General
I lost my Snap-Master CD, can my version be downloaded from the website?
Snap-Master encounters an error upon opening. What should I do?
All of my data does not appear in the Display window or on my print out
Does Snap-Master run on Windows NT?
What is the difference between High Resolution printing vs. a Screen Copy printout?
I am having trouble printing from Snap-Master
When is the Time-of-Day option available?
How do I decide which data file format to use in Disk Out?
Data Acquisition
When I drag out the A/D icon from the toolbox, it only says “A/D Demo”. How do I get data from my hardware?
Error: Primary Data Buffer cannot be allocated
How do I know if my I/O hardware is working?
Error: Driver Initialization Error Slot #X
My hardware acquires data in Software Pacing mode, but not with any Hardware Pacing modes
My hardware acquires garbage data in DMA mode.
How fast will Software Pacing acquire data?
How do I get my PCMCIA cards to work?
How do I transfer Sensor Databases between computers?
When do I use the Thermocouple Linearization element?
My data is plotting too fast (or too slow) compared to my sample rate. For example, I ask for ten seconds of data, but it appears in one second.
Waveform Analyzer / General Analysis
How do I decide what element letters to use for my result channels?
Why don’t my analysis results ever appear?
Why doesn’t my filter produce good data?
Frequency Analyzer
How do I pick which window type to use?
FactorySuite
What happens when the user logs in using the IndustrialSQL In element?
How do I change the default Resolution or the difference between the Start and Stop times when I drop a new IndustrialSQL element in an instrument?
I lost my Snap-Master CD, can my version be downloaded from the website?
Sorry, but we do not archive versions of Snap-Master for download. This is usually done for hardware drivers only. It is the customer’s responsibility to retain the Snap-Master CD.
We only supply the latest version of Snap-Master, and only as part of our Extended Support Policy (ESP). This entitles you to the latest version and an additional 1 year of support.
Top
Snap-Master encounters an error upon opening. What should I do?
If you are having trouble opening Snap-Master, then the problem is likely the file c:\sm\defuser\sm.ini which is telling Snap-Master to open a corrupt instrument file. To alleviate this problem, go to the end of the file and delete any instrument names and change the number of files to 0. The section of the sm.ini file should look like this:
[Open Instruments]
NumOpen=1
Inst1=C:\SM\ACQUIRE\FPL_AVL2.INS
Top
All of my data does not appear in the Display window or on my print out.
Only the data at the end of frame appears in a data display or when the user prints out the data using High Resolution mode. Pressing the Retrace button has no effect on the amount of data drawn. The user needs to switch to Full Retrace mode to show all of the available data.
In the Display window, select the Settings menu, Retrace Mode command, and the Full Retrace option. When the instrument is saved, this setting is also stored.
Top
Does Snap-Master run on Windows NT?
The user can run Snap-Master on an NT Workstation and do everything except acquire data from hardware. All post processing and data replay functions are supported. HEM Data is currently working on supporting data acquisition under NT.
Top
What is the difference between High Resolution printing vs. a Screen Copy printout?
A High Resolution printout draws the current Display page directly to the printer using the printer’s resolution (which is much higher than the resolution of a video monitor). A Screen Copy takes a picture of what is on your screen and sends it to the printer at the resolution of the video display.
Top
I am having trouble printing from Snap-Master
Try to print a file from Paint to make sure your printer is working properly and can print graphics. If that doesn’t work, make sure your printer is connected and you have the latest printer driver.
If the file from Paint does print but you are still having problems printing from Snap-Master, try switching to High Resolution mode rather than Screen Copy. If you still want to do a Screen Copy print, try reducing the number of colors displayed by your video driver.
Top
When is the Time-of-Day option available?
Time-of-day on the X-axis of a Y-T plot is available when acquiring data from I/O hardware or when replaying a Standard Binary file using the Disk In element.
Top
How do I decide which data file format to use in Disk Out?
In most instances, use the Standard Binary data file format for greatest flexibility. Only use the ASCII formats when you want to export the data to another program, and only use the FBDF format when you are acquiring very high speed data with no data displays or analysis.
The following chart is from Chapter 4 of the Snap-Master User’s manual which describes in more detail the capabilities of each file format.
| Format | Data Type | Frame Based? | Display While Storing? | Speed | Frequency Data? |
| Standard Binary |
Binary |
Yes |
Yes |
Med |
Yes |
| Fast Binary (FBDF) |
Binary |
Yes |
No |
High |
No |
| Exponential |
ASCII |
Yes |
Yes |
Low |
Yes |
| Binary Plotter |
Binary |
No |
Yes |
Med |
Yes |
| ASCII Plotter |
ASCII |
No |
Yes |
Low |
Yes |
| Comma Separated Variable (CSV) |
ASCII |
No |
Yes |
Low |
Yes |
When I drag out the A/D icon from the toolbox, it only says “A/D Demo”. How do I get data from my hardware?
Click once on the A/D icon in the toolbox. If a pop-up menu does not appear, then the user did not install any hardware drivers. Rerun the installation and make sure there is a check mark next to one of the hardware drivers on the appropriate screen.
