WinGPIB - Windows GPIB App (multi-purpose)

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V4_110.zip
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Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

The downloads have been moved permanently to my own server here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/

3458A Drift Monitor TAB:

- Added a MAXIMIZE WIDTH button so the entire grid can be viewed without horizontal scrolling
- Tweaked the GUI button text

See screenshots, normal and maximized shown.

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V4_111.zip WinGPIB_V4_112.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

The downloads have been moved permanently to my own server here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/

3458A Drift Monitor TAB:

- Added CAL? 72 Drift Chart when the GUI is maximixed
- Added [RECAL] command to NOTES (with the square brackets) - If you append your notes with [RECAL] then the Chart is marked with a vertical bar, i.e. whenever you recalibrated your 3458A.

See screenshot.

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V4_113.zip WinGPIB_V4_114.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

The downloads have been moved permanently to my own server here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/

3458A Cal TAB:

- Ability to upload CalRAM .bin file to 3458A via GPIB.
- Moved 3457A CalRAM Extract to its own tab.
- Updated the 3458A CalRAM .bin Decode, fixing some errors, it's now more complete.

Known for many years, the HP 3458A's protected CalRAM cannot be written directly using the normal MWRITE command.
Instead, WinGPIB uploads the complete calibration image into the meter's SETTINGS RAM and a small 68000 machine-code routine into working RAM. This routine uses a Level-7 Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) to safely copy the calibration data into the protected CalRAM.

Before performing a full write, an unchanged test write verifies that the NMI write mechanism is working correctly, after which all 2048 bytes are read back and verified against the source file.

Level-7 is the highest priority interrupt and is non-maskable (NMI). It cannot be ignored or disabled by software and immediately interrupts whatever the CPU is doing.

The Level-7 NMI write mechanism differs slightly between HP 3458A firmware revisions because the firmware stores the required callback pointers and control variables at different memory addresses. WinGPIB automatically queries the instrument firmware using REV? and selects the correct address set for firmware revisions 2 through 9. If an unsupported firmware revision is detected, the write process is aborted to prevent any possibility of corrupting the CalRAM.

Here's my commented version of the machine code routine.

Code: [Select]

;====================================================================
; HP 3458A CALRAM FAST BLOCK WRITE
; Motorola 68000 machine code
;
; Main routine location : $12A000
; Callback location     : $12A100
; Staging data location : $127200 onwards
;
; The complete 2048-byte CalRAM image is first placed into staging
; RAM. This routine then copies a block of staged words into CalRAM.
;====================================================================


;--------------------------------------------------------------------
; CALLBACK ROUTINE
; Loaded at $12A100
;
; This is executed by the HP 3458A Level-7 NMI handler while the
; CalRAM /WE write-enable window is open.
;
; D2 = 16-bit word to write
; A0 = destination CalRAM physical address
;--------------------------------------------------------------------

$12A100:

    MOVEP.W D2,0(A0)              ; Write D2[15:8] to CalRAM address A0
                                  ; Write D2[7:0]  to CalRAM address A0+2

    RTS                           ; Return to the firmware NMI handler


; Callback opcode words:

    DC.W    $0588                 ; MOVEP.W D2,displacement(A0)
    DC.W    $0000                 ; Displacement = 0
    DC.W    $4E75                 ; RTS



;====================================================================
; MAIN BLOCK-WRITE ROUTINE
; Loaded at $12A000
;
; Dynamic values inserted by WinGPIB:
;
; STAGING_START   = address of first staged source word
; CALRAM_START    = physical address of first destination word
; CALLBACK_PTR    = firmware-specific callback pointer address
; SUCCESS_FLAG    = firmware-specific NMI completion flag
; WE_CLOSE_VALUE  = firmware-specific write-enable control value
; WORD_COUNT      = number of words in this block, maximum 128
; LOOP_OFFSET     = calculated DBRA branch displacement
;====================================================================

$12A000:

    TRAP    #5                    ; Enter the HP 3458A firmware service
                                  ; Saves processor state and raises the
                                  ; interrupt mask before NMI preparation


    MOVEA.L #STAGING_START,A3     ; A3 points to the block of data already
                                  ; staged in Settings RAM


    MOVEA.L #CALRAM_START,A0      ; A0 points to the first destination
                                  ; address in protected CalRAM


