CarLog Update Notes

[ Release Date: 04 August 2009 ]

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Acquisition through COM/USB Port

The scanners and parsers for the COM port input devices (including USB-to-COM converter interfaces) and for data import (FILE) have been modified to allow for iQ-mobil TEMPRIS data acquisition using an extended/additional 16-sensor TEMPRIS format. The supported ASCII format consists of lines with the following colon-separated and/or blank-separated entries:

• TEMPRIS sensor/channel number; non-negative; valid value range: 0 .. 16
• TEMPRIS timestamp; non-negative float value in [s] (second) units with 6 decimal places for micro second [µs] resolution; absolute time, i.e., time elapsed since January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT ("Unix Epoch"; assuming that the TEMPRIS control unit system clock was correctly set)
• TEMPRIS system status; non-negative integer value; 0 = sensor search active; 2 = sensor found, or other internal status values;
• temperature value; float value in [°C] (degree Celcius) units; typically in the range -70°C to +400°C
• signal-to-noise ratio; non-negative float value in [dB] (Decibel) units
• sensor frequency; positive float value in [Hz] (Hertz) units;
• optional data flag/configuration/ID; non-negative integer value; 0 = no further data, otherwise optional data id/configuration;
• optional/internal/system float value(s); reserved for test purposes and/or future applications; meaning depends on optional data configuration/ID (see above)

Example Input Data:

...
00 1243260755.891581 02 2.902264E+001 4.212271E+001 1.040638E+007 0
00 1243260756.841445 02 2.887766E+001 5.470908E+001 1.140633E+007 0
...
01 1243260755.941570 02 2.903055E+001 4.206615E+001 1.040638E+007 1 8.281694E+005 6.528474E+003
01 1243260756.891553 02 2.888063E+001 5.293165E+001 1.140633E+007 2 2.358453E+006 5.321628E+003 3.505753E+005 7.415000E+002
...

As illustrated in the example above, measuring values can be scientifically formatted with uppercase exponent indicator E and three digits for the exponent. The data records can be sorted by sensor id rather than timestamp. CarLog automatically dates back the data capture start date/time if and as required during import. Data which is not sorted by timestamps is not common for real-time data loggers. However, such data may be exported from specific TEMPRIS control unit test programs, and can later be imported into CarLog for visualization purposes.

CarLog assigns the following input type names when capturing iQ-mobil TEMPRIS data:

CarLog uses the timestamps from the iQ-mobil TEMPRIS input only for data import, i.e., when logging data from FILE input devices. CarLog assigns its internal system timestamps instead when capturing data from COM (and/or USB-to-COM) ports.

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Import through FILE

When importing iQ-mobil TEMPRIS temperature data in 16-sensor TEMPRIS format, the function for data import (input device FILE) displayed the original data capture start timestamp in a somewhat cryptically looking popup message which was intended for test and debug purposes only. This popup message has been removed from the released CarLog version.

File - Open - Resizable File Selection Dialog

The file selection dialog of the Open function from the File menu has been made resizable.

File - New from File - Resizable File Selection Dialog

The file selection dialog of the New from File function from the File menu has been made resizable.

File - Save As - Resizable File Selection Dialog

The file selection dialog of the Save As function from the File menu has been made resizable.

Data Views Dialog

In the English user interface, the "Data Views" dialog which is activated through the Data Views function from the Data View menu and other data view context menus was displayed with German titles and labels. This problem has been fixed.

Credits

Thanks to Anton Mangold for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 02 August 2009 ]

Plot Data Views - Automatic Y Axis Extension deactivated

The feature for automatically extending the plot data view Y axis which has been implemented with CarLog2 Version 2.0.018 has been deactivated to ensure correct Y axis dimensioning according to input type value range settings.

Credits

Thanks to Anton Mangold for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 31 July 2009 ]

CSV Export Time Grid Option with Mean Value Calculation

The time grid options of the CSV export functions have been modified to perform mean value calculations for each time grid interval. Previously, only the last captured measuring value was exported for each time grid interval.

The output time grid specification option is implemented through the export file name dialogs of the

function and the following data view context menu functions:

Data View

[ Release Date: 29 July 2009 ]

Plot Data Views - Automatic Y Axis Extension

The Y axis of plot data views was restriced to the maximum and/or minimum measururing values. I.e., maximum and/or minimum values were plotted on(to) the upper and/or lower edge of the plot coordinate systems. This made it rather difficult to see maximum and/or minimum values in point diagrams. A new feature for automatically extending the plot data view Y axis to the next Y axis scale value in direction of the (positive) maximum and/or (negative) minimum value has been implemented to fix this problem. Please note that the Y axis is not extended over the zero line if the plot only contains non-negative and/or non-positive values. The Y axis for the measuring value range from, e.g., -37.6 to 1415.87 is set to range from -40 to 1420, a measuring value range from 0 bis 187.5 results in an Y axis from 0 to 190, a measuring value range from -2829 to 0 results in an Y axis range from -2830 to 0, etc. This ensures that maximum and/or minimum values are plotted within the visible ordinate range. A welcome side-effect of this new feature is that real-time screen plot outputs for continuously increasing or continuously falling measuring values are smoother due to a reduced Y axis re-scaling requests.

