Add AI Reference

Add the AI Reference to your Project to connect with SPECTANO 100

To be able to connect to your SPECTANO 100 device you first have to add the Automation Interface reference to your project.
To see other examples visit this page.
The SPECTANO 100 Automation Interface uses the "OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface.dll" which can be found in the installation directory.

Note

You need to have the correct USB driver installed on your system. The simplest way to install the USB driver is to run our "Spectano Analyzer Suite" installer available for download at OmicronLab

Instruction for adding references to various programming languages:

• Add Reference in C#
• Add Reference in MatLab
• Add Reference in Python
• Add Reference in Excel
• Add Reference in LabWindows CVI

Add Reference in C#

To access the OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface.dll in C# you need to add the reference to your project.
To install OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface NuGet package in Visual Studio 2010 or higher, run the following command in the Package Manager Console

PM> Install-Package OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface

After successfully adding the reference execute the following code to start a FDS Measurement

    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Linq;
    using System.Text;
    using System.Threading.Tasks;
    using OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface;
    using OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface.Enumerations;
    using OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface.Interfaces;

    namespace FdsMeasurement
    {
        class Program
        {
            static void Main(string[] args)
            {
                // Connect to SPECTANO device and create measurement
                SpectanoDevice device = new Spectano100();

                // To perform measurements the device needs to be online
                var isDeviceOnline = device.IsOnlineDelayed(5000);

                var measurement = device.Sweep.CreateFrequencySweepMeasurement();

                // Configuring frequency sweep settings
                measurement.FrequencySweepSettings.ConfigureFdsFrequencyRange(1000, 100, 3);

                // Configuring test cell type
                measurement.TestCell.ConfigureOtherTestCell();

                // Configuring test cell sample
                measurement.TestCellSample.VacuumCapacitance = 0.2;

                // Configuring measurement settings
                measurement.MeasurementSettings.FdsOutputVoltage = 1;

                // Execute measurement
                measurement.ExecuteMeasurement();

                // Check results
                for (int i = 0; i < measurement.Results.Count(ResultType.Fds); i++)
                {
                    Console.Write($"Frequency: {measurement.Results.FrequencyPoints[i]}, Tangent Delta: {measurement.Results.TangentDelta[i]}");
                }

                // Shutting down SPECTANO device
                device.ShutDown(false);

                // Console.WriteLine("Press any Key!");
                // Console.ReadLine();
            }
        }
    }

Add Reference in MatLab

To add the SPECTANO 100 reference in your MatLab project you have to perform the following steps:

    % Connect to SPECTANO device and create measurement
    device = actxserver('OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface'); 

    % To perform measurements the device needs to be online
    isDeviceOnline = device.IsOnlineDelayed(5000);

    % Configuring frequency sweep settings
    measurement = device.Sweep.CreateFrequencySweepMeasurement();
    measurement.FrequencySweepSettings.ConfigureFdsFrequencyRange(1000, 100, 3);

    % Configuring test cell of type others
    measurement.TestCell.ConfigureOtherTestCell()

    % Configuring test cell sample
    measurement.TestCellSample.VacuumCapacitance = 0.2;

    % Configuring measurement settings
    measurement.MeasurementSettings.FdsOutputVoltage = 1;

    % Execute measurement
    state = measurement.ExecuteMeasurement();

    % Check results
    tanDeltaResult = measurement.Results.TangentDelta;
    frequencies = measurement.Results.FrequencyPoints;
    for i = 1:measurement.Results.Count('ResultType_Fds')
        sprintf('Frequency: %d, Tangent Delta: %d ', frequencies(i), tanDeltaResult(i))
    end

    % Shutting down SPECTANO device
    device.ShutDown(false);
    release(device);

Add Reference in Python

To add the SPECTANO 100 reference in your Python project you have to perform the following steps:

import win32com.client
import pythoncom

#Constants
#In Python it is not possible to set Enums as their Name. We have to set them as numbers.
ResultType_Fds = 0;

def InitAIReference():
    # Connect to SPECTANO device and create measurement
    device = win32com.client.Dispatch("OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface");