    MOVEA.L #$0012A100,A4         ; A4 = address of callback routine


    MOVE.L  A4,CALLBACK_PTR       ; Install the callback address into the
                                  ; firmware's Level-7 NMI structure


    MOVE.W  #$0000,SUCCESS_FLAG   ; Clear the firmware NMI completion flag


    MOVE.W  #(WORD_COUNT-1),D0    ; DBRA loop counter
                                  ; Example: 128 words loads D0 with 127


CALRAM_WRITE_LOOP:

    MOVE.W  (A3)+,D2              ; Read the next 16-bit staged word into D2
                                  ; and advance A3 by two bytes


    ;---------------------------------------------------------------
    ; OPEN CALRAM WRITE WINDOW AND TRIGGER LEVEL-7 NMI
    ;---------------------------------------------------------------

    MOVE.B  WE_CLOSE_VALUE,D6     ; Read the firmware's write-enable
                                  ; control byte into D6


    ORI.W   #$0080,D6             ; Set bit 7, which requests the Level-7
                                  ; NMI through the hardware I/O latch


    MOVE.B  D6,$000C0001          ; Write to the NMI trigger I/O port
                                  ; The Level-7 handler now invokes the
                                  ; callback at $12A100
                                  ;
                                  ; Callback performs:
                                  ;     MOVEP.W D2,0(A0)


    MOVE.W  #$0009,D6             ; Load a short timing-delay counter


NMI_TIMING_WAIT:

    DBEQ    D6,NMI_TIMING_WAIT    ; Allow time for I/O-latch propagation
                                  ; and completion of the NMI callback


    ADDQ.L  #4,A0                 ; Advance to the next CalRAM word
                                  ;
                                  ; CalRAM bytes occupy alternate physical
                                  ; addresses, so a two-byte logical word
                                  ; advances A0 by four physical addresses


    DBRA    D0,CALRAM_WRITE_LOOP  ; Repeat until all words in this block
                                  ; have been written


    RTS                           ; Return from the GPIB JSR operation



;====================================================================
; MAIN ROUTINE OPCODE TEMPLATE
;====================================================================

    DC.W    $4E45                 ; TRAP #5

    DC.W    $267C                 ; MOVEA.L #STAGING_START,A3
    DC.W    STAGING_START_HI
    DC.W    STAGING_START_LO

    DC.W    $207C                 ; MOVEA.L #CALRAM_START,A0
    DC.W    CALRAM_START_HI
    DC.W    CALRAM_START_LO

    DC.W    $287C                 ; MOVEA.L #$0012A100,A4
    DC.W    $0012
    DC.W    $A100

    DC.W    $23CC                 ; MOVE.L A4,CALLBACK_PTR
    DC.W    CALLBACK_PTR_HI
    DC.W    CALLBACK_PTR_LO

    DC.W    $33FC                 ; MOVE.W #0,SUCCESS_FLAG
    DC.W    $0000
    DC.W    SUCCESS_FLAG_HI
    DC.W    SUCCESS_FLAG_LO

    DC.W    $303C                 ; MOVE.W #WORD_COUNT-1,D0
    DC.W    WORD_COUNT_MINUS_1


CALRAM_WRITE_LOOP_OPCODES:

    DC.W    $341B                 ; MOVE.W (A3)+,D2

    DC.W    $1C39                 ; MOVE.B WE_CLOSE_VALUE,D6
    DC.W    WE_CLOSE_VALUE_HI
    DC.W    WE_CLOSE_VALUE_LO

    DC.W    $0046                 ; ORI.W #$0080,D6
    DC.W    $0080

    DC.W    $13C6                 ; MOVE.B D6,$000C0001
    DC.W    $000C
    DC.W    $0001

    DC.W    $3C3C                 ; MOVE.W #$0009,D6
    DC.W    $0009

    DC.W    $57CE                 ; DBEQ D6,current instruction
    DC.W    $FFFE                 ; Short NMI timing wait

    DC.W    $5888                 ; ADDQ.L #4,A0

    DC.W    $51C8                 ; DBRA D0,CALRAM_WRITE_LOOP
    DC.W    LOOP_OFFSET           ; Dynamically calculated displacement

    DC.W    $4E75                 ; RTS
Note: this CalRAM write idea is not mine, I translated it from kvez's python code (with permission).

