WARNING: Alarm functionality in Measurand software is no longer actively maintained. Measurand software relies on SMTP Basic Authentication for sending emails. Both Microsoft and Google have disabled Basic Authentication as an access method for their online email services as this authentication method is considered insecure. If you’d like to discuss alternative systems for logging and alarms please reach out to us and we can setup a call with one of our sales engineers to discuss options.
When monitoring deformation, timely alerts to movement can be very important. Measurand’s SAACR_raw2data can trigger alarms based on a variety of settings. A triggered alarm can play a sound, send an email, or send an SMS message.
Alarm settings are configured and enabled through Measurand’s ShapeArray™ Viewer application (formerly known as SAAView) after the raw data from the ShapeArrays being monitored has been converted with SAACR_raw2data. The process of configuring alarm settings in ShapeArray™ Viewer will generate an ArrayAlarmSaa.mat file in the project folder which is used by SAACR_raw2data during the conversion process.
Step 1 - Convert Raw ShapeArray Data
Before any alarms can be set, the raw data collected from a ShapeArray must first be converted using SAACR_raw2data. For more information on converting raw data, please refer to the SAACR_raw2data How-To Guide.
Step 2 - Open Converted ShapeArray Data in ShapeArray™ Viewer
To configure alarms, you must open the converted data from the ShapeArray in ShapeArray™ Viewer. For more information on how to use ShapeArray™ Viewer, please refer to the Using ShapeArray™ Viewer to Visualize ShapeArray Data guide.
Step 3 - Open the Alarm Setup Window
Figure 1: The Alarm Set button in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Click on the Alarm Set button to begin configuring alarms. This will open the Alarm Setup window. The Alarm Setup window will have an SAA# button for each of the ShapeArrays in the project. Clicking each SAA# button will display a table of the alarms configured at each level for the selected ShapeArray. A summary of the alarm configurations is presented in a table with the following columns.
- Level: Each ShapeArray can have up to 8 levels of alarms configured. This allows you to easily create multiple levels of notification for a variety of triggering events.
- Alarm Status: This field indicates whether the alarm is enabled or disabled. A checkbox is presented for ease of changing the alarm's status. When selected, the alarm's status will be changed to ON (enabled) and when it is deselected, the alarm's status will be OFF (disabled).
- Old Data: Alarms are configured by comparing two sets of readings: old data and new data. The Old Data field describes one of the sets of data used for this comparison.
- New Data: Alarms are configured by comparing two sets of readings: old data and new data. The New Data field describes one of the sets of data used for this comparison.
- Units: This field describes the comparison being made between the old data and the new data.
- Notification: This field describe the type of notification that will be used when the alarm is triggered.
- Edit button: The Edit button in each row of the table is used to open the Alarm Parameters Window to allow alarm settings to be configured for the selected alarm level.
Figure 2: The Alarm Setup window in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Step 4 - Open Alarm Parameters Window
In the Alarm Setup window, click on one of the Edit buttons to open the Alarm Parameters window. The Alarm Parameters window is where you will configure the triggering condition for the alarms. Alarm trigger conditions are defined by a comparison between “old” and “new” data for a specified variable.
Figure 3: The Alarm Parameters window in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Step 5 - Configure the Alarm Variable
For ShapeArrays, the variable being monitored for alarms is absolute shape (cumulative deviation). You can select one of the following options for comparing cumulative deviation in the Variable field.
- var - var(1): The cumulative deviation in the first frame of data is subtracted from each other reading to provide displacement
- Rate: The change in cumulative deviation over time. The time period is calculated based on the interval between readings in the data collected. If the collection period is not stable, alarms based on rate can have anomalous results.
- var: The cumulative deviation with nothing subtracted from it
Figure 4: The Variable, Comparison("Old") Data, and DelayDays fields from the Alarm Parameters window in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Step 6 - Configure the Comparison Data
The comparison data, also known as the “old” data, is the basis for the comparison used to determine the alarm’s trigger condition. Comparison data can be selected using one of the following options in the Comparison(“Old”) Data field, shown in the figure above.
- Avg of n: The comparison data will be the average of n samples. The number of samples is selected with the n dropdown box. The samples being averaged will be the n samples preceding the current sample unless both Comparison(“Old”) Data and CurrentData are set to Avg of n. Refer to step 7 for more information.
- Selected Time: The comparison data will be the value at a selected time. A time is selected by dragging the dotted yellow line to the desired sample, right clicking on the dotted yellow line, and then clicking the Select this time option.
- Current - 1: The comparison data will be the sample taken immediately before the current sample.
