AeroAcquire

Multi-Hole Probe Pressure

and Velocity Data
Acquisition and Reduction
Software

Manual

VERSION 3.6
February, 2007

Aeroprobe Corporation
1700 Kraft Drive, Suite 2413
Blacksburg, Virginia 24060

Voice: (540) 951-3858 FAX: (540) 951-8618

http://www.aeroprobe.com
tech-support@aeroprobe.com
No part of this manual may be reproduced without written permission.
 Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction 2

2.0 Software Installation and Requirements 3

3.0 Using AeroAcquire 4
3.1. Setting the System Options 4
3.2. Sampling Parameters 10
3.3. Initialization of ESP/Sensors Information 12
3.4. Initialization of Probe Information 16
3.5. Initialization of Motor Controller and Traversing 21
3.6. Initialization of Data Reduction Information 23
3.7. Initialization of AutoCal/Trigger/Pitot Information 25

4.0 Grid Options 26

5.0 Acquiring Data 28

6.0 Performing Data Reduction 29

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1.0 Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of an Aeroprobe Multi-Hole Probe Velocity and Pressure Data
Acquisition System. This manual will assist you in quickly setting up and running AeroAcquire,
the system’s velocity and pressure data-acquisition and reduction software. It provides a quick
procedure on how to initialize the software, select the data acquisition parameters correctly for your
hardware, such as type of probe, pressure transducers type, data-acquisition board, etc.
AeroAcquire also allows the user to control motorized traversing scales for probe positioning and
generate and traverse spatial grids. Pressure-to-velocity and direction reduction can be done while
acquiring data, or at a later time by post processing.

Please direct any questions regarding the setup and use of your Multi-Hole Probe Velocity and
Pressure Data Acquisition System to tech-support@aeroprobe.com.

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2.0 Software Installation and Requirements

Requirements:
• There are two versions of AeroAcquire, a PCI version and an Ethernet version. The PCI
version is required for systems using a PCI-type data acquisition boards, and the Ethernet
version is required for systems using an Ethernet-type DaqScan acquisition module. The
correct version must be used for proper function. PCI software versions are denoted with a
“P” at the end of the version number. Ethernet software versions are denoted with an “E” at
the end of the version number. For example:

AeroAcquire 3.6.3E is version number 3.6.3 for Ethernet based acquisition.

• Currently, all Aeroprobe software is supported by most Windows-based operating systems

post Windows 98SE. (Windows 98SE, 2000, or XP recommended)

General Software Requirements for Various Systems:

5 or 7-Hole Probe System Omniprobe System Fast-Response Probe

System

• InstaCal or DaqView • InstaCal or DaqView • InstaCal or DaqView

• AeroAcquire • AeroAcquire • AeroAcquire
• Multiprobe • Omipro (12/18 holes) • Multiprobe
• ARC

This manual assumes the user has already successfully installed InstaCal for PCI boards or
DaqView for Ethernet systems (see respective manuals for acquisition hardware and software
installation). This manual only covers the installation, initialization, and use of AeroAcquire.
Multiprobe and/or Omnipro must be installed after installing AeroAcquire for proper DLL
handling.

Installation:
To install AeroAcquire, insert the accompanying CD to your CD-ROM drive, go to the
AeroAcquire install directory and run "setup.exe". Follow the instructions of the wizard to install
the software. Once this is complete, you will have an Aeroprobe group under “Programs” in your
Start Menu. Within this group, there will be a shortcut for AeroAcquire. You launch the software
by simply double-clicking on the shortcut. The default software installation directory is C:\Program
Files\Aeroprobe.

NOTE: If other Aeroprobe software packages will be installed (i.e. Multiprobe, Omniprobe,
Omipro…), they should be installed after the AeroAcquire installation is complete.

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3.0 Using AeroAcquire
Run AeroAcquire. Go to “File” and either create a “New Project” or “Open (an existing) Project”.
Since a new project must be created before you are able to open an existing project, this manual
will guide through this process. Keep in mind that many of the low-level settings in AeroAcquire
will depend on the particular application, and therefore, the chosen parameters may differ slightly
from what is shown here.

