Welcome to Cymograph®
Welcome to our no frills data collection software. 
This stuff is so easy to use that even your boss can master it.

Past, present, and future 

Cymograph was developed as a tool for testing our signal conditioning products.  Being overwhelmed with laziness, ahem,  I mean work, it needed to be simple to adapt and easy to use.  We started using it for demonstration purposes. Then we started shipping it at no charge as a stop gap to fill in while someone was making a purchase decision on data acquisition software. People continued to use it, and we began to add to it as requests came in.

Ipso facto,  Cymograph had become their data acquisition software; I believe that also means that it is now our data acquisition software.

There will come a time when you believe that everything is finished.
That will be the beginning.  Louis L' Amour - Lonely on the Mountain

Cymograph is living software, and it is constantly evolving.  We can do this because the code is written in Windows API - lean and mean - this leaves lots of room in memory for your data, and lots of CPU time for grabbing your data.  For us, the fact that it is lean (the exe file is only about 200k)  makes it easy for us to add features with complete freedom from worry about hardware limitations.  It is mean because it works at a very deep level in windows software.  This allows us almost total freedom to make windows do as we please.

Our basic design philosophy is best summarized by Albert's words.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.  - A. Einstein

Nuff said.


How to install

Open the box, the Cymograph CD is in a pocket inside the CyQ manual notebook.

Remove the CyQ hardware product - chances are it is on a DIN rail and already connected.

You will need to plug in the wall transformer, and possibly the white transducer cable.

Connect the serial cable to a vacant serial port on your computer.
 

Turn the power on - flip the red handled switches up.

Place the Cymograph CD into a drive.

Use Windows Explorer to find the InstallCymograph.exe file.   Click to install Cymograph.
 


How to Start

Start Cymograph by clicking on the desktop.

The Startup screen appears:


Click Collect Data with ADC.
The CyQ504 AD default window appears:



On the menu bar select PC setup

Select Serial Port and click OK:



In computerese the nickname for a serial port is COM Port (for communication port).  There are usually two ports. They are numbered 1 and 2.  (Note: If you are using a USB to serial adapter then COM5 is likely to be the one.)  One number corresponds to the vacant port that you plugged the cable into.  

So, what to click on?  Here is the method that experienced professional computer programmer's use:  Who knows - I might get lucky, so try COM1; if that don't work then try COM2. 
When you succeed you will see

If bad guess, then you will see either
  or  . 
In the first case, try another port. 
In the second case, either fix and retry or abort and try another port.
For further details go here.

Clicking OK on the Success button will cause the CyQ device to be initialized:



This is the CyQ302 screen. Click Go, and watch the data appear.




How to use the Mouse

How to use the Mouse

I am a two-fingered typist so Cymograph®  evolved as a  point and click interface.  If you point at something with the mouse and it lights up - then something useful may happen if you press either the left or right button. 

For example, to increase the time span shown on the screen point to Timebase and left click, to decrease right click. 

To let a channel name fall to the bottom storage bin click right; to restore, point to it and left click.



Main Menu

File
PC Setup
AD Setup
Display Setup
Stop
Go
Review





File



Save Results
   Saves acquired data to a specified file name. The data will be saved in CSV format, Comma Separated Values, with a csv extension. Clicking on this file will cause it to open in most spreadsheets, for example, Linux Calc or Microsoft Excel. If you forget to create this file, then you will prompted to do so on exit.

Restart
    Prompts for a save on the current data (if a save file is not open).
Resets Cymograph for new data beginning with time zero. 

Load Setup
    Loads a previously saved setup file.

Save Setup
    Saves current acquire setup (PC Setup, AD Setup,  and Display setup) to a  file with a ".cyq" extension.  

Exit
  Exits Cymograph

 


File Save Acquired Data

The standard windows  file save dialog will prompt for a file name.  The default extension will be csv, comma separated values.  



Data will be written to disk until the number written corresponds to the number of samples in memory.  This will continue until Cymograph is exited or another save file is created.   Restart should be used if a new file is desired.  This will free up memory resources and reset the time and number of data points to zero.

The file is closed at the end of each data write to further ensure that it will not be lost on power failure or other inappropriate exit. The file is closed whenever all pending AD data in memory has been written to disk.  At high data rates it may take a while for the disk to catch up with data collected in memory.  

A starting header will be sent to the file consisting of the name and physical units for each channel. Then comma separated values will be sent to the file. Data will be written in plain text as time,  numbers separated by commas, and with a carriage return at the end.
 
Four channels will appear as:

time|sec,granola|oz,oats|mg,bacon|lb,eggs|dz
123,314,716,819,422
124,310,617,851,425
.
.
.
6097,111,222,345,570
<eof>
Where <eof> is the end of file character, and the header is comma separated "channel name| physical units" for each channel.

The comma separated value format, csv,  is compatible with spreadsheets, such as Linux Calc, and Microsoft Excel. This format has maximum compatibility with other AD software.  It is also human readable as plain text.  It does increase disk space usage, and this was once important when disk sizes were only a few megabytes.  The space needed for even 8 channels over hours of data collection will be comparable to that needed for one snapshot with your digital camera.


