Software to collect and display measured data.

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Finn Hammer
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Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Finn Hammer »

I am slowly approaching the day, when I can start up the Pfeiffer THM 071P on a tee, and test my vacuum gauges.
I have 2 Baratrons @ 50 Torr, one 999 Quattro and four 901P's and I am going to test them 2 at a time to see how well they track each other, and therefore perhaps can be assumed to be accurate.
For this purpose, and other similar purposes in the future, I want to aquire some software that can help capture the measurements, and display them.
Keeping track of the readout of two instruments simultaneously, while the vacuum gets higher and higher is not a task I would like to perform with only a pencil in hand.
The value from each instrument has to be captured as close to the exact moment as possible.
Otherwise, I would have to stabilise the pressure again and again, and take a reading: not good!
Later, when the chamber has been pumped down and sealed, it would be nice to be able to go and have a cup of coffee with the missus, only to come back and print out that graph showing the leak rate of the system.

But I have googled "Software to capture and display data" only to find there are a multitude of other kinds of data, but not really my kind og engineering data, so friends, help me out here:
What do you use for these tasks, I have seen these graphs in several threads, there must be something.

No post from me without some eye candy:
Vacuum aficionado eye candy.
Vacuum aficionado eye candy.
Cheers, Finn Hammer
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Maciek Szymanski
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Maciek Szymanski »

As I tend do everything oldshool, analog way, I’m using Siemens C1012 two channel chart recorder:


447C459B-E242-446E-BE6C-1D05A43333FE.jpeg

Works great for me - each channel is selectable AC/DC, current/voltage with many ranges. Paper speed is adjustable and I can take notes and make marks on on it during the run.

Here is a kind of video of the recorder working:

https://vimeo.com/518807995
“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Jon Rosenstiel
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Jon Rosenstiel »

Some years back I bought a data acquisition starter kit from these folks, works well for plotting leak-up rate.

https://www.dataq.com/

Jon Rosenstiel
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Liam David
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Liam David »

I use Matlab to connect to an Arduino via ethernet and save/display data in realtime. The master Arduino drives some ADS1115, 16 bit ADCs and communicates with two other Arduinos that act as scalars for my neutron counters. I have Matlab requesting samples at a rate of 10/s, though with some streamlining you could probably get 20 or higher. Matlab requires a license but you could use Python instead. It's got pretty much all the same functionality. If you want to cut out Matlab/Python entirely, having the Arduino send the data to a computer via its standard serial interface would also work, though you'd have to find some way to then save/display the data.

A more standardized method that I've seen but never used is LabView (also subscription) + National Instruments DAQs.
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Richard Hull
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Richard Hull »

I remain stunned at what the Arduino can do for so little money and such an intuitive, easy to learn, IDE. just a quick look at the capabilities and onboard, ready to use 14 or more digital and dedicated PWM pins, 2 interrupt pins and 6 - 10 bit ADCs all for about $10 in the UNO and Nano boards. The $6.00 equivalent dedicated, tiny pro-mini will amaze the user. TWI (I2C), RS232, the other much hated SPI com is standard. Computer linkage via USB, etc. The list goes on. The three boards above are all totally the same functionally. The pro mini, however, has no USB port but 8 ADC pins instead of 6. (programmed via removable RS232 adapter board $12.00) One small plug-in USB to RS-232 adapter can program thousands of pro minis to become permanent function, inexpensive controllers. If you want the working controller to talk to a PC, you will have to use the UNO or the NANO.

The pro mini is my choice for specific function work and commercial distribution as a fixed purpose controller once I program it. (the average customer can't easily screw with it). At the prices above all three can be used like popcorn in a master-slave string of up to several slave processors on the I2C (TWI) interface.

With hundreds of pre-done libraries for free, all the though work related to displays, special function ICs, etc. is just a library install away to make their use via simple commands created by the library writer. with 7 years of Arduino under my belt, I have yet to exceed the capabilities of the $10 UNO or NANO. Their is the monster Arduino MEGA with 54 pins, many com ports, (~$30). It works on the same IDE and will download UNO, Nano and Pro-mini program files and run them in a vastly expanded capability system.