    # To perform measurements the device needs to be online
    isDeviceOnline = device.IsOnlineDelayed(5000);

    # Configuring frequency sweep settings
    measurement = device.Sweep.CreateFrequencySweepMeasurement();
    measurement.FrequencySweepSettings.ConfigureFdsFrequencyRange(1000, 100, 3);

    # Configuring test cell of type others
    measurement.TestCell.ConfigureOtherTestCell();

    # Configuring test cell sample
    measurement.TestCellSample.VacuumCapacitance = 0.2;

    # Configuring measurement settings
    measurement.MeasurementSettings.FdsOutputVoltage = 1;

    # Execute measurement
    measurement.ExecuteMeasurement();

    # Check results
    for i in range(0, measurement.Results.Count(ResultType_Fds)):
        print ("Frequency: %f, Tangent Delta: %f " % (measurement.Results.FrequencyPoints[i], measurement.Results.TangentDelta[i]))

    # Shutting down SPECTANO device
    device.ShutDown(False);

if __name__ == "__main__":
    InitAIReference()

Add Reference in Excel

To add the SPECTANO 100 reference in your Excel VBA project be sure that you

• Enabled Macros in Excel

Then navigate through the following pages:

1. Open reference dialogue
   
2. Select the AI Reference
   
3. Click OK.
   

After successfully adding the reference execute following code to gain access to the device.

Sub RunSpectano()
    Dim i As Integer
    Dim device As SpectanoDevice
    Dim measurement As FrequencySweepMeasurement
    Dim state As ExecutionState
    Dim frequencies() As Double
    Dim tanDelta() As Double
    Dim isDeviceOnline As Boolean

    ' Connect to SPECTANO device and create measurement
    Set device = New Spectano100

    ' To perform measurements the device needs to be online
    isDeviceOnline = device.IsOnlineDelayed(5000)

    ' Configuring frequency sweep settings
    Set measurement = device.Sweep.CreateFrequencySweepMeasurement
    measurement.FrequencySweepSettings.ConfigureFdsFrequencyRange 1000, 100, 3

    ' Configuring test cell
    measurement.TestCell.ConfigureOtherTestCell

    ' Configuring test cell sample
    measurement.TestCellSample.VacuumCapacitance = 0.2

    ' Configuring measurement settings
    measurement.MeasurementSettings.FdsOutputVoltage = 1

    ' Execute measurement
    state = measurement.ExecuteMeasurement

    ' Check results
    frequencies = measurement.Results.FrequencyPoints
    tanDelta = measurement.Results.TangentDelta
    For i = 0 To measurement.Results.Count(ResultType_Fds) - 1
        Cells(i + 1, 1).Value = "Frequency"
        Cells(i + 1, 2).Value = frequencies(i)
        Cells(i + 1, 3).Value = "Tangent Delta"
        Cells(i + 1, 4).Value = tanDelta(i)
    Next i

    ' Shutting down SPECTANO device
    device.ShutDown False
End Sub

Add Reference in LabWindows CVI

How to perform measurements in LabWindows CVI:

1. Create a new Project in LabWindows/CVI 2013
2. Navigate to "Tools -> Create ActiveX Controller"
   
3. Click "Next". In the following windows select the AutomationInterface reference.
   
4. Again click Next. Select an Instrument Prefix in this case "OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI" and Select a "Target .fp File" (Click Browse to create new file, in this example "AutomationInterface.fp").
5. Click "Next" until the window closes. Now LabWindows/CVI generates a "AutomationInterface.fp", "AutomationInterface.c" and "AutomationInterface.h" file.
6. Right click the project to add a new File.
   
7. Select "Source File", a "File name" and a "File folder". <
8. Click ok. Now you are able to implement your measurement in the generated source file.

