406TPI

iTrader: (1)

I have burned a few chips for my 165 ecm but have been flying blind until recently. I Just got my hands on a borrowed diacom setup to do some datalogging so I can see what's going on with my new motor. Anyways, I don't have an instruction manual to refer to and I am having trouble trying to get the computer to log data. I can link to the car just fine both in ALDL and diag. mode. However, I must be doing something wrong to capture and save data. What is the procedure for doing this? Do you have to specify a file name first and then capture the data or vice-versa? Should I be saving the current displayed frame or the entire contents of the buffer? No matter what I try I always get about the same amount of info...ie one page of parameters, not an ongoing list like I expected to see. I tried messing around with increasing the number of frames to capture but I still only seem to get the same amount. I have plenty of memory on the laptop so I know that's not the problem. I am also running Diacom through DOS. Any light you guys can shed would be much apprciated. BTW, I am using version 2.69 Diacom plus.

James

Grim Reaper

Your version is a little old. Regardless, there is an "Option" menu where you set the "trigger" to begin capturing. I have mine set to the space bar.

When I hit the space bar, "Capturing Data" will flash on my screen. When the buffer is full (approximately 20 minutes later with Frequency of 1), the Capturing Data will no longer flash and you will see the menu on the bottom re-appear. At that point you go to the "File" and Save Buffer - where it will ask for a filename.

If you are in a Frequency higher than 1, then it will take much longer than 20 minutes to fill the buffer. If you hit ESC key, it will take you out of "Capture Mode" and you can then save the buffer.

BTW, the manual is no hell either.

406TPI

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Glenn! I'll give that a try.

What is the best way to view the data log you just created? Do you translate it into a text file then look at it through a text viewer or is there a better way?

Why is there an option on there to "retrieve" data?

Thanks again,
James

Grim Reaper

I translate the Captured Data into a .DBF file which I read with Excel.

3.8TransAM

? on translating to dbf format for excel. when ever i do a dbf format conversion mine runs on forever and keeps on going. i always run out of space and can never get a whole file, whether to hard drive or a disk. And i have tried reinstalling diacom as well.

Any ideas diacom users?
thanks
jeremy

91L98Z28

what space do you run out of? What is the error?

are you trying to save the file to a floppy disk?

more info please

Grim Reaper

Yes, check where you files are going to and defaulting. You should be storing (and all corresponding file translation) on the hard drive.

Also, when you go to read the DBF file in Excel, make sure that you set the "file type" in Excel to DBF on the read, and then switch back to "XLS" for write. The XLS Excel type are more compact and support more features than a DBF type.

406TPI

iTrader: (1)

Hey Glenn,

I tried what you said, but I still only get one page of data after capturing data for 20mins. It's like the software takes one sampling and that's it. Am I missing a setting somewhere? Any ideas?

James

406TPI

iTrader: (1)

I still can't diacom to log data.....I am geting very frustrated. I am getting about 20 degrees of knock retard at 2750rpm and would like to try and figure out why, but without being able to get data logged it is proving to be impossible. Any advice before I drop-kick diacom into the garbage can?

91L98Z28

Send me the cable before you drop-kick it!! :-)

Ok, so I'm running diacom right now on the notbook next to me. here's the procedure I follow.

1. launch diacom
2. get to the screen with all the parameters
3. go to options
4. make sure that...
4a: record length is at or near frame capacity
4b: trigger source is space bar
4c: sample frequency divisor is 1
5. exit the options screen
6. link up to your car and observe live data
7. press the space bar and make sure the line at the bottom of the screen says "logging" or "capturing data" or whatever its supposed to say. it flashes i think.
8. after you are done, press (i think) ESC to get back to the menus and quit logging
9. go to disk
10. save, buffer
11. put in a filename, hit enter
12. choose translate
13. choose the input file to translate ( the file you just saved in step 11) then type in a filename to save it as and hit enter
14. exit diacom
15. boot to windoze
16. open excel
17. file | open, change it to files of all types (or DBF) and then open the file you saved in step 13

voila. that should do it!

by the way, if you want to see the data in diacom itself, you have to use (i think) the up and down arrow keys while you are on the parameters screen, but NOT while logging data.


hope that helps!

Boxeat2469

Are you pressing the up and down arrows to move either forward or backwards through the datalog? It doesn't just start playing back on its own. Go to the retrieve option and select it. It will show you all the data logs you have saved. Select the datalog you wish to review. It will load it, but you will still be on the disk page. Click exit to get back to the main Diacom screen. Now when you push the up or down arrows you will advance one frame at a time through your recorded data. I use Microsoft Access to view the datalogs. Its much more functional the Excel since it is a true database program.

406TPI

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Boxeat, 91L98Z28 and Glenn!! I figured my problem was something simple......thanks for shedding some light on how datalogging works. Turns out it was working for me the whole time, my problem was I was translating the datalog into a text file to view it in notepad......because I didn't have excel on my laptop. Well when I translate the file into text, all I get is one page of data. Don't know why. I took the same log file and translated it into a db file and it works great! Thanks again guys.

James