Simcenter Testing Solutions Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App

Figure 1: The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App can be viewed and run on from any device via a web browser.
 

The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App resides on the control unit (REC) of the SCADAS-RS.  No software needs to be installed on the viewing device. Both wired and wireless connections are supported.

This article has the following sections:
1.     Login and Start Page
2.    Channel Setup
3.    Multi-Channel Setup
4.    Channel Calibration
5.    Measuring
6.    Data Review
7.    Using Mobile Devices
8.    Triggers and Calculated Channels
9.    Data Download
   9.1 Via Web Browser
   9.2 Via Windows Explorer
10.  Simcenter Testlab Neo versus Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App

1. Login and Start Page

When first accessing the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App via a browser, the user is usually prompted for a login and password.  This can be found in the SCADAS RS manuals.

After logging in, the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App main menu appears (Figure 2).
 

Figure 2: The main menu of the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App.
 

From the main menu of the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App, all functionalities can be accessed.  Functionalities include setting up channels for data acquisition, defining triggers, recording data, and viewing already recorded measurements.

After entering a menu function, use the main menu icon (nine squares in the lower left) to return to the main menu.  The back button in the upper left can also be used in the same way, although it may take multiple back operations to return.

If a Wi-Fi connection to the SCADAS RS is desired, but not yet enabled, click on the “Topology” icon.  Find the REC unit, choose the “…” button and under “Wi-Fi settings” turn it on as shown in Figure 3.  
 

Figure 3: The Simcenter SCADAS RS Wi-Fi settings via the Topology menu choice.
 

See the SCADAS RS manual for more information on the Internet Protocol (IP) address and wireless network name.

2. Channel Setup

Use the “Channels” icon from the main menu to configure the sensors and channels to be used in the data acquisition (Figure 4).
 

Figure 4: Use the “Channels” icon to setup measurement channels.
 

An overview of available modules in the SCADAS RS and their channels will be shown (Figure 5).

 

Figure 5: Use the double arrow icon (>>) in the upper right to collapse/expand the view of channels on available hardware acquisition modules.
 

The available channels are shown by hardware module.  Available modules for the SCADAS RS include:

More information about the SCADAS RS hardware can be found in the knowledge article: Simcenter SCADAS RS for Testing in Harsh Environments

To view the available channels for a given SCADAS RS hardware module, use the separate single arrow shown in Figure 6.
 

Figure 6: Use the arrow on the left side to see available channels on a module.
 

Each row is one channel.  Highlighting a channel brings up a “Channel Properties” menu on the right side of the screen (Figure 7).
 

Figure 7: Highlighting a row/channel opens a “Channel Properties” menu on the right side of the screen.
 

The “Channel Properties” menus contain key settings. They are organized groups:

When setting up the channel, the “Setup Channel” view is helpful.  Click on the “…” to open the menu (Figure 8).
 

Figure 8: Click on the “…” to select “Setup channel” from the channel list.
 

The setup channel option shows some additional information (Figure 9):

Figure 9: The “Setup Channel” option shows live signals, levels, and a wiring diagram for a given channel.
 

By showing the levels and signals in real-time, any problems in the channel setup can be changed and addressed quickly.

3. Multi-Channel Setup

When setting up the data acquisition channels, there are options to edit/change multiple channels at the same time.  This can make channel setup faster, especially when dealing with hundreds of channels (Figure 10).
 

Multiple channels can be selected by clicking on them while holding down the CONTROL key.  A range of channels can be selected by holding down SHIFT while selecting the first and last channel in a range.

In the “Channel Properties” any changes made will be applied to all channels.

Another useful feature is an indicator light for identifying where a module in the list is physically located (Figure 11).

With a complex setup consisting of multiple units, the unite detection button causes a magenta light to blink on one module, making it easier to find.

4. Channel Calibration

Channels can be calibrated in the “Setup Channel” view.

An example of shunt calibration (using a SCADAS RS on-board shunt resistor) is shown in Figure 12.
 

Figure 12: Select “Shunt Calibration” on the left side of the “Channel Setup” screen.
 

Press the shunt calibration button on the left side of the “Setup Channel” screen.  The name of the button is different depending on the type of transducer. A calibration screen is opened (Figure 13).

In the calibration menu, press the “Start” button.  The shunt calibration consists of zeroing the gauge, taking a reading, shunting, and taking another reading.  

