dScope Series III Scripting Resources

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This page contains a range of tips and techniques, example scripts, and full programs for use with the dScope Series III. The example scripts are provided as a resource for dScope users. Feel free to use them as they are or modify them as necessary. All the scripts are provided 'as is' with no warranty. They are not compiled so you are encouraged to open them in an editor and check their suitability for what you are doing before using them. For a very basic introduction to dScope scripting, start here. Techniques Scripts Programs Other Techniques (click on the '+' for details) Link Download + File Selection: Using the File System Object to select from files in a folder Open ZIP / 2KB Details: This adds a little user control with a droplist to select files of a given type from a given folder. (ID = 0011) + Retrieve dScope Path: gets the dScope path from the registry Open ZIP / 1KB Details: Uses wshShell registry access to find the path to dScope installation. (ID = 0012) + Link to Excel: read and write to an Excel spreadsheet from a script Open ZIP / 3KB Details: Uses Excel ActiveX controls to read and write from an Excel spreadsheet - useful for storing test results to a spreadsheet and retrieving settings from them. (ID = 0013) + Make Text Files: some techniques for generating .TXT files Open ZIP / 2KB Details: A short example script that generates a text file and opens it in Notepad (ID = 0014) + Generating HTML: export test results to HTML Open Details: This describes a technique for generating simple HTML reports from test results. The idea is to combine a header file and a footer file with the generated results to create HTML pages and also to automatically generate and maintain an HTML index page with links to the results files. (ID = 0019) + Scripting User Interfaces: Using ScriptDlg.DLL to create user interfaces and controls Open Details: This describes techniques for generating user interfaces and controls incorporating such things as edit boxes, radio buttons, progress bars and so on in VB script with dScope (ID = 0020) + Exporting dScope Traces and Graphs: How to get graphs and trace data out of dScope Open Details: There are several ways of exporting or retrieving data from a dScope trace. Some are for graphical exports, some are for numerical data. This note describes several methods of doing each, with some example code snippets. (ID = 0025) + Sending an email from a script: How to set up and send an email from a script using CDO Open ZIP / 91KB Details: When using the dScope for remote monitoring, it can be helpful to have it automatically email results based on certain conditions (e.g., the detection of a test signal, a fault condition, or a set time of day) - this scripting note describes a process to do this from a script. The download contains an example VB script that should work after a little configuration. (ID = 0027) + Scripting: Getting Started: a step by step introduction Open Details: This is a quick introduction to scripting the dScope series III aimed at those who have never scripted anything before. It is very basic and takes you step by step through creating a simple working dScope script. (ID = 0028) + Scripting Basics: anatomy of a dScope script Open Details: This is a fairly basic introduction to some of the principles of scripting with VBScript, with a distinct slant towards .dss dScope scripts. It looks at the components of a simple dScope script and describes what is happening at each line. (ID = 0029)

