PC visualisation software for condition sensors

LubMonPClight
SCSO 800-1000

Version 1.00.12
Table of contents

1. Table of contents
1. Table of contents............................................................................................................ 2
2. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3
3. System requirements ..................................................................................................... 4
4. Quick start ...................................................................................................................... 5
5. User interface ................................................................................................................. 7
5.1. Area I: List display of current measured values ...................................................... 7
5.2. Area II: Measurement data recording settings ........................................................ 8
5.3. Area III: Communication and recording interval setting ........................................... 8
5.4. Area IV: Graph representation of measured values ................................................ 9
5.5. Footer ................................................................................................................... 11
6. Communication ............................................................................................................ 12
6.1. Serial interface ..................................................................................................... 12
6.2. Ethernet - TCP/IP ................................................................................................. 13
7. Log files........................................................................................................................ 15
8. Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................... 17
9. Accessories .................................................................................................................. 18
10. Contact address ........................................................................................................... 19
Introduction

2. Introduction
LubMonPClight (v.1.3.12) is a program based on National Instruments' (NI) LabVIEW for reading,
displaying and saving data from the following condition sensors:

 LubCos H2O

 LubCos H2Oplus II

 LubCos Level

 LubCos Visplus

 OPCom II

 LubMon Visu

Scope of functionality:

 Easy, intuitive handling provided by graphic user interface

 Graphical measurement data visualisation using two graphs with two Y-axes and one X-
axis each

 Flexible axis assignment with linear and logarithmic axis display and zoom function

 List display of current measurement data and units

 Choice of interface (RS232 or Ethernet TCP/IP)

 Recording and backup of data as text files in .txt format with a header for measurement
series and unit labels

 Start, pause and stop function for recording

 Recording of current timestamp and freely configurable recording interval

3. System requirements
 Windows XP or later

 Processor: Minimum Pentium 200 MHz or comparable processor, we recommend

Pentium III, 600 MHz Celeron or comparable processor

 RAM: Minimum 64 MB, 256 MB recommended

 Screen resolution: Minimum 1024 × 768 pixels

In addition, the system requirements for the NI-Runtime-Engine must be taken into account.
Quick start

4. Quick start
The steps that must be executed for commissioning LubMonPClight with an ARGO-HYTOS
condition sensor are described below. The following components are necessary for this:

1. PC/laptop with RS232 connection, or alternatively a USB connection, that serves as the
measurement computer

2. Oil condition sensor LubCos or OPCOM II

3. Sensor cable (order number: SCSO 100-5030)

4. Power supply including rubber connector (order number: SCSO 100-5080)

5. Software LubMonPClight (www.argo-hytos.com)

6. In addition for connection via USB: USB to RS232 converter with associated driver software
(order no: SCSO 100-5040)

The components must be prepared as follows:

A) Software installation LubMonPClight

1. Unpack the LubMonPClight.zip file on your computer.

2. Prior to running LubMonPClight.exe, the LabVIEW Runtime Engine (V2010) must be

B) Software installation of the driver for the USB to RS232 converter for data acquisition
via USB (if you are not using a converter please continue with point D)

3. Now connect the USB to RS232 converter to your PC/laptop.

4. If the USB to RS232 converter is not recognised by the PC, the appropriate driver must be
installed. To do this follow the installation instructions provided by the operating system or
on the supplied driver CD.

C) Sensor connection for data acquisition via USB

5. Connect the sensor cable to the sensor with the M12 connector.

6. Close the 9-pin. Connect the cable's D-sub connector to the appropriate serial interface of
the USB to RS232 converter.

7. Connect the USB connector of the USB to RS232 converter to a suitable interface on your
PC/laptop.

8. Connect the power supply unit and the sensor cable.

9. Now properly connect your power supply unit to the line voltage via the rubber connector
for non-heating apparatus. Your sensor is now ready for operation.

D) Sensor connection for data acquisition via RS232

10. Connect the sensor cable to the sensor with the M12 connector.

11. Close the 9-pin. D-sub connector of the cable to the appropriate serial interface of your
PC/laptop.

12. Connect the power supply unit and the sensor cable.

13. Now properly connect your power supply unit to the line voltage via the rubber connector
for non-heating apparatus. Your sensor is now ready for operation.

E) Start the software

14. LubMonPClight can be started by double-clicking on the LubMonPClight.exe file.

15. Select the serial interface (COM) to which you have connected the sensor on the computer.
If you are not using a USB to RS232 converter, this is usually COM 1.

16. If you are using a USB to RS232 converter a new virtual COM port will be created. Select
this COM port. If necessary you can check the assignment of the virtual COM port in the
Windows Device Manager.

