DAQARTA REVISION HISTORY:

Version 2.21

• FREE registration available for all Personal / Hobby users.

• Bug Fix: 'ARTIFACT' message not visible when artifacts rejected during wave average.

• Bug Fix: Occasional PSTH average hang-up.

Version 2.20

• Upgrade and maintenance release for STIM3A Advanced Stimulus Signal Generator. Changes noted in the STIM3A Revision History.

• No changes to basic Daqarta program.

Version 2.10

• New separate Mic Cal and Spkr Cal, plus Save option, allow calibration of mics or other transducers from a single reference unit. Supports probe tubes and general transfer functions.

• TXT2CAL Text-to-Calibration file utility now allows selection of kHz or Hertz for frequency entries.

• Bug Fix: TXT2CAL was not properly saving DC or highest frequency.

• SHIFT-Pg keys now provide a quicker way than using the menu control to shift the Y-log Full-Scale Reference. Either method now has resolution that matches the current label step spacing.

• Added 9 more-sensitive Y-log ranges, now 21 total, down to as little as 6 dB full scale. Used with FS Ref control or SHIFT-Pg keys, allows magnified views of any portion of trace.

• SHIFT-HOME and SHIFT-END now support Y-log mode, including both range and FS Ref, with separate retention of settings for each Cal state.

• SHIFT-ALT-HOME now sets the current trace magnification (or Y-log range and FS Ref) to be used when SHIFT-HOME is hit, allowing simple flipping between two preset trace magnifications.

• Bug Fix: FFT32 Y-log null values (no energy at a given spectrum line) now appear properly at bottom of trace, up to -325 dB if needed. Previously, nulls showed as only -90 dB, even on ranges that went lower.

• Bug Fix: FFT32 spectral averages gave values that were 70% high if real and imaginary components were exactly equal.

• Bug Fix: OutTx text header now properly shows the name of any active calibration file.

Version 2.00a

• Serious Bug Fix: Use of new (v2.00) Y-axis Calibration options could cause system lock-up.

• Bug Fix: PSD could give erroneous results at samples rates under 1 kHz.

• Bug Fix: FFT32 of averaged waveform could produce erroneous values for least-significant digits of cursor readouts or text file output.

• Bug Fix: If a requested file was not found by the File Access system, the error message included a prompt to 'Press any key to continue...', but the message persisted even after the key was pressed.

Version 2.00

• Supports STIM3A Dynamic stimulus generation.

• For unregistered users, free-trial prompt appears after 30 sessions, replacing Auto-Initialization Key Macro and blocking STIM3A load unless DEMO driver is in use.

• Amplitude Distribution Histogram and Post-Stimulus Time Histogram options added to Averager.

• Y-axis Calibration menu Allows Tilt correction for Pink noise sources or Step responses.

• Calibration option allows microphone response correction and absolute SPL readout.

• Full-scale Y-axis reference can be set from +200 to -200 dB in 20 dB steps, instead of fixed 0 dB.

• DDisk recording Memory option allows extended system memory to be used for quick recording starts, since no file save prompt until the recording ends. Does not require DDISK13A.DRV even for non-DMA boards, and can save files to floppy disks.

• DDISK13A.DRV replaced older DDISK13.DRV to provide support for drives up to 8.4 GBytes, plus built-in compatibility tests. Only needed for non-DMA boards.

• Bug Fix: AvAdd and AvSub did not work in RTime mode, caused lock-up.

• Bug Fix: Scrolling Averager Sweeps request below current sweep count while average was running caused strange menu and averager behavior.

• Bug Fix: With Norm trigger mode in RTime, infrequent triggers caused RTime mode to exit with an overrun message.

• Bug Fix: Starting DDisk while drive powered down (eg. laptop) caused lock-up.

• Bug Fix: If DDisk recording ended during Paused display mode, unPause attempt could cause erroneous 'Live' status or possible lock-up.

• Bug Fix: Pause during DDisk recording with non-DMA board could cause RTime exit with overrun message.

• Bug Fix: Following link from Help Index and ESCaping back to index did not restore the ability to move through the index by hitting desired letter.

• Bug Fix: Trigger Cycle control now works properly in Free-Run RTime mode. Also now works down to settings less than Npoints to allow Overlap control.