-> Click on “New Project”. At this point the screen will look like the figure below. Using the View
menu, the user can toggle the Toolbar, Status Bar, File View listing, and the Message Console.

Toolbar

Working Window

Current File
View Listing

Toolbar

Message Console
Window

3.1. Setting the System Options

System Setup
->System->Options->System Setup

Choose the system type AP4000, AP3000, or AP1-2000. Consult your documentation, distributor,
or Aeroprobe for information regarding which system you have. Post year 2001 systems are
usually AP3000, and post mid-2007 systems are typically AP4000 that support embedded
acquisition and USB data transfer.

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If Aeroprobe motor traversing is being used, select the motor controller type also (typically serial
AP3KMS, or Ethernet AP3KME).

Boards
->System->Options->Boards

The board name is automatically filled in if InstaCal or DaqView and the hardware have been
previously and successfully installed. Note that AeroAcquire only utilizes board #0 as designated in
InstaCal. The voltage range is software selectable to best match the output range of the sensors.
Common output voltage ranges for Aeroprobe supplied sensors include ±5V for ESP pressure
scanners and fast-response probes, and 0-5V for AT pressure sensor modules.

Units
->System->Options->Unit

The user has the option to change the system-wide units for pressure, temperature, velocity,
density, angle, and length under the Unit tab. These changes apply to all on-screen windows in
addition to all data saved in any output files. The options under the General tab control whether
filenames are saved in the File View and whether board errors are reported.

Selecting the Global Units for AeroAcquire

General
->System->Options->General

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The two options control whether the acquired files are shown in the File View, and whether any
acquisition board errors are reported in the Message Console. These options are checked by
default.

Base Filename
->System->Set Base Filename

The following screen appears, in which you simply have to enter the directory where you want the
output files saved as well as the base filename for these files. All the output files resulting from the
same data acquisition procedure will have the same base name, but different extensions, depending
on their type.

Specifying the Base Filename for the Output Files

File Output Options

->System->File Output Options

Under “System” click “File Output Options”. If more than one probe is installed, the options can
be set for each probe independently.
.

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 Specifying the Desired Output File Types for Each Probe

Clicking Options for each probe will open the following screen, in which you select the type of
data output files you desire.

Specifying the Desired Output File Types

*.ppf files contain the averaged probe port pressures for all of the locations in the grid. In essence,
this is simply the result of ensemble-averaging and time-averaging probe pressures at each
measurement point. Each set of pressures will have an associated position (X, Y, Z), and dynamic
pressure (if a Pitot-static tube was present). Files of this type are processed by the data-reduction
routines, resulting in a time-averaged velocity file (*.aav file).

*.aav files contain averaged multi-hole probe velocity data. The *.aav file is generated by
performing a velocity reduction on the *.ppf file. The header at the top of the files gives details
about the particular test, while the columns of data follow. Each set of velocities will have an

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associated position (X, Y, Z), the flow angles, dynamic pressure values, freestream velocity (if a
Pitot-static tube was present), and reduction errors, if present.

*.rpf files contain time series of pressures acquired by AeroAcquire. A file of this format will
contain all of the pressure data from a point in the data grid. This data may include several
columns from external channels. Files of this type are processed by the data-reduction routines,
resulting in a time-series of velocities (*.atv files).

*.atv files contain time series of velocities. They are simply the pressure time series files reduced
to velocities. At each time instance, each set of velocities will have an associated position (X, Y,
Z), the flow angles, dynamic pressure values, freestream velocity (if a Pitot-static tube was
present), and reduction errors, if present. Selecting the velocity-time series will significantly
increase the time required to acquire grid data. A potentially viable and often desirable option is to
acquire only the pressure time-series during acquisition, then post process the data to obtain the
corresponding velocity time-series after the tests are completed.

Selecting Validate Velocities will perform a quick test at each point to check the validity of the
calculated velocities. Selecting Validate Velocities does not increase acquisition time noticeably.

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3.2. System Initialization

All of the hardware settings (sensors, motors, acquisition parameters, and reduction parameters) are
contained in the System Initialization. All of the system initialization settings should be checked
before performing tests to ensure the data will be acquired correctly. You will need to go through
all the tabs at the top of the screen (such as “Sampling”, ESP/Sensors”, “Probes”, etc.) in order to
set all the system, data-acquisition and reduction parameters.