17. The incoming data as well as the identification of the sensor are displayed on the left side
of the window. The data can be visualised on the right side of the window in a diagram.
User interface

5. User interface
When you start LubMonPClight a window with the user interface is opened (comp. Figure 1). This
window can be used to read all measured data and perform all settings.

II

III IV

Fig. 1: User interface LubMonPClight

The user interface can be broken down into the following four areas (I-IV, Figure 1):

5.1. Area I: List display of current measured values

Depending on the connected type of sensor, various measurement data is displayed here as a list.
The respective unit is listed in brackets after the measured value.

More information about the given measured values is available in the respective sensor's user
manual.
User interface

Fig.2: List display of measured values

5.2. Area II: Measurement data recording settings

Measurement data recording is activated by clicking the button with the red circle. When you click
this button, a window is opened in which the logfile's file path and file name must be selected.

Recording can be interrupted by pressing the Pause button and resumed by pressing the button
again. If you wish to stop recording in the respective logfile, do so by clicking the square Stop
button. The file path is displayed in the upper section of the window, while in the lower section it is
possible to enter a comment which will subsequently be displayed in the logfile header (see also
Chapter 7: "Logfiles").

File path

Comment field

Start, Pause and Stop buttons

Fig. 3: Measurement data recording settings

5.3. Area III: Communication and recording interval setting

The intervals at which measurement data is called can be configured here. The interval is
configured to the 3 second minimum by default, although it can be extended up to 5000 seconds.
This setting can be made using the right input field, either with the keyboard or by mouse-clicking
the arrow buttons.

The communication settings can be changed again as explained in greater detail in Chapter 6.
Communication. By clicking the button in the lower left, the charts are reset so that measurement
data lying in the past will no longer be included in the graph display. However, this has no influence
on the recording of measurement data in the logfile.
User interface

Query/recording interval

Communication settings
Reset graphs
Fig. 4: Configuration range for communication and recording interval

5.4. Area IV: Graph representation of measured values

In addition to the list output, the measurement data can also be represented in the form of a graph.
Two identically configured graph windows are available for this.

Graph settings

Zoom functions
Fig. 5: Graph representation of measured values

The parameters to be represented can be selected in the area to the left. Two Y-axes (Y1, Y2) and
a joint X-axis are available to this end. The parameters to be represented may be combined in any
way.

The graph settings can be used to choose between linear and logarithmic representation for all
axes (X, Y1, Y2). In addition, the scaling of the axes can be configured automatically or manually.
In the event of automatic scaling, the minimum and maximum values of the given axes are always
adjusted so that all measurement data can be included in the graph. Manual scaling requires
minimum and maximum values to be entered manually. This is done by clicking the given value on
the axis and entering a fixed value. In fig. 5, for axis Y1 these would be the values circled in red,
i.e. 30 (maximum) and 24.5 (minimum).
User interface

Fig. 6: Graph settings

The colour allocation of the parameters is represented in the form of a legend in the lower left (in
fig. 5: T[°C]  green and P[-]  red). Click the black box showing the colour of the graph to open a
menu where you can make display settings.

Fig. 7: Graph display settings

You can configure the graph type (e.g. line graph, scatter plot, etc.), the colour of the given graph,
line type (e.g. solid, dashed, etc.), line width and edge smoothing.

It is possible to display bar plots, to select the baseline for a differential surface, and to perform
interpolation. In addition, it is possible to change point representation (e.g. circles, squares, etc.)
and the configuration of the x-axis and y-axes.

There is an additional option to export the measurement data represented in the graph directly.
This is also possible if measurement data recording has not been started. This allows the data
displayed since the last time the graphs were reset to be backed up nevertheless.
User interface

There are also various zoom functions available. These can be selected by clicking the magnifying
glass symbol. Two-dimensional zoom functions as well as horizontal and vertical zoom are
available. Furthermore, it is possible to zoom in or out selectively.

Fig. 8: Zoom functions

5.5. Footer

The footer displays, from left to right: Signal indicators for communication errors and checksum
errors, date and time, number of successful and total transfers along with their ratio as a
percentage, sensor name, serial number, software version and the selected interface (e.g. COM1).

Fig. 9: Footer - LubMonPClight

6. Communication
Communication with the sensors can take place in two ways. First, via a serial COM interface
(RS232), and secondly using Ethernet via TCP/IP. Each sensor must be configured separately.

6.1. Serial interface

Interface parameters for the COM port such as the baud rate or the stop bit cannot be changed,
and do not need to be. Their implementation in the program is fixed. The number of sensors that
can be connected to a PC depends on the number of available COM ports. However, it is only
possible to display the measurement data of a single sensor in LubMonPClight. Nevertheless, it is
possible to open the LubMonPClight program several times in order to display the measurement
data of several sensors simultaneously. To do so, the program can be copied into several folders
and then opened from each.