Save Setup

Clicking on the saved file will start Cymograph with the saved setup. It is convenient to copy an icon for this setup file to the desktop if a particular setup of Cymograph is to be frequently used.


Load Setup

Allows you to select a previously saved Setup file containing settings for PC Setup, AD Setup, and Display Setup.  Selecting this file will initialize Cymograph to the saved settings.


Restart

AD conversions will be stopped.  If you have a save results file open, then Cymograph will stop sending data to it.  Otherwise you will be prompted to save the results in a file. For safety the file is closed whenever all pending AD data in memory has been written to disk.  However,  it may take a while for the disk to catch up at high data rates.  

You will then be asked if you want to start a new save results file.  If you chose not to then you will be prompted to do so at exit or the next restart.

The number of AD conversions and the time will be reset to zero.  No other settings will be changed.

The AD will be left in the STOP state.  You must click GO to resume data acquisition.


Exit

If you have a save results file open, then that file will be closed; exit will complete when all data has been written to disk.

If you have not been saving data, then you will be prompted to save any data you have collected:


Answering no will allow Cymograph to exit: UNSAVED DATA WILL BE DESTROYED, and Cymograph will deny any knowledge of it's existence.

Answering Cancel will cancel the Exit command.

Answering yes will cause the standard file save dialog to appear. 


After saving the data the exit will complete.


PC Setup



COM Port setup
Memory setup


Serial communication - Com Serial Port

This menu sets up the link between your computer and your CyQ or other products.  The defaults are the standard PC value of 9600 baud, 8 bits,  one stop bit, and no parity.   Handshaking is also set to none. These are the defaults for all CyQ products.  The only setting that you should need to change is the COM port that the device is connected to. 


The ports are unlabeled.  Device Mangler (manager) from the control panel
may also be helpful in locating ports.  This is especially true if the port is a USB
virtual port, it the highest number. 

Usually there are only two ports corresponding to two DB9 connectors 
on the back of the computer.  Plug into either.  Select port 1.  Click OK.
If you see



, then click abort.  On the menu,  select  port 2. Click OK.

If you see

 

, then check for power switch on and cables connected.  If this is the case then
turn  on or connect,  and click retry.


Changing baud rates
At high data acquisition rates you will need to increase the baud rate. Cymograph will reprogram the CyQ device when you change the settings and click OK.  Data dropouts can occur due to communication overload.  However,  they can also occur due to competition for resources.  Check the task list (ctrl, alt, del)  and clean the list  of application program names that you recognize. For example, internet browsers often have high priority threads running.  I have seen word processors with real time priority settings on multiple threads  - duh, no human can type 100,000 characters per second. 



 


Memory reservation



Data is stored in memory as it is collected. This memory must be reserved by Cymograph at startup. 

Memory requirements are determined by:
1. Anticipated maximum data collection time.
2. Data rate - samples per second.
3. The number of channels in use.

Default values are provided.  You may change these and Cymograph will calculate the new memory requirement. This dialog will show the percentage of available memory that will be required.

Clicking OK will allocate this memory to Cymograph.

While  data collection is occurring memory usage may be monitored by looking at the memory fuel . This is the green/red vertical bar on the right of the acquire display. 


Memory fuel gage

This is the red/ green bar on the right hand side of the graphics display.
Red indicates how much allocated memory has been used.
Green represents the amount remaining.

                                      



Setup AD



The Setup AD commands are:
           Rate/Interval
             Sets the conversion rate or the interval between conversions.
           Channels
             Selects channels to be converted.
           Range
             Selects range for the AD input voltage to be converted.
           Calibrate
              Sets the scale factor between AD units and physical units.
           Filters
              Select filtering to be done by the AD,  median, mean, running, etc.
           Model Number
              The model number for the AD (auto detected by Cymograph 2.0 or later).
           Status
              Retrieves the current command settings for the AD.
           Send
              Allows you to send commands to the AD.
           Messages
              Shows all non data communication received from the AD.


Rate/Interval

This  menu changes with the input model number. 
The default menu is for the CyQ504 AD rate in samples per second:


 
The CyQ302 blood pressure AD uses data interval (analysis interval) in seconds:


Increasing the AD rate may lead to erratic results.  This is due to the baud rate being too low.  To increase the baud rate you need Serial Setup under PC Setup on the main menu.


Select Channels


Channel selection dialog for the CyQ504 AD.  The channels menu is device dependent. For example, the CyQ508 dialog has 8 channels shown while the CyQ302 dialog shows  five channels named Systolic, Diastolic, Mean, Pulse and Rate.

Channels
Select the channels that you want to monitor, and check the box for each.  These correspond to the channels on the device connected to the serial input port(s).

Name  
Type names for these channels in the matching edit boxes.  Cymograph uses names rather than channel numbers.  This is the last time you will see an AD channel number.  So pick a name that makes sense.


Range



This Dialog is device dependent.  Some devices such as the CyQ302 are fixed range, and will not have a range dialog.


Calibrate AD channels



Channel selection and naming is done in the Channels dialog.