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3.2 Sampling Parameters
->System->System Initialization->Sampling

Depending on the type of fluid flow being measured, and the desired frequency of the time-series
output files, the user can specify the sampling parameters. The Number of Samples is the number
of times the <set of ESP ports plus any additional external channels> (as entered under “Number of
External Channels”), or the <set of individual pressure sensors plus any additional external
channels> will be scanned per ensemble and per position of the probe/grid (during Grid
Acquisition) or during the acquisition of time-series data (within Point Acquisition). Number of
Ensembles is the number of times the acquisition process is repeated at each gridpoint (during Grid
Acquisition). If stepping motors are not used (surface pressure data only are acquired) then this
would be the total number of scans per ensemble. This is particularly useful when an unsteady
experiment if performed, for example velocity data acquisition over a pitching airfoil, and data over
several realizations of the experiment must be acquired in order to perform phase-averaging of the
unsteady velocity time series and thus establish statistical properties of the unsteady data. Separate
output files are saved for each additional ensemble. Sampling Rate is the rate (per port or channel)
at which the acquisition progresses. The total effective sampling rate is the sampling rate times the
number of installed ESP ports or sensors. For conventional probes in unsteady flows, frequencies
up to 2000Hz maximum are recommended. For fast response probes frequencies up to 10,000Hz
maximum are recommended. Remember, the Nyquist theorem states the sampling frequency must
be at least double the maximum desired frequency. In general, to optimize the sampling load, use a
sampling rate that is a power of two.

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Many of the modules that Aeroprobe sells have external channel inputs for recording input from
various types of instrumentation. If the module has external channels, then the user MUST
correctly enter the total number of external channels present in the second box or the probe
acquisition and reduction will not operate properly. In the first box, only select the number of
external channels to be used, up to the maximum total number. Clicking the “Properties” button
will open a dialog box to set the optional properties for each channel.

If desired, the user can choose a channel type and set coefficients for each channel. By default, the
channel is set to Voltage with a C1 coefficient of 1 (no conversion). By setting a type and user
determined coefficients, the output files will contain additional columns of data that have already
been multiplied by the channel coefficients. Checking the Zero Channel box will enable zeroing of
the channel at the same time as the pressure sensors. Note that many types of devices (i.e.
thermocouples) should not be zeroed.

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3.3 Initialization of ESP/Sensors Information
->System->System Initialization->ESP/Sensors

In the following window, the user can install and configure the pressure sensors to be used.
AeroAcquire supports either analog sensors or digitally addressed pressure scanners. Sensors refer
to any generic pressure sensor (single-ended or differential), each of which require its own
dedicated acquisition channel. Pressure scanners contain many individual pressure transducers,
which are multiplexed and amplified, requiring the use of a single acquisition channel only. All
sensors and scanners purchased through Aeroprobe will ship with a calibration file. The file has a
*.cal extension.

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When using either sensors or an ESP scanner module, press the “Load” button to load the
coefficient file if your sensors or ESP are already calibrated. The “Total Number of Sensors” field
is automatically filled out. For ESPs you will need to load a coefficient file for each individual
scanner if multiple scanners are used (up to 8 are supported in the software). Next, choose the
number of sensors to sample by setting the “Sampled” field. The correct number to sample is
based on the type and quantity of probe(s) installed (Probes tab), whether an optional pitot-static
probe is used (Auxiliary tab), and whether the internal absolute reference sensor is used (Reduction
tab). For example: Use of a single 7-hole probe with the internal reference sensor, but no pitot-
static probe would require Sampled = 8. Use of a 5-hole probe and a 7-hole probe with the
absolute reference sensor but without a pitot-static probe would require Sampled = 13.