• Bug Fix: Memory Array of trace saved during exponential waveform averaging now shows proper screen offset no matter how few sweeps had elapsed.

• Bug Fix: Erroneous Y-log spectrum of wave average with 16-bit FFT mode. (Bug introduced in v1.18.)

• Bug Fix: Virtual Source could produce overscale values under some conditions, causing high spiky noise floor with 16-bit FFT mode.

• Bug Fix: Disk cache was not being properly disabled when requested, unless it was already empty.

• Bug Fix: Reading files saved with Windo active could cause apparent 6 dB drop in live signal level after file exit.

• Bug Fix: Copying parameters to the Memo line was not working with CTRL-2 through CTRL-5, only CTRL-1.

Version 1.18

• Bug Fix: After a trace was saved to Memory from a DskRd file and later recalled, CTRL-B Trace Info display erroneously showed info for the current board, instead of the board actually used for acquisition. When that trace was unPaused to go back to the DskRd file, Trace Info continued to show the current board. Various problems with status report after different DskRd and Memory combinations also fixed.

• Bug Fix: Memory Array of mixed FFT average and instantaneous traces had problems after viewing average traces: Later attempt to view instantaneous traces showed them all apparently the same.

• Bug Fix: Changing from a long menu like Sgram Color to a shorter one like Board was not properly restoring the overwritten X-axis units label.

• First 4 lines of DQA.CFG must always use same pre-defined sequence. A line inserted in that area could formerly have resulted in it being mistaken for a palette file. Now, palette files are tested for validity, and start-up is aborted with an explanation if invalid.

• Bug Fix: Toggling various options like RTime, FFT, Xpand, or N points caused displayed submenus (such as STIM3 page menus) to jump up to a higher menu level.

• Bug Fix: Alternate menu pages (such as STIM3 Misc menu) were not properly restoring internal status upon exit. Afterward, only STIM3 DAC pages A and C were accessible.

• Bug Fix: Toggling N points during X-log display caused multiple and/or "ghost" cursors on trace.

• Bug Fix: After viewing a Memory Array the Live trace was not restored properly under some conditions of data format and trace mode.

Version 1.17b

• Bug Fix: Bug fix in Version 1.17a to block Memory Array of mixed FFT and waveform averages was erroneously blocking other arrays.

• Bug Fix: Using B: parameter on STIM3.GEN line in DQA.CFG could cause corruption of ADC driver or other code. (Always OK on INIT line.)

• Bug Fix: Default message shown with WaitS delay was blank. Now properly defaults to existing comment text if no WaitS message is requested.

Version 1.17a

• Bug Fix: Erroneous Window type on recalled file and memory traces, due to bug introduced in Version 1.17.

• Bug Fix: Spectrogram Width control displayed erroneous values, worse at lower end (higher overlap).

• Bug Fix: On recall of a file or memory trace, Number of points was retaining prior value even if recalled trace was different.

• Bug Fix: Recalled file or memory traces are now displayed with the sample rate of the original system that recorded them. Previously, they were displayed with the closest sample rate of the current system, which might not be the same.

• Bug Fix: A Memory Array can only show traces that are "comparable". But if a waveform average was saved while viewing its FFT, it was erroneously treated as a spectral average if an array of other spectral averages was displayed, giving a trashed trace. Now such traces are properly excluded from the array.

  Similarly, such traces were erroneously excluded from arrays of normal waveform averages, but are now properly included.

Version 1.17

• File and trace times are now maintained to 1 second accuracy. (DOS only stores file time-stamps in even seconds.)

• Bug Fix: Real Time Clock and DOS time were being corrupted on Quit, due to a bug in the DOS time-set function. (To prevent data corruption, Daqarta turns off the system timer interrupts during operation, so the system time needs to be reset from the Real Time Clock.) The DOS bug workaround used here was previously used for file times... those should be OK.

Version 1.16

• Triangle Wave option added to Virtual Source control menu.

• DEMO driver now has Wave option to allow Sine, Square, and Triangle as well as Ramp signals.

• Bug Fix: If cursors have been toggled off with ViewC, they now no longer reappear when file or memory traces are viewed.