Scale Factor
Your signal conditioner changes a physical variable, such as pressure in mmHg, to volts. The AD converter measures volts.   The scale factor section allows you to enter values to change the volts back to the transducer input units for display as mmHg.  This is usually  something like 10 mv per mmHg or 100 mmHg per volt (CyQxxx specifications). The default value is 1 volt per 1 volt, the voltmeter value.

Physical Unit
The physical unit does not affect scaling, however it is very helpful in reading the data output.  The physical unit will appear with all values displayed ( space permitting).  The mv or volts choice is critical and is taken into account in scaling the range of the AD volts to your input signal.  (The AD has, for example,  a fixed range of -5 to +5 volts, that's -5000 to +5000 millivolts, mv) 

The offset may be left at zero when CyQ signal conditioners are used.  You may later want to tweek out any slight residual voltage offset from zero due to the signal conditioner and AD by entering offset values.  To do this apply, for example,  zero mmHg  and enter an offset value that causes zero to be displayed.



Filters

This dialog is device dependent, and may consist of more than one type of  filter.

CyQ 150 Median filter



Median FIlter




AD Model Number




Now that Cymograph automatically detects CyQ trademarked devices this
menu has lost much of it's original purpose. 

Shows the current AD Model Number.
Allows the AD model number to be selected by entering.


Status
This sends "?;" to a CyQ device.  The device responds with a command summary, and the status for each command.  This status summary can be viewed by clicking on Messages. This is also a handy way to get a summary of commands, and what they do, for the device.  The status page is effectively a brief "Help" file for the device.


Send
Prompts for a command to send to the CyQ device. Allows access to, for example, filters that are not included with Cymograph.  The command must end with a ';' character.

Messages
All characters that are NOT data are sent to the message window.  This includes error messages,  routine AD responses to commands, and other non data information.


DISPLAY SETUP

Data Range  
    The maximum and minimum range values for each channel may be
    entered.  

Time Base
     The time base may be entered. This provides for values that cannot
     be obtained with mouse clicks.

Data Grid
    Sets the number of horizontal lines that are shown for a channel. 
    The number is always odd so that a center line is always present. The 
     center line corresponds to the middle value on the channel button.

    Selects the channels that will have their value shown when the graph 
    intersects a time grid line.

Time Grid
     Allows you to set the time interval between vertical grid lines.

   Time grid line will be drawn when the next data point is drawn;
   at low data rates (long intervals between data points) and short time grid
   interval  settings the line will be delayed.  The correct time will be shown, 
  but this  will differ from  the expected interval.


  


Data Min, Max

This sets the y-axis bottom and top in physical units. Making either the min or max number smaller will have the effect of zooming in.  For example, when the 504 is used with the CyQ103 blood pressure signal conditioner, then the -5 to +5 volt range of the AD scales to a -500 to +500 mmHg range for blood pressure.  The actual blood pressure pulse is 80 to 120 mmHg.  Most of the screen is wasted space. So set the min to 0 and the max to 300 mmHg.  Now the data is much larger.  To get a good look at he pulse you would set the min to 50 and the max to 150;  now the pulse covers almost one-half of the screen.

This dialog is also used to round off and clean up the decimal ranges due to mouse click ranging.

Names and Physical Units
These can only be changed in the AD Setup dialog using the Channels selection.


Time Base



This sets the time axis (x axis) length in time units.  Making this number smaller will have the same effect as zooming in.  For example, a 10 second time base will cause about 11 blood pressure pulses to be displayed while a 1 second time base will cause only one pulse to be displayed.  The screen width is of course unchanged, therefore the graph appears to magnified.


Time Grid



Interval

This sets the interval between the vertical time grid lines.  The time is shown at the bottom to the left of the time grid line. No grid lines is an option. 





Data Value Grid



Sight Lines
Draws horizontal lines for each channel that allows the value at a given point to be more easily estimated. The number is odd so that a center scale line will always be shown.

Show Value
At the intersection of the time grid line with a data channel graph line the value of that channel at that time to be displayed. To control the screen clutter you may choose the channels for which you want the value to be displayed.




Three light gray value grid lines are shown on two channels.  The systolic channel has show value checked. The number zero (the value) appears for the value at the intersection of the graph line with a time grid line.


AD Stop

The CyQ device is told to stop acquiring data by sending the command 's;' to the device.  STOP will appear in the message window because the AD echos this instruction. The screen will stop scrolling from right to left because data is no longer being received from the AD. 


GO

Start acquiring data;  Go command.
 
A 'g;' command is sent to the CyQ device to start (or restart) data collection and transmission to the computer.

The first time Go is clicked and you forgot to initialize the COM port, then you will get a message reminding you to do so. 

Prior to starting data acquisition a stop command is sent followed by commands to set up the CyQ device. This allows changes in the set up dialogs to be sent to the device. Set up is repeated  every  time the go command is executed.  


Review

This switches the display mode from acquire to review with options forced to the current data acquire screen.  All data collected up until the review button is clicked will be available for display. You may return to live data monitoring at any time. The acquire data graph continues to be updated during review mode. You will be allowed to use any tools that do not modify the acquired data, for example, the zoom, pan, and value tools.


Help

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