Sampled = (Number of Probes) x (Holes Per Probe) + (1 for Pitot) + (1 for Reference Sensor)

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For either ESP or Sensors, pressing “View” will display the current calibration coefficients.
Pressing “Save” will save the current coefficients to a file. The coefficients relate the pressure P
and voltage V for each port or sensor by the relation

P = C 0 + C1 ∗ V + C 2 ∗ V 2 + C 3 * V 3 + C 4 * V 4

RECALIBRATION SUGGETION: All pressure sensors and ESP’s come calibrated from
the factory, so pressing the “Calibrate” button is not required. Aeroprobe recommends
sending the unit back to the factory for calibration, although it is possible for the user to
calibrate the unit with the correct hardware and instruction. Aeroprobe is not responsible for
damage to sensors due to improper calibration procedure. This manual is informational and
serves as a guide only.

If your pressure sensors are not calibrated, or you wish to perform a full calibration, pressing the
“Calibrate” button opens a calibration window where the user can perform a full sensor calibration
for the unit.

To accurately perform any sensor calibration, an accurate and known steady pressure must be
applied to the unit. Aeroprobe uses a precision electronic pressure controller to apply known
pressures with a high degree of accuracy. Calibrating the pressure sensors establishes a
relationship between the applied pressure and the voltage output of the sensor. While most sensors
are somewhat linear within their operating pressure range, the slope and offset are usually unknown
to within any degree of accuracy a priori. Sensor calibrations supported by AeroAcquire can be
either 2nd order (requires 3 points) or 4th order (requires 5 points). Aeroprobe uses 4th order

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polynomial fits for all “in-house” and shipped sensor calibrations. The number of sensors calibrated
will equal the total number of sensors or ports installed.

The sensors are calibrated by acquiring voltages from the unit at three or five different calibration
points where the applied pressure is known. Usually for bipolar sensors, one point is taken at zero
pressure, another with pressure on the high side of the differential transducer, and one with
pressure on the low side of the differential transducer for a 3-point fit. If a 5-point fit is used, two
different pressures are taken on the high and low sides respectively (i.e. for a 10psi sensor, acquire
0psi, +-5psi, +-10psi). Press the “Select” button to toggle between the three modes and the
“Acquire” button to acquire the voltages after the pressure has equalized. Be sure to enter the
applied pressure value in the Pressure Reading field before pressing “Acquire” (NOTE: enter all
values as positive values without signs). “Zero Differential” is used when zero (or equal) pressure
is applied to either side of the differential transducers. Whether zero or equal pressure is applied to
both sides of a differential transducer the Pressure Reading field should be zero. “Pin to Cal” is
used for when pressure is applied to the high side of the differential pressure transducers. “Pin to
Ref” is used for when pressure is applied to the low side of the differential pressure transducers.
Pressing “Details” after acquiring the three or five points will view the raw voltages corresponding
to the applied pressures. Pressing “Verify” will allow the user to compare the current voltages in
memory to a previously saved calibration file (*.cal file). Pressing “Calibrate” will calculate the
C0, C1, C2, C3, and C4 coefficients and close the window. The user must press “Save” to save the
current coefficients to a file.

Calibrating AT Sensor Modules

Make certain that the connections between the pressure controller/standard

and the unit are correct for purposes of calibration. Be sure to switch the
pneumatic connections after performing the sensor calibration for purposes
of data acquisition. See the AT Senor Module manual for details or contact
Aeroprobe or your distributor.

Calibrating ESPs

Make certain that the connections between the AutoCal and the ESP are
correct for purposes of calibration. Be sure to switch the pneumatic
connections after performing the ESP calibration for purposes of data
acquisition. See the ESP Calibration manual for details or contact Aeroprobe
or your distributor.

Calibrating Fast-Response Probe Sensors

Make certain that the connections between the pressure controller/standard

and the probe are correct for purposes of calibration. Be sure to switch the
pneumatic connections after performing the sensor calibration for purposes
of data acquisition. See the Fast-Response Probe manual for details or
contact Aeroprobe or your distributor.

15
3.4. Initialization of Probe Information

Under the “Probe” tab, the following screen will be displayed. The user needs to enter the number
of probes to be used (up to 5 probes supported). For each probe the user needs to enter the “Probe
Serial Number” (engraved on the probe), the number of probe ports (5, 7 or 18) as well as the
names of the “Probe Calibration Files” to be used in the data reduction process.

When the “Calibration Files” button is selected the following screen appears, where the user has to
enter all the calibration files related to the specific probe. Multiple calibration files can be loaded

16
simultaneously (not supported for *.opr files) as AeroAcquire interpolates between the calibration
maps.