Note:

Additional virtual COM ports can be created using USB serial converters. This makes it possible to
connect several sensors to a PC despite only one physically available COM port. Note that most
commercially available USB serial converters require a driver to be installed. If the driver is
correctly installed, the new virtual COM port can be selected in the LubMonPClight user interface.

Fig. 10: Selection of COM ports

6.2. Ethernet - TCP/IP

In addition to direct connection via a serial interface, it is also possible to integrate several sensors
via an Ethernet Gateway in a Local Area Network (LAN). LubMonPClight is able to access each
individual sensor using the configured IP number on the Ethernet gateway and the associated port
numbers (each sensor has its own).

Example:

The Ethernet gateway is assigned IP number 154.1.70.9 by the user. The first COM port of the
Ethernet gateway receives port number 4001, with the second COM port receiving port number
4002, etc. In LubMonPClight, the IP (154.1.70.9) and the appropriate port number of the desired
sensor must be entered in the user interface.

Fig. 11: Configuration for TCP/IP

Note:

The configuration parameters of the Ethernet gateway such as baud rate and additional COM
settings need to be configured with reference to the user manual.
Communication

RS232
OPCOM II

RS232 Ethernet RS232

RS232

LubCos H2Oplus II

Ethernet

PC with LubMonPClight

Fig. 12: Network architecture - TCP/IP

7. Log files
After starting measurement data recording using the red circle button (see also Chapter 5.2), a
prompt will be displayed. The user is asked to select a folder location for the logfiles. The default
path is the project directory, and the default name is specified as "Logfile <Date>-<Time>.txt".

Fig. 13: Representation of measurement data in the logfile

The text files can be opened in any text editor (see fig. 13). For graphical display, the content can
be exported to any common spreadsheet application (e.g. Microsoft Excel). The comment function
(see Chapter 5.2) can be used to insert a comment into the logfile header.

The process for opening a file in Excel is described based on the example of a .txt file below. To do
so, start e.g. Microsoft Excel 2010 and then open the previously saved file.

Make sure that "All files" or "Text files" is selected as the file type in the "Open" window (see fig.
14). After clicking "Open", Excel automatically launches the text conversion assistant. All you have
to do is click "Finish" to display the data in tabular form.
Log files

Fig. 144: Opening .txt files

The data displayed in tabular form (see fig. 15) can now be edited in any way and illustrated e.g.
using graphs.

Fig. 15: Tabular representation of measurement data

Note:

It is possible to open LubMonPClight logfiles during runtime. The data will continue to be stored
there after exit.
Troubleshooting

8. Troubleshooting

Error: No sensor communication with LubMonPClight

Cause Step

 Cable is not correctly connected  First check for the correct electrical
connections of the sensor, i.e. the data cable
and power cable. Ensure that the connection
is configured as prescribed.

 Wrong cable or cable is defective  Use only the data cables recommended by
ARGO-HYTOS.

 Wrong COM port selected  Check and correct the selection of the COM
port (e.g. COM1)

 Sensor RS232 interface not activated  Activate the RS232 interface temporarily or
permanently using the ARGO-HYTOS
"LubConfig" software or a terminal program
(e.g. Windows Hyperterminal). More detailed
information is available in the documentation
for the given sensor.
Accessories

9. Accessories

Power supply unit

Description: Power supply unit for connecting to prefabricated data cable SCSO 100-5030

Order number: SCSO 100-5080

Line socket

Description: 8-pin, shielded M12 cable socket suitable for cable diameters of 6 to 8 mm,
protection class IP67, temperature range -40°C to 85°C

Order number: SCSO 100-5010

Pre-assembled data cable

Description: Shielded sensor cable, protection class IP67, temperature range -20 °C to 85 °C,
oil-resistant, page 1 - extrusion die sensor plug, page 2 - 8 single-strand

Order number: SCSO 100-5020

Pre-assembled data cable for computer connection / D-Sub connector 9-pin

Description: Shielded sensor cable, protection class IP67, temperature range -20°C to 85°C,
oil-resistant, page 1 - extrusion die sensor plug, page 2-9-pin D-sub socket /
hollow connector for power supply (power supply unit must be ordered
separately!)

Order number: SCSO 100-5030

USB/serial adapter

Description: Adapter for conversion of serial RS232 interface to "Universal Serial Bus" (USB).
With the Universal Serial Bus it is possible to address multiple sensors
concurrently.

Order number: SCSO 100-5040

10. Contact address

ARGO-HYTOS GMBH
Sensors & Measurement division
Industriestraße 9
76703 Kraichtal-Menzingen
Germany

Tel. +49-7250-76-0
Fax +49-7250-76-575
E-Mail: info.de@argo-hytos.com