Scripts (click on the '+' for details) Link Download + Infra-Red Controller: allows you to control devices by IR from a script Info ZIP / 5KB Details: This is a VB Script for controlling a device via IR using the IRTrans hardware and ActiveX control. The description contains information about how to configure and modify it to use IR automation within an automation script. (ID = 0005) + IO controller: get relay and I/O control from a script Info ZIP / 13KB Details: This script controls the Sealevel 8206 IO controller which has 8 x 2A relays and 8 x opto-isolated voltage sensing inputs. It provides a control interface and demonstrates how to access the 8206's properties and methods. Updated Dec 2007. (ID = 0006) + Delay Meter: dScope automation script to measure inter-channel delay Info ZIP / 39KB Details: Measures the delay between dScope channels, which, in analogue to analogue mode, allows propagation delay to be measured. Updated 09 August 2007 to fix incompatibility with version 1.2x (ID = 0008) + Sweep Equalisation: applies equalisation to a dScope sweep trace Info ZIP / 3KB Details: This is an automation script that takes the current sweep trace and re-plots it with weighting applied. This script is written to do RIAA and inverse RIAA, but could be changed. (ID = 0009) + Sweep Repeat: runs a dScope sweep repeatedly Info ZIP / 2KB Details: This is a very simple dScope automation script that adds a little user control to allow repeated running of a sweep. It can also pause and re-start the repeating. (ID = 0010) + MP3 Player Testing: dScope automation script to test playback devices Info ZIP / NaNMB Details: A complete example script that can be used for testing MP3 players and related playback devices. It uses a short test sequence to make 18 measurements in around 6 seconds. Zip file containing installer, documentation, and test tracks (ID = 0021) + Stability Monitoring Script: monitor the stability of a signal over time Info ZIP / 284KB Details: A script that can be used for keeping track of a signal over a period of time, monitoring and plotting the average, minimum and maximum for the RMS value on channels A and B and the CTA readings on channels A and B. Zip containing script, configuration and documentation (ID = 0022) + Transmission Monitoring Script: Check the quality of a transmission path Info ZIP / 522KB Details: A dScope script for monitoring a transmission path such as FM radio using a multi-tone. It is intended to be left un-attended at the receiving site and continuously monitor the transmission, looking for the test multi-tone. When the multi-tone is detected, it makes measurements automatically and logs the results. (ID = 0023) + Generator Equalisation: Equalise the generator level over frequency in a sweep ZIP / 28KB Details: It is sometimes useful to pre-equalise the generator output of a sweep to take into account the frequency charactaristics of a source device. Being able to compensate for this by adjusting the level of the generator at each point enables us to flatten the response from that device. In order to do this, a measurement is taken using the device in question and the measurement is saved. The saved measurement is then used to compensate the generator amplitude against frequency so as to repeat the sweep with a constant received level at each point. The download zip file contains a dScope .dss script with PDF documentation. (ID = 0024) + SINAD: dScope FFT Detector Calculation Script ZIP / 1KB Details: In order to make SINAD measurements directly with a dScope FFT detector, download and unzip the SINAD.dss script into your dScope FFT Detector Calculations folder. You can then select it as a user function in an FFT Detector. (ID = 0026)

Programs (click on the '+' for details) Link Download + Switcher Controller: controls a dSNET IO switcher Info ZIP / 72KB Details: This is a single EXE file programmed in Visual Basic that controls one or more Prism Sound dSNET I/O Switchers via a dS-NET connection to the dScope hardware. Requires the Visual Basic runtime environment. (ID = 0001) + Moving Coil Meter: displays a dScope reading as a moving coil needle meter Info ZIP / 97KB Details: This is a single EXE file that uses the data from a dScope reading to display a moving coil meter, complete with damping and autoranging. (ID = 0002) + Digital Multi-Meter (DMM): makes the dScope CTA look like a Digital multi-meter Info ZIP / 289KB Details: This is a Visual Basic program that makes the dScope CTA look like a digital meter, but displaying audio parameters instead of the usual Volts, Ohms and Amps etc. Requires the VB Runtime environment. (ID = 0003) + Signal Generator Controller: makes the dScope generator look like a hardware sig-gen Info ZIP / 352KB Details: This is a Visual Basic EXE file that controls the dScope generator functions from a control panel that looks like a hardware signal generator. Requires the VB runtime environment. (ID = 0004)

Other (click on the '+' for details) Link Download + Visual Basic Documentation: Link to Microsoft resources Link Link / - KB Details: The link here goes to the Microsoft MSDN VB Script online reference. The download link is to a Microsoft page where you can download the full documentation for the Windows Scripting Host which includes VBS and JScript in a CHM help manual. Microsoft regularly move things around their site and the links break regularly. If the link is broken, try searching the Microsoft site for "script56.chm". (ID = 0017) + Visual Basic Runtime Environment: Link to Microsoft resources Link Details: Links to information about the VB run-time environment and a location on the Microsoft web site to download it. (ID = 0018)