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V4_115.zip WinGPIB_V4_116.zip WinGPIB_V4_117.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

The downloads have been moved permanently to my own server here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/

3458A Drift Monitor TAB:
- Added ACAL DCV button, user should wait till completed before doing a manual read.
- Added Auto Log feature: checkbox to enable and duration textbox (0.2hrs min and up). This allows automated read's at specific intervals.
   ACAL DCV is performed before each read.
   All stats are updated.
   Status will indicated time of next read as well as indicating if ACAL DCV is running.
- Various GUI tweaks

So what is the Auto Log for?
If you are investigating drift on a 3458A you can leave WinGPIB and the 3458A unattended and it will log Cal? 72 readings automatically at a specified interval for as long as you leave it running. Each entry is updated to the log.

3458A CalRAM upload TAB:
- Added 3458A CalRAM pop-up to display file check results

Ian.

[IanJ]

WinGPIB V5 is coming soon......

1. A new dual-row tab layout for the main application - much cleaner and far less congested.
2. New live statistics, including Mean, Min, Max,, Max Diff, PPM Deviation, Standard Deviation (STDEV), Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) and Averaging Gain.
3. Revamped 'Meters' tab, renamed 'Data' tab with the live statistics display and Live Analysis charts launch button.
4. A new Live Analysis pop-out multi-chart showing Device 1/2 readings, Mean, PPM Deviation, STDEV, SEM and temperature.
5. Logging of the new statistics to CSV and the on-screen Data Log.
6. Improved Data Log display with proper tabulated columns and with the new live statistics.
7. Playback Chart support for the new statistics.
8. Playback Chart Zoom controls now work with dual-device CSV's, with PPM enabled and the new statistics.
9. Live Chart now has x-axis scale (hh:mm:ss)
10. Revised 'About' tab with updated license and disclaimer notices.
11. General GUI improvements, bugfixes and tidying across many tabs.
12. An additional 3458A DMM tab......with a new trick up its sleeve. Possibly a world's first! (do not ask me, I won't tell!)

Preview screenshot of the unfinished V5 attached.
METERS tab renamed DATA and with the new statistics and Live Analysis Chart controls.
Live Analysis charts also shown, 3 charts, form is re-sizeable, individual traces can be enabled/disabled (can you spot the problem on the charts?)

Ian.

[perdrix]

My breath is appropriately bated .

David

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V5_000.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.


V5.000 - A big upgrade adding some new functions and upgrading some existing ones:

• A new dual-row tab layout for the main application - much cleaner and far less congested.
• New live statistics, including Mean, Min, Max,, Max Diff, PPM Deviation, Standard Deviation (STDEV), Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) and Averaging Gain.
• Revamped 'Meters' tab, renamed 'Data' tab with the live statistics display and Live Analysis charts launch button.
• A new Live Analysis pop-out multi-chart showing Device 1/2 readings, Mean, PPM Deviation, STDEV, SEM and temperature.
• Logging of the new statistics to CSV and the on-screen Data Log.
• Improved Data Log display with proper tabulated columns and with the new live statistics.
• Playback Chart support for the new statistics.
• Playback Chart Zoom controls now work with dual-device CSV's, with PPM enabled and the new statistics.
• Live Chart now has x-axis scale (hh:mm:ss)
• Revised 'About' tab with updated license and disclaimer notices.
• General GUI improvements, bugfixes and tidying across many tabs.

Some screenshots attached.

PS. New 3458A tab delayed........

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V5_001.zip WinGPIB_V5_002.zip WinGPIB_V5_003.zip WinGPIB_V5_004.zip WinGPIB_V5_005.zip WinGPIB_V5_006.zip WinGPIB_V5_007.zip WinGPIB_V5_008.zip WinGPIB_V5_009.zip WinGPIB_V5_010.zip
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Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
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V5.001 - Bug fix - PPM Deviation calculation fix on Statistics and Playback Chart
V5.002 - Bug fix - Various Live Analysis Chart and Playback Chart
V5.003 - Bug fix - Locale issue on Playback Chart
V5.004 - Bug fix - Various other locale issues
V5.005 - Bug fix - Various
V5.006 - DATA tab, new pause buttons
V5.007 - DATA tab, fix alignment issue
V5.008 - Stats, Reset button tweak
V5.009 - Live Analysis charts, new options added
V5.010 - Live Analysis chart MEAN trace - possible fix for issue

