Daqarta
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
Scope - Spectrum - Spectrogram - Signal Generator
Software for Windows
Science with your Sound Card!
The following is from the Daqarta Help system:

Features:

Oscilloscope

Spectrum Analyzer

8-Channel
Signal Generator

(Absolutely FREE!)

Spectrogram

Pitch Tracker

Pitch-to-MIDI

DaqMusiq Generator
(Free Music... Forever!)

Engine Simulator

LCR Meter

Remote Operation

DC Measurements

True RMS Voltmeter

Sound Level Meter

Frequency Counter
    Period
    Event
    Spectral Event

    Temperature
    Pressure
    MHz Frequencies

Data Logger

Waveform Averager

Histogram

Post-Stimulus Time
Histogram (PSTH)

THD Meter

IMD Meter

Precision Phase Meter

Pulse Meter

Macro System

Multi-Trace Arrays

Trigger Controls

Auto-Calibration

Spectral Peak Track

Spectrum Limit Testing

Direct-to-Disk Recording

Accessibility

Applications:

Frequency response

Distortion measurement

Speech and music

Microphone calibration

Loudspeaker test

Auditory phenomena

Musical instrument tuning

Animal sound

Evoked potentials

Rotating machinery

Automotive

Product test

Contact us about
your application!

Save Trace as .DQA Data File

Controls: File Menu >> Save DQA
Macro: SaveDQA

You can use this menu option at any time to save the data from the current display to a single-screen file. The file will contain the data for 1024 samples per channel. All active channels will be saved, even if they are not currently displayed.

The .DQA file format is an enhancement of the standard .WAV format, with added information about relevant Daqarta parameters such as calibration and averaging, as well as any Notes you have entered.

Most .DQA files should be readable with any software that accepts .WAV files and complies with the Microsoft RIFF standard. (Such software must be able to ignore any sections of a file it doesn't understand.) Most files are saved in standard signed 16-bit format, which all .WAV software supports.

However, averager results are stored as 64-bit data. Even though this technically complies with RIFF standards, don't be surprised if other software doesn't support it. In addition, Daqarta is capable of saving 4-channel data (Left and Right Input plus Left and Right Output) that some older programs may not support.

You can save live inputs and/or outputs; the display will be Paused when you start the save, and will remain so afterward until you unPause.

You can save waveform or spectrum averages. If you save a spectrum average, note that when you later open the file you will only be able to view it as a spectrum; since phase information has not been retained, only magnitude, there is no way to use an inverse FFT to convert spectrum data back to waveform data.

You can not save Spectrogram or Pitch Track (Sgram/PT) data to a .DQA file using this option. If you try that, the saved file will be the waveform data used for the most recent spectrum computation. If you want to save a complete spectrogram or pitch track, you will need to use DDisk mode and save the raw waveform data, then display it in Sgram or Pitch Track mode when you later open it.

With a .WAV or .DAT file open, you can save that data as a .DQA file, allowing format conversion. Of course, such conversions won't be able to save data that wasn't in the original file in the first place, such as calibration information. That's one reason you should normally save files in .DQA format; you can always convert the other way.

But sometimes you must deal with files created elsewhere. Converting to .DQA format will allow you to add notes to these files, which you can update at any time in the future.

TIP: In addition to Notes, you can also change or add Fields, Labels, and/or the Generator Title to add extra information to the saved .DQA file.

This file save option is disabled during DDisk recording, or when there are no active Input or Output (Generator) channels.


Macro Notes:

The SaveDQA macro has no effect if any File Open or Save As dialog is already active.

SaveDQA= without a name will open the Save As dialog showing all .DQA files, with the default set to Data or the most recent name.

SaveDQA="MyFile" will open the Save As dialog with the default name set to MyFile. (Note that quotes are needed around all filenames in macros.) If you accept this by hitting Enter or the Save button in that dialog, Daqarta will assume you want to save a file named MyFile.DQA. If that file already exists, you will be prompted to replace it.

After either of the above commands, you may use IF.Posn?f=0 to see if the user has hit Cancel instead of choosing a file name. This allows your macro to exit gracefully or take other action.

A.SaveDQA="MyFile" will save MyFile.DQA directly, without any Save As dialog. Note that if the file already exists, it will be overwritten without any confirmation prompt.

SaveDQA can use string variables and expressions. For example, SaveDQA=Field1 will use the contents of Field1 as the default file name, and A.SaveDQA=Field1 will save a file with that name directly.

Similarly, if the Macro Variable Var0 holds a value of 12, then SaveDQA="Test"+Var0 will set a default file name of Test12. If you expect to use a large series of files, you can use SaveDQA="Test"+Var0(3) (for example) to set the decimal format to 3 integer places to get Test012. This will allow proper sorting by file name.

A.SaveDQA= will save directly using the current default file name. If you have previously set file names to Auto-Increment, either manually or using AutoInc=1, then this will save using the next file name (MyFile-001.DQA, MyFile-002.DQA, etc).

See Macro Variables for a way to use a Field to supply the initial name that AutoInc starts with.


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