If the user wishes to change the coordinate transformation matrix (also called the A-matrix), the
following screen will appear when the “Transformation Matrix” button is selected under the
“Probes” tab.

The reduction of the pressures to velocities is always performed in the frame of the probe. The A-
matrix takes the velocity components in the frame of the probe (xp,yp,zp) and transforms them to
components in the grid coordinate frame defined by the traversing scales (x, y, z) or the users
global coordinate frame. The coordinate frame of the probe is defined slightly differently for
different probe geometries. The conversion is shown below, where u, v, and w are the velocity

17
components along the x, y and z axes respectively and u p, vp and w p are the velocity components
along the xp, yp and zp axes respectively:

 u   a11 a12 a13   up 

    
 v  = a 21 a 22 a 23  vp 
 w  a 31 a 32 a 33  wp 
    

The three coordinate definitions are shown in the figure below for a straight probe and
cobra/gamma probes. The direction is always defined into the tip of the probe and along the axis of
the tip. The zp axis is always normal to the reference surface of the probe, which is the plane of the
probe for a cobra or gamma probe, and is the marked flat on the hexagonal mount of the probe for a
straight probe. The type of cobra/gamma probe depends upon how the probe was calibrated, and
thus it is an inherent, unchangeable quantity. The probe coordinates are included in the Multi-Hole
Probe Information Packet.

xp, yp, zp Coordinates for Straight Probe

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 xp, yp, zp Coordinates for Cobra/Gamma Probe, Type 1

xp, yp, zp Coordinates for Cobra/Gamma Probe, Type 2

In order to transform the velocity vector, information regarding the alignment of the probe axes and
the grid axes is required. Upon selection of the “Calculate Matrix” button, the following screen will
appear:

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 The user will input which grid axis is aligned with the probe xp axis and also which grid axis is
aligned with the probe yp axis. If the probe axes do not lie along the traverse axes, then the user
will need to compute the A-matrix and manually enter the different elements of the transformation
matrix. Note that if many probes are used, the software assumes that their individual coordinate
systems are parallel to each other, and thus the same transformation matrix applies for all probes.
The user also has the option of entering the probe offset values, which are basically the coordinates
of the probe tip, in the user-defined coordinate system, when the traversing scales are at the (0,0,0)
point of the user defined grid. The user can enter the offsets by selecting the “Probe Offsets” button
under the “Probes” tab (see screen below). This is quite useful in the case of using several probes at
the same time, for example in a rake configuration.

If under the “Probes” tab you select the “Fast Response” button, this means that the corresponding
probe is an embedded-sensor, fast-response probe. These probe have electrical connectors
extending from the back of the probe instead of pneumatic tubes. The following screen appears, in
which you have to check the “Fast Response” box, enter the max cut-off frequency (this means

20
only frequency content below that frequency will be kept; in other words this is the cut-off
frequency of a low pass filter), as well as the name of the “Acoustic Calibration File”, which is the
tubing calibration file and is used for the probe frequency response enhancement. It is highly
advisable when acquiring data with a fast-response probe to use a sampling frequency of at least
twice that of the expected dynamic flow phenomena, then filter the data using the Low Frequency
Cutoff if desired, to reduce the chances of aliasing.

3.5. Initialization of Motor Controller and Traversing

Under the “Motor Controllers” tab, the screen below appears. The “Serial Address” identifies the
serial port that controls the stepper motors/controllers. For each traversing axis, the user needs to
identify the associated motor controller (1, 2 or 3), in the “Controller Connection” entries. An
entry of “No” means that this particular axis/traversing scale does not exit in the hardware. Note
that the grid axes are defined by the orientation of the x-traverse, y-traverse and z-traverse. The
rotary button shout NOT be selected if the user is utilizing a motor-driven linear traversing slide.
Rotary should only be selected if the motor is being used as a rotary positioning device; for
example if a positioning arm is directly attached to the motor shaft.

