Instruction manual

2 Acquisition 17
not show the event that was trying to be captured. So the acquisition of data at the right moment
requires a proper trigger. In the Scope mode either of the previously discussed “non-manual”
modes, External Trigger or Trigger from Channel, can be used to start the sweep.
Acquiring
Data in the
Scope Mode
Scope mode can be enabled from the Channel page in the Preferences dialog window, which
is accessible under the Edit menu. Data can be acquired on as many channels as are available.
Data can be viewed in either Chart or Scope format with some limitations. Switching between
formats is done by changing the acquisition mode in the Channel Page of the Preferences
window. The limitations to viewing data in the Scope or Chart format are the following:
• If data is recorded in Scope mode, each sweep or record segment is treated as a block of data. When
viewed in Chart mode, sweeps (or blocks) are laid end to end, in the order that they were acquired. Data
can be scrolled.
• If data is recorded in Chart mode, each block or record segment is treated as a sweep.
Set Up the
Software
To program DataTrax2 to record in Scope mode, pull down the Edit menu (Application menu
on Mac) and select Preferences. Open the Channel page of the Preferences dialog window.
Select the appropriate Scope acquisition mode. The acquisition mode can be set to either
Repetitive, Multiple or Averaged. Next, set the Start mode that will begin the recording of the
sweep. The triggers that are available are: User, for manual starting of the sweep that can be
linked to the output of the ADC; External Trigger, for triggering by an external source; Trigger
by Channel, for triggering by an input signal, Timed Trigger for delayed start.
Figure 2-4: The Scope application setup controls.
Repetitive Mode When the Record button is clicked in Repetitive mode, each new sweep overwrites the
previous sweep. Real oscilloscopes work in this way. When the Stop button is clicked, only the
last trace is saved.
Multiple Sweep
Mode
When the Record button is clicked in Multiple Sweep mode, DataTrax2 will acquire and save
a predetermined number of sweeps. The number of sweeps in a series can be set in the number
of Sweeps box on the Channel page. The beginning of each recorded sweep is determined by
the Start mode conditions. A Delay Between Sweeps can also be programmed in the Multiple
Sweep mode. If zero is selected as the Delay Between Sweeps, the next sweep in the series is
taken as soon as the software is ready.
Averaged Mode When the Record button is clicked, DataTrax2 will record the user specified number of
Sweeps, but will only save and display the averaged sweep.