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V5_013.zip WinGPIB_V5_014.zip WinGPIB_V5_015.zip WinGPIB_V5_016.zip WinGPIB_V5_017.zip WinGPIB_V5_018.zip WinGPIB_V5_019.zip WinGPIB_V5_020.zip WinGPIB_V5_021.zip WinGPIB_V5_022.zip WinGPIB_V5_023.zip WinGPIB_V5_024.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.013 - Playback Chart and Data tab GUI tweaks
V5.014 - Playback Chart Allan Deviation plot added (an attempt anyways!)
V5.015 - Playback Chart bug fixes and some Allan Deviation plot tweaks
V5.016 - Additional Allan Deviation feature added
V5.017 - Playback Chart bug fixes
V5.018 - Added MDEV option to Allan Deviation pop-up
V5.019 - Allan Deviation slight tweak
V5.020 - Playback Chart HELP button text re-done
V5.021 - Live Analysis chart freeze/reset fix, square corners applied app-wide, Allan Deviation axis/help polish
V5.022 - Added additional option on Playback Chart for Tempco
V5.023 - Playback Chart GUI tweak
V5.024 - Another Playback Chart PPM/DegC mode added

Allan Deviation:
Allan Deviation shows how a device's average reading settles down as you average over longer spans (tau), instead of one STDEV number for the whole file.
Formula (frequency-data form): split readings into blocks of length tau, average each block, then take RMS of the differences between consecutive block averages:

Code: [Select]

sigma(tau) = sqrt[ 1/(2(M-1)) * sum( (Ybar[k+1] - Ybar[k])^2 ) ]New "Overlapping (smoother tail)" checkbox: instead of disjoint blocks, slides a tau-length window one sample at a time and compares windows tau apart:

Code: [Select]

sigma(tau) = sqrt[ 1/(2(N-2tau+1)) * sum( (Ybar[i+tau] - Ybar[i])^2 ) ]Overlapping reuses every sample many times, so it gives a much smoother curve at large tau from the same data (points aren't fully independent, but this is standard practice, e.g. NIST's Stable32 uses it by default).
Result is plotted as ppm of the device's overall mean, log-log axes, rounded to whole decades. Falling = short-term noise averaging out. Flat = noise floor, more averaging won't help. Rising = long-term drift, averaging longer makes it worse. Each device also gets a dashed "Ideal" line (slope -1/2, anchored to its own first point) showing pure white-noise behavior for comparison - not a hard limit, just a reference.

Screenshot shows example dual logged original data and the corresponding Allan Deviation plots.
I ran a 228-minute log comparing an HP 3458A (drift issues) against a Keysight 34461A, then looked at Allan Deviation for both.

Both units start close to their ideal white-noise line at short τ, but by τ≈10–30 samples they've both already leveled off around 0.1 ppm — a flicker-noise floor. Worth noting neither one stays purely random for long; the departure from ideal starts almost immediately, meaning there's some non-white noise contribution even short-term.

The interesting split shows up past τ≈300–500: the 3458A climbs steadily toward ~0.9 ppm by τ≈3000 — classic long-term drift, matching the visible step-like shifts in its raw trace over the run. The 34461A instead dips down to ~0.03 ppm in that same range before an uptick at the very last point — over this particular file, it's holding up better long-term than the 3458A. (Standard caveat: the last couple of points on any Allan deviation curve are the least trustworthy — only a handful of independent samples remain to average at that τ, so I wouldn't over-read that final uptick.)

Also ran MDEV (Modified Allan Deviation) alongside ADEV for both — they track each other closely rather than diverging, which tells you the noise here is dominated by ordinary amplitude/frequency noise and drift, not phase/timing jitter. If there were significant phase noise in the mix, MDEV would run visibly steeper than ADEV at short τ; it doesn't here.

Ian.

[chilternview]

Ian, a bug report: If you change the live chart Y axis max / min so they are invalid (e.g. Ymax < Ymin), you get an exception. And despite offering the choice of continuing, the chart remains in error (red cross in place of it), and you have to quit and restart.

