Daqarta

Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

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Sound Card - Engine Crank and Cam Sensor Simulator
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The above image shows the Daqarta Generator running the Engine_Sim Engine Crank and Cam Sensor Simulator P
Mini-App that is included with Daqarta. (Note that this remains fully functional after the Daqarta trial period... it's
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completely free.)
Dat
The mini-app simulates the output from an engine's crank or CKP (green) and cam or CMP (purple) position
sensors, for testing an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or Module (ECM) without an engine present. It has a DESIGN Wav
Mode with separate CRANK Design and CAM Design selections that allow you to specify all relevant parameters
for your engine. Hist
(You can also simulate 3-sensor systems that replace the single CMP cam sensor with separate TDC and CYL Pos
sensors. You'll need a sound card with multi-channel outputs for that. The inexpensive (under US $20) 5.1 Channel Hist
CM6206 USB device discussed in Sound Card Performance Tests is a good choice for this purpose.)
THD
The default design has 36 Crank teeth with one missing, and one Cam tooth that is high for 10 degrees of cam
revolution, from 160 to 170 cam degrees. That aligns it over Crank teeth 33 and 34 on the first of the two crank IMD
revolutions.
Pre
As shown, the DESIGN Mode button has been toggled to SIMULATION Mode, with most of the design options
disabled. (You can choose from saved designs; you don't have to go through the design process each time you Puls
simulate.)
Mac
During simulation, the default mode is Constant RPM, whose speed defaults to 1000 RPM but can be easily
changed with the Set Constant RPM control. (That control is hidden in the above image... see below.) Mul

Toggling the Constant RPM simulation mode advances to 600-6000 RPM Sine Cycle, and Set Constant RPM Trig
becomes RPM Test Cycle with a default of 10 sec. This mode smoothly cycles the simulated engine speed back
and forth between 600 and 6000 RPM (or whatever limits you specify), at a rate set by the RPM Test Cycle control. Aut
The above image was captured with the output waveform about one-third of the way through that range; the
instantaneous speed is shown via the RPM mode readout on the Frequency Counter at the bottom of the image, as Spe
2031.526 RPM.
Spe
The Sine Cycle can be toggled to Arbitrary Schedule Cycle to run your own RPM test schedule. A default Dire
schedule is included that ramps from 600 RPM to 3000, holds, ramps to 6000, holds, and returns to 600 RPM over Rec
the RPM Test Cycle interval.
Acc
You can easily create your own RPM schedule using the included Arb_From_List mini-app. You just give it a list of
times and RPMs and it does the rest, including displaying RPM versus time so you can verify that it's what you
intended. The schedule used for the default is:
;sec RPM
0.00 600
2.00 3000
4.00 3000
5.00 6000
6.00 6000
8.00 600
10.00 600

The simulation uses a trick to allow the trace to synchronize to the crank reference: The first pulse after the gap is
made slightly taller than the rest, and the Trigger Level (horizontal blue line near the top of the trace) is set to catch
this pulse but miss the rest.

Without this trick, each trace update would sync to whatever pulse from the stream happened to arrive next, and the
reference gap would roll arbitrarily across the trace. (The ECU wouldn't care, but it would be hard on the eyes. The
Frequency Counter could still read the correct RPM, by setting the Cylinders control to twice the number of actual
teeth present on the gear, not counting any missing teeth.)

See the External Connections subtopic under Engine Crank and Cam Sensor Simulator Mini-App for a
discussion of how to connect your sound card outputs to an actual ECM/ECU.

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