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Upon selecting the “Options” button for each motor, the following screen appears:

22
in which the user has to enter the different parameters for the stepper motor and associated
traversing scale/lead screw as well as the required moving speed. As soon as these parameters are
entered, the software calculates the required frequency of driving the motor and if it exceeds the
maximum frequency supported by the hardware (1000 Hz) it will let the user know, so that he/she
enters different parameter values. It is not recommended to exceed 400 Hz in most traversing
situations. Typical settings are Motor Steps/Revolution=200, Traverse Revolutions/Inch=10 or
12.7, Speed=40-400Hz. Also, the software has provisions for rotary positioning encoders. This
feature is only supported with our AP3KME Ethernet motor controller, and is not supported on the
AP3KMS entry-level serial controller.

3.6. Initialization of Data Reduction Information

The probe port pressures are converted to velocity magnitude and direction through the use of a
reduction scheme. Under “Reduction” the following screen appears:

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The data reduction utilizes a Local-Least Squares routine for multi-hole probe data. The inputs to
the routine are the pressures from the multi-hole probe plus user-provided thermodynamic
quantities. The required thermodynamic quantities depend on whether the flow is compressible or
incompressible, which is chosen by the user (see above) depending on the nature of his flow.

If “Compressible Flow” is chosen, the user needs to also input the value of the reference pressure
(this is the pressure that is supplied to the reference ports of the ESP or the sensors), as well as the
total temperature in the flow. All AP3KTX sensor modules contain an internal reference sensor to
absolutely measure the pressure applied to the “Reference” port of the module. If using one of
these modules, the user can alternatively check the “Reference Sensor Present” box if desired
instead of specifying a constant for the reference pressure measured by other means. Note, the
reference port of the AP3KTX modules is internally manifolded to the reference side of all the
sensors contained in the module. Be sure not to overpressurize the module sensors by using an
improper reference port input pressure; the absolute difference between the port pressures and the
reference port must not be greater than the pressure range of the sensor module. AP3KTX modules
also include the ability to input up to two external voltages. If a voltage corresponding to a

24
thermocouple is input into the module, and coefficients are loaded for the thermocouple, then the
user can check the Acquire Temperature box to read temperature from the thermocouple for
reduction instead of specifying a constant. Coefficients for the thermocouple are entered on the
Sampling tab under the external channel properties.

If “Incompressible Flow” is chosen, then the user only needs to enter the density of his medium.

The units for these parameters are automatically set to match the global user-defined units settings
of AeroAcquire. Note that the program will determine the magnitude of the velocity vector and the
flow angles in order to compute the orthogonal x, y and z components of the velocity vector. Only
the magnitude of the velocity vector depends on the given thermodynamic data. The flow angles
are determined without reference to these quantities.

3.7. Initialization of AutoCal/Trigger/Pitot Information

Under the tab “Auxiliary”, the following screen appears:

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The acquisition process (between gridpoints in a grid acquisition or at the start of a single acquired
point) can be triggered several different ways. Software Trigger allows the system to automatically
trigger the acquisition without user intervention. External TTL Trigger is useful if data acquisition
is to be synchronized with an external event. A digital low-to-high transition (0 to 5 V) on the
trigger line will result in the commencement of data acquisition. Manual Trigger allows the
acquisition process to hold after each point until the user presses the Enter key on the computer
keyboard or clicks the mouse button.

If the user desires to use an optional Pitot-static tube with the Aeroprobe system, then the user must
check the Pitot-Static Tube Present box. If a Pitot-static tube is to be used with an ESP, then
the last sampled port of the last ESP should be connected to the total pressure port of the
Pitot-static tube. The static port of the Pitot-static tube should be connected to the reference
port of the ESP. If a Pitot-static tube is to be used with an Aeroprobe sensor module, then
the total pressure port of the Pitot-static tube should be connected to the Total port of the
module. The static port of the Pitot-static tube should be connected to the Reference port
of the module. Different pitot connection arrangements may be required if the user is using
multiple sensor modules or if using a probe/module combination other than was originally
intended.

Although still optional, the AutoCal Present option should only be checked if the user is using an
ESP pressure scanner and has the C1, C2, Cal and Cal Ref lines connected properly to the scanner
and scanner support module. AutoCal enables automatic sensor zero-offset calibration at user
specified time intervals. The time interval (in minutes) between zero-offset calibrations of the ESP
during data acquisition is set by the Zero Calibration Interval field. Aeroprobe recommends
performing zero-offset calibrations every 20-30 minutes. Longer intervals may result in excessive
drift of the ESP. AutoCal is not supported by Aeroprobe AP3KTX sensor modules and should not
be checked.