This feature was deactivated again with the release of CarLog2 Version 2.0.020 to ensure correct Y axis dimensioning according to input type value range settings.

[ Release Date: 24 July 2009 ]

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Import through FILE

The scanners and parsers for data import (input device FILE) have been modified to enable the conversion of the original data capture start and end dates and times (in seconds precision) when importing iQ-mobil TEMPRIS temperature data in 16-sensor TEMPRIS format.

[ Release Date: 21 July 2009 ]

CSV Export - Absolute Timestamps

The following columns have been added to the output of the CSV Export functions:

• Column 2: Absolute Timestamp [s]
  Absolute timestamp value; time elapsed since January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT ("Unix Epoch"); non-negative float value in seconds [s] units with 3 decimal places for milli second [ms] precision
• Column 3: Datetime [GMT]
  Absolute timestamp datetime; time zone GMT (Greenwich Meantime); format dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm:ss.000 (milliseconds precision)
• Column 4: Datetime [Local]
  Absolute timestamp datetime; local timezone; format dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm:ss.000 (milliseconds precision)

Credits

Thanks to Anton Mangold for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 21 July 2009 ]

Measuring Value Display

The central function for formatting measuring values has been modified to handle special cases were uninitialized float value precision formatting parameters caused incorrect measuring value displays such as -1.#R.

Credits

Thanks to Dr. K. H. Hammerer for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 12 June 2009 ]

CarLog Setup / MFC and CRT Distributions

The setup program for CarLog2 Version 2.0.014 has been modified to install the MFC (Micorosoft Foundation Classes) and CRT (C RunTime Libraries) distributions in the CarLog programs directory rather than the Windows system directory. This eliminates potential problems which were in some cases caused by inconsistent MFC and/or CRT DLL updates through third party software installations.

[ Release Date: 02 June 2009 ]

CarLog MFC80.DLL Linkage

CarLog2 Version 2.0.012 was not correctly linked to MFC80.DLL (Microsoft Foundation Classes Dynamic Link Library Version 8.0) This problem has been fixed.

[ Release Date: 31 May 2009 ]

CarLog MFC distribution upgraded

The MFC (Microsoft Foundation Class) DLL/library redistributed with CarLog was upgraded from MFC 4.2 to MFC 8.0.

[ Release Date: 26 May 2009 ]

Fault-tolerant COM Port Data Acquisition

Features for reinitializing selected/active COM ports have been implemented in the functions for capturing data from serial/COM ports and/or USB-to-COM interfaces. This allows for COM port data capturing to resume automatically after temporary COM port hardware failures. Such hardware failures can be caused, e.g., by accidentially unplugging the USB-to-COM connection or by temporarily switching off the power-supply of the monitored control unit.

[ Release Date: 26 May 2009 ]

"Point Diagram" and "Multi Point Diagram"

The pen width for drawing value symbols in the Point Diagram and Multi Point Diagram plot data views has been increased to 2 pixels to improve the legibility of these symbols.

Credits

Thanks to Dr. K. H. Hammerer and Anton Mangold for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 25 May 2009 ]

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Acquisition through COM/USB Port

The scanners and parsers for the COM port input devices (including USB-to-COM converter interfaces) and for data import (FILE) have been extended to allow for iQ-mobil TEMPRIS temperature data acquisition using an updated TEMPRIS format which supports up to 16 TEMPRIS sensors. The supported ASCII format consists of lines with the following colon-separated and/or blank-separated entries:

• TEMPRIS sensor/channel number; positive integer value; valid value range: 1 .. 16
• TEMPRIS timestamp; non-negative float value in [s] (second) units with 6 decimal places for micro second [µs] resolution; absolute time, i.e., time elapsed since January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT ("Unix Epoch"; assuming that the TEMPRIS control unit system clock was correctly set)
• TEMPRIS system status; non-negative integer value; 0 = sensor search active; 2 = sensor found, or other internal status values;
• temperature value; float value in [°C] (degree Celcius) units; typically in the range -70°C to +400°C
• signal-to-noise ratio; non-negative float value in [dB] (Decibel) units
• sensor frequency; positive float value in [Hz] (Hertz) units;
• optional data flag/configuration/ID; non-negative integer value; 0 = no further data, otherwise optional data id/configuration;
• optional/internal/system float value(s); reserved for test purposes and/or future applications; meaning depends on optional data configuration/ID (see above)

