Command Line Switches

Command line switches allow automated Bode Tool operation from the command line. Refer to the usage and examples below.

Usage

BodeTool [-control<0-9>]
[-motor <0-9>][-secondMotor <0-9>]
[-noiseBlock <"block name">]
[-motorBlock <"block name">]
[-startFreq <0-20000>] [-endFreq<0-20000>]
[-stepPercent<0-400>]
[-exciteAmp<0-32767>]
[-autoAmpEnable]
[-autoStart] [-autoStop]
[-sine] [-noise]
[-numSamples <0- >]
[-fftPoints <0- >]
[-percentOverlap<0-50>]
[-testType <closed_loop | controller | plant | open_loop | custom | user_buffer | none>]
[-firstCoeff <2 - -2> ][-secondCoeff <2 - -2> ]
[-secondMotorEnabled <0 | 1>
[-userInput <>] [-userOutput <>]
[-customInput <>] [-customOutput <>]
[-port <0- 65535>]
[-serverName <server name> ]
[-plant]
[-smooth <0-100>]
[-fileName <"file name">]

Most command line switches shown above are direct analogies to the data that would be entered into the fields in the Bode Tool GUI.

Instructions

When using the command line switches in a script, set as many parameters as you can. The Bode Tool will use the values from the last session, if you do not specify the value at the command line.

Be sure to specify -noise or -sine.

When using the -noise switch, specify the testType (usage below) to make sure you have the intended test type.

Examples

BodeTool -control 1
Starts the Bode Tool on controller 1

BodeTool -exciteAmp 5000 -autoStart
Starts a sine sweep test with an amplitude of 8000 and a default frequency range.

BodeTool -motor 3 -phantomMotor 5 -exciteAmp 5000 -autoStart
Starts a sine sweep test on motor 3 using motor 5 as the phantom and amplitude of 5000.

BodeTool -noise -exciteAmp 5000
Starts a random noise test on motor 1 with an amplitude of 5000.

Notes

The -autoStart switch starts a excitation and measurement with the specified command line settings as soon as the program starts. The results are displayed when the test is completed.

Note: For safety reasons, the large abort button will be displayed during the test. This command line switch is assumed when the -autoStop switch is present.

The -autoStop switch causes the Bode Tool to exit after the measurement is taken. Using this switch facilitates automated data collection with the Bode Tool using a batch file or something similar (‘-autoStart’ is also enabled as part of this switch). If no automatic measurement is being taken (-testType none), this switch is ignored. In this situation, renaming and saving fr.txt or specifying various file names with the –fileName switch will make it easier to collect frequency response measurements at many locations or perform other repetitive tests.

The -exciteAmp switch sets both the sine sweep amplitude and noise amplitude to the value specified by -exciteAmp.

The -fileName command line switch that causes the bode tool to use file name specified instead of fr.txt for storing the test data. This is useful during automated tests that require several trials controlled by an external program. File paths which contain spaces must be surrounded by single or double quotes.

Using the -secondMotor or -secondCoeff command line switches are considered to imply that the test should be performed as a two motor test, if in the sine sweep mode. (I.e. also assumes the switch ‘-secondMotorEnabled 1’)

The -secondMotorEnabled mode turns the multiple motor test mode on and off. This is useful for running automated test on multiple motor systems where you want to test the motor in a linear, yaw, and independent mode.

The –model switch specifies a MechaWare model number to use. Model files (.mdl) are downloaded to the controller using the MDL2MW utility.

The –noiseBlock switch expects a string which specifies the name of a NOISE block to use as the excitation point. The block selection is based on the currently selected model number. The block name must be quoted if it contains any spaces. Quotes are optional otherwise. Note: This setting is not used if the measurement type is Closed Loop or Open Loop.

The –motorBlock switch expects a string which specifies the name of a DEMAND or OUTPUT block to use as the measurement point. The block selection is based on the current model number. The block name must be quoted if it contains any spaces. Quotes are otherwise optional. Note: This setting is only used when measurement type is Closed Loop or Open Loop.

The -testType mode lets the user choose what type of measurement test to use. The options are named closed_loop, controller, plant, open_loop, custom, user_buffer, and none. Note: These mode names are not case sensitive, but must not contain spaces (please note the underscores).

The userInput and userOutput switches correspond to the User Buffer test type indices.

The customInput and customOutput switches correspond to the Custom test type indexes. Custom index uses only hex inputs, whether they are led by "0x" or not.

For example:
-customInput 0x100 is the same as -customInput 100
-customInput 0xabc and -custom abc are both equivalent and valid

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