UltimaSerial WinDaq Add-on: Magic Meter 
 

Magic Meter

Magic Meter provides a meter display with translucent background so that it can be embedded into  DATAQ's WinDaq acquisition software

Applications:

  • Calculated results based on readings from multiple channels, such as power consumption = V*I

  • Enlarged display

  • Warnings based on font colors

Calculated Meter for WinDaq running DATAQ devices, Transonic Flow meters and Dataforth isoLynx SLX718

 

Highlights

  • Intelligent Channel Select: Highlight/Select a channel in WinDaq and invoke WinDaq->View->Add-ons->Magic Meter, and it will use the selected channel as its default channel  (see video demo above) when it is not in calculated channel mode.

  • Move the mouse to the left edge of the display to reveal the configuration button. 

  • Click on the configuration button to adjust the setting

  • Double click on the display to switch to transparent mode
  • Data Window to perform the following operations
    • None: The last reading
    • Average: Average all readings in the data window before presenting it
    • Minimum: Display only the minimum reading within the data window
    • Maximum:  Display only the maximum reading within the data window
    • RMS:  Perform RMS for all readings within the data window
    • AC RMS:  Average all readings and use the result as offset. Remove the offset of all readings then perform RMS
    • Calculated Channel with the following features:
      • Operators include: +, -, *, /, ^, %, &, |, !, >, >=, <, <=, !=, ==

      • Functions include: abs, floor, hex, round, if, avg, bin, log, sqrt, ceil, log10, sum, max, min, acos, asin, atan, sin, sinh, cos, tan, cosh, tanh

      • To use the reading from a channel, use #n. For example, #0 is the reading from the first enabled channel in Windaq

      • To access the sample rate, use #@.

      • You can use earlier readings to form a more complicated math expression. To do so, add a letter after #, and alphabet order of the letter represents the delay, Such as:

        • #0 is the reading from channel 0

        • #A0 is the reading from channel 0, one scan earlier

        • #B1 is the reading from channel 1, two scans earlier

        • Readings from up to 26 scans earlier can be used, for example, #Z0.

        • For example: use ( #0-#A0)*#@ to form a two-point derivative

      • To use the data-window derived results, use #freq, #min, #max, #ave, #rms and #acrms to represent Frequency, Minimum, Maximum, Average, RMS, RMS without DC component, i.e, #acrms0 take the AC_RMS of channel 0. Please select the window size carefully.

      • The calculated result is presented in the same format as WinDaq by default. If you need to change it, please follow the steps below

        • Make sure you have WinDaq addon 2.63 or higher

        • Run MagicMeter then exit

        • Open MagicMeter.ini, you will find an entry like UserFormat=

        • Change it to UserFormat=0.00, which represents two digits after the decimal point

        • When you run MagicMeter again, it will use the new display format

      • The math equation must be valid even you don't plan to use it now

  • Configuration is retainable

    • To use this feature, you should start the add-on from the SAME WinDaq logical channel. For example, highlight the second channel on WinDaq, start the add-on, set up the add-on then exit. Now the configuration is saved in a configuration file associated with second channel. You can have multiple configurations for the same device, each configuration associated with a different WinDaq logical channel. To recall the configuration stored associated with logical channel 2, highlight the channel on WinDaq, start the add-on. 

    • The logical channel mentioned above is not the physical channel, it is the logical order of a physical channel listed in the channel selection box. For example, we have two WinDaq setups, one with physical channel 1,2,3,4,6,8, and the another with physical channel 6,7,9,10,14,15. If the add-on configuration is associated with the second logical channel, then highlighting physical channel 2 from the first setup then start the addon will be the same as highlighting physical channel 7 then start the addon.

  • Displays channel unit 

  • Support non-English (United States) Regional and Language options. 

  • Fully programmable palette for better visual effect when superimposing magic meter to Windaq. 

    • The background should match WinDaq's background

    • Foreground should match WinDaq's background if only warning display is needed to capture attention

  • Limitations

    • Although the meter appears to embed inside WinDaq, it is NOT. When you move WinDaq's window around or add/subtract channels, it will NOT follow your action. 

    • The display is right-justified to align the units all the time, so make sure you make the width of the windows long enough to display ALL digits

To Use WinDaq Add-ons

  1. Confirm WinDaq 3.16 or higher is installed on your computer

  2. Install WinDaq add-ons.

  3. Start WinDaq, and you will find the WinDaq add-ons integrated into Windaq->View->Add-ons menu (see the screen capture above).

  4. Intelligent Channel Selection: Highlight/Select a channel in WinDaq and fire up the WinDaq add-on you wish, and the WinDaq add-on will use the selected channel as its default channel. 

  5. If channel index number is required for a WinDaq add-on, please enter the 0-based index to Windaq's scanlist. For example, if WinDaq has channel 3,4,6,7 enabled, one can enter 0 for channel 3, 1 for channel 4, 2 for channel 6 and 3 for channel 7.

  6. Do not change WinDaq's configurations while WinDaq add-ons are running, or some add-ons may terminate.

WinDaq Add-on ID

7033

Menu Name Appeared under WinDaq->View->Add-ons

Magic Meter

Configuration file

C:\Windows\MagicMeter.ini

Last update: 01/26/24

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