Example Input Data:

...
04: 1243260755.891581 02 2.902264e+01 4.212271e+01 1.040638e+07 0
12: 1243260755.941570 02 2.887766e+01 5.470908e+01 1.140633e+07 0
04: 1243260756.841445 02 2.903055e+01 4.206615e+01 1.040638e+07 1 8.281694e+05 6.528474e+03
12: 1243260756.891553 02 2.888063e+01 5.293165e+01 1.140633e+07 2 2.358453e+06 5.321628e+03 3.505753e+05 7.415000e+02
...

CarLog assigns the following input type names when capturing iQ-mobil TEMPRIS data:

CarLog uses the timestamps from the iQ-mobil TEMPRIS input only for data import, i.e., when logging data from FILE input devices. CarLog assigns its internal system timestamps instead when capturing data from COM (and/or USB-to-COM) ports.

Credits

Thanks to Bodo Scheumann for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 24 May 2009 ]

"Point Diagram" and "Multi Point Diagram" menu functions

Some of the Point Diagram and Multi Point Diagram functions for activating graphical point diagrams were not correctly implemented. This problem has been fixed.

COM port input device default baud rate

The default Baud Rate for COM port interface settings has been changed from 2400 Baud to 115200 Baud as this is the required setting for monitoring the frequently used TEMPRIS COM and/or USB-to-COM interface.

[ Release Date: 24 May 2009 ]

New graphical data view types "Point Diagram" and "Multi Point Diagram"

The Point Diagram and Multi Point Diagram functions for activating graphical point diagrams have been added to the menus for selecting data views. Measuring values in point diagrams are displayed by plotting small crosses at the positions corresponding to the measuring values in the diagram.

Function line-up in dataview selection menus

The line-up of the functions for selecting graphical dataviews has been modified in all data view menues, toolbars and treeview branches.

Credits

Thanks to Dr. K. H. Hammerer for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 22 May 2009 ]

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Acquisition through COM/USB Port

Information about this feature has become obsolete with the release of CarLog2 Version 2.0.009.

Credits

Thanks to Dr. K. H. Hammerer and Bodo Scheumann for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 24 September 2008 ]

PEAK-System PCAN-USB CAN interface integration/support

CarLog support for the PCAN-USB CAN interface from PEAK-System Technik GmbH has been updated. This interface can be used under Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Windows ME/98. The installation of the PCAN-USB interface is independent from CarLog. The PCAN-USB interface and corresponding system/driver software and installation guides can be obtained from PEAK-System. CarLog automatically checks whether a PCAN-USB CAN interface is installed, and adds the CAN/PCAN-USB entry to the corresponding CAN interface selection and configuration menus and dialogs if the PCAN-USB interface is available.

[ Release Date: 13 September 2008 ]

TEMPRIS Signal to Noise Ratio Filter for COM Port Data Logging

An option for specifying a signal to noise ratio limit for TEMPRIS data logging procedures from COM ports (and corresponding file imports) has been added to CarLog Version 2.0.004. The Signal noise ratio minimum value can be set in the dialogs for specifying the input device parameters for COM ports and file imports. A signal noise ratio minimum value greater than zero causes the system to ignore all TEMPRIS data samples with lower signal noise ratio values. This filter mechanism can be deactivated by setting the signal noise ratio limit to zero.

Credits

Thanks to Toni Mangold and Dr. K. H. Hammerer for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 13 September 2008 ]

Maintenance Update

CarLog Version 2.0.003 is a maintenance update without new features.

[ Release Date: 06 September 2007 ]

CSV Export with Time Grid Option

A field for optionally specifying an export time grid has been added to the file dialogs of the CSV export functions:

With a time grid specification, only the last values/samples in each time grid interval are exported at the end of each time grid interval. The time grid has to be entered in milliseconds [ms]. I.e., a time grid input value of 1000 sets the time grid to 1 second, input value 60000 sets it to 1 minute, etc. Time grid specifications usually lead to a significant reduction in the amount of output data and/or the resulting number of lines when loading the CSV file into a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel.

The output time grid specification option has been implemented in the

function and in the following data view context menu functions:

Data View

COM Port Data Capture

Due to a redundant file/stream close operation, stopping the COM port data capturing process could cause program crashes in CarLog Version 2.0.001. This bug has been fixed.

