System Requirements The software that accompanies the Electronic Chaos System runs on Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The PC used for data collection must have a serial port in order to communicate with the device. (If you are using a computer that does not have a serial port, you may be able to purchase a port replicator that connects to the USB port on your PC, but provides a serial connection). The PC used for data collection should have a 1.5 GHz (or faster) processor. A slower processor or older operating system will probably still work, but you may experience difficulties in taking large data sets. If you have problems with the computer “hanging” while doing a long run, try to retake the data on a faster computer. Installation and Set-up of the Software There are three principal pieces of software associated with the Electronic Chaos System. One program is used for data collection (“Get Data”), another for viewing the data (“Display Data”) and a third for calibrating the on-board digital potentiometers (“Calibrate Digital Potentiometers”). To install the software, insert the User CD supplied with your unit into your computer’s CD drive, browse to that drive and double click on the “setup” icon. Make sure that no other Windows programs are running during the installation procedure (including virus-checking software). If given the option of overwriting a newer file on your computer with an older one from the User CD, you should choose to keep your newer file. Once the set up procedure is complete, the three programs noted above should appear on your Start menu (under “Chaos Software,” if you have chosen the default set up). Should you ever wish to uninstall the software, you may do so from your Control Panel. (Note: A fourth program, called “Test Sequence,” will also be installed. This program is similar to “Get Data,” but takes data for a predetermined set of parameters. You will not need to use the “Test Sequence” program.) A few things need to be done before you can run the software: - Create a data folder. This folder is where you will store data files and calibration files. Throughout the User Guide it will be assumed that your data folder is
c:\chaos (although you may also create the folder under “My Documents” or a similar location). You may notice problems during data collection if you try to store data to files over the network. It is best to work directly on the local hard drive of your computer. - Set up your Preferences. This will allow you to set the path to your data folder and to set the maximum size of your data files. Go to the Start menu, click on “Chaos Software” and then on “Display Data.” Go to the File menu and click on “Preferences.” Set the default path to be c:\chaos\ and set the Allocated Memory Size. It will probably be safe to keep the default setting of 100 MB. You may need to decrease the Allocated Memory if you are using an older computer. Alternatively, you may need to increase the Allocated Memory if you wish to view an exceptionally large data set. (As a rule of thumb, the Allocated Memory Size needs to be at least 70% of the size of the data file that you wish to view.)
- Copy the calibration files from the CD to your data folder. Browse to the “Calibration_files” folder on the User CD and copy the files “x_calib_generic.txt” and “r_calib_generic.txt” into your data folder (c:\chaos). The use of these files is explained later in the User’s Guide.
Now you are ready to acquire and display data…! Note to instructors: The User CD also contains a file called “good_data.txt” in the folder “Data_set.” This 90-MB file contains data acquired on the internal circuit. If you plan to have your students perform the installation and set up, but do not wish for them to have access to this data set, you should burn a new CD containing everything but the data file. This data set was used for the diagram on p. 13. The graphs produced by the data set should look very similar to the data you will be collecting on the internal circuit. The only difference is that the “t” values in this data set (shown in the first column) will not match the “t” values when you collect data on this system. Note regarding set-up: The software installation proceeds most easily from the User CD, but may also be done by first copying the relevant files onto the hard drive of your computer. (Note, however, that there does appear to be a length limitation on the path name for the folder used to launch the installation. It might be best to create a temporary folder such as c:\temp_chaos and copy the files from the CD there.) Troubleshooting the set-up procedure: 1. If an error message appears saying that a file is in use, please shut down all other Windows programs and try again. Using this User’s Guide This User’s Guide contains several sections. The two introductory sections (Introduction and Using the Software, pp. 5-15) should be read by all who plan to use the system. The References on p. 15 provide helpful background on the circuits described in this Guide. The various Exercises vary in difficulty, with the earlier ones being easier. Exercises 5-7 describe several “external circuit” projects that are quite challenging and are appropriate as longer-term projects for upper-level undergraduate students. Instructors should be aware that it is possible to damage the unit by connecting the inputs on the back panel to an external circuit that is not working properly. Please follow the instructions very carefully to avoid damaging your unit. Instructors are free to copy and edit the Word version of this User’s Guide to suit their needs. A Little History The Electronic Chaos System was developed in the Physics Department at Taylor University by Ken Kiers and his student David Simons, in close collaboration with Clint Sprott (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Several other Taylor students also contributed to the project over a period of several years. Hank Voss and Will Holmes (Taylor University) also provided valuable assistance. The project also received support from Research Corporation and from the Center for Research and Innovation at Taylor University. Particular thanks go to Adam Bennett from the Center for Research and Innovation.
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