Link: This column displays "SS", "DL", or "Both" when there is Snapshot or Data Logger data available at the

time
of this event. Click on SS, DL, or Both to view the recorded data.

Fault Indicator: This column displays <Info> next to Maintenance events. Click on <Info> to open the CID/FMI
Fault Description dialog box.

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Report Preview Tool
All reports have Preview as an output option. The Report Preview tool is used to preview all reports, except the
Snapshot and Data Logger reports, which use the Recorded Data Preview tool.

To preview a report:

Step 1 Select "Preview" in the Output To area of the report dialog.

Step 2 Click the Generate push-button.

The preview tool provides fast report generation, fast movement between pages, and background printing. It also has
a more standard user interface.

The preview tool opens shortly after pressing the generate button. Data will appear on the report as soon as it is
processed.

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Note: Report generation can take several minutes, depending on the amount of data to be processed, and the speed of
your computer. Trend Reports, Truck Payload Summary, and Loader Payload Reports are especially computation
intensive, contain large amounts of data, and require longer generation times. To work around this limitation, select a
smaller Time Range in the report dialog.

Preview Tool Bar

All preview functions are available through the icons in the toolbar. The icons are listed and explained below.

Print: Click to print one or more pages of the report. A print dialog opens. The Print button on the button bar
provides the same function as a keyboard shortcut.

Export: Click to export to a data file of a selected format. An Export dialog box opens. The Export button on
the button bar provides the same function as a keyboard shortcut.

Zoom: Click the down arrow to select a preset zoom level, or click on the number, type the desired
zoom percentage, and press Enter.

First Page: Click to go to the first page of the report.

Previous Page: Click to go to the previous page of the report. The Previous button on the button bar provides
the same function as a keyboard shortcut.

Page Indicator/Selector: Indicates the current page. Also, go to a specific page of the report,
click in the text box, type the desired page number, then press Enter. If the number of pages says 1+, 2+, etc., the
system has not yet determined the number of pages. Use the Last Page icon to quickly identify the number of pages
in the report.

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 Next Page: Click to go to the next page of the report. The Next button on the button bar provides the same
function as a keyboard shortcut.

Last Page: Click to go to the last page of the report.

Stop: Click to stop the generation of the report. This icon is disabled once the report has been generated.

Search: Click to search for some string on the report. This can be useful on some reports to find a specific
data value or text. A dialog opens enter the search string.

Command Buttons

Buttons are provided at the bottom of the preview tool to provide page movement functions via keyboard commands
as well as mouse clicks at the bottom of the window.

Scroll Bars

The horizontal and vertical scroll bars are only useful for scanning the current report page. All page movement
functions must be done using the icon toolbar or button bar.

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 Report Printing
Reports may be printed in one of two ways:

• From the report dialog by selecting Printer in the Output To area.

• From the Report Preview tool using the "Print…" push-button.

To print from the report dialog box:

Step 1 Select "Printer" in the Output To area of the report dialog.

Step 2 Click the Generate push-button. The report is printed to the default printer. (The default printer can be changed from
the File Menu Printer Setup option.)

To print from the Report Preview tool:

Step 1 Select "Preview" in the Output To area of the report dialog.

Note: The printer cannot be changed once the report is generated. To change the printer, go to the File Menu, "Printer
Setup" option before pressing the Generate button.

Step 2 Click the Generate push-button. The Preview opens.

Step 3 Click the "Print…" button. The Print dialog box opens.

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Step 4 Select the print range, either All, or Pages to print a range of pages.

Step 5 Click "OK" to print the report. Click "Cancel" to close the Print dialog and return to the report preview.

Note: Printing may take 5-15 seconds per page, depending on the speed of your computer.

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 Report Page Layout

Page Header:

When printed, each report contains a header page or pages before the data page or pages.

• Program Name, VIMSpc is displayed at the top left of the page header.

• Printed: date/time is displayed at the top right of the page header. This indicates the date and time of report
generation, not the time it was sent to the printer. Note that this time may slightly differ between the header pages and
the data pages.

• The page header appears on all pages of the report.

Title:

The report title and template name is printed immediately below the page header.

Data Range:

The data range, in either Date/Time or SMH format, is displayed on the header page only.