Since it is all too easy to get an invalid Y axis if you e.g. change a single character, it would be nice for it to detect the value you are changing is invalid, and ignore it until it is valid.

Thanks!

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V5_026.zip WinGPIB_V5_027.zip WinGPIB_V5_028.zip WinGPIB_V5_029.zip WinGPIB_V5_030.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.025 - Added CSV file error detection capability
V5.026 - Fixed data entry issue in Live Chart
V5.027 - Playback Chart PPM/DegC radio button bug fix
V5.028 - Playback Chart light mode fixes and other tweaks
V5.029 - Playback Chart minor tweaks
V5.030 - Version number reporting tweak

Ian.

Ian, a bug report: If you change the live chart Y axis max / min so they are invalid (e.g. Ymax < Ymin), you get an exception. And despite offering the choice of continuing, the chart remains in error (red cross in place of it), and you have to quit and restart.
Since it is all too easy to get an invalid Y axis if you e.g. change a single character, it would be nice for it to detect the value you are changing is invalid, and ignore it until it is valid.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
WinGPIB_V5_031.zip WinGPIB_V5_032.zip WinGPIB_V5_033.zip WinGPIB_V5_034.zip WinGPIB_V5_035.zip WinGPIB_V5_036.zip WinGPIB_V5_037.zip WinGPIB_V5_038.zip WinGPIB_V5_039.zip WinGPIB_V5_040.zip WinGPIB_V5_041.zip WinGPIB_V5_042.zip WinGPIB_V5_043.zip WinGPIB_V5_044.zip
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.031 - Playback Chart is now re-sizeable
V5.032 - Playback Chart controls now space out when making form bigger
V5.033 - Bugfix - version check
V5.034 - Playback Chart controls now left justified
V5.035 - Playback Chart bugfix labels not centred properly
V5.036 - Data tab and Live Analysis Chart bug fixes
V5.037 - Added RESET button to Live Analysis Chart pop-up and fixed Temp chart y-scale dp's
V5.038 - Playback Chart device averaging bugfix
V5.039 - Live Analysis Chart Device Name & Checkbox bug fix
V5.040 - Live Analysis Chart chart area - re-size works better.
V5.041 - Live Analysis Chart checkboxes bugfix
V5.042 - Live Analysis charts - fix scales and grid lines (trying anyways!)
V5.043 - Bugfix - Playback Chart issue loading a Device 2 only CSV
V5.044 - Bugfix - Live Analysis Charts button

Controls resize animation (on 2k monitor):
https://youtu.be/25SJwMTZcbc?si=kxMoXS8TfXbgwAjT

Ian.

[IanJ]

Playing with some live Charts on a couple of Multimeters, and opening a saved CSV via the Playback Chart just for fun.

I'm at the limit of what MS Chart can do (Microsoft) so probably I'll start playing with alternatives and integrating them into WinGPIB (replacing MS Chart).

Possibiles:
- Scottplot
- Oxyplot
- LiveCharts2
- ZedGraph

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.100 - Live Chart migrated to ScottPlot
V5.101 - Fixed bug in installer (.msi)

Part 1 of the migration to ScottPlot, and alternative to MS Chart. Much better alternative to displaying graphs/charts and with extra tools.

Live Chart — New Functionality

• Rebuilt on a new, faster charting engine (ScottPlot) for smoother real-time rendering
• Dual Y-axis: Device readings on the left, Temperature on its own independently-scaled right axis
• AutoScale Y-axis — automatically fits the view to live data; freezes as soon as you pan/zoom manually so you can inspect without fighting the live feed
• Y-axis padding so a flat/stable trace no longer hugs the top or bottom edge of the chart
• Extra tick marks showing the actual detected Max/Min values while autoscaling
• Hover-to-read — hover anywhere near a trace to see a crosshair, marker, and the exact value at that point
• Two-point measurement tool — double-click two points on any trace to see the difference between them (value and sample count); double-click a third time, press Esc, or use the right-click menu to clear it
• Hide Chart Trace checkboxes (Dev1/Dev2) now properly shrink the autoscaled Y-axis to fit only the visible trace(s), instead of leaving room for hidden data
• Trimmed right-click menu: Save Image, Copy Value At Cursor, Clear Measurement
• New Help button with a quick reference covering mouse controls, Y-axis scale, chart controls, and the X-axis rolling window

Part 2 etc I'll be concentrating on the other charts in WinGPIB and migrating them over.



