Bellevue, WA --- Microstar Laboratories, Inc. releases the Wave Synchronization Module
(WSM) software for aligning measurements in real time to a reference time-base signal provided in the form of a precision sine wave. This complements the Time Base Synchronization module previously released, which required time base signals to be digital signals such as IRIG-B or GPS.
Synchronization, Localized or Distributed
Synchronization is about providing a common source for timing and aligning to it. Widely-distributed, network-intensive solutions can do this by embedding signal conditioning, converters, processor, and networked communication interface into every sensor. This can have some major advantages, but the costs and complexity should be obvious.
The Wave Synchronization Module (WSM) can be used when a centralized station derives an accurate sinusoidal time reference signal. This can be synchronized to an external master time base. The sine wave is then distributed to each of the local data acquisition nodes. Any data acquisition activity that aligns to this timing wave aligns to the master time base. Producing a stable, accurate reference wave requires some special instrumentation at the central station, but you will only need to purchase one such device to run your entire local system.
Timing information provided by a centralized station rarely is in a form usable for directly clocking high-performance digital sampling -- a sine wave is an example of a signal that is incompatible with digital clocking devices. This presents no problems to the Wave Synchronization Module. It uses sampling of an xDAP system to observe both the sinusoidal time reference signal and the measured signal channels, simultaneously, as data. The xDAP sampling clock can operate at any arbitrary rate high enough for good signal representation and for satisfactory time resolution. By associating positions within the observed timing signal and measured channels, every point in observed reference time has a unique corresponding point in the measured data.
Alignment to the time standard typically is better than 1/100000 of the timing cycle interval, with zero long-term phase drift.
Once the mathematical relationship between the timing signal and measured signals is known, a classic Shannon's Theorem reconstruction can evaluate signals at any locations you want, not limited to the sampler hardware restrictions, and not limited to the reference signal restrictions. The Wave Synchronization Module provides all of this. For example, if you want blocks of exactly 4096 equally-spaced samples aligned precisely to each 0.1 second timing reference wave, for each measured channel, just specify this in your configuration script.
Platform Support
The Wave Synchronization Module is available with the DAPtools Standard Version 6.2 software, purchased new with an xDAP data acquisition system from Microstar Laboratories, or as a software upgrade. The DAPtools Version 6.2 Software also includes the DAPL 3000 system, the processing engine that controls all of the real-time processing within the embedded xDAP environment. DAPtools Version 6.2 supports Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows Server on the PC host system. Also included with the DAPtools Standard software are modules for advanced rotating machinery rate analysis, digital countermeasures to aliasing, and various data management, transform, and filtering operations.
Availability
The DAPtools Standard 6.2 software with the new Wave Synchronization Module is available now. Contact Microstar Laboratories to obtain a copy for your xDAP system. The one-time license fee for the DAPtools Standard package, including the Wave Synchronization Module, is $195.00 USD.
For more details and specs, visit:
http://www.mstarlabs.com/software/wave-sync-module.html
http://www.mstarlabs.com/software/dapl/tabs.html
http://www.mstarlabs.com/daq-usb/xdap.html
http://www.mstarlabs.com/contact.html