Credits

Thanks to Dr. Henning Gieseler, Toni Mangold and Ulli Angermüller for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 30 August 2007 ]

Documentation and Help System Update

Microsoft's .hlp file support is running out with Windows Vista. The CarLog .hlp files have therefore been replaced by the CarLog User Guide in PDF format. The Help function has been renamed to CarLog Help and loads now the CarLog User Guide. Adobe® Reader® is required for reading the CarLog User Guide.

Credits

Thanks to Toni Mangold and Ulli Angermüller for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 22 August 2007 ]

iQ-mobil TEMPRIS Data Acquisition through COM Port

The scanners and parsers for the COM port input devices and for data import (FILE) have been extended to allow for iQ-mobil TEMPRIS temperature data acquisition. The supported ASCII format consists of lines with the following contents and/or entries:

• sensor/channel number; positive integer value; valid value range: 1 .. 8
• temperature value; float value in [°C] (degree Celcius) units; typically in the range -70°C to +400°C
• signal-to-noise ratio; non-negative integer value in [dB] (Decibel) units
• timestamp; non-negative integer value in [ms] (millisecond) units; time elapsed since TEMPRIS control unit start
• sensor frequency; positive float value in [Hz] (Hertz) units;

Example Input Data:

...
1  24.60 33 13957210  31531.61 
2  24.61 30 13958700  32134.18 
3  25.11 37 13960180  32740.34 
4  24.50 32 13961670  33327.74 
5  24.48 28 13963160  33929.56 
6  24.49 38 13964650  34527.06 
7  24.37 24 13966140  35129.55 
8  24.61 27 13967630  35725.45 
1  24.61 33 13969120  31531.60
...

CarLog assigns the following input type names when capturing iQ-mobil TEMPRIS data:

CarLog uses the timestamps from the iQ-mobil TEMPRIS input only for data import, i.e., when logging data from FILE input devices. CarLog assigns its internal system timestamps instead when capturing data from COM ports.

Note

CarLog Version 1.10.038 can be used for evaluation until 31 October 2007.

Credits

Thanks to Toni Mangold and Ulli Angermüller for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 31 July 2007 ]

Maintenance Update

CarLog Version 1.10.037 is a maintenance update without new features. This version can be used for evaluation until 31 October 2007.

[ Release Date: 18 July 2007 ]

Maintenance Update

CarLog Version 1.10.036 is a maintenance update without new features.

Credits

Thanks to Ulli Angermüller for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 18 July 2007 ]

CarLog Test Version - not for public release

CarLog Version 1.10.035 is a company-confidential internal test version without new features.

Credits

Thanks to Rafael Krause and Ulli Angermüller for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 27 May 2005 ]

CAN Bus Data Acquisition

The functions for retrieving and/or converting CAN message values have been significantly modified for the following CAN formats:

• CAN 2.0A (11-Bit)
• CAN 2.0B (29-Bit)
• CAN-RDKS (11-Bit)
• CAN-RDKS (29-Bit)

CAN messages from the above formats are now converted as follows:

The above value conversion scheme is applied to the standard CAN formats (CAN 2.0A (11-Bit), CAN 2.0B (29-Bit)) in general and to CAN ids and/or CAN messages from RDKS CAN formats (CAN-RDKS (11-Bit), CAN-RDKS (29-Bit)) not matching any other predefined CarLog conversion rule.

PEAK-System PCAN-USB CAN interface integration/support

The CarLog API and driver software for operating the PCAN-USB CAN interface from PEAK-System Technik GmbH has been updated to the latest version.

Credits

Thanks to Reiner Abl for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 14 March 2005 ]

Automatic User Interface Language Selection

Due to a incorrect internal variable assignment in CarLog Version 1.10.032, the German user interface was always activated under Windows NT/2000/XP. This problem has been fixed. The German CarLog user interface is only activated if the software is running on a German Windows user interface. Otherwise, CarLog automatically selects its English user interface.

[ Release Date: 08 July 2004 ]

Generic Telemetry Data Acquisition

The scanners and parsers for the COM port input devices and for data import (FILE) have been extended to allow for generic pressure and temperature telemetry data acquisition. The supported ASCII format consists of lines with the following contents and/or entries:

• time stamp; time elapsed since the external sensor started capturing data; format hh:mm:ss
• sensor id and/or identification number of measurement object; non-negative integer value
• pressure value; non-negative integer value in [kPa] (kiloPascal) units
• temperature value; integer value in [°C] (degree Celcius) units
• check sum; integer value, sum of sensor id plus pressure value plus temperature value

CarLog assigns the following input type names when capturing generic telemetry data:

CarLog uses the timestamps from the telemetry input only for data import, i.e., when logging data from FILE input devices. CarLog assigns its internal system timestamps instead when capturing data from COM ports.

