utilizing the oscilloscope’s enhanced LabNotebook report generator which saves your complete state of the instrument together with waveform traces, settings, measurements, and a hardcopy of the display screen. Traces, settings, and hardcopy will also be saved manually. All of the recordsdata may be transferred again to the distant oscilloscope for future reference.
Transferring recordsdata between Maui Studio and the distant oscilloscope
Maui Studio features a file switch operate which facilitates transferring recordsdata, bidirectionally between Maui Studio and the distant oscilloscope. Entry to the file switch operate is by urgent the Browse Distant Scope button within the File Switch part of the Distant Scope dialog field that’s proven in Determine 2.
Determine 2 The file switch operate of Maui Studio facilitates file switch between the distant oscilloscope and Maui Studio. Information could also be shared in both path.
The Browse Distant Scope button gives entry to the oscilloscope directories on the distant oscilloscope. The From Distant and To Distant buttons management the path of the switch. Deciding on a file inside any of the displayed directories will deliver up a immediate to pick out a vacation spot. When each ends of the switch have been chosen, an OK immediate seems, urgent OK executes the switch. This file switch performance is helpful for shifting reviews, check procedures, and different paperwork between Maui Studio and the distant oscilloscope.
Transferring waveforms between oscilloscopes from completely different producers
Maui Studio, like the opposite distant entry and evaluation software program packages can import waveforms from different devices. Maui Studio can recall waveform knowledge from all principal oscilloscope suppliers together with Keysight, Rohde and Schwarz, Tektronix, and Yokogawa. Solely the waveforms are imported, no different side of the oscilloscope is imported. Moreover, Maui Studio can recall ASCII waveform knowledge with some minor enhancing and gives a extra general-purpose import performance extending to a broad vary of devices, sensors, and third-party evaluation software program.
Utilizing the Recall Waveform choice within the File pulldown will open the Recall Waveform Browser proven in Determine 3.
Determine 3 Maui Studio can import waveforms from different producers oscilloscopes together with recordsdata from Keysight/Rohde Schwarz (.BIN), Tektronix (.WFM), and Yokogawa (.WVF).
By deciding on the suitable file sort and the specified waveform file and by urgent the Recall Now button, the waveform shall be imported into the chosen vacation spot reminiscence and displayed in Maui Studio. At this level any of Maui Studios evaluation and measurement instruments may be employed on the imported waveform.
Determine 4 gives an instance of a .bin waveform opened in Maui Studio with extra measurements and evaluation utilized. Notice that the waveform knowledge factors are transferred together with the waveform’s document size, pattern price, horizontal offset, vertical achieve and offset and set off location which allow the correct show of the waveform and correct measurement.
Determine 4 An RF sign contained in a .bin waveform hint is imported into Maui Studio reminiscence M2 (higher left hint). Evaluation and measurements reveal the sign amplitude, modulation envelope, modulation frequency, and the FFT of the imported multi-tone waveform.
The flexibility to combine knowledge from many alternative devices may be extraordinarily helpful in design evaluations and evaluating product efficiency. Particularly in corporations with a number of design facilities the place completely different gear is encountered.
LabNotebook, greater than a lab report
The improved LabNotebook was talked about earlier than as a report generator, however it’s way more than that. It’s a digital archive of a selected measurement. The improved LabNotebook is a database file that comprises all of the displayed waveforms, the setup, present display screen picture, and any consumer provided annotation from the oscilloscope. When imported into Maui Studio, it additionally recollects the mannequin configuration of the supply oscilloscope and all its put in choices in addition to the waveform traces and settings. That is an instance of a property known as inheritance and is illustrated in Determine 5.
Determine 5 Maui Studio’s authentic configuration, proven on the left, was as an HDO4024A. After importing a LabNotebook, it’s reconfigured, as proven on the best, as a WaveRunner 9404M. Notice additionally, the rise within the listed choices which are actually obtainable.
What are the purposes for distant management and evaluation software program?
These applications lengthen entry to their mated oscilloscopes, this comes with a variety of direct advantages, some are as follows:
- The return on funding for oscilloscopes is improved by spreading the time-consuming measurement and evaluation features offline to a number of folks. This leaves the instrument obtainable for extra knowledge acquisition operations, a simpler use of the instrument.
- They allow you to recall archived knowledge and ensure authentic measurements and evaluation.
- When design evaluations decide that extra measurements and evaluation are required, they will, in lots of instances, be made with the saved knowledge with out the necessity of repeating the bodily experiment.
- Returned your rental gear? It’s potential to assessment and re-analyze knowledge utilizing the archived waveforms even when the unique gear is gone.
- Open, analyze, or evaluate waveforms from different producers devices.
And looking out particularly at purposes of Maui Studio with Enhanced LabNotebook (past these outlined above):
- Simulate sign impairments utilizing inbuilt filtering or third-party arithmetic software program.
- Simulate source-response experiments utilizing the built-in arbitrary operate generator (AFG) and the mathematical features of the oscilloscope as modeling instruments.
- Use Maui Studio as a coaching device to offer actual world examples for brand spanking new colleagues. Train them use the most recent oscilloscope instruments.
In a collaborative design venue, these distant management and evaluation software program packages are the point of interest for cooperation, coordination, and collaboration between undertaking staff members, permitting sharing and joint evaluation of knowledge. The important thing to such a productiveness achieve is the power to share not solely the information, but additionally to share the show, measurement, and evaluation instruments between staff members.
Arthur Pini is a technical assist specialist and electrical engineer with over 50 years of expertise in electronics check and measurement.
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