Figure 5: Drag and then right click on the dotted yellow line to select a specific time in the Alarm Parameters window
Step 7 - Configure the Current Data
Current data, also known as “new” data, will be compared with the old data configured in step 6. Current data is selected using one of the following options from the CurrentData field.
- Non-avg Single: The most recent sample will be used as the current data.
- Avg of n: The average the most recent n samples will used as the current data. The number of samples is selected with the n dropdown box.
NOTE: If the Comparison(“Old”) Data field and the CurrentData field are both set to Avg of n, then the DelayDays field will be enabled. DelayDays specifies a number of days between the two averaged ranges used for comparison. This creates a moving window for comparison.
Figure 6: The CurrentData, Limits, Units/Value, and Action fields from the Alarm Parameters window in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Step 8 - Select Limits and Units/Value Options
The Limits field, shown in the figure above, allows you to trigger the alarm if the new data being monitored increases or decreases beyond the setting specified in the Units/Value field. The limit being monitored can be set to Upper, Lower, or Both to create upper and/or lower boundaries.
The Units/Value field, also shown in the figure above, allows you to define the comparison being made between the new data and the old data. Comparison values are specified in the text field immediately below this field. The following selections can be made in the Units/Value field.
- Limits(Units): Compares the current value to a specified limit. No comparison is made to old data.
- Change(%): Compares the new data and old data. Triggers an alarm if the new data is greater than a specified percentage of the old data.
- Change(Units): Compares the new data and the old data. Triggers an alarm if the new data is greater than a specified number of units of the old data.
Once you have selected the Limits and Unit/Value options, enter the comparison value in the text field, click on the grey space in the window, and then click the Apply button.
Step 9 - Configure Alarm Actions
WARNING: Measurand software relies on SMTP Basic Authentication for sending emails. Both Microsoft and Google have disabled Basic Authentication as an access method for their online email services as this authentication method is considered insecure.
Once you have configured alarm settings, you need to configure the action that will be taken when the alarm is triggered. Click on the Settings button in the Action section, shown in the figure above, to open the Alarm Action Settings window, shown in the figure below.
Figure 7: The Alarm Action Settings window in ShapeArray™ Viewer
Select the checkbox next to the actions you wish to be triggered and then configure their settings. The following actions are available:
Sound
Click the Browse button and navigate to a .wav sound file. By default, the path to the ding.wav sound file included in the C:\Measurand Inc\SAA3D folder is defined.
Configure the settings for sending an email in the following text fields.
- From: The address from which the email will be sent
- To: The addresses to which the email will be sent (Multiple addresses are separated by commas)
- Server: The address of the email (SMTP) server that will be used to send the email
- Port: The TCP/IP port on the email (SMTP) server that will be used to send the email
- Username: The username of a user authorized to send email on the email (SMTP) server
- Password: The password for the user defined in the Username field
SMS
SMS messages are supported only through services which accept an email to send an SMS message to a subscriber. The fields for configuring SMS actions are the same as those for email actions.
- From: The address from which the email will be sent
- To: The addresses to which the email will be sent are defined in this field (Multiple addresses are separated by commas)
- Server: The address of the email (SMTP) server that will be used to send the email
- Port: The TCP/IP port on the email (SMTP) server that will be used to send the email
- Username: The username of a user authorized to send email on the email (SMTP) server
- Password: The password for the user defined in the Username field
Any of the settings can be tested by clicking the corresponding Test button. When testing the configuration, the following common exit codes may be returned.
Exit Code | Explanation | Fix |
1 |
| Verify the From and To fields have valid email addresses. Ensure the username and password fields contain valid usernames and password for the email server being used. For passwords, ensure the password's case is appropriate. |
2 | To email address is not valid | Ensure any email addresses specified in the To field are valid. If multiple email addresses are being included in the To field, ensure they are separated by commas. |
530 | Authentication required | Provide an appropriate username and password. Verify each for typographical errors and casing. |
535 | Authentication error | Provide an appropriate username and password. Verify each for typographical errors and casing. |
Other error codes may be those returned directly from the email provider. Please check with the email provider for their meaning and potential fixes.
Once you have configured the appropriate actions and settings to be triggered, click the Save button to close the Alarm Actions Settings window and click the Save button again to close the Alarm Parameters window.
Step 10 - Optional, Configure More Alarms in the Project
If you wish to have multiple levels of alarms, or alarms for multiple sensors in the project, you can repeat steps 4 through 9 by selecting a different level in the Level dropdown box or by selecting a different sensor in the green or yellow sections of the Alarm Setup window. Once you have configured alarms for the desired sensors and levels, click on the Save button to save the configuration. The next time SAACR_raw2data runs on the raw data files in the project folder, alarms will be triggered when the configured conditions are met and the appropriates actions will be taken.