• Bug Fix: Prior Window mode is now properly restored after viewing memory trace or array.

• Bug Fix: High-resolution FFT32 option is now properly re-enabled after viewing memory array.

• Bug Fix: Strange Window names appeared in title line when FFT32 memory or file traces were viewed with FFT32 off.

• Bug Fix: Loading certain FFT average memory array files caused a CPU register display indicating a divide error.

• Bug Fix: After viewing memory array files of 1024 point averages, unPause sometimes caused program lock-up.

• Bug Fix: After viewing memory array files, toggling ALT-M off now properly restores the trace present before viewing the array.

Version 1.15

• New Sgram Width control in DskRd menu facilitates adjustment of Overlap to get desired spectrogram expansion with DskRd file data.

• New Help section on Attenuator Drivers.

• New Help Glossary section on dB (decibels).

• Bug Fix: File access system is now able to display root directory.

• Bug Fix: Units , U-RMS , and XCurs keys are now disabled during Help mode, to prevent conflicts.

• Bug Fix: When Memory Array is toggled while upper Help is active, next Help access no longer goes to lower area.

• Bug Fix: Hitting MemRd while upper Help is active now exits Help instead of switching to lower area, which was covering MemRd ID prompt.

Version 1.14

• Full Year 2000 compliance with most BIOSes, even if the BIOS does not update the century properly. (Y2Kure driver also released to make any BIOS fully compliant.)

• Supports all monochrome VGA monitors. (Those reporting EGA mono status were formerly rejected as being MDA.)

• Network Incompatibility topic added to Help system, including instructions for dual-boot batch files.

• Bug Fix: Enhanced IncNm file name auto-increment (added in v1.13) was moving from 009 to 019, 029, etc.

• Bug Fix: Scrolling Speed Factor up when reading DDisk files did not properly increase apparent speed.

• Bug Fix: File time auto-increment for PC/XT (or AT with dead Real-Time Clock) now properly handles date increments, including leap years to 2099.

Version 1.13a

• BUG FIX: When toggling trigger mode between Auto and Norm with spectrogram in Pause mode, sweep was improperly restarted if in Sequential mode, or system locked up if in RTime mode.

Version 1.13

• New OutSc option outputs screen image to bitmap (.BMP) file.

• Improved IncNm file name auto-increment now allows active digits in main file name, not just extension. Also works with .PAL palette files.

• Readout Units for DDisk and DskRd now allow Samples as well as Bytes, Seconds, and H:M:S formats.

• DQA.CFG file now allows underscore to start continued lines for long parameters or comments.

• The Pause key no longer clears the WaitP state during DDisk recording, since when Pause is used during DDisk, it does not stop recording, only display.

• Improved handling of infrequent Norm triggers in RTime mode.

• Improved handling of Key Macros with DDisk operation. Now allows automatic Preset file end to skip macro commands and break out of Loop macros intended only for DDisk.

• Application note on sound-triggered sequences added, taking advantage of improved RTime Norm triggering, DDisk, and Key Macros.

• Non-Daqarta .WAV files are now properly handled by DskRd when they hold 16-bit data but erroneously end on an odd byte.

• BUG FIX: Fast CPUs could read the DMA pointer so rapidly that it interfered with DMA operation at high transfer rates. Seen on 200 Mhz CPU in RTime mode with 16-bit ADC and dual 16-bit STIM3 DACs active at high sample rates on SB16 CT417x board using dual 8-bit DMAs (for a total of 6 transfers per sample). Pointer is now read less frequently.

• BUG FIX: Large negative trigger delays no longer result in transient bursts of apparent bad data on keystrokes in Sequential mode. Only affected trace display, not actual data.

• BUG FIX: Toggling Number of points no longer results in cursor "ghosts" when Grid has been toggled off.

• BUG FIX: Starting DDisk now forces Pause mode if wildcard file access displays a list of matching files, to prevent problems with some ADC boards.

• BUG FIX: Single-sweep option in RTime mode with STIM3 active was not updating trace properly.

• BUG FIX: While in RTime spectrogram mode, setting too high a sample rate on non-DMA boards caused an overrun that was not properly handled under some conditions and caused system lock-up.

