What's new
02/05/02
"Grab plots?" option added.
The software can now grab the plots from the front panel of the main program and upload them along with the relevant test data. Just check the box in the program controls section.
13/11/01
Some program files renamed.
Data_Read.vi is renamed to sct_detector_data_manager_V1.2.vi.
Data_read.cfg is renamed to data_manager.cfg.
Data_read_config.vi is renamed to config.vi.
Only enter test data when there is a valid run number.
get_data_vi now interactively enters data defaults where there is a valid run number. A valid run number starts with the same number as shown in the Atlas serial number box to the top left of the front panel. If the run number is invalid a dialog box run#_dialog.vi is called. All test entries are removed if a test does not have a valid run number.
Clear test data from previous device.
Under certain circumstances data from tests entered manualy for a previous detector could re-appear whena new detector was selected. This undesirable feature has been removed.Add titles to the detector summary file
format_detector_testing_summary.vi altered to insert some missing titles.
Add manufacturer's data to the detector summary file
format_detector_testing_summary.vi altered to insert some manufacturer's data. config.vi now includes a manufacturers data path variable which is stored in configuration file. This path is used to search for the manufacturer's data files for the current detector. The path can be relative to the data search path or absolute. To enter a relative path do not enter a slash at the start. Wildcards are also interpreted correctly. sct_detector_data_manager_V1.2.vi imports data for Thickness, substrate type, manufacturers serial number from the manufacturer's data file if it can find one.
Upload to SCTDB on run number only
db_write_tests.vi has been re-written to remove a large amount of unnecessary code and now choses to create an upload file only if there is a run number for that test. There is now a dialog if any essential data is missing form a test and only fields madatory in the SCTDB are regarded as essential.Zero values on excel report sheet.
The paperwork template, data.xls did not display empty cells correctly either hiding or inserting undesirable zeroes. Cell equations have been changed to handle zeroes values and empty cells correctly.
Browse for data path.
Browse button added to Data path on front panel of sct_detector_data_manager_V1.2.vi.
View Manufacturer's data.
The manufacturer's data can be viewed graphicaly for comparison by selecting the View manufacturer data option on the program control menu in sct_detector_data_manager_V1.2.vi. A new dialog display_manufacturers_data.vi is called to perform this function.
Upload shipment to SCTDB.
Shipments can now be uploaded to the SCTDB by selecting the Upload shipment to SCTDB option from the program control menu in sct_detector_data_manager_V1.2.vi.
20/06/01
Visual inspection upload now compliant with the Atlas database 128KB raw data file size limit.
The upload of individual images with titles is now implemented. This is a rather more complex technique than having images and diagrams packaged into a more readable MSWord file. The new method starts just after the visual inspection is finished when you are sorting any images you might have had to take. Put the visual inspection images in an empty temporary directory of your choice, they must be smaller than 128KB. You can now name and move the images to your main data directory using the image_naming.vi application which can be found in the image_management.llb directory. There are a few paths to configure before you start this program but they are remembered subsequently. When the program is run it displays each image in turn and asks you to type in a title. The image is then moved to a directory in your main data area called "Atlas serial number"_visual_pics and renamed "Atlas serial number"_title_"date stamp".jpg. The data_read program now searches for an appropriate directory containing image files to upload as raw data instead of trying to upload the MSWord file.
An MSWord file called extract.doc can also be found in the image_management.llb directory. Use the macro in this file to extract images from existing MSWord visual inspection documents. In this case the image titles cannot be changed they are fixed as Pic1,Pic2...etc. If the images are larger than 128KB then they are further compressed.
The visual inspection template file visual_template.doc has had two new macros added to make use of the images previously stored using the image_naming.vi progam. Their are two new buttons. Configure allows you to specify the directory in which you store all your data and the visual inspection image directories. Load images searches for images within an appropriate directory, loads them into the document, automaticaly resizes them and adds the title you specified earlier when using the image_naming.vi program.
Many new items added to the configuration file.
This includes a default URL and operator name for the Atlas database, the IV data extraction method, the name of the testing institute and the detector substrate orientation.
Coupling C data not extracted for W22, W31, W32 detectors.
Bug fixed.
Some characters in the visual inspection test comment are incompatible with Java upload application.
The database upload Java application mis-interprets characters such as the colon, line feed and carriage return as prompts for a new command. These characters are automatically replaced before the upload.
Strip scan results not uploaded to web database if there are no defects.
Bug fixed, an upload is now made provided there is an entry in the Run # box.
Normalised currents for Soak or IV test data are set to off when there is no data available for that device.
Bug fixed.
File handling in the Java upload temporary directory upgraded.
The directory in which the upload process is performed is now a subdirectory of that specified in the configuration. The subdirectory is called Upload. This avoids the risk of deleting essential files when an unsuitable upload directory is chosen such as C:\. Raw data files are now deleted from the upload directory regardless of their extension.
Defective strips produce unusable mean values for the coupling capacitance and bias resistance.
Defective strips can produce huge values in the data set. These distort the mean values for the device considerably. The routine for calculating the mean values now converts any value above a threshold to that threshold (1nF and 10MOhm). Any value that deviates more than 5% from the mode of the resulting data set is then discarded before calculating the mean.
data.xls macro file updated.
Improvements made to bias resistance and soak test graphs.
09/03/01
On click execution.
In order to overcome problems with slower machines, such as blinking controls and indicators the software now only executes code when a change is made to the front panel controls. What's more only operations needed as a result of the control changes are performed.
Processing a data set with items from more than one detector made impossible.
It was possible to upload or make paperwork from file belonging to devices with different Atlas serial numbers. This would obviously be very bad.
Normalisation of currents.
Current data in soak test and I/V files can now be normalised to a specified temperature. Both sample point and raw data are modified for the upload and summary file generation. The original raw data files are left unaffected. The choice between normalised data and raw data can be made on the front panel and during data entry.
IV data extraction.
There are now two methods for data extraction to increase compatibility. Threshold scans the file until the specified value is reached and returns the nearest data point. Interpolate will calculate a more accurate value on a spline curve plotted between the two nearest data points.
File format configuration.
The configuration process now includes a section which enables the data_read application to accept any data files made up of data arranged in vertical columns. Just press Configure file formats in the configuration dialog and a new dialog will take you through configuring each type of file.
Force refresh all.
This is a new button found on the front panel of data_read.vi which forces all information to reload in case something has changed on the hard disk.
Clear selection button for file selection.
It was not possible to have nothing selected in the file selection boxes. This is now solved with the addition of a Clear selection button for each file selection box.