Top
Error: Primary Data Buffer cannot be allocated
This error means that the user tried to acquire data from I/O hardware using DMA (Direct Memory Access) and the Snap-Master DMA Memory Manager (HEMBUF.386) was not loaded when Windows was started.
In the main Snap-Master workspace, select the Settings menu, Global Settings command. In the Data Acquisition Settings group, make sure the Number of DMA Boards setting is greater than 0. The user will need to exit Snap-Master and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
Top
How do I know if my I/O hardware is working?
Put a known signal into one channel on the A/D of the I/O hardware. Activate that channel in the A/D element.
First try Software pacing. If the user sees the data and the frame number advances, then the Base Address of the hardware is correct. If there is no data, check the Base Address setting.
Next try a mode that uses Interrupts, such as Hardware (IRQ) or Hardware (REP INSW). If the user sees the data and the frame number advances, then the Base Address and IRQ setting are correct. If there is no data, there may be an IRQ conflict.
Finally try a mode that uses DMA (if available on the hardware). If the user sees the data and the frame number advances, then all modes of the hardware are supported.
Top
Error: Driver Initialization Error Slot #X
This generally means that the hardware was not found at the Base Address setting specified in the Hardware Configuration. If the hardware is an IOtech DaqBook or WaveBook, this error message may mean that the power is not turned on at the device.
From the hardware icon in the instrument, select the Device menu, Hardware Configuration command to show the hardware settings for the device.
Top
My hardware acquires data in Software Pacing mode, but not with any Hardware Pacing modes.
This generally indicates an incorrect IRQ setting, or there is an IRQ conflict. Try a different IRQ setting.
From the hardware icon in the instrument, select the Device menu, Hardware Configuration command to show the hardware settings for the device.
Top
My hardware acquires garbage data in DMA mode.
This generally indicates an incorrect DMA channel, or there is more than one device sharing a DMA channel simultaneously. Only one device can use a DMA channel.
From the hardware icon in the instrument, select the Device menu, Hardware Configuration command to show the hardware settings for the device.
Top
How fast will Software Pacing acquire data?
Software pacing will only acquire data at about 20 Hz, and the time spacing between each point is not guaranteed. If you want to have a precise sampling rate, select a Hardware pacing mode.
Top
How do I get my PCMCIA cards to work?
Before you can acquire data from PCMCIA cards, the user must first set up the cards using the software provided by the card manufacturer, then enter the same values in Snap-Master. Use the manufacturer’s software tools to verify card operation.
Top
How do I transfer Sensor Databases between computers?
Check page 7-2 of the Snap-Master User’s Manual. The user must copy the HISTORY.DB, HISTORY.PX, SPECS.DB, and SPECS.PX files from the SM/SYSDATA directory on the original computer to the SM/SYSDATA directory on the destination computer.
Top
When do I use the Thermocouple Linearization element?
Only use the TCLinear element when acquiring raw voltages from thermocouples. You do not need to use this element if you have external signal conditioning for the signal (i.e. 3B or 5B devices, IOtech DBK19 card, etc.).
Top
My data is plotting too fast (or too slow) compared to my sample rate. For example, I ask for ten seconds of data, but it appears in one second.
This indicates an incorrect clock setting for the hardware. Some hardware has a clock jumper which sets the time base for the board. The setting in Snap-Master must be the same as this jumper setting.
Top
Waveform Analyzer / General Analysis
How do I decide what element letters to use for my result channels?
The easiest way to start is to use the element letter R for all array-based results and the element letter S for all single-point results (such as the result from a statistical function). After that, you can use any element letter not already assigned to another element.
Top
Why don’t my analysis results ever appear?
The user has written an equation that has a conflict such as trying to subtract the average value from a channel, trying to perform an operation over a range using the find function, etc. The easiest way to find the offending equation is to turn off all equations, then begin activating them one at a time. Sometimes changing the element letter of the result works, and other times the equation logic needs to be rewritten.
Top
Why doesn’t my filter produce good data?
It is easy to design a filter that removes most of the data from the original signal, especially with FIR filters. Make sure the user checks out the Filter Preview window in the Equation Builder. This gives a visual indication of the performance of the filter.
Top
Frequency Analyzer
How do I pick which window type to use?
If the user does not have a particular window in mind, use either the Rectangular or Blackman-Harris windows. Refer to the Snap-Master User’s Manual for a detailed discussion on the effects of different window types.
Top
FactorySuite
What happens when the user logs in using the IndustrialSQL In element?
Snap-Master creates an ODBC connection (User DSN) based on the name of the server for all data retrieval from the InSQL database. You can verify that this connection is created using the ODBC settings in the Control Panel.
Top
How do I change the default Resolution or the difference between the Start and Stop times when I drop a new IndustrialSQL element in an instrument?
There are two hidden entries in the SM.INI file, which is located in the DEFUSER subdirectory. They are as follows:
[InSQL]
Resolution=1000
StartTimeOffset=600
The Resolution is expressed in milliseconds, and the StartTimeOffset is expressed in seconds.
Top