DASYLab

DASYLab 10 Features

DASYLab 10 is now supported on
Windows Vista (32 bit)
Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2000 SP4

Hardware

Driver support in Vista
To use DASYLab with Windows Vista you will also need data acquisition hardware which is compatible with Vista. You can already use the following data acquisition card drivers for measurement and visualization under Windows Vista (32.) For current information refer to www.dasylab.com.

• Adlink NUDAM driver
• Advantech ADAM driver
• ICP CON driver
• MSL SOLO driver
• National Instruments IEEE
• National Instruments NI-CAN
• National Instruments NI-DAQmx
• Measurement Computing MCC-DAQ
• Microstar Laboratories DAP
• Modbus
• Omega/Newport OMR driver
• OPC-DA Client
• Sound card
• Superlogics driver
  

New and improved DASYLab Modules

Action Module – The Action module has a new “channel order” option, which enables you to define a set order in which the actions will be performed.

Diagram Module – Multifunction graphing and charting

The new display module combines the displays of a Recorder, a Yt Chart, and an XY Chart. The Diagram displays all data channels in one axis system or each data channel in separate axis systems. It has easy to use scrolling tools to enable you to review data that has been acquired.

Write Data Module
Enhanced support for the DIAdem TDM data file format has been added, with 50 custom properties for data channels and groups added to this option.

Improved Algorithms for Signal Processing; Block size no longer restricted to a power of two.

DASYLab can now perform signal analysis for data blocks that do not have the power of two. Select FFT without the power of two. This affects the following modules:

Correlation Module
FFT Module
Electro Technical Characteristics Module
Transfer Module

General New Features

Import and Export Variables and Strings Automatically
A new feature makes it easier to transfer global strings variables between worksheets without making it necessary to use Action modules. You can specify a unique VAR file to store the global variables and strings for each set of worksheets, so that there is no danger of transferring values where it is not intended. At measurement start you can import global variables and global strings including the properties from a VAR file. When the measurement stops, you can export the global variables and strings back into a VAR file. You enable this behavior under Options»Global Worksheet Settings. DASYLab saves these settings together with the worksheet.

Module Benchmarking
DASYLab 10 includes detailed analytics on the performance of every DASYLab module within a running worksheet. To enable this, you must check the setting Compute Module Benchmarking in the Options»Global Setup menu before running the worksheet, and you will then find the option “Module Benchmarking” available in the Options menu. Selecting this will launch a dialogue which shows the processing times of the modules implemented in the worksheet. (Note, running these analytics will consume processing power, so this feature should normally be disabled when the worksheet is in normal operation.)

Sequencer
It is now possible to generate documentation for a DASYLab sequencer file. To document the currently created or loaded sequencer in a text file select File»Export in the sequencer window. DASYLab saves control sequences as an HTML file and transfers the tree structure to a list with two levels.

Other changes

Action-Controlled Relay Module
The action controlled relay has been enhanced; you can now switch each data channel separately.
If you want to switch all data channels simultaneously, do not specify any channels in the Action module.

Formula Interpreter Module
The exp() function recognizes floating point values that are greater than 264.

E-Mail Module
E-mails are sent within an independent thread that Windows manages as a self-contained process independent of DASYLab. This way the sending of an e-mail does not block DASYLab anymore. You can specify a timeout of 1 to 100 seconds and document the send status in a global variable.

Variables/Strings Overview
You can now open the Variables/Strings Overview in the Options menu without errors even if a variable uses a system variable or if a string uses a system string.

Rainflow Module
DASYLab interprets the setting End of the last class accurately again.

Modbus Modules
The Modbus modules Analog Input and Digital Input work with modified interface behavior to provide measurement data.
DASYLab needs a continuous, consistent, and equidistant data flow from the driver to the worksheet modules. The driver uses an independent thread with a repetition rate of one millisecond for data acquisition via the COM interface. Within a thread the driver receives all relevant Modbus data and buffers the respective data for each data channel. When the driver outputs the buffered thread data to the data blocks the driver disregards the reception time stamp for the positioning. If the measurement starts without thread data being available, the driver waits for data and does not output data in the meantime. If the driver receives measurement data and a position in a data block has not received data, the driver outputs the last value again at this position.

Help Files
The help sections for the modules groups Trigger functions, Statistics, Files, and Special have been completely revised. The help for the Remote-I/O driver Advantech ADAM, Adlink NUDAM, ICP CON, MSL SOLO, Newport / Omega OMR, and Superlogics have also been revised.

Drivers
The following drivers have been expanded and revised. Refer to the help sections of the drivers for a description of the extensions.

Adlink NUDAM driver
The NUDAM driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver also supports the baud rates 57600 and 115200.

Advantech ADAM driver
The ADAM driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver supports the devices ADAM-4051, ADAM-4017+ and ADAM-4018+ and the baud rates 57600 and 115200.

