YSI Data Scout Advanced - Manual (Page 9)

The last menu bar item, labeled Help, provides a submenu leading to four help features of Data Scout Advanced. These provide quick
tips on using Data Scout Advanced features, access to the Data Scout Advance Operations Manual, access to the YSI web site, and show
the current version of Data Scout Advanced. In addition to this Help menu, do not forget the many ToolTips available. Similar
MenuTips appear in a status box at the bottom of the window. These display a summary description of the “last clicked” menu item’s
function. The Help | Tips menu also provides a descriptive panel summarizing the functions of all menus.
A single Query button below the menu bar allows the user to manually query the entire network which makes each transducer return
its ID String. This string, when received by Data Scout Advanced, is broken up into other useful fields that are also displayed on the
Site Net Map. This button is replaced by an Auto Disc. (auto-discovery) button, whenever the Site Net Map is empty. When the user
clicks the Auto Disc. button, it changes to a Stop button, which can be used to stop the Auto Discovery process once it discovers all the
expected transducers. The user must manually set the correct communications parameters (e.g., baud rate) before using auto
discovery. The default settings for all Level Scouts are SDI-12 protocol and 19200 baud. Although the user may change the baud rate,
the Level Scout will always communicate using SDI-12 protocol. If it fails to find any transducers, change to another baud rate and/or
com port and try again.
The Run window operates and/or configures individual transducers or the collection of all selected transducers. There are two
methods of activating this window. The first activates all operable transducers defined on the main Data Scout Advanced window.
The second activates any single (highlighted) transducer or for a group of selected (highlighted) transducers. In either case, once the
separate Run window is displayed, its selected transducers can begin to acquire “live” (real-time) data, display it, and optionally record
it to a data file (in various formats). All this is controlled from the Run window’s menu bar, or by using alternate visual controls
organized in several frames just below the window’s menu bar and status bar. See Chapters 3 and 4 for more information and
examples.
The Run window is used to display acquired “live” data or AutoLog data in various table (text) or graphic (plot) forms at the time
these data are acquired or extracted. Optionally, the user can also Record the acquired “live” data to disk the PC in one of two
selectable formats. A recorded .txt data file can be displayed later, offline, with a simple text editor. A recorded .csv (comma separated
variable) data file is also “readable” by a text editor, but is best viewed by a spreadsheet application which can further edit and process
(e.g., plot) the data in the file. Data extracted from a Level Scout are similarly written to data files in one or two formats (.atd and .csv)
where .atd stands for AutoLog Test Data and is the text version. These extracted data files can also be viewed and plotted by Data
Scout Advanced. All these recorded data files created by Data Scout Advanced can also be played back off-line, extensively edited, and
displayed in various ways via a Data Scout Playback application selected from the Data Scout Advanced menu on the Run window. It
is also available as a separate Windows
®
application, DSPlay.
Additionally, the separate Run window provides its own Configure menu functions that view and edit any of the internally stored
options and features of a selected transducer. These functions allow the user to view the current value/state of each transducer option
or change that option’s value/state. Some options require the user to “unlock” the transducer prior to changing it which will be
discussed later.
The user can also “broadcast” a particular option change to all the transducers currently assigned to the Run window.
The Data Scout Advanced main menu bar also has a Test function whose only submenu item is an Execute Script function for the
“more advanced” users. Using the Script function does require knowledge of low-level transducer commands. However, such
capability is rarely required to operate most transducer functions, which are provided by other built-in Data Scout Advanced “point-
and-click” functionality.
2 . 0 I N S T A L L A T I O N A N D S E T U P
2.1 INSTALLING DATA SCOUT ADVANCED
Before installing a new version of Data Scout Advanced, be sure that any older versions (in the same path) have been removed first.
The standard Windows
®
installation program SETUP.EXE is used to install Data Scout Advanced. It insists that it be the only
application program active. Thus, before installing Data Scout Advanced, ensure all other applications are closed. Failing to do this
may leave shared files active, causing confusing errors during installation.
„ Insert the information and support CD in the computer
„ Navigate to the CD drive
„ Double click on the DSAdvIns.exe file
YSI Incorporated Data Scout Advanced 5