Although AutoCal is not supported by Aeroprobe AP3KTX sensor modules, the Zero Calibration
Interval setting still applies. The user must ensure the pressure applied to the sensors is zero (no
flow condition) before zeroing the sensors at the set time interval for AP3KTX modules. A dialog
box will prompt the user to turn off the flow at the set time interval. Entering 0 for the interval (the
default condition for a new initialization file) causes the software to perform a zero-offset
calibration of the sensors only once, at the beginning of the data-acquisition process.

The Gestation Period is the length of time the system will pause after the motors have finished
traversing to a new gridpoint but before the acquisition begins. This allows the user to set the
desired settling time before pressure acquisition commences.

4.0 Grid Options

->System->Grid Options->Generate Grid
or
->System->Grid Options->Generate Grid

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Once motors have been set up in the system initialization, the user can generate a grid for grid
acquisition. Under “System”, go to “Grid Options”. If “Load Grid” is chosen, the software will
ask you to enter the grid filename you want to load. This option is useful if you have already
generated a grid file from an earlier experiment, and you wish to acquire data on the exact same
grid without having to re-generate the grid. If you choose the “Generate Grid” option, the
following screen appears:

The meanings of the required input are straightforward. By specifying, along an axis, the minimum
and maximum coordinates, along with the total number of grid points along that axis, and by doing
so for all three axes, the grid is fully defined. The position (0,0,0) refers to the present location of
the traverse system before the acquisition begins. Both orthogonal cartesian grids (X, Y, Z) and
polar grids (r, θ) are supported. X, Y, and Z always refer to the global (traverse) coordinates, not
the probe coordinates. After filling in the required fields, press the “Generate” button to generate
and save the grid. The “View” button can be pressed to view the grid. NOTE: The positions
stored in the grid file are relative motions of the motors, not global positions. AeroAcquire
does not currently support grids containing global positions. Press “Close” when finished.

If a polar grid is generated, the motors will traverse in such a manner so as not to ever put the probe
outside the boundary defined by the minimum and maximum radii. Currently this does not apply
to the boundaries defined by the minimum and maximum angles. This minimizes the chance of
probe damage when traversing close to a circular surface (inner or outer-bounded).

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5.0 Acquiring Data
->Acquisition->Voltage Test
Before acquiring any data, the user may want to ensure the pressure sensing and acquisition system
is properly configured. An easy way to check this is to perform the voltage test in AeroAcquire.
Assuming the acquisition voltage range is properly set, ESP’s will show a near-zero voltage level
on all ports and AP3KTX sensor modules will show a 2.9-3.0V level on all sensors except the last
sensor (the reference sensor) which will show approximately 4.4V.

Users have two main methods for acquiring data, Point Acquisition or Grid Acquisition.

Point Acquisition is provided to allow the user a quick and easy method to obtain test data
in small quantities. Functionality within Point Acquisition includes moving the probe, zeroing the
sensors, updating the location of the coordinates, acquiring averaged data files (pressure and/or
velocity), acquiring time-dependent data (pressure and/or velocity), and sampling continuously
with output to screen.
Grid Acquisition allows the user to define a grid of spatial locations for larger amounts of
data collection. This process can be automated with motorized traversing scales if desired. The
output file types and units must be set before grid acquisition is initialized. The user can choose to
only acquire pressure files (*.rpf or *.ppf) or pressure and velocity files (*.rpf *.ppf, *.atv, and
*.aav)

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6.0 Performing Data Reduction
After the data-acquisition process is completed, the user can reduce the acquired data by clicking
on the “Reduce” tab of the main menu. Under that, he/she is given self-explanatory data-reduction
options (such as “Reduce RPF Files”), depending on the type of files/data he/she acquired. Under
any of these options, the user will be asked to enter the filenames of the files that he/she wants to
reduce. Finally, reduction is initiated by clicking on the “Reduce” button.

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