ICP CON driver
The ICP CON driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver also supports the baud rates 57600 and 115200.
The company ICP DAS is developing this driver further. Visit the internet site www.icpdas.com/download/7000/7000.htm for a current version of this driver.

Measurement Computing MCC-DAQ Driver
The setting Output value when measurement stops in the Digital Output module now works correctly again with a high value.

Microstar Laboratories DAP Driver
The DAP module Analog Input now saves the A/D amplification factors correctly.

MSL Solo Driver
The SOLO driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver also supports the baud rates 57600 and 115200.

National Instruments NI-DAQmx Driver
The DASYLab installation offers NI-DAQmx driver versions: NI-DAQmx (with CAN) and NI-DAQmx (without CAN).

The NI-DAQmx (with CAN) driver now also has the modules CAN Send and CAN Receive. First you must define CAN messages and CAN channels for sending and receiving telegrams, in the Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). Create CAN messages and CAN channels in the Data Environment»CAN Channels group. Then you create and configure CAN tasks in the CAN configurator of the NI-DAQmx driver. The modules CAN Send and CAN Receive access these CAN tasks.

In order to work with the DASYLab driver NI-DAQmx you must install the hardware driver NI-DAQmx and the interface driver NI-CAN from National Instruments, regardless of whether you use CAN hardware.

In order to use the NI-DAQmx modules in DASYLab you must install the Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) Version 4.2.1.3001 and later, the hardware driver NI-DAQmx Version 8.5.0f3 and later, and the interface driver NI-CAN Version 2.5.0f0 and later from National Instruments.

The NI-DAQmx (without CAN) driver does not have CAN functions. To exchange data and commands via the CAN interface install the DASYLab driver NI-CAN.

The function key <F6> is assigned to a new function in the NI-DAQmx driver: If you add a new module to the worksheet, DASYLab assigns the first task channel name to the first 0 channel. The following channels receive incremental task channel names of a selected NI-DAQmx task or CAN task. To assign other tasks to multiple channels, select the new task channel name for the first channel and press <F6>. DASYLab assigns the task that succeeds the selected task to the subsequent channels. For example, if you assign the task 13 to the channel 3 and press <F6>, the channel 4 has the task 14 and so on.

For the modules Analog Input, Digital Input, and Counter Input the block start times are calculated correctly again in the operating mode 1 Sampling value so that these modules can work synchronously again with the Generator module.

If you use the module Counter Input with the acquisition mode 1 sampling value to measure a frequency, the settings Output last valid value or Output value work accurately again with the Time base setup.

If you use the module Counter Input with the acquisition mode for a frequency measurement, DASYLab driver interprets this acquisition mode like the 1 sampling value. Thus all timeout functions are available. The DASYLab driver distributes the Values to read of the MAX task to the output data blocks.

The driver now forwards the channel units accurately to the subsequent modules.

If you create and save a worksheet with NI-DAQmx driver modules, you can use the current hardware settings for the worksheet to be subsequently created. If you select File»New and you do not want to use the current settings for the new worksheet, DASYLab runs synchronization with the MAX in order to restore the standard values.

The setting Allow regeneration is now in the Measurement & Automation Explorer task settings and not in the measurement setup of the DASYLab driver. Select the setting Regeneration mode»Allow regeneration on the Advanced Timing tab for a task.

National Instruments NI-CAN Hardware
The NI-CAN driver now writes the channel names and the channel unit into global strings in the CAN Receive module. In the measurement setup you now can enable the writing of the bus activity into global variables.

Newport / Omega OMR Driver
The Newport/Omega OMR driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver also supports the baud rates 57600 and 115200.

OPC-DA Client
The OPC-DA Client provides the modules OPC Input and OPC Output in order to connect DASYLab as an OPC-DA Client via the OPC interface with field bus systems and different hardware, for which the OPC server is available. The communication standard OPC (OLE for Process Control) allows efficient data transfer between various hardware and software components of an application.

Superlogics driver
The Superlogics driver and the respective help have been completely revised. The driver also supports the baud rates 57600 and 115200.

Vector CAN Driver
In long-term measurements the driver can buffer received telegrams accurately. The overflow of the FIFO memory does not occur anymore.

IXXAT CAN Driver
You can start a worksheet with IXXAT CAN modules accurately multiple times without the measurement terminating.

Sound Card Driver
The sound card driver no longer uses the printer port for digital acquisition and output.

System Requirements
For the correct DASYLab performance the following minimum requirements must be met:

Hardware

• IBM-PC and compatible with an Intel Pentium (III, IV), Athlon, AMD K6 or AMD K7 processor (32 Bit)
• Minimum of 512 MB memory, recommended: 1 GB
• Hard disk memory: at least 100 MB free memory space
• Graphics board: color depth 24 or 32 bit (true color) and a screen resolution of 1024x768 or more
• A mouse because you can operate certain DASYLab functions only with the mouse.

Operating Systems

• Windows Vista 32 Bit
• Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 2 or later
• Windows 2000, Service Pack 4 or later