M1 Waveform Viewer: Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I get telephone support for WV?

WV is a fairly simple application, and we do not anticipate that there will be many issues that are not covered in this FAQ and/or the included Help file. You are strongly encouraged to use those two resources. Additionally, WV is an extremely low-cost application with a generous free trial period. This combination makes it impractical to provide telephone support. If you do have an issue or question that is not currently covered in this FAQ and/or the Help file, you may email tech_support@amherst-systems.com. Be sure to include your Locking Code from the About WaveformViewer™ dialog or from the Licensing dialog that you see when you start WV.

Why can't WV detect my scope?

There are a number of potential reasons why this might happen.

• Is your scope actually supported by ASA for use with WV? Please go to this page for a full list of supported scopes.
• Do you have the required drivers, etc. installed and working properly? Specifics for this depend on the type of scope you have and how you are connecting to it. Please note that WV does not currently support network connections.
  • For external connections (e.g. GPIB or USB), your PC must have either Agilent IO Suite v14 or higher, or National Instruments VISA v3.0 or higher installed
  • For running internally on a Tektronix oscilloscope, the scope must have either TekVISA v2.0 or higher, or National Instruments VISA v3.0 or higher installed
  • For running internally on a LeCroy oscilloscope, a special LeCroy/ASA developed VISA driver is required. This driver should have been installed when WV was installed.
• Did you install all required software in the proper order? In particular, you need to install VISA drivers before installing M1 WaveformViewer. This is because WV will install a special VISA file if it detects that VISA is not present on the system, and when you then attempt to install a real VISA, that may not install properly. If you are given the option, be sure to install VISA as the Primary VISA for the system, not the Secondary VISA.
• Is the scope properly configured for the type of communication being attempted? The exact settings and procedures for doing this vary from scope to scope. A few examples are listed below; if your scope type is not listed here, please consult the oscilloscope User's Manual or contact the manufacturer of the scope for assistance.
  • For running internally to an Agilent Technologies Windows-based scope, no special settings are required.
  • For an Agilent Technologies DSO/MSO6000 series scope, communication type must be set properly under Utility / IO
  • For running internally to a LeCroy Windows-based scope, Control From must be set to TCPIP under Utilities / Remote
  • For running externally to a LeCroy Windows-based scope, Control From must be set to GPIB under Utilities / Remote
• Can VISA see the scope? If running external to the scope run the VISA utility (Agilent Connection Expert or Nat'l Instruments Measurement & Automation Explorer). If that utility is unable to see your scope, then WV will not be able to see it either. You should contact the oscilloscope manufacturer and/or the VISA software provider to resolve this issue.
• Do you have one or more live signals attached to the scope and triggering? If not, WV may ignore the scope because there is nothing 'interesting' going on with it. Note that for Agilent MSO6000 scopes, you cannot have only Logic signals. You must have at least one Analog signal present.

Why can't I change the scope's timebase, memory depth, etc. from within WV?

Manufacturers (and even different scope families from the same manufacturer) use different remote control commands in different arrangements to control such features. Trying to come up with a single interface that will work properly with all supported scopes is rather complicated, and in our experience, once the user has initially set up these parameters on the scope, he tends not to change them very often. Nonetheless, it is possible that a future release of WV will include this type of functionality if there is sufficient demand. You may send email to tech_support@amherst-systems.com with the Subject "M1 WV Feature Request" if you wish to register your desire to have this feature available in a future release of M1 WaveformViewer.

How can I stop WV from rescaling my signal?

WV rescales signals vertically to take up as much of the vertical screen as possible. This maximizes the signal fidelity of the captured waveforms by spreading them over the maximum number of A/D converter codes. If you do not wish for WV to perform this step for you, click on Preferences from the WV Main Menu tab. Then select Measurements and turn off the Autoscale Vertically option at the top of the page.

Will you be adding Measurement X to WaveformViewer in the future?

M1 WaveformViewer was designed to be a simple and inexpensive way for you to be able to view your waveforms offline and do some very simple types of analysis. WaveformViewer is not intended as a platform for heavy-duty analysis or measurement.If you find you need more capability than WaveformViewer provides, we encourage you to look at ASA's M1 Oscilloscope Tools family of products.

Are there any differences in features between the licensed and unlicensed M1 WV?

M1 WV contains the exact same features whether it is licensed or not. The only difference is that the unlicensed M1 WV has larger advertising and a 'watermark' onscreen and in all printouts noting that it is an evaluation copy. Also, the unlicensed version will only work for ~30 days. Once you license M1 WV, the features remain the same, the 'watermarking' goes away and the advertising becomes "helpful" and smaller.

How do I print my results?

There are several ways to create a printout of your work, depending on exactly what you wish to print.

