Scope

What is the Scope?

The Scope is a graphical tool used to plot any parameters that the dictionary of the drive might have so that the user can see its evolution over time in comparison to other data. This widget offers many options are far sampling methods, frequencies, and plotting representations. It is also one of the 3 widgets that define a workspace.

This tool can be accessed at all times by clicking on the 

Configuring and working with the Scope

How to enable the scope and plot/record data

First of all, it is important to mention how the Scope is enabled and how/when the data can start to be represented. This is achieved with the 3 buttons on the top-left of the Scope screen (green box below):

• Triangle/"Play" button → to start plotting the data selected for that specific chart(s) over time.

• Square/"Stop" button → to stop plotting the data selected for that specific chart. The plotted graph will remain showing on the Scope.

• Erase button → to stop plotting and erase the content of the Scope so that the graph is empty again. 

In addition to the 3 buttons, it is important to mention that the Scope comes equipped with a legend that shows at all time the values of the data that are being plotted at the same instant in which the cursor is placed:

The legend view can be toggled between 3 modes:

• Static: This type of legend sticks to the top side of the graph.

• Floating: This legend can be dragged around the graph. It shows all the information about the signal.

• Floating simple: It acts the same way as the floating but it only shows the names and colors of the signals.

These modes can be switched in the "Grid Settings" category in "Scope configuration" using the "Inspector":

This applies to a Scope with 1, 2 or 4 charts.

Using the Scope with the Inspector widget

The Scope is the most powerful when working together with the Inspector since it allows for the configuration of all the possibilities that the Scope has to offer. If you open the Inspector and then left-click on the Scope, you will get a view like below with the general Scope configuration:

General Tab

• Grid Settings

  • Grid Enabled →   Shows and hides the grid in the graph.

  • Legend Enabled → Shows and hides the legend no matter what type is selected.

  • Background color → Changes the background color of the graph.

  • Grid color → Change the color of the grid.

  • Legend type → Changes the type of legends already mentioned (Static, Floating, Floating Simple).

• Visualization

  • Sync X axis → If enabled, when dealing with multiple charts (2, 4), the X axis synchronize and when the user drags to move the graph, all the X axes follow the movement.

• Capture Settings

  • Mode → Selects the mode of capturing data (Monitoring, Polling).

    

    The following parameters differ depending on the Mode. See Capture Settings / Collecting data methods data for more information

    
    

Charts Tab

In addition, if you click on the dropdown with "General" in it, you can configure the parameters that are displayed in each chart and select an additional resolution and display settings:

• Resolution

  • Limit Y Axis→ Limits the graph range to only X.

  • Max. Y → The maximum value that Y axis can reach.

  • Min. Y → The minimum value that Y axis can reach.

• Channels

  • Drive → The drive to which the signal belongs.

  • Axis → The axis targeted

  • Signal → The register targeted.

  • Color → The color in which the signal is represented in the graph.

Insides these chart settings, you can use the "Delete" button (blue button below) to delete any parameter that you do not want to have plotted in the chart and you can use the "Add Channel" button (orange box below) to add any additional parameters you are interested in plotting. In order to select the right parameter, use the dropdown list "Signal" field to select the right register.

Capture Settings / Collecting data methods

Polling

This is the default mode when opening a scope. It allows the user to see in real-time the data from the selected registers, plotted in a graph. This mode contains two configurable parameters:

• Refresh Time: This time influences the speed at which the graph updates. 

• Sampling Time: It is defined by the time between each sample reading.

PDO Polling

The PDO Polling mode is implemented for Capitan, Everest-S, and Denali. It operates exclusively over EtherCAT communication protocols and requires firmware version 2.5.0 or higher.

While similar to a regular Polling, the PDO Polling interacts only with TPDO mappable registers. It can operate at a faster rate, with the minimum cycle time set at 15 milliseconds, which is smaller than that of a regular Polling. As regular Polling, PDO Polling has two configurable parameters:

• Refresh Time: This time influences the speed at which the graph updates. 