• Cosmetic: Trigger menu level bar always shown with 0 level for Pulse and Extern trigger modes. Was shown with Intern level (inappropriate for these modes), and only when slope changed.

• BUG FIX: Following a DskRd operation, the Preset Size option was ignored on subsequent DDisk write operations.

• BUG FIX: When DDisk is active, the Readout Units control is now left enabled and the Cache control is properly disabled.

• BUG FIX: The context-sensitive Help link for the WaitP option was missing.

• BUG FIX: When switching to spectrogram mode with infrequent Norm triggers in RTime mode, a TRIGGER WAIT condition provoked erroneous or missing axis values.

• BUG FIX: WaitS was producing erroneous (very long) delays when set below about 10 msec with CTRL-SHIFT-W.

• BUG FIX: Negative Trigger Slope option was erroneously disabled by DskRd and not restored afterward. Trigger Source is now disabled and re-enabled instead.

• BUG FIX: When viewing a spectrogram of a DskRd file with non-zero Overlap setting, toggling Trig/Free gave X-axis time calibration for opposite mode.

Version 1.12c

• Initial prompt message added.

Version 1.12b

• Better detection of certain invalid DQA.CFG parameter formats (missing colon, no parameter after colon).

• BUG FIX: Parameters on STIM3.GEN line in DQA.CFG were improperly handled by STIM3 in certain situations.

Version 1.12

• Support to allow STIM3 to work with new SB16.ADC driver for full duplex operation on SB16 / 32 / 64 family of sound cards.

• Cursor averager reset is now done automatically for RTime, Y-log, FFT32, auto-Zero, and Trig option toggles, as well as BW Corr in Window control menu.

• Key Macros now exit KeyRn mode if they encounter a disabled option. (They formerly just did nothing.)

• BUG FIX: Key Macros now properly handle cursor motion in Color control menus.

• BUG FIX: Certain Key Macros had problems single-stepping past the end of the macro.

• BUG FIX: When StGen was active in Sequential mode with Trigger Cycle set, the Trigger control menu showed Pulse mode even if not active.

Version 1.11

• BUG FIX: At some high X-axis Xpands, time axis values had wrong scaling.

• eXpand on Cursors now gives Alert if cursors were too close, but eXpands as much as possible and shows cursors in their proper positions.

• BUG FIX: Cursor positions were being forced to low portion of FFT axis when changing from 1024 to 256 points.

• Changes to support 16-bit ADC data over 8-bit DMA channels on some sound cards.

• Support to allow board drivers to reset cursor readout averager on changes, such as sound card synthesizer settings.

• Cursor averager reset is now done automatically for more main operations, such as changes to sample rate and Virtual Source. SHIFT-Up/Dn may be used to override this for tests with Virtual Source.

• BUG FIX: Cursor readout averager showed erroneous (full scale) values when Readout Avg traces elapsed between trace cursor actions.

• BUG FIX: With fast systems and/or slow sample rates or small number of points, last sample of trace was sometimes bad.

• BUG FIX: Some boards showed 1-sample discrepancy in trigger point between RTime and Sequential modes when using Internal Trigger Source.

Version 1.10a

• BUG FIX: Corrected changes in v1.10 that prevented operation on 8088 and 286 systems.

• BUG FIX: Trigger Delay point on trace is now properly updated when sample rate is changed.

• BUG FIX: Interlock added to prevent changes to sample rate while Paused in Spectrogram mode, since X-axis requires active sampling for time calibration.

Version 1.10

• FFT32 high dynamic range option added.

• Improved Disaster Recovery Attempt now enters Pause mode.

• BUG FIX: Exponential FFT Average with Sweeps = 1 caused apparent "lock-up".

• BUG FIX: Waveform average at high trace magnifications showed "roll-over" of off-screen portions, instead of clip to screen limits.

• BUG FIX: Cursor readouts were wrong for FFT Peak "Average" with linear magnitude (not Y-log power) display.

• BUG FIX: OutTx ASCII file output data values were wrong for PSD mode.

• BUG FIX: Y-log FFT Average cursor readouts "ran up" to proper reading at start of average.

• BUG FIX: After ESCape from context-sensitive Help (?-key, ALT-?, CTRL-?), next Help invocation now goes to Contents instead of prior context topic.

