Configure analog devices
- Gisela Roberts
- Dev Ops
- Andy Roberts (Deactivated)
- Ben Stanley
To set up an analog device for use with Vicon Tracker, you must have a Lock Lab connected as part of your system. If this is satisfied, you must set the required sample rate for the Lock Lab to which it is connected, create an analog device node, and then specify the required properties for the analog device.
Set the sample rate on the Lock
Vicon Lock Lab devices provide connectivity for third-party analog capture sources, such as force transducers, accelerometers, and other generic devices.
Each Vicon Lock device connected to your Vicon system is listed in the Connectivity Devices section of the System panel. Lock Lab has the following properties that are specific to its analog data, listed in the Analog section:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Sample Rate | Enables you to specify the rate (in Hz) at which analog data is sampled from the Lock. You can only set this to a multiple of the current system frame rate. |
| Analog Channels | Displays the number of channels of data (ie, pins) supplied by the Lock. |
| Analog Channels Available | Displays the number of channels available at the current sample rate. At higher sample rates, the higher-numbered pins on the Lock become unavailable. For more information, see 'Add analog capture devices to a Vicon system' in the Vicon Systems Setup Guide. |
Create an analog device node
When analog devices are added to the Tracker system, they're listed in an Analog Devices section in the System panel.
To create an analog device node:
- Ensure that the analog device is connected to your Vicon system through a Vicon Lock Lab (for an example system, see Tracker system architecture).
- In Tracker, go to the System panel, right-click the Lock Lab that the analog device is connected to, and select Create Analog Device.
An Analog Device node appears beneath Analog Devices. - From the properties listed in the pane below, select the appropriate options for your device (see Set up an analog device and Analog device properties).
Set up an analog device
The Analog Device node has a single output, but potentially multiple components. If your physical device has multiple outputs, you can represent this by creating multiple analog devices in Tracker, one for each output.
As a minimum, to get data from the device:
- In the System panel, ensure you have selected the node that represents your device (See Create an analog device node).
- In the Configuration section, set the Device Component Count appropriately.
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Specify which channels (ie, the numbered pins on the back of the Lock) that the device is connected to by doing one of the following:
- If the components are in order and plugged into sequential pins, click Sampler Channel Range and select the required pins.
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Set the channel for each component separately in its own section at the bottom of the device's properties.
Note that a given channel can only be used by one component of one device.
When you have specified the required channels, the Lock starts to sample data from the device at the selected sample rate (see Set the sample rate on the Lock), and to send the data to the Vicon system.You can view this data in Graph Plots, export it to CSV, and include it in captures.
By default, the data displayed corresponds to the raw voltages sampled by the Lock. You can calibrate this data to output values that are easier to interpret in the following ways:
- Use the Zero Level button to zero your device. When selected, this button uses the previous second of data to establish the zero level.
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Ensure Advanced Parameters is selected
and manually enter the zero level for each component, as well as an accompanying scale factor that can optionally be used to transform the voltages into the quantity being measured by the device.
For more information, see Analog device properties.