• Views (i.e. ScopeView or LogicView) can be printed from the View menu (top button on the View's toolbar) or by right-clicking on the View in the Data Source tab. From either of these places you can also save just the graphic from this View to a file that can then be inserted into Word, Excel, etc.
• The Accumulated Statistics panel can be printed by right-clicking on it.
• Right-clicking on a data source in the Data Source tab will allow you to print all Views belonging to that data source.From this location you can also save just the graphics from each associated View to a file that can then be inserted into Word, Excel, etc.
• Right-clicking in an empty area of the Data Source tab will allow you to print all Views belonging to all Data Sources.
• You can export a report on one view, all views associated with a data source, or all views present by right-clicking on the appropriate entity in the Data Source tab and selecting the Report option. A variety of file formats, including HTML, PDF, and BMP, is available.

How do I save my results?

There are several ways in which you can save your work, depending on exactly what you wish to save.

• Waveform data can be saved from the View menu (top button on the View's toolbar), by right-clicking on the data source in the Data Source tab, or from the Save button next to the GO button. Three formats are available:
  • CSV (comma-separated values): This format can easily be read into Excel or other spreadsheet applications.
  • XLS (tab-separated values): This format will open natively into Excel.
  • Agilent BIN: This is a binary format that was created by Agilent Technologies. However, you can save waveform data from any manufacturer's scope into this format from WaveformViewer. This format includes additional information that is not available in the other two formats.
• View graphics can be saved from the View menu, by right-clicking on the View in the Data Source tab, or by right-clicking on the data source in the Data Source tab. The first two options will allow you to save the graphic from that particular View; the third will allow you to save the graphics from all Views belonging to that data source. Graphics may be saved in either BMP (large, lossless) or JPG (small, lossy) format.
• You can export a report on one view, all views associated with a data source, or all views present by right-clicking on the appropriate entity in the Data Source tab and selecting the Report option. A variety of file formats, including HTML, PDF, and BMP, is available.

What do all the buttons and controls mean?

The best information on the function of each of the controls is in the WaveformViewer Help file. This information will be on the page dealing with where the controls are located. For example, the buttons on the View's toolbar are described on the View Help page. Most (if not all) controls will have ToolTips describing their use; these can be seen by placing the mouse pointer over the control and holding it still for several seconds. Many controls also have context menu options that you can access by right-clicking on the control.

How do I access the Free Trial; it's asking for a License Code?

During the Free Trial period, clicking on Cancel from the Licensing dialog will start WaveformViewer in Evaluation mode. Once your Free Trial period has expired, you will no longer be able to access WV in Evaluation mode; clicking on Cancel will now cause WV to exit.

Can I capture live waveform data using the Free Trial version?

You can capture live scope and timing waveforms from any supported oscilloscope using the unlicensed or the licensed M1 WV.

Is it possible to view the Digital channels on an Agilent MSO6000 series scope with WV?

Yes you can capture, view, save and analyze the MSO's logic channels too.

How do I license WV?

After installing M1 WV on the PC where you want it to run permanently, start M1 WV. The Licensing Dialog will give you a LOCKING CODE. Write this LOCKING CODE down. Go to the Online Store page and click on the BUY NOW link next to Waveform Viewer. Follow the instructions. You will need your LOCKING CODE in this procedure. Within 1 business day, you will receive a license in your email that turns on M1 WV permanently on that one PC.

Why didn't I get the maximum length Free Trial period? Why does WV say my Free Trial period is expired even though I've never used it?

The Free Trial end date is determined by when that particular WV installer was created, not by when you downloaded it or first used it. This is why the WV download page clearly states that you should not download the installer until you are ready to install and begin using it. This installer is refreshed weekly. Note that, since you may only run the Free Trial once on a given PC, you will need to use a different PC if you wish to run the Free Trial for its maximum length.

Please note that WV is also capable of detecting various forms of date tampering. If WV detects that you have changed the date on your PC in an attempt to extend your Free Trial period, your Free Trial period will be immediately terminated.

Can I receive automatic updates to M1 WV when they come out?

There is no software update service available on M1 WV. M1 WV may periodically be updated with new features. The M1 WV website will always contain the most current software. If your M1 WV is an older version, you can get the new M1 WV at a very low price by downloading it again. You will have to click on the BUY NOW link for the new version to get a new license.

How are the various statistics calculated?

WV statistics are calculated in a manner consistent with that used by all major oscilloscope manufacturers. This means that voltage statistics are calculated on only that portion of the waveform that is currently visible, and timing statistics are calculated on the first occurrence of that parameter within the portion of the waveform that is currently visible. The thresholds used for calculating the timing statistics can be set by the user in the Measurement Setup menu for each channel individually, and can be defined as either an absolute voltage value or as a percentage between the base and top of the waveform.

Why is the channel information wrong when I load a data file I had previously saved?

None of the three file formats currently supported by WV (CSV, XLS, Agilent BIN) provide any capability for storing information regarding which channel a signal was originally acquired on. Therefore, when WV loads a file, it simply assigns channel numbers to each signal in the file starting with channel 1. If, e.g., you originally acquired data on scope channels 2 & 3, when saved and reloaded the data will be presented on channels 1 & 2. However, numerical ordering is preserved - so in the previous example, it is guaranteed that Ch2 of the original acquisition is mapped to Ch1 in the saved file and Ch4 of the original acquisition is mapped to Ch2 in the saved file.