Selected Machine or Machines:

The Model, Serial Number, Equipment Number of the machine(s) selected for this report is displayed along with the
Download Date/Time and SMH.

Note: The Download Date/Time and SMH is the time of the last download of any data from this machine and has
nothing to do with the time range selected for this report.

Selected Criteria:

Other report selection criteria used to generate this report are displayed below the Selected Machines. For example,
on event reports, the selected Categories, Parameter Groups, and Sort Criteria are listed.

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Page Footer:

The Page Footer displays the User ID of the user who generated the report and the page number of this report. When
security is disabled, the User ID is "_System".

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Recorded Data Preview Tools

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Recorded Data Preview Tools
There are two types of recorded data in the VIMS system: Snapshot and Data Logger. The formats of both types of
data are similar, and the viewing tools in VIMSpc are similar. Recorded data can be viewed in either tabular or
graphical format.

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 View Snapshot Data

The View Snapshot function allows you to view the data of selected snapshots. You can also create and save
parameter groups for viewing.

To view a graphical snapshot:

Step 1 Select Maintenance from the Report menu, then select Snapshot from the sub-menu. The View Snapshot dialog box is
displayed.

Step 2 In the Type of Report area, select Graphical.

Step 3 Highlight a Trigger Time from the Snapshot text box. The events associated with the selected snapshot are displayed.
Associated events are events that occurred during the 6-minute time window of the snapshot, and may or may not have
triggered the snapshot.

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 Step 4 Click the "Open" push-button. The Group Edit Screen dialog box is displayed with the current groups listed in the text
box.

Step 5 Highlight a group and click "OK." In the Parameter Group area, the selected group name is displayed.
-or-

Highlight parameters in the Graph Parameter lists. Up to six parameters may be selected for
each graph. The first selected parameter in each graph is assigned the left inside axis. Each
additional parameter takes the opposite side, outside of any previous axes on that side. The
axis order of six parameters from left to right is #5, #3, #1 <graph> #2, #4, #6.

Step 6 In the Output area, select a reporting method:

• Preview: This allows you to preview the report on the screen.

• Export: This sends the report to a file.

• Export Data

Step 7 Click the "Generate" push-button. The Snapshot Details dialog box is displayed.

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 Cursor: The current frame is indicated by the vertical hairline cursor. The exact time of the current frame is displayed
below the X axis. The cursor is positioned at a specific frame by clicking on a graph line at the desired point on the X
axis. You must click on a data point. If you are having difficulty positioning the cursor, click the right mouse button
and select "Mark Data Points" in the pop-up menu to see the actual data points.

Parameter Values: Values and units are displayed next to the parameter names in the legend above the graphs. They
represent the value of the parameter in the current frame.

Snapshot Start and End Times: Times are displayed on the X axis, at the far left and right, respectively.

Playback Buttons: select the cursor movement (from the left):

• Reverse Play Fast.

• Reverse Play.

• Reverse Step.

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 • Pause.

• Forward Step.

• Forward Play.

• Forward Play Fast.

Zoom: Using the mouse, drag a box around the area you want to zoom. Release the mouse. To undo zoom, click the
right mouse button in the graph area. Select "Undo Zoom" in the pop-up menu.

To view a tabular snapshot:

Step 1 Select Maintenance from the Report menu, then select Snapshot from the sub-menu. The View Snapshot dialog box
is displayed.

Step 2 In the Type of Report area, select Tabular.

Note: When Tabular is selected, all Parameter Group and Graph selections are disabled. Parameter selections are
done differently in tabular mode.

Step 3 Highlight the Trigger Time from the Snapshot text box. The events associated with the selected snapshot are
displayed.

Step 4 Click the "Generate" push-button. The View Snapshot dialog box is displayed.

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 This dialog box has the same features as the View Real Time Parameters function. Refer to section 8 for additional
information.

The View Snapshot Tabular mode has additional features not found in View Real Time Parameters.

The VCR style buttons allow you to (from the left):

• Rewind to the first frame of the snapshot.

• Reverse Play.

• Reverse Step.

• Pause.

• Forward Step.

• Forward Play.

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• Advance to the last frame of the snapshot.