My decay graphs were timed data count dumps into Arduino's EEPROM with the X,Y coordinates later dumped following data gathering as coma delimited data point file sent to my PC via the USB port and later dumped into Xcel to make the graph.

They run at 16mhz so they are not single or sub-micro second command-to-action wonders. However if what you are doing can work in ten or more microsecond issues they are a great choice.

https://content.arduino.cc/assets/Pinou ... latest.pdf

Richard Hull
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A slide I made while teaching a class in Arduino basics a few years back.  Prices have dropped a bit if you buy from Marlin P. Jones (see electronic suppliers in the for sale forum "basic source posts")
A slide I made while teaching a class in Arduino basics a few years back. Prices have dropped a bit if you buy from Marlin P. Jones (see electronic suppliers in the for sale forum "basic source posts")
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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russssellcrow
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by russssellcrow »

These folks are right, Arduino IDE and the cheap hardware and libraries are a rich resource. You can run Nanos and Unos for starters, then scale up to a lot of much faster CPUs to handle Web enabled and WiFi interfaces. We use Heltec's OSP32 WiFiKits, about $18/each. ESP32 is a dual core 240MHz 32 bit CPU, and the board has a built in OLED display, WiFi, and more A/D convertors, D/A convertors, PWM drivers, and edge triggered counters, than most instruments will need.

To get you started, arduino.cc is chocked full of tutorials, resources and projects. Start with a Genuine Arduino (not a Chinese knockoff) an Uno or Nano, and a USB cable. Also, get a protoboard, some LEDs, and push button switches; then make some of the Example projects which come preloaded onto the Arduino IDE. In 2 days, your eyes will be wide open to the possibilities.

Once you get your sea legs, scale up to WiFi and cloud resources. Here is a project which directly applies to the direction you are headed. Good Luck!

https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/14 ... &offset=17
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russssellcrow
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by russssellcrow »

I found another project for your data logging in the Arduino Playground. This one can use the simpler Arduinos with a direct serial USB connection.

https://github.com/devinaconley/arduino ... /README.md
Arduino_Graphing_Logger.jpg
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Finn Hammer
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Finn Hammer »

Russellcrow, Richard, Liam, Jon, Maciek

Thanks for your suggestions.
I am not starting out at the comple bottom when it comes to Arduinos, and I am not shy of asking for help on the arduino forum, something I needed to do with this litle project, a readout for a neutron counter. It counts well up to 140k CPS, and will go on for 200 hours doing so before the display runs out of caracters. I could add some more, no problem there. The hard part was to make the arduino put out an audio signal, but we got that sorted too, up to 15Khz, where my shot ears stop following anyway.
There is a bit of jitter at 140KCPS, but then, who ever gets 140KCPS out of a russian tube?
There is a bit of jitter at 140KCPS, but then, who ever gets 140KCPS out of a russian tube?

Yes, it is a UNO, but I have a couple of DUE's as well as teensy 4's, the latter are fast!
I will look into that WiFi stuff, about time I get my feet really wet.

Otherwise, I have ordered the https://www.dataq.com/products/di-2008/ data recorder, since it has a nice interface and will do a lot of handy things.

Thank you for your support.

Cheers, Finn Hammer

EDIT: Meanwhile, the counts changed to negative, and started to count down from 2,147,483,647, the limit of a" long", so in reality, at 140kCPS, the counter can count for 15339 seconds, or 4 hours 26 minutes. Something new to learn every day.
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russssellcrow
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by russssellcrow »

Good uComp work, Finn!

Yes, the Arduino Forums are good, most of the time. There is so much out there now about these and similar uComps, that sometimes it turns into noise abatement when you are looking for something specific. Our uses are more specific, and somewhat more demanding.

We have technical headings on this forum for High Voltage, Ion Gun Design, Neutron Detectors, etc... maybe we could petition the Admins to create a section for uComps, Circuits, and Software? Who would we contact?
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Richard Hull
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Richard Hull »

Frank Sanns is the guy to create a new forum, if he is convinced it will attract enough input. I would not mind such a forum.
I would also like to pull the "base level source" out of the for sale forum posts and create a small "fusor experimenter source material forum"

I will personally contact Frank via phone to talk this over with him.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Cai Arcos
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Cai Arcos »

If this were to be done, I believe all Richard circuits (HV supplies, CSAs, etc...) could be included as FAQs. It's a shame that such an useful material is buried in the files section
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Richard Hull
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Richard Hull »

I have called Frank (to voice recording) and also e-mailed him regarding the two new suggested forums with suggestions related to same.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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russssellcrow
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by russssellcrow »

This is very prescient and of course needed. Thanks Ralph, Richard, and Finn! Now we have a designated place to interchange uComp, circuit designs, and software for data purposes in Fusor operation. We hope to prove useful, and thank you for the chance to do so!
Jerry Biehler
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Jerry Biehler »

Labview is free for home use. It allows quick interface development and interfacing to a huge amount of instrumentation. Bit of a learning curve but it works well.

https://www.ni.com/en-us/shop/labview/s ... ition.html

I recently used it to build an interface to control an old spectrometer that used to run under DOS. I used a USB Digital I/O module from Advantec to control it replacing the old ISA card. https://hackaday.io/project/175985-optr ... ectrometer
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Finn Hammer
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Finn Hammer »

Jerry,

Thanks for a very usefull information, about Labview. With an abundance of used and new input and output modules on EBay, this could be the way to go!

Cheers, Finn Hammer
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Frank Sanns »

I guess we have come a long way from counting blocks on chart recorder paper!

The early part of my career was before computers. We had to be resourceful and used chart recorders for everything. They had variable speed and gain and one of the projects I was working on used six transducers that the entire event from beginning to end was around 1 second. No problem with the machines that were around back then. Even did area under the curve by cutting out the region defined by the graph and weighing the pieces on an analytical balance.

In a way, things were far simpler back then. No worries about interpreter language or programming. Turn it on, get your data, analyze, and you are done. Now control, well that is an entirely different story.

With that said, I have some DAQ units that I have purchased and used for the past 20 years along with more sophisticated interfaces. Ok, I admit, they really are sweet and exporting data and crunching numbers and noise is most certainly far more powerful.

I will be interested to see these continued contributions in this area.
Achiever's madness; when enough is still not enough. ---FS
We have to stop looking at the world through our physical eyes. The universe is NOT what we see. It is the quantum world that is real. The rest is just an electron illusion. ---FS
Jerry Biehler
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by Jerry Biehler »

Yeah, there are lots of options for tabview. I have interfaced DIO units, multimeters, spectrum analyzers, spectrometers, interferometers, rf switches, just a ton of options. My vacuum system is all controlled and sequenced with labview using DIO, ADCs, and serial connections.

The advantech stuff has real good labview support, I had gotten an older SeaLevel 96 DIO unit and it had really bad support, I ended up just buying the advantech version of it and I was up and running quickly. If I spent the time I probably could have gotten it working but the new one was just a little over $100 so for me its just not worth my time.

So that's what you really want to watch out for when buying stuff, make sure there are good drivers. If all else fails you can make your own drivers if it is something simple like a serial or serial over usb interface.

Oh, and get the regular labview, not the NXG version, it is a more modern interface NI came up with and has been pushing for a few years but compatibly is not great with older VI (Virtual instruments)

There are lots of videos to help you get going too.

Labview was originally created for Macs back in 1986, so it has been around a while.
brett_kvo
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Re: Software to collect and display measured data.

Post by brett_kvo »

Another option that is fairly turn-key is using a LabJack and DAQFactory Express. These work together out of the box. LabJack is a little more money than an Arduino, but there's a free version of DAQFactory that works just fine. All said, we've found it to be entirely superior to what we were building with an Arduino.

https://labjack.com/

https://www.azeotech.com/j/products/com ... sions.html
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