HELP GUIDE (for Digital Signal Analyser)

Contents
1) What is Digital Signal Analyser?
2) What features does Digital Signal Analyser offer?
3) Who use Digital Signal Analyser?
4) Why use Digital Signal Analyser?
5) How to use Digital Signal Analyser?

Appendixes
1) Keyboard Commands
2) Tips
3) Technical Specification
4) Author Information
5) Files Description



CONTENT 1 - What is Digital Signal Analyser?

Digital Signal Analyser (DSA) is a computer engineering 
application tool, that lets you monitoring the input waveform 
from sources such as digital circuit, oscillator etc, accessing 
through your PC sound card.

Digital Signal Analyser displays the waveform on screen, shows 
the input voltage level and frequency.

Digital Signal Analyser is a PC-based simplified troubleshooting
tool of Oscilloscope and Spectrum Analyser.



CONTENT 2 - What features does Digital Signal Analyser offer?

Digital Signal Analyser does provide two operation modes,
namely Online Mode and Offline Mode.

In Online Mode, you can continuously monitoring the input
waveform, with automatic computation on input voltage level 
and frequency.

In Offline Mode, you can keep track of the input waveforms,
and save as file on your computer hard disk.
You can then traces the waveform back by opens the file.
Alternatively, you can record sound (waveform) from the sound
card input, and playback the sound through sound card.

 
 
CONTENT 3 - Who use Digital Signal Analyser?

Digital Signal Analyser might be useful as a supplementary
tool for electronic hobbyist.
Anyone who finds it useful may also benefits from it.

However, Digital Signal Analyser provides approximate 
accuracy only, and hence not suitable for serious measurement.



CONTENT 4 - Why use Digital Signal Analyser?

Digital Signal Analyser utilises your computer existing sound card
(as conversion medium between digital and analogue signals),
and requires only external testing probe to be plugged into
sound card input port.

It provides you an economic conceptual measurement reading.


 
CONTENT 5 - How to use Digital Signal Analyser?

Within Digital Signal Analyser, select Options and enable
Online Mode.
Then, connect your Mic to your sound card, speaks to the Mic,
and watch the waveform on screen.

To try in Offline Mode, goes to the same procedures: Select
Options and enable Offline Mode.
Select Options again, and select Record.
Speaks to the Mic, and when done, press a key to stop
recording.
To playback your voice messages, select Options again and
select Playback. You heard it!

You can also use your left and right direction keys to scroll the 
voice waveform.
The pointing indicator displayed on the right panel (blue sidebar).



APPENDIX 1 - Keyboard Commands

MAIN MENU
Up - Move selection bar upward
Down - Move selection bar downward
Left - Scroll waveform screen to right (in one increment)
Right - Scroll waveform screen to left (in one increment)
Shift-Left - Fast scroll waveform one screen to right
Shift-Right - Fast scroll waveform one screen to left
Esc - Exit (with confirmation prompt) 
Alt-X - Exit (without confirmation prompt)
Enter - Execute task
F1 - Get help (this file)
Alt-F1 - Open information window

POP-UP WINDOW
Enter or Esc - Close window

RECORDING AND PLAYING
Any key to stop recording or playing.

EDITING
Backspace - Erase the character left to the cursor
Enter - Done (and close window)
Esc - Cancel (and close window)



APPENDIX 2 - Tips

To change the appearance of waveform:
1) Open DSA.INI in text editor
2) Go to Settings section
3) Go to OutlinedWaveDisplay field
4) Change to 'yes' for outlined waveform, 'no' for solid waveform.
5) Save and done

To have faster waveform screen update (but jerky):
1) Open DSA.INI in text editor
2) Go to Settings section
3) Go to VerticalRetraceDisabled field
4) Change to 'yes' to have faster screen update (default is 'no')
5) Save and done

* You can always quicky exit program by pressing Alt-X 
  combination keys.

* You can scroll the waveform screen faster by Shift-Left or
  Shift-Right combination keys.



APPENDIX 3 - Technical Specification

Voltage Range: 0.5 V
Frequency Range: 0-20KHz
Resolution: 8 bit (127)
Sampling Rate: 1 Hz-50 KHz
Channel: 1
Input Port: Mic or Line In (sound card)
Output Port: Speaker or Line Out (sound card)

* Requires Sound Blaster or 100% compatibles sound card 
  (Sound Blaster 16 or higher is highly recommended) 



APPENDIX 4 - Author Information

This is my (Advanced) Diploma in Computer Engineering Project B
(PS307), under supervision and assessment of Mr Loo Kok Keong.

Name: Boo Khan Ming
Class: D-L96-7F (ID: 0201-0498-0005)
College: Informatics KL
E-mail: bookm@tm.net.my
WWW: http://come.to/khanming



APPENDIX 5 - Files Description

(Full source in Turbo Pascal 7 is included)

DSA.EXE - Executable file of Digital Signal Analyser
DSA.INI - Settings file (optional)
DSA.IMG - Logo Image file for startup introduction (optional)
DSA.PAS - Pascal source of Digital Signal Analyser

OUTFACE.TPU - Pascal unit and source to provide screen
OUTFACE.PAS   interface elements (External Interface)

INFACE.TPU - Pascal unit and source to provide sound card
INFACE.PAS   direct hardware access (Internal Interface)

PROFILE.TPU - Pascal unit and source to manage settings file
PROFILE.PAS

ERROR.TPU - Pascal unit and source to intercept error
ERROR.PAS   

SCANCODE.TXT - Keyboard scan codes and ASCII table (for reference)
README.TXT - This help file

SAMPLE.RAW - Sample file for playback
* To play SAMPLE.RAW properly, set sampling rate to 10KHz