Below the VCR buttons is the Data Point selection. This displays the date and time of the current frame. Click the
down arrow, scroll, then click to select a specific frame.

The Update Rate slider is used to change the play speed. Drag right to increase the speed. Drag left to decrease the
speed.

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 View Data Logger Data

The View Data Logger function allows you to view the data of a selected data logger segment. The same parameter
group lists and features are available in this function as in the View Snapshot function.

To view a graphical data logger:

Step 1 Select Maintenance from the Report menu, then select Data Logger from the sub-menu. The View Data Logger
dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 In the Type of Report area, select Graphical.

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Step 3 Highlight a Downloaded Time from the Data Logger text box.

Step 4 Click the "Open" push-button. The Group Edit Screen dialog box is displayed with the current groups listed in the
text box.

Step 5 Highlight a group and click "OK." In the Parameter Group area, the selected group name is displayed.

Step 6 In the Output area, select a reporting method:

• Preview: This allows you to preview the report on the screen.

• Export: This sends the report to a file.

• Export Data: This sends the report to an ASCII file.

Step 7 Click the "Generate" push-button. The Data Logger Details dialog box is displayed.

The same graph features are available in this function as in the graphical View Snapshot function.

To view a tabular data logger:

Step 1 Select Maintenance from the Report menu, then select Data Logger from the sub-menu. The View Data Logger
dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 In the Type of Report area, select Tabular.

Step 3 Highlight a Downloaded Time from the Data Logger text box.

Step 4 Click the "Generate" push-button. The View Data Logger dialog box is displayed.

The same tabular features are available in this function as in the tabular View Snapshot function.

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 Setting up Parameter Groups
The Parameter Group area allows you to create custom parameter groups for viewing graphical snapshot and data
logger reports. Groups can be created, saved, altered, or deleted.

To create a parameter group:

Step 1 Select a parameter from the Graph #1 area.

Step 2 Select a parameter from the Graph #2 area.

Step 3 Select a parameter from the Graph #3 area.

Note: You do not need to select parameters from Graph #2 or Graph #3. There can be no more than six parameters in
each graph and the total number of parameter selected can not exceed twelve.

Note: To highlight multiple files in a parameter graph, you can use the Microsoft Keyboard Shortcuts.

Step 4 Click the "Save As" push-button. The Save As dialog box is displayed.

Step 5 Create and enter the group name in the Group Name text box.

Step 6 Click "Save" if you want to save the group name you just assigned. Click "Cancel" if you do want to save the group
name.

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 To edit a parameter group:

Step 1 Click the "Open" push-button. The Group Edit Screen dialog box is displayed with the current groups listed in the
text box.

Step 2 Highlight the group you wish to edit and click "OK." In the Parameter Group area, the selected group name is
displayed. The selected parameters are highlighted in each graph area.

Step 3 Highlight the parameter changes. Click the "Save" push-button. Your changes are made to the group.

To delete a parameter group:

Step 1 Click the "Open" push-button. The Group Edit Screen dialog box is displayed with the current groups listed in the
text box.

Step 2 Highlight the group you wish to delete and click "OK." In the Parameter Group area, the selected group name is
displayed. The selected parameters are highlighted in each graph area.

Step 3 Click the "Delete" push-button. The group is removed from the Group Edit Screen dialog box.

Note: If the group you want to delete is currently open, you can click the "Delete" push-button without opening the
Group Edit Screen dialog box.

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Customizing the Graphs
Graphical reports provide you with a lot of flexibility. The Y-axis can be independent for each
parameter, or shared among several parameters. Each axis can be custom scaled; line colors,
types and weights changed; text fonts changed; etc.

Customize push-button:

When viewing the graph, click the Customize push-button to open the Customize Graph dialog
box. It allows you to customize the X and Y axes. In these dialog boxes, Graph #1, Graph #2
and Graph #3 refer to the Graph #X Parameters selections made on the report dialog box.

Y Axis: For each graph, select either Independent or Share mode. Independent mode creates a
separate Y axis for each parameter, scaled according to the values of each parameter. Share
mode creates a single scaling, and plots all parameters of that graph in the same scale.

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Y Axis Range: Select a custom range for each Y axis in the graph. With Independent mode, a
range is selected for each parameter. With Shared mode, a single range is selected for the
graph.