Timestamp Generation and Assignment

Internal CarLog timstamps are now generally assigned when capturing data from COM ports. On file import (input device FILE), however, timestamps transmitted with the measuring data have priority over internal CarLog timstamps.

COM/FILE Baud Rate Selection

The Baud rate settings listbox in the COM and FILE input device dialogs listed two entries for 110 Baud. This has been corrected.

Credits

Thanks to Sascha Kunzmann for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 04 January 2004 ]

Maintenance Update

CarLog Version 1.10.031 is an internal maintenance update without new features.

[ Release Date: 27 August 2002 ]

UniCAN CSM Data Import

New features for importing UniCAN Progi/Logger/Recorder CSM text format CAN data from UniCAN Profi/Logger/Recorder systems. The UniCAN import function operates through the FILE input device with the UniCAN CSM text file (date format YYYY-MM-DD) selected upon data capture start. CarLog automatically synchronizes the data logging start and end times with the corresponding entries from the CSM file when finishing the data import.

Credits

Thanks to Reiner Abl and Thomas Ostertag for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 29 July 2002 ]

CarLog Web Address Update

The CarLog web address used by the CarLog on the Web function from the Help menu has been updated.

[ Release Date: 27 June 2002 ]

CAN Bus Input Type Identifier Generation

The generation of CAN bus input type identifiers has been changed due to user request. The CAN ids and handles included in input type identifiers are now displayed in 5-digit decimal format (with leading zeros) instead of 4-digit hexadecimal format (with leading zeros and trailing h). The following CAN interface formats are affected by these changes:

• CAN 2.0A (11-Bit)
• CAN 2.0B (29-Bit)
• CAN-ITS (11-Bit)
• CAN-ITS (29-Bit)

Warning

It is recommended to adapt existing template files accordingly by inserting and/or replacing affected input type definitions. Please contact CarLog Sales & Support if you need any support in this matter.

Credits

Thanks to Reiner Abl for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 07 June 2002 ]

Windows 2000 Style CarLog Setup

The user interface of the setup program for installing CarLog has been modernized (Windows 2000 style).

Plot Data View Zoom/Pan

Immediately after switching to a plot data view, the upper zoom range limit of fully zoomed ranges could not be reduced interactively by dragging the corresponding gripper of the corresponding scrollbar. This problem has been solved.

[ Release Date: 06 June 2002 ]

Incremental Automatic Backup

The functions for automatic backups have been optimized to save only input data which has been captured since the last automatic backup. This improves the performance for automatic backups dramatically and minimizes possible disruption of currently active data capturing processes.

Warning

The routines for saving and loading CarLog files have been adapted to allow for the processing of incremental backups. Backup files created with CarLog 1.10.026 can not be completely reloaded by older CarLog versions.

Increased Autosave Time Interval

The autosave time interval input control elements from the Project Info dialog have been changed to allow for inputs in the range -300 to 300. I.e., the maximum autosave time interval can now be set to 5 hours.

[ Release Date: 30 May 2002 ]

Automatic Backup to Different Files

The autosave time interval input control from the Project Info dialog has been changed to allow for negative input. The bahaviour for non-negative autosave time intervals is still the same. I.e., a setting of zero deactivates automatic backups, and a positive autosave time interval specifies the number of minutes between complete backups to the current project file.

Negative autosave time interval settings specify the number of minutes for backups to different backup files. These backups are only carried out whilst data capturing is active, and the currently loaded input data is cleared from main memory once it is saved. The backup file names are build by inserting 5-digit numerical backup counters with leading zeros to the current project file path name. I.e., for a project file named datalog.car, the system creates backup file names such as datalog_00001.car, datalog_00002.car, etc. These backups don't affect the time axis, i.e., the original data logging start time won't be changed. Automatic backups to different files are useful for long-term data logging without supervisor. The clearance of input data with each backup prevents from main memory overflow.

Credits

Thanks to Thomas Ostertag for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 06 May 2002 ]

CarLog Demo Version Licensing Dialog

A few minor changes have been made to the licensing dialog of the CarLog 1.10.024 Demo version. The functionality of productive CarLog software licenses is not affected by these changes.

[ Release Date: 29 April 2002 ]

Plot Data View Display Refresh

A series of minor optimizations have been introduced to improve the performance for (re-)displaying plot data views after window move and resize operations.

