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Lookout-FMS System Configuration Manual
IMP Driver
IMP DRIVER
The IMP driver allows Lookout to communicate with
a network of Solartron IMP modules. It provides
interfaces to analog input, digital input and both
analog and digital output channels. A simple menu
driven configuration program is provided that allows
you to configure the IMP system.
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CONFIGURING YOUR IMP SYSTEM
F
PRIOR TO RUNNING AN IMP SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU MUST INSTALL THE SOLARTON SYSTEM DRIVERS. These may be supplied on a separate floppy disk labelled ‘35957H Imp Drivers for Windows95/NT’ but for your
convenience a copy has been placed on the Lookout-FMS CD under a subdirectory called ‘Solartron’.
To install, insert the floppy in your floppy drive, browse to that drive and
double-click on the ‘SETUP.EXE’ icon. Alternatively, you can open the LookoutFMS CD and browse to the ‘\Solartron\Disk1’ directory and run the ‘SETUP.EXE’
located there.
The IMP driver configuration program allows you to set up how the IMP channels will be
programmed when the Lookout-FMS IMP driver is started.
To create a configuration, run IO_VIEW, click on ‘Configure’, select ‘3595xx IMP series’ from
the list and enter a configuration file name. IMP configuration files have the ‘.IM2’ suffix.
The ‘File’ menu allows you to open an existing configuration, start a new one or save your
current work.
Defining the S-Net address
The ‘Snet’ configuration dialog will be displayed as shown below. This allows you to set up
the address of the S-Net interface card and the scan interval (polling interval).
The scan interval is downloaded to the IMP system as a scan period command so the IMP’s
will automatically scan at this interval where possible.
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IMP Driver
In addition a set of startup commands can be defined. These are sent to the IMPS when the
driver is first invoked and allow you to make use of any of the features within the IMP’s. The
format of these commands is :Imp address,Command
Defining IMPs
The ‘Imp’ dialog allows you to define attached IMP types and the channel modes and setups for the channels within the IMP’s.
The Imp address is selected from 1 to 50 and the possible IMP types are selected from the
following :None
1A/1C/1E
1B Strain/PRT
2A Dig i/o
1D Ana o/p
2B Switch
1H/J Universal
No imp fitted at this address
20 channel analog input Imp
10 channel analog input Imp
20 channel digital input/output Imp
4 channel analog output Imp
32 channel digital input Imp
20 channel universal Imp
The Integration time can be selected per IMP. The longer the integration time the better
the quality of measurement. 20ms should be selected for rejection of 50Hz line frequency
noise, while 16.667ms should be used in 60Hz areas. Shorter integration time should only
be used where higher speed scanning is required. 1.25ms will be needed, for example,
when you need ten scans per second.
Defining Channels
When you have selected the IMP type, the channel setups appear automatically and allow
you to choose the channel type accordingly.
The content displayed depends on the type of IMP you are configuring. The example above
shows the dialog box for an analog input IMP.
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Defining analog input channels
The following information can be programmed for each analog input channel.
Point
Type
Range
This is the slot in the FMSLink database that is used to hold the
value of the input. This would normally be set to equal the
channel number.
This pop-up list allows you to select the input channel type, e.g.
Type K thermocouple. The supported types for each IMP are
detailed in the IMP manual.
Sets the input amplifier range to be used to measure this channel. This is normally left as “autoranging” to allow the system
to find the most suitable range for itself.
Initialising strain gauge channels
Channels defined as strain gauges behave slightly differently in that they need to be ‘initialised’ at run-time before they can yield results. Since strain gauges are usually only initialised once at the beginning of a test, the IMP driver cannot perform this by default. To
cause initialisation to take place you must set a check mark against the ‘Initialise on
Reconfigure’ option in the ‘Strain’ menu.
Having done this and saved the file, the next time you run the IMP driver, any strain gauge
channels present will be initialised, and their initial values stored in the IMP configuration file.
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Defining digital channels
The following dialog box is presented for digital IMPs.
Each channel can be defined as an input OR output, and the ‘Mode’, ‘Rate’ and ‘Timeout’
fields will appear where relevant to the choice of input you have selected. Full details of
the meanings of these fields can be found in the relevant IMP manual, but in summary, the
‘Rate’ refers to the debounce setting for this input channel. The slowest debounce is used
for mechanical switches or relay contacts, intermediate times for reed-relay switches and
the fastest for electronic switches.
‘Mode’ is effectively a ‘sub-type’ for the input selected, for example, Frequency has modes
for the gate time over which the edges are counted, Period has modes for the number of
periods averaged.
The ‘Timeout’ field is only relevant to period measurement and defines how long the input
should wait for a complete period to be identified before it reports an error due to ‘missing
edges’.
If a channel is set to ‘Switch output’ then it becomes and output from FMSLink to the outside world. The only choice available is whether the output is ‘on’ when driven to logic one
or ‘off’ when driven to a logic one.
Defining analog outputs
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The following dialog box is used to program an analog output IMP.
Analog outputs can be programmed as -10 to +10V, 0 to 20mA or 4 to 20mA.
Here the point is the slot in the FMSLink database that will control the output. For example, if a pot object within Lookout is connected to FMSLink.Output.101, it will drive point
101in the FMSLink database. This will be routed by the driver to the channel mapped to
point 42, in this case channel 1 of IMP 3.
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