X Axis Range: Scale the X axis using the time selections. Typically, there is no need to adjust
the dates.

Note: The zoom feature automatically adjusts the scale of the X and Y axis.

Colors push-button:

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 The Colors push button opens the Customize Graph Advanced dialog box. It allows you to
customize the line type and color for each parameter. To change the color, click on the color
square.

Customize pop-up menu:

Click the right mouse button with the pointer in the graph area. A pop-up menu opens.
Experiment with the various selections in this menu. To return to original settings, click the
Original button on the Customization dialog box, discussed below.

Key items of this menu are:

• Font Size

• Grid Lines

• Mark Data Points

• Undo Zoom

• Maximize

Customization dialog box:

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Double Click on the graph region to open the Customization dialog box. This dialog box
contains features that may have value to certain users. Experiment with the various selections
in this dialog. To return to original settings, click the Original push-button at the bottom of the
Customization dialog box.

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Setup Sites

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 Setup Sites
To better organize the machines in the database, you can create sites assign machines to these
sites.

To add a new site to the database:

Step 1 Select Machine/Shift from the Setup menu. The Setup Machine/Shift dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 Click the right mouse button with the pointer on Database. A pop-up menu is displayed. Click
Site from the Add sub-menu. The Site Information area is displayed in the Setup
Machine/Shift dialog box.

Step 3 Enter the Name of the site, and any other desired fields. The Name field is the only required
field.

Step 4 Click the "Save" push-button. The site definition is saved in the database.

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To assign a machine to a site:

Step 1 Select Machine/Shift from the Setup menu. The Setup Machine/Shift dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 Click and drag the machine icon to the site icon. Then release the mouse button.

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Machine Definitions On Data Merge

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Machine definition on Data Merge
A Machine Information Mismatch dialog enables defining a new machine(s) in the database. This dialog
automatically pops up during VIMSpc startup or when Merge Download Files option (see below) is selected from
File menu (if there are un-merged files whose machine definition is not available in the database).

Merge Download Files option...

The Machine Information Mismatch dialog looks like this...

Note: Even if the machine information is present in the database but with a different Model Code, the Machine
Information Mismatch dialog pops with the following message - "The on-board Serial Number has a corresponding
record in the off-board database, but the Model Code does not match. You must either reinstall VIMS onboard with the
configuration of a known model or add this new model# to the off-board database and try again".

Update Off-board (button)

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This button inserts machine information into the database and displays the next machine in the un-merged files, which
doesn’t have an entry in the database. It there aren’t any such files, the Merge Download Files dialog with the list of
un-merged file gets displayed.

Skip (button)

This button helps to skip the machine to go on to the next machine in the un-merged files list.

Cancel (button)

This allows in aborting the process and the control goes back to main screen.

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How To:
Purpose

This How To section documents the best way to perform operations typical to users.

112
Collect Data From Machines
This section contains tips on ways and methods for efficiently collecting data from machines. These methods are
designed to minimize interruption of machine operation.

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 Download Many Machines
When downloading a series of machines, perhaps on a ready line, use the following procedure. Use the ground level
serial port connection.

Step 1 Connect the serial cable between the computer serial port and the machine serial port.

Step 2 Start VIMSpc.

Step 3 In the Data menu, select the Download option. If not already connected, VIMSpc connects to the machine. The
Download Data dialog box is displayed.

Step 4 Highlight a download group that you have previously setup to download (and optionally reset) the desired data
selections. If you do not have a download group, check the desired data selections.

Step 5 Do NOT select Merge on Download. Data merging may take several minutes.

Step 6 Click the Download push-button. Monitor the progress bars until "Operation completed successfully" is displayed.
Close the Download Data dialog box.

Step 7 In the File menu, select the Disconnect Machine option. The "Communications disconnected" message is displayed.
Click the OK button to close the message box. Do not exit VIMSpc.

Step 8 Disconnect the serial cable from this machine, move to the next machine, and connect the serial cable to the next
machine. Proceed to Step 3 and repeat.

This process results in a set of download files for each machine. The download files contain all the information about
the machine required to merge the data into the database.

