20th August 2005
mw3 Software User Manual – V 2.0.0
With the release of Version 2.x.x there have been significant
improvements in function of the software in several areas. There is
still a long list of improvements I would like to make, and I welcome
feedback from users so that I can add to the list or prioritise it.
Installation
For software installation instructions refer to the documentation on the web site Downloads page.
Connecting to Hardware
This documentation assumes connection of the hardware via a USB port.
Upon first running the program it will default to Demo mode (no input
from mw3 hardware). Select Source>Connect to
initiate a search for any connected hardware. It is sometimes necessary
to select Retry when prompted if the search fails to locate your
hardware first time. Refer to documentation on the web site Downloads page for USB
driver and troubleshooting information.
Upon exiting the program, it will remember the location of hardware for next time and automatically search there first.
Settings
Under the View menu there are various customisable settings for
colours, needle widths and clock. With new software releases, expect
these settings to be augmented and nomenclature rationalised.
The default settings invoked when the program is first run are
stored in a file called mw3.ini. After making any changes go to
File>Save Settings As and save your changes to a file of a different
name. This ensures that future program upgrades will not overwrite your
customised setting choices. You can save as many different settings
files as you like. Simply use File>Load Settings to invoke any of
them.
Dial Display
Two needles can be displayed on the dial.
One is equivalent to the needle seen on traditional analogue meters and is influenced by the sensitivity control.
The other (baseline) shows the Baseline Position according to the scale
around the periphery of the dial. This information is also displayed in
digital form at the top left of the dial panel. This needle can easily
be made invisible by selecting View>Needle Widths>Baseline>off.
Sensitivity Control
The sensitivity can be changed by:
1. Dragging the knob at the bottom left with the mouse
2. Clicking on the Up or Down buttons at the bottom right
3. Using the keyboard Up and Down cursor keys
Body Motion Detect
It is possible to detect needle responses caused by hand or finger
motion on the electrode. When this feature is enabled, such motion
causes the needle to freeze and change colour. Once body motion has
ceased, there is a short delay before the needle returns to its normal
colour and unfreezes.
Body Motion Detect is enabled/disabled by checking/unchecking the B-M Detect tick box at the bottom of the dial panel.
Note that even though the needle freezes, the scrolling graph does not, and will show the body motion.
Baseline Drop Counter
This counter is disabled and set to zero when the program is opened. It
is enabled by clicking on the BD Count digital display. Note that it is
only enabled when B-M Detect is operating, and that it ignores any body
motion. Use the Zero button to reset the count.
Scrolling Graph
This feature is useful for highlighting certain needle responses. It
can be turned on of off using the Show Scrolling Graph tick box.
Recording and Playback
This powerful tool records voice input from a microphone along with the
needle actions occurring at the same time. It requires that the
appropriate settings (such as volume) have been configured for the
audio card in your computer. This area can be confusing and sometimes
requires trial and error to get familiar with it.
Recordings are made by clicking the record multimedia button (the one
with the dot in the middle) and can be immediately played back. No
recordings are saved unless you explicitly do so with the Save As
button. Use the Load button to play back previously saved recordings.
A useful feature for demonstrations is the repeat facility. Check the
Repeat box before playback to run a continuous loop of the recording.
More documentation on this topic will be available in the future.
Computer Performance
Computers are great in terms of their versatility and multitasking
ability, but there is a down side with this type of Real Time
application. This is why other real time applications such as gaming
are often run on dedicated high performance systems. Inability of the
computer to cope manifests simply as jerkiness of the needle. However,
steps can be taken to minimise this, and provided one is aware of the
phenomenon one can make allowances when it occurs.
Electrode readings are sent to the computer at a rate of 50 per second.
If all of these are displayed on the screen then the needle motion will
appear smooth. However, if the computer can’t keep up the
software will discard readings, rather like tossing items off the
conveyer belt on an assembly line in order to keep up. Any time
readings are discarded, a red stripe flashes at the left hand side of
the dial panel. You can easily force this situation by clicking on a
menu item or dragging the application window. Even on quite a high
performance machine, running a virus check on computer files in the
background will produce an almost constant red stripe.
For optimum program performance, do not run anything else in the
background at the same time. If you have a lower spec machine then
turning off the scrolling graph will make a big difference.
The red stripe indicator will be revised in a future release to produce a more meaningful graduated warning level.
Other
The Source>Ports and Tools> menu items are used for mw3 firmware
upgrade and will be documented elsewhere. Do not use them.