The newly calculated sensitivity is shown and can be used with the “Accept” button.

5. Measuring

With all the channels setup and calibrated, measurements can be started as shown in Figure 14.
 

To perform a measurement, press the “Measure” button on the left side of the screen and choose “Monitor”.  The “Monitor” function can also be directly selected from the main menu.

The “Record” button starts the recording.  In the upper right, the recording status and duration is shown (Figure 15).
 

Figure 15: The record button starts the measurement.  The duration and status of the measurement are shown in the upper right. 
 

There are several real-time views of the measurements that can be shown including statistics, digital readouts, strip chart, and levels.  They are selected at the top center of the screen and can be switched actively. 

Use the stop button to end the measurement.

6. Data Review

Once data has been acquired, any previous measurement can be reviewed (Figure 16).
 

Figure 16: Use the “View Data” button to get an overview of all available measurements.
 

Use the “View Data” button on the left side of the screen to get an overview of all measurements previously collected.  The “View Data” is also available from the main menu.

To see the contents of an individual measurement, choose the magnifying glass icon to see it (Figure 17).

Figure 17: Contents of a measurement can be viewed in strip chart display.
 

Once a measurement is selected, the contents can be viewed as statistics or strip chart with the menu across the top center of the screen.

7. Using Mobile Devices

The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App can be viewed from any device with a web browser.

PCs, tablets, and mobile phones all have different size screens.  The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App adjusts its appearance automatically based on the screen of the mobile device being used as shown in Figure 18.
 

Figure 18: Mobile versions of menus.
 

These adjustments are done automatically, without need for specific user intervention.

8. Triggers and Calculated Channels

Instead of manually pressing the record and stop buttons to take a measurement, it is possible to setup triggers to automatically start the measurement.

Trigger settings can be found in the “Recording Setup” screen under “Measure” as shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19: Triggers are defined under “Recording Setup” in Measure.
 

Both start and stop triggers may be defined.  Specific levels on any channel can be set for the triggers as shown in Figure 20.
 

Figure 20: In this example, a trigger is defined on a measured string pot to start when 10 mm of displacement is achieved.
 

Triggers can have pretrigger buffers that record data leading up to the trigger.

In addition to levels on actual measured channels, triggers can also be used with calculated (or virtual channels).

Calculated channels are setup under the “Channels” menu, in “Calculated Channels” as shown in Figure 21.
 

Channel calculations include:

The calculated channels create additional time channels in addition to the measured channels.

The calculations can have multiple steps as shown in Figure 22.

 

In addition to measured channels, these calculated channels can be selected for the trigger.

9. Data Download

There are two methods to download data from the SCADAS RS:

9.1 Via Web Interface

In the measurements view (see previous section) of the Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App, click in the lower right corner (on the "..." symbol) of a individual measurement and choose "Download run" as shown in Figure 23:
 

The measurement will be downloaded in the browser.  It is a zip file which contains the time data in Simcenter Testlab LDSF format as well as the acquisition setup file.

9.2 Via Windows Explorer

A secure link can be formed between a SCADAS RS and another device.  An example is shown in Figure 24.
 

For example, this can be mapped as a network drive on a Windows PC to allow easy download of files.

Instructions for creating a connection are found in the SCADAS RS manuals.

10. Simcenter Testlab Neo versus Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App

The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App is one of two software packages that can be used with the SCADAS RS hardware.  The other is Simcenter Testlab Neo (Figure 25).
 

Figure 25: Simcenter Testlab Neo (left) is a PC Based software that works with SCADAS RS hardware (right) via an ethernet connection.
 

Simcenter Testlab Neo software is installed on a PC or laptop.  It is connected to the SCADAS RS hardware via an ethernet connection.  All data collected is stored on the laptop.

Simcenter Testlab Neo has an Excel type of interface for channel setup.  This allows using copy (CTRL-C) and paste (CTRL-V) operations between rows to setup channels. The interface is well suited to setup in a laboratory setting.

The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App resides on the control unit (REC) of the SCADAS-RS.  It can be accessed via a web browser on any device (Figure 26).
 

 

The Simcenter SCADAS RS Recorder App interface is well suited for in the field operations. Both wired and wireless connections are supported. All data acquired is stored on the internal storage of the SCADAS RS.  

Questions?  Email nicholas.divincenzo@siemens.com. 

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