Plot Data View Zoom/Pan Control Elements

The scrollbar control elements for zooming and panning plot data view zoom areas have been completely reprogrammed. New buttons with arrow symbols for moving the visible zoom area have been added at the edges of the scrollbars. The arrow symbols on these buttons are only visible if move operations in corresponding directions are possible. Move operations can be triggered by clicking these buttons with the left mouse button. Each move operation moves the visible zoom area by 1/10 of its current range until the corresponding data view value range limit is reached. Move operations are also triggered when clicking the area between the move buttons and the value range slider. The functions for displaying and picking zoom slider operation modes have also been improved to allow for value range border dragging even at very high zoom factors.

Credits

Thanks to Gerd Schmitt and Reiner Abl for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 15 April 2002 ]

Digital Speedometer RM-1500/1501/1502 Data Acquisition

Value range check functions and invalid value filters have been added to the RM-1500/1501/1502 Digital Speedometer COM port parser.

Credits

Thanks to Gerd Schmitt for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 15 April 2002 ]

Digital Speedometer RM-1500/1501/1502 Data Acquisition

The tolerance of the RM-1500/1501/1502 Digital Speedometer COM port parser filter functions has been relaxed to allow for data input which was previously suppressed due to specific speedometer operation status combinations.

Credits

Thanks to Gerd Schmitt for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 11 April 2002 ]

IXXAT VCI V2.12 CAN Interface Adaptation

CarLog has been adapted to the IXXAT VCI V2.12 CAN interface. Users who are operating CarLog with IXXAT CAN interfaces should eventually update their IXXAT VCI drivers with the latest versions. VCI driver software and corresponding installation guides can be downloaded from the website of IXXAT Automation GmbH.

[ Release Date: 14 March 2002 ]

New RDvar Format

The RDvar format has been changed to allow for the transmission of both relative and absolute pressure values. CarLog has been adapted accordingly and allows for the processing of this format named CAN-RDvar-Abs through the CAN-RDKS (11-bit), CAN-RDKS (29-bit), CAN-RDvar-Abs (11-bit) und CAN-RDvar-Abs (29-bit) options from the corresponding CAN-Format selection menus.

RDvar CAN messages are transmitted through CAN identifier 0x48. The CAN-RDvar-Abs format generates three different CAN message types which are analyzed and converted by CarLog according to the following table:

CAN-RDvar-Abs messages with invalid message type identifiers (CAN message data byte 6) are ignored. All CAN-RDvar-Abs pressure values are in mbar.

CarLog still supports the old CAN-RDvar format to avoid compatibility problems when updating to CarLog 1.10.019. This format can be selected exclusively through the CAN-RDvar (11-bit) and CAN-RDvar (29-bit) options from the corresponding CAN-Format menus. The RDvar telegram counter variable (RDVAR_TELEGRAMCOUNTER) is not extracted and/or generated anymore from CAN-RDvar messages.

[ Release Date: 13 March 2002 ]

General CarLog 1.10 Information

CarLog 1.10 is a major software update. CarLog 1.10 supports the operation of CAN interfaces under Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The handy and easy-to-use PCAN-USB USB interface from PEAK-System has been added to the list of supported CAN interfaces.

CarLog 1.10 Software Licensing

Existing CarLog 1.00 software licenses are also valid for CarLog 1.10. I.e., it is not necessary to obtain a new CarLog license when updating from CarLog 1.00 to CarLog 1.10.

CarLog 1.10 Project File Format

The update to CarLog 1.10 incorporates major changes to the CarLog project file format. CarLog 1.10 can still read project files from older CarLog versions. However, older CarLog versions can not read project files which have been created and/or saved with CarLog 1.10.

IXXAT VCI-V2 CAN interface integration/support

CarLog has been updated to support IXXAT CAN interfaces through the new VCI-V2 driver software. This allows for the operation of IXXAT VCI CAN interfaces under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT and Windows 2000. The installation of IXXAT VCI-V2 is independent from CarLog. IXXAT VCI-V2 CAN interfaces and corresponding system/driver software and installation guides can be obtained from IXXAT Automation GmbH. CarLog automatically checks for installed/registered IXXAT VCI-V2 CAN interfaces, and adds CAN/VCI2-index name entries to the corresponding CAN interface selection and configuration menus and dialogs. index is substituted with the unique VCI-V2 CAN interface hardware index, name is substituted with the registered VCI-V2 CAN interface name (e.g., CAN/VCI2-100 CANDY).

For a limited time, CarLog will continue to support operation of IXXAT CAN interfaces through VCI-V1 driver software (without Windows 2000 support) to avoid problems with existing CarLog and VCI-V1 installations. However, CarLog does not install any VCI driver and/or system software anymore. We strongly recommend to update existing VCI-V1 installations to VCI-V2, or to use VCI-V2 straight away when installing IXXAT VCI/CAN interfaces for the first time.