Screenshot attached.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.102 - Live Chart bug fix and Playback Chart now uses ScottPlot
V5.103 - Playback Chart tweaks and new additions
V5.104 - Playback Chart added new scale labels
V5.105 - Playback Chart bugfix loading CSV's
V5.106 - Playback Chart analysis functions added
V5.107 - Playback Chart analysis bugfix
V5.108 - Playback Chart GUI tweaks
V5.109 - Playback Chart GUI tweaks
V5.110 - Playback Chart Histogram pop-up bugfix
V5.111 - Playback Chart Histogram & Allan Deviation pop-ups bugfix
V5.112 - Bugfix for Live Analysis temperature trace, damaged settings file recovery, Playback Chart Allan/Histogram pop-ups
V5.113 - Playback Chart stats calcs tweak
V5.114 - Playback Chart right click menu additions
V5.115 - Playback Chart size config on SETTINGS tab, also Results Export button added to save all analysis and stats results to .txt file
V5.116 - Playback Chart bugfix Time(mins) display

Playback Chart — New Functionality/mods

• Rebuilt on the same faster charting engine as the Live Chart (ScottPlot), with a second chart underneath for the recorded statistics
• Three independent right-hand scales: Temperature, Humidity and PPM each get their own real axis. Their ranges are set by their own Max/Min boxes and stay fixed while you pan/zoom the device traces
• New Statistics chart: STDEV, SEM, Max Diff. and PPM Deviation from the CSV (PPM Deviation on its own right-hand scale). It follows the main chart's X range and stays lined up with it
• Draggable split bar between the two charts to change their heights. Window resizing keeps your split, and it resets on each new CSV
• Full mouse control: pan (left-drag), zoom (right-drag), box zoom (middle-drag), fit-to-data (middle-click), wheel zoom at the cursor
• AutoScale X-axis & Y-axis fits the view to the Dev 1 / Dev 2 data; it freezes as soon as you pan/zoom manually. ZOOM ALL gives the same fit
• Y-axis Max/Min boxes now always show the chart's current limits (with the same number of decimals as the scale), and become editable when AutoScale is off
• Left scale shows extra decimal places for fine resolution, always in plain decimal (never scientific notation)
• Hover-to-read on both charts — crosshair, marker and the exact value at the nearest point
• Two-point measurement tool on both charts — double-click two points to see the difference (value and sample count); double-click again or press Esc to clear
• Time (mins) now shows minutes visible / total minutes (e.g. 120.0/228.0) and updates as you zoom
• PPM trace is now plotted as its true ppm value on its own scale (the old rescaling workaround is gone); the PPM Scale box sets the full range (5 = ±2.5), and unchecking Enable PPM hides the trace
• Humidity now has its own scale and Max/Min boxes (previously it shared Temperature's range, so it was effectively invisible); both are saved with Save Settings
• Right-click menu on the main chart: Save Image, Copy Value At Cursor, Clear Measurement
• Old MSChart-era buttons (scroll, zoom in/out, shift, Y-axis presets/tidy/save/load, tooltips) are removed, replaced by the mouse controls above

• Statistics chart: PPM Deviation, STDEV and SEM now each have their own right-hand scale, with Max Diff. on the left. STDEV and SEM show short scaled numbers with a multiplier label under the scale (e.g. x1e-7). Scales only appear while a trace uses them
• Hum Avg. now works like Temp Avg. (rolling average of the Humidity trace, 0 disables it)
• Save now also stores: Temp/Hum/Dev 1/Dev 2 averaging, RMS window, trace checkboxes, Line/Point, x1k/x1000k, Temp/Hum on/off, Enable PPM with its mode and device, AutoScale and Light Mode. Trace and PPM selections are applied when the first CSV is loaded, and the Save button's tooltip lists everything. Allan Deviation is not saved
• Editable CSV metadata: edit the metadata box (3 lines maximum) and write it back to the CSV with the new Save Meta button. The file always has exactly 3 // lines, the first save keeps the original as a .bak, and a CSV with more than 3 metadata lines stays read-only
• New DEV1 / DEV2 and Statistics labels, hidden until a CSV is loaded and themed for Light Mode
• Small window resize grip restored in the bottom-right corner
• Playback Help updated to match