Version 1.09b

• BUG FIX: When a Memory Array included averages of differing total sweeps, the trace sizes were improperly scaled.

Version 1.09a

• MINOR BUG FIX: When a Help page showed a link on the top line and the screen was scrolled up one line to a page that had no links, a "phantom" link appeared at the top of the new screen.

• LPTX driver released, allows data acquisition and stimulus generation via a standard LPT printer port, using simple hardware you can build yourself.

Version 1.09

• BUG FIX: For ADC boards that use the main system timer to control sampling (DEMO, DAS8JR, LPTX, optional on DAS8X and DAS16X), Sequential operation could occasionally be stalled by a key press during Trigger Cycle mode.

• STIM3.GEN version 1.10 now has Step Hz/N option to allow easy setup of continuous tones in RTime mode, with optional Step N locking to spectral line frequencies.

Version 1.08

• BUG FIX: Some boards report all data in an inverted format, which Daqarta corrects so that a true positive input shows that way on the trace. The re-inversion now properly handles maximum values so that they don't "roll over" from bottom to top or vice-versa. Affected boards include SB16, SB8, and THUNDER. (For some reason, Creative Labs chose not to invert the data for the SBPRO.) No laboratory-type boards invert data.

• BUG FIX: The ZeroP auto-zero option, which assumes that true zero is midway between the positive and negative peaks of the waveform, now properly handles large signal offsets without overflow. Previously, signals whose midpoint was greater than half of the full-scale value (in either direction) would clip to the top or bottom of the trace.

• BUG FIX: ZeroP now works properly with wave averages, instead of defaulting to the ZeroA (average value) handler. Note that this is only for display of the averaged data... you can always toggle among any of the Zero modes even after the average is completed, with no effect on the stored data.

• BUG FIX: Trigger Source now always shows the Pulse option properly. Formerly, there was a problem after toggling to RTime mode and back: Since RTime doesn't support Pulse, it always forces Intern mode while it is active, and restores Pulse upon return to Sequential (if Pulse was active originally). Prior versions erroneously kept the Intern text, although the mode was actually Pulse.

Version 1.07

• BUG FIX: When keyboard Caps Lock is active in text entry mode, the LED is now active only in that mode. Was active only on exit from text mode.

• BUG FIX: Bringing up Keyboard control menu (CTRL-K) no longer causes long delay on fast CPUs.

Version 1.06

• BUG FIX: Certain operations with full-scale negative data on 8088 and V20 CPUs no longer produce errors.

• BUG FIX: CPU register display invoked by division errors in developer code now restores screen text line properly afterward.

• BUG FIX: Slow (PC/XT) processors no longer require an extra keypress to activate Avg, JntAvg, or Singl options.

• BUG FIX: Trigger Pulse option is now properly maintained across Trig option toggles, as well as Board toggles.

• Added support for 8-character Model names for board drivers (was 7 max).

Version 1.05

• BUG FIX: Fast CPUs required more delay code than space allocated. Replaced in-line I/O delays for triggered RTime DMA operation with calls to single delay routine.

• BUG FIX: Under certain conditions it was possible to toggle DskRd off while Sgram was still active, causing wrong screen colors.

• Greatly expanded README.TXT, now includes complete step-by-step instructions for installation of a shortcut icon under Windows 95, as well as a discussion of PnP problems.

Version 1.04

• Cosmetics: Command-line parameter now gives an additional 0-9 seconds of delay while showing initial logo, allowing for slow video mode changes on some Energy Star monitors.

• Cosmetics: Fixed bug in pacer for logo return beam dissolve-to-text that caused slow action on fast systems.

Version 1.03

• BUG FIX: GAP/OVL now properly displayed after Sgram title redraw.

Version 1.02

• BUG FIX: AvAdd/AvSub options no longer improperly locked out.

• BUG FIX: Remote Average option no longer installs improperly. (Was corrupting averager mode changes.)

Version 1.01

• Improved low-speed waveform scrolling.

Version 1.00

• Daqarta for DOS Help contents.
• Daqarta for DOS Index.
• Daqarta home page.
• Daqarta download options.
• Free Registration

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