PEAK-System PCAN-USB CAN interface integration/support

Support for the PCAN-USB CAN interface from PEAK-System Technik GmbH. has been added to CarLog. This interface can be used under Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The installation of the PCAN-USB interface is independent from CarLog. The PCAN-USB interface and corresponding system/driver software and installation guides can be obtained from PEAK-System. CarLog automatically checks whether a PCAN-USB CAN interface is installed, and adds the CAN/PCAN-USB entry to the corresponding CAN interface selection and configuration menus and dialogs if the PCAN-USB interface is available.

Standardized CarLog installation for all Windows platforms

The CarLog installation procedure has been standardized. There is only one CarLog setup program for all supported Windows platforms (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP). CarLog does not install any driver or system software for operating CAN interfaces (such as IXXAT VCI) anymore. It's the responsibility of the CarLog user to install required third-party CAN interfaces. Please contact CarLog Sales & Support if you need information regarding CarLog CAN interface support and/or how to obtain corresponding driver software.

[ Release Date: 29 December 2001 ]

Data view specific input type list views

A new list view has been implemented for displaying the input types of a data view. This list view is similar to the project input type list view, however, only the input types of the selected data view are displayed. Input Types entries are provided under each data view entry in the project tree view for switching to data view specific input type list views. Alternatively, the new Input Types data view menu and/or context menu functions for data view switching can be used to activate data view specific input type list views.

Renaming data views in the project tree view

Renaming date views through project tree view inline editing failed if this function was not explicitly called through the tree view context menu. This problem has been fixed. I.e., data view renaming is now also possible through (double-)clicking data view names from the project tree view.

[ Release Date: 23 December 2001 ]

Sortable List Views

The column sort mode was not displayed in the column header of the sorted column when activating and/or initializing list views for input types, data views and input/output devices. This problem has been fixed.

Sorting of input type list views according to the selected sort column is now also automatically performed during active data capturing.

[ Release Date: 18 December 2001 ]

Sortable List Views

The input type, data view and input/output device list views can now be sorted by clicking the column headers. An arrow is displayed in the sorted column header to indicate the sort order. The sort order is toggled when selecting an already sorted column.

Data Capture

Data capture performance has been slightly improved through modifications of the input value capturing routines.

[ Release Date: 12 December 2001 ]

Improved Input Device Dialogs

The Select Interface and/or Deselect Interface buttons (and the Initialize Interface button for VCI/CAN interfaces) of the input device dialogs and form views have been changed to apply the current input device parameter settings before selecting and/or deselecting the input device. This prevents from accidentally resetting currently selected parameter settings upon input device selection.

Data View Zoom Functions

Time axis zoom full setting recognition sometimes failed after capturing large amounts of data over long periods. This caused short activations of special zoom functions such as Zoom Out X and "flickering" effects on corresponding toolbar buttons. This problem has been fixed.

Credits

Thanks to Daniel Wagner and Reiner Abl for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 07 December 2001 ]

Digital Speedometer RM-1500/1501/1502 Data Acquisition

Due to a bug in the COM port scanner for RM-1500/1501/1502 Digital Speedometer data acquisition, input values smaller than 100 were skipped. This bug has been fixed.

Credits

Thanks to Reiner Abl for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 06 December 2001 ]

Digital Speedometer RM-1500/1501/1502 Data Acquisition

The scanners and parsers for the COM port input devices have been extended to allow for data acquisition from RM-1500/1501/1502 Digital Speedometers. CarLog captures the following Digital Speedometer input types:

[ Release Date: 04 December 2001 ]

Rename Data View

The Rename Data View function from the project tree view and data view list view context menus issued a redundant message (Invalid name entered!) upon ESCape key input (function abort request). This message is now suppressed, i.e. the function is silently aborted without name change.

[ Release Date: 12 November 2001 ]

User Interface

The Clone Data View function from the data view (context) menus has been renamed to Copy Data View.

Rename Data View

The Rename Data View function for renaming the currently selected data view has been added to the project tree view and data view list view context menus. Rename Data View switches the data view name/label element into edit mode. The return key is used to accept the new name, unless the specified name is invalid (error message Invalid name entered!) or already used by another data view (error message Data view exists already!). The ESCape key can be used to cancel the name change whilst in name edit mode.

[ Release Date: 07 November 2001 ]

User Interface

Some context menus have been updated. Menu function labels and shortcut keys have been standardized.

Clone Data View

The Clone Data View function has been added to the Data View menu and all data view specific context menus. Clone Data View creates a copy of the currently active data view. The new data view name is generated from the original data view name with an underscore _ and a unique number appended. In data view list views, Clone Data View is applied on all selected data views.