• Regional Stats — a translucent band you can drag to move, or drag its edges to resize. A results box shows, for each visible trace inside the band: mean, STDEV, min, max, peak-to-peak and drift (also in ppm), plus the number of samples and minutes covered. The band also sets the range used by Trend Line, Tempco Curve and the Histogram
• Noise Band — shades the rolling mean ± 1 STDEV around each trace (over the RMS window), so noisy and quiet stretches are obvious. The results box gives the typical, quietest and noisiest STDEV, in the reading's units and in ppm
• Trend Line — a dashed least-squares line through each trace (whole run, or just the Regional Stats band). Reports the drift per hour, in ppm, and R² to show how straight the drift really is
• Tempco Curve — fits the reading against temperature and draws the fit as a curve along the trace. If the curve follows the trace, temperature explains the movement. Reports ppm/°C with its uncertainty, R², and the percentage of the variation explained by temperature
• Histogram of Readings — a pop-up showing how the readings are distributed, with mean, STDEV, skew, kurtosis, the number of distinct values and a red normal curve for comparison. A few distinct values shows the meter's resolution; a lop-sided or double-humped shape points to drift or interference

Ian.

[IanJ]

Playing with the stats in the Playback Chart.

Ian.

[IanJ]

I wanted to help prove that the new Playback Chart analysis and various calculations and chart results were correct.

How?
I made a synthetic CSV (10 V reference, 300 samples, 5 secs apart, with a built-in tempco of +2.5 ppm/DegC plus drift and noise). I then worked out the expected results independently, using plain maths (no WinGPIB code), and compared them with what WinGPIB displays.

Numbers agree:

• Max-Min and RMS Noise
• Noise Band (typical, quietest and noisiest STDEV)
• PPM/DegC (Fit): 2.5353 +/- 0.0029 ppm/DegC
• Tempco Curve: 2.54 ppm/DegC, R2 1.00
• PPM/DegC (Point): matches to 8 decimal places on the row checked
• Trend Line drift per hour: +36.73 ppm/hour, R2 0.74
• Histogram of Readings: n, mean, STDEV, min, max, skew, kurtosis and distinct values
• Max Diff: matches the recorded value

Match in shape and scale (so not exhaustively verified):

• PPM/DegC (Trend)
• STDEV, SEM and PPM Deviation traces
• Allan Deviation and MDEV curves

The test CSV (rename it .csv), the expected-figures text file and a screenshot are attached. You can load the CSV and compare the numbers yourself.
If you find anything that doesn't agree, please let me know.

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.117 - Playback Chart right click context menu modded, now more intuitive - see screenshot
V5.118 - Playback Chart GUI tweaks
V5.119 - Playback Chart Allan Deviation bugfix
V5.120 - VISA: Timeout (ms) now applies to writes (fixes large upload timeouts)

Note: I've done quite a number of mods since I last replied to this thread, see a couple of posts back for the list.

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.121 - Bugfix 3458A CAL?72 tab - Expand View button crashed WinGPIB
V5.122 - Added [DAY1] command to 3458A CAL?72 tab
V5.123 - Added new DAY1 stat 3458A CAL?72 tab
V5.124 - 3458A CAL?72 tab stats panel tooltip updated

Ian.

[IanJ]

New version available for download here - https://www.ianjohnston.com/WinGPIB/ or via the app itself.
[Virus scanned using BitDefender AntiVirus]
Need help installing, upgrading or moving to a new PC, then see instructions in Post #1
WinGPIB is for non-commercial use only, contact me if you wish to use it in your business environment.

V5.125 - Added controllable Zoom Overview pop-up to the Playback Chart. After zooming in on main chart slide it left to right to move main chart window.
V5.126 - Playback Chart CSV load bugfix, Zoom Overview pop-up enhancements.
V5.127 - Playback Chart X-Scale more visible when zooming.
V5.128 - Playback Chart pop-ups tidy up
V5.129 - Playback Chart added keyboard pan/zoom controls
V5.130 - Playback Chart pop-ups (some) now have Always-On-Top checkboxes
V5.131 - Playback Chart Export Report (html) now added (PDF copy attached from one of my own CSV's)
V5.132 - Playback Chart Export  Report bugfix

Ian.