Implement a measurement with the following code:

// Title:       AutomationInterfaceExample.c

// Include files
#include "AutomationInterface.h"
#include <ansi_c.h>

static CAObjHandle automationInterface = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_FrequencySweepSettings freqSettings = 0;  
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_Sweep sweepHandle = 0; 
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_Results resultsHandle = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_TestCell testCellHandle = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_TestCellSample testCellSampleHandle = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_MeasurementSettings measurementSettingsHandle = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_FrequencySweepMeasurement measurementHandle = 0;
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_FdsFrequencySweepSettings frequencySweepSettingsHandle = 0; 
static OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIObj_OtherTestCell othersTestCellHandle = 0;      
static enum OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIEnum_ExecutionState state;
static ERRORINFO errorInfo;
static VBOOL keepDeviceRunningOnShutdown = VFALSE;
static VBOOL isDeviceOnline = VFALSE;

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    int x;  
    int i = 0;  
    HRESULT error = 0;
    long count;
    SAFEARRAY* tangentDelta;
    SAFEARRAY* frequencies; 

    // Connect to SPECTANO device and create measurement
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_NewSpectanoDevice (NULL, 1, LOCALE_NEUTRAL, 0, &automationInterface);

    // To perform measurements the device needs to be online           
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_SpectanoDeviceIsOnlineDelayed (automationInterface, &errorInfo, 5000, &isDeviceOnline);    

    // Configuring frequency sweep settings
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_SpectanoDeviceGetSweep (automationInterface, &errorInfo, &sweepHandle);    
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_SweepCreateFrequencySweepMeasurement (sweepHandle,&errorInfo,&measurementHandle);
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementGetFrequencySweepSettings (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &freqSettings );
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepSettingsConfigureFdsFrequencyRange
         (freqSettings, &errorInfo, 1000.0, 100.0, 3, &frequencySweepSettingsHandle);

    // Configuring test cell
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementGetTestCell (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &testCellHandle);
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_TestCellConfigureOtherTestCell
         (testCellHandle, &errorInfo, &othersTestCellHandle);

    // Configuring test cell sample
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementGetTestCellSample (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &testCellSampleHandle);       
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_TestCellSampleSetVacuumCapacitance (testCellSampleHandle, &errorInfo, 0.2);           

    // Configuring measurement settings
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementGetMeasurementSettings (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &measurementSettingsHandle);    
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_MeasurementSettingsSetFdsOutputVoltage (measurementSettingsHandle, &errorInfo, 1);

    // Execute measurement
    error =  OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementExecuteMeasurement (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &state);

    // Check results
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_FrequencySweepMeasurementGetResults (measurementHandle, &errorInfo, &resultsHandle);
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_ResultsCount (resultsHandle, &errorInfo, OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAIConst_ResultType_Fds, &count);

    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_ResultsGetTangentDelta (resultsHandle, &errorInfo, &tangentDelta);
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_ResultsGetFrequencyPoints (resultsHandle, &errorInfo, &frequencies);     
    double *arrTanDelta = (double*)tangentDelta->pvData;
    double *arrFrequencies = (double*)frequencies->pvData;
    for(i; i <  count; i++)
    {
        printf("Tangent delta Value @ %f: %f\n", arrFrequencies[i], arrTanDelta[i] );
    }

    // Shutting down SPECTANO device
    error = OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_SpectanoDeviceShutDown(automationInterface, &errorInfo,keepDeviceRunningOnShutdown);

    scanf("Press any key to close: %d",&x);
}

Note

OmicronLabMaterialAnalyzerAI_ is the selected Instrument Prefix.

Note

Principially it is also possible to create a .NET Controller instead of the previously explained ActiveX Controller. Following that approach one needs to consider:

1. The Spectano Automation Interface assembly "OmicronLab.MaterialAnalyzer.AutomationInterface.dll" needs to be specified by path because it is not registered in the Global Assembly Cache.
2. The function panels will not be generated for all items (because of too long CVI identifiers).
3. Be sure that all Source-dlls from the Spectano Automation Interface installation folder are copied to your CVI project folder.