Data View Assignment Operator

The internal data view assignment operator used for data view list management and data view copy operations did not copy the font and header parameters. This problem has been solved.

[ Release Date: 06 November 2001 ]

User Interface

New toolbar/menu icons for recently integrated functions have been added.

Input Type List View

The input type list view context menu has been updated and is now fully operational. The Remove Input Type function has been renamed to Remove Input Type(s) and removes all currently selected input types instead of only the first selected input type.

Data View List View

The data view list view context menu has been updated and is now fully operational. The Remove Data View function has been renamed to Remove Data View(s) and removes all currently selected data views instead of only the first selected data view.

[ Release Date: 19 October 2001 ]

Creating Projects from Data Views

There was demand for a feature for saving selectable sections of a CarLog project to a separate CarLog project file in order to reduce the costs for transferring CarLog files between different departments and/or companies. The Project from Data View submenu with the Input Types and Time Range, Input Types and Time Range options has been added to the Data View (context) menu:

These functions can only be activated if a data view is currently activated and/or selected. The user will be prompted to stop any active data capture and to save the current project file if necessary. A new project file will be generated from the current project file. Input types and/or input value ranges will be eliminated according to the current data view settings and the selected option. The Input Types and Time Range function deletes all input types which are not selected to the active data view and all input values outside the visible time range of the data view. The Input Types function deletes all Input Types which are not selected to the active data view. The Time Range function deletes all input values outside the visible time range of the active data view. The resulting project files are usually much smaller than the original project files, making it easier to transfer the files via Email.

Credits

Thanks to Daniel Wagner for valuable comments and suggestions.

[ Release Date: 19 September 2001 ]

CAN Interface Data Capture

The following CAN input filters have been modified to support GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 REPORT VARIABLE VALUE input:

• CAN-RDKS (11-Bit Ids)
• CAN-RDKS (29-Bit Ids)
• CAN-ITS (11-Bit Ids)
• CAN-ITS (29-Bit Ids)

The corresponding CAN ids are transformed as follows:

• CAN Id 0001h
  TA=0x02: GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 SET VALUE Telegram
  (input type identifier CAN-ITS-0001h AABBh)
• CAN Id 0002h
  • TA=0x01: GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 REQUEST VALUE Telegram
    (input type identifier CAN-ITS-0002h)
  • TA=0x03: GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 REPORT VARIABLE VALUE Telegram
    (input type identifier CAN-ITS-0002h AABBh)

AA is substituted by the handle low byte (Byte 1) of the GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 telegram, and BB is substituted by the handle high byte (Byte 2) of the GRAF-SYTECO ITS72 telegram. The SET VALUE and REPORT VARIABLE VALUE input values are extracted from telegram bytes 4 to 7 (byte 4 = LSB, byte 7 = MSB). The REQUEST VALUE "input value" (input type designator) is extracted from the telegram handle (handle low byte / byte 1 = LSB, handle high byte / byte 2 = MSB).

[ Release Date: 18 September 2001 ]

Plot Data Views

Plot data views for non-existing value ranges (e.g., all input type values identical) failed to display correctly and sometimes caused crashes due to faulty Y axis double value formatting (large/infinite number of decimals for small/zero value ranges). These problems have been fixed.

Data Capture - Stop Data Capture

The Stop Data Capture function of CarLog 1.00.134 always performed an automatic project file save operation (with a corresponding file dialog for previously unsaved projects). With CarLog 1.00.135, the behaviour of Stop Data Capture has been changed to perform automatic project file save operations only for data acquisitions started with Start Data Capture Project.

[ Release Date: 18 September 2001 ]

Plot Data Views - Print/Print Preview

The plot data view print and print preview routines have been corrected and optimized. Due to redundant print mode plot calculations introduced with CarLog 1.00.114 zoom slider implementations, the print output device had been dimensioned to the plot data view display width and height rather than to the physical paper size. This problem has been fixed.

Plot Data Views - Plot Legend and Time Axis Value Display

The routines for calculating the plot data view legend size have been corrected to ensure full plot legend text display. The time axis label display has been improved, thus allowing for time range start display and reliably avoiding time value display intersections.

[ Release Date: 23 May 2001 ]

Plot Data Views - Line Plot and Bar Chart Value Range Display

Vertical zoom sliders have been added to the line plot and bar chart plot data views, thus allowing for interactive value range zooming and panning. All value range zoom/pan settings are saved with the data views and the project and will be restored upon data view reactivation and/or project reload.

The Zoom submenu with the Complete Time Range (from the Time Axis submenu) and Complete Value Range functions has been added to the Data View main and context menus:

Complete Time Range displays the complete data capture time range. Complete Value Range displays the complete input type(s) value range of the currently selected data view.