Recorder

Table of Contents

• 🔹 What is a Recorder?
• 🔹 How Many Data Objects Can a Recorder Hold?
• 🔹 Can I Trigger a Recorder When a Condition is Met?
• 📜 Sample Code
  • Basic Recorder Usage
  • Recording Performance Metrics

Utilize the Recorder to capture and store controller data like positions, velocities, etc, supporting condition-based or continuous recording for in-depth analysis.

🔹 What is a Recorder?

A Recorder object provides a mechanism to collect and buffer any data (positions, velocities, etc) in the controller’s memory. After a recorder is configured and started, the controller copies the data (positions, velocities, etc) from the specified addresses to a local buffer for every “N” sample. Later, the host can collect the data by polling or via interrupt-based events.

🔹 How Many Data Objects Can a Recorder Hold?

The controller supports up to 64 data recorders, which can each record data from up to a total of 32 addresses in each sample. The buffers can be dynamically allocated. A larger data recorder buffer may be required for higher sample rates, slow host computers, when running via client/server, or when a large number of data fields are being recorded.

In case the data recording length is greater than the memory available to the recorder, the recorder can be configured to use a circular buffer and the host PC is only required to copy the recorded data to RAM faster than the recorder circular buffer rolls over. On most systems**,** this is not an issue.

🔹 Can I Trigger a Recorder When a Condition is Met?

A recorder can be started or stopped from the host application or from the controller by configuring a data recorder trigger. When the trigger conditions are met, the controller will automatically start or stop a data recorder. This is very useful for logging relevant variables during the period preceding a fault or error. Normally, the recorder stops collecting data when the buffer is full. It can also be configured to continuously collect data, overwriting the previous data until it is commanded to stop. This is useful for trapping a recent history of controller data.

📜 Sample Code

Basic Recorder Usage

• C#

        const int VALUES_PER_RECORD     = 2;    // How many values to store in each record.  
        const int RECORD_PERIOD_SAMPLES = 1;    // How often to record data. (samples between consecutive records)
        const int RECORD_TIME           = 250;  // How long to record. (in milliseconds)
        const int INPUT_INDEX           = 0;
   
        // Get the host controller addresses for the values we want to record         
        // Number of processed Recorders in the controller.
        controller.RecorderCountSet(1);
   
        controller.AxisCountSet(1);
        Axis axis = CreateAndReadyAxis(Constants.AXIS_NUMBER); // Helper function to setup an axis
   
        UInt64 userBufferAddress = controller.AddressGet(RSIControllerAddressType.RSIControllerAddressTypeUSER_BUFFER, 0); // Grabing an memory address to store a simulated IO point.
        // Instead of using physical IO we will use simulated IO using a memory address as simulated IO. See the IO sample apps to see how to use a physical IO instead. 
        IOPoint input = IOPoint.CreateDigitalInput(controller, userBufferAddress, INPUT_INDEX);    // Create a simulated IOpoint using userBuffer memory. 
   
        if (controller.RecorderEnabledGet() == true) // Check if the recorder is running already. If it is, stop it.
        {
          controller.RecorderStop();  // Stop recording.
          controller.RecorderReset(); // