CURSOR

The cursor module allows users to interactively search for level crossings in analysis, as well as find local minimums or maximums of channels. These values are marked on Recorder and XY Recorder visual controls with specially labeled and colored cursors.

While this is a feature that is mainly meant to be used in analysis, the module can also be added and configured in measure mode by finding the Cursor label under the new module interface (for instructions on how to add a new module see -> Setup -> Add module). Once added you should see the following screen:

The Cursor module will return the value of any input channel when a condition for the defined reference channel is met. These channels can then be used in additional formulas or displayed on visual instruments, such as the digital meter. It is important to know that the extracted values are single value channels, meaning that they only hold one value for the entire length of the data file.

REFERENCE CHANNEL SETTINGS

The reference channel is the channel on which we are searching for specific values. Each cursor can only have one reference (conditional) channel, but we can tie multiple inputs (latched channels) to it. After selecting the reference, we should select the search mode. Three settings are available: Max, Min and Level crossing.

In the Max or Min mode, Dewesoft will find the maximum or minimum value of the reference channel in the visible timeline. Because of that, whenever you zoom into the file and recalculate, the returned maximum or minimum value will be the local extreme of the dataset.

Whenever the user selects the Crossing search mode, a new field will open up where the desired signal level should be entered. As the module can linearly interpolate data, it is able to extract values with a higher precision than just by taking the nearest synchronous or asynchronous sample.

For the above example, Dewesoft would find the two closest samples of the “AI A-1” channel, one that is above 25 and one that is below 25. Using linear interpolation, Dewesoft will extract the exact time between the two samples where the signal hits the level of 25. Based on that time, the module will also interpolate all of the input channels that the user had selected.

DELTA VALUES

When the user has defined two cursor modules, Dewesoft will allow you calculate delta values. This is done by selecting the delta cursor channel from the drop-down list of available cursor modules.

In the above image, we’re editing the setup of the “Cursor 1” module, and we’ve defined the “Cursor 2” module as the delta cursor channel. That means that any inputs that the two modules have in common will be subtracted from one another (“Cursor 1” - “Cursor 2”), resulting in new channels. The module will also add an additional delta t channel, which will provide the time difference between the two events.

CURSOR PROPERTIES

Under cursor properties, users get a chance to adjust the color of the cursor that will be displayed on the Recorder and the XY Recorder, if the appropriate signals are added. The name of the cursor that is displayed is taken directly from the name of the module.

USAGE

You can access the cursor setup interface directly out of the review window using the cursor icon, which is located at the end of the data file preview and to the left of the time selector icon.

As there can be several level crossings within a data file, users can use control channels generated by the cursor module to move between events. To change the location, simply use the “Search position” channel in combination with the “Input control display”. You can either enter the location index manually, but usually the “Next prev button” is a better choice, as it allows the user to move between cursor positions in either direction with a single mouse click.

For more information about the “Input control display”, please check out the Control element section of the manual.