These files can be merged into the database at any time. The files must be merged before the data can be viewed in a
report.

This process may be used with a laptop PC dedicated to data collection. Download files can then be copied to a
different computer for merging and analyzing data.

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Note: To merge the download files on a different computer, you must first setup the machine in
the database. For more information, see Setup Machines.

Note: There is no limit to the number of machines that may be downloaded before data is merged into the database.
Also, a given machine may be downloaded multiple times without overwriting downloaded files.

Connect To / Disconnect From A Machine

The Connect/Disconnect function allows you to disconnect from one machine and connect to
another without exiting the application. This is useful when downloading data from a series of
machines. It is also useful for isolating communication problems during connection.

To connect to a machine:

Select Connect Machine from the File menu. "Trying to connect..." is displayed on the status
bar. When VIMSpc is connected to a machine the baud rate of connection is displayed on the
status bar. The arrows turn to green.

Note: The Connect drop-down option is replaced with the Disconnect drop-down option when
VIMS is connected.

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To disconnect from a machine:

Select Disconnect Machine from the File menu. When VIMSpc is disconnected from the
arrows turn red.

Note: The Disconnect drop-down option is replaced with the Connect drop-down option when
VIMS is disconnected.

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 Activate The Data Logger

The Data Logger function allows the capture, in real-time, of all machine parameters that
VIMS monitors in one second intervals. Data Logger operates similarly to the event recorder;
however, the service tool or keypad must manually activate the Data Logger. The total
recording time is 30 minutes and 8 seconds.

To activate the Data Logger:

Step 1 Select Activate Data Logger from the Data menu. The Data Logger dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 Click the On radio button. Status on the dialog box reads ON.

Step 3 Click the "Close" push-button. VIMS will collect the data for 30 minutes or until instructed to
stop.

To stop the Data Logger:

Step 1 Select Activate Data Logger from the Data menu. The Data Logger dialog box is displayed.

117
Step 2 Click the OFF radio button. The status box will illustrate amount of time recorded. The Status
on the dialog box reads OFF.

Step 3 Click the "Reset" push-button to erase collected data.

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Generate And Use Reports
This section discusses the details of each report dialog and report, except for the Event, Snapshot and Data Logger
reports discussed in the previous section.

It is not necessary to be connected to a machine to generate reports.

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Trend Reports

The Trend Report allows you to define the data filters: report type, time range, output destination, and select trends
for all trend reports.

There are three types of trend reports: Graphical, Tabular, and Summary.

Graphical: This report creates a line graph of the selected trends over time. This graph provides a high level view of
a large amount of trend data. It is useful for locating changes in a trend.

Tabular: This report creates a table of trend values, one column for each selected trend, each row representing one
trend interval. This is useful for analyzing the details of a certain time range of a trend.

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 Summary: This report creates a list of trends in the left most column, with Average, Minimum, and Maximum
values for each trend selected.

To generate a Trend Report:

Step 1 Select Prognostic from the Report menu, then select Trend from the sub-menu. The Trend Report dialog box is
displayed.

Step 2 In the Type of Report area, select either Graphical or Tabular.

Step 3 In the Time Range area, select a time range according to real Date/Time or Service Meter Hours (SMH).

After selecting the time range, click the refresh push-button (lightning bolt icon) to update the Trend Grid.

Step 4 In the Output To area, select a reporting method.

• Preview: Preview the report on the screen.

• Printer: Send the report to the printer.

• Export: Send the report data to a file.

Step 5 In the Trend Grid, highlight the trend/s you want on your report…

A trend is defined by its Description, Type, Condition, Interval, and Units. For more information about trends, refer
to SENR6059 which is the VIMS Service Manual.

Only those trends that have data in the selected time range are displayed in the grid. If there is no data in the selected
time range, a message is displayed, and the grid is cleared.

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Click on a row to highlight a trend. To highlight multiple trends, you can use the Microsoft Keyboard Shortcuts.

Note: Use the "Select Machines…" push-button to select a different machine for which to generate a report.

Step 6 Click the "Generate" push-button to produce the report.

Trend Graphical Report

Each selected trend is displayed in the legend and is assigned an axis, and a line type and line color. The Condition,
Type and Units are displayed along the Y axis.

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