• Sampling Time: It is defined by the time between each sample reading.

Monitoring

Monitoring mode is used when the user only wants to see a specific time of data. It allows the user to define a buffer that once all the samples are read and complete, will be displayed in the scope graph. The mode contains different configurable parameters that can be adjusted depending on the user preferences:

• Total Time: Total time of data that will be plotted.

• Trigger Delay: Delay between trigger raises and the window of samples.

• Sampling Freq.: The frequency at which the samples are being read.

• Trigger: The type of trigger which will determine when the monitoring starts.

  • No trigger

  • Rising Edge

  • Falling Edge

• Trigger Signal: Register of the signal used for the trigger.

• Level Edge: Threshold that will allow the monitoring to start based on the selected trigger.

• Repetitions: 

  • Auto

  • Single-shot

Additional features during operation

Autoscaling

This button is located in the lower-left part of the scope, it allows the scope to autoscale the graph as the time and samples keep plotting.

Notice if the autoscale option is enabled, the button will hide. It is not going to be until the user moves beyond the current limits of the graph that the button will show up.

Moving options

Moving through the scope graph is quite intuitive, we use the scroll button in the mouse to zoom in and out. Left-click the graph by pressing and holding to be able to move around the graph, it works as a drag motion. However, there is an option to lock the Y axis in case of wanting a specific X motion in the graph.

Advanced options of the Scope

Right-clicking the scope graph will pop up the following menu.

View All

This mode will zoom back to a point where the user can see all the graph form above.

X Axis and Y Axis

These options will allow the user to specifically attack to each axis individually. Making the following changes affect only the selected axis.

Mouse Mode

This will allow the user to switch between 3 and 1 buttons on a mouse, which will reduce or increase the functionalities of the mouse affecting the scope.

Plot options

These options affect directly to the visible part of the graph:

• Downsample → Affects plotted samples.

• Average → Plots an average signal of the already plotted signals

• Alpha → Changes opacity and visibility on the alpha channel of the signals.

• Grid → Toggles visibility X and Y axis of the grid.

• Points → switch on and off the points, if any, in the graph.

Export

It allows the user to export the graph data in different formats.

Item to export:

• Entire Plot: The whole data range is selected

• Plot: Only the plot item is selected

• Viewbox: Only the viewbox is selected

The user will be able to know which part of the scope is selected because of the segmented yellow line surrounding the targeted area that will be exported.

Export format:

The user will be able to export anytime the desired data in the following formats:

• Image (PNG, TIF, JPG, ...) →  Exports the selected area of the scope as an image with the selected format.

• Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) →  Exports the selected area of the scope as a .svg file.

• CSV →  Exports the plot item of the scope with all the plotting data as a .csv file (this option is limited to the plot item since its the one that contains all the data).

How to use multiple charts at the same time

When using multiple charts at the same time, the user must be aware that the "play", "stop" and "erase" buttons

• 1 Chart

• 2 Charts

  • Horizontal split

  • Vertical split

• 4 charts

2 Charts

• Horizontal split

• Vertical split

4 Charts

Settings for multiple charts

To configure the different charts, you will notice that, once selected the multi-chart mode (2 or 4 charts), when going to configure a chart by clicking the "General"

This will mean that the user is able to configure each chart by manually going to each element in the dropdown section and configure it as if it was a normal single chart. All charts are configured, plotted and move independently. Nevertheless, they trigger at the same time, and play, stop, erase simultaneously. This means that the user can configure independent signals for each chart but will only be able to trigger the start and ending for all of them together. There is also the "Sync X axis"

Legends in multiple charts

Static

The static legend will only give the data of the chart that is currently being covered by the mouse.

Floating and Floating Simple

For each chart that is displayed, an independent legend will be available. This way each chart has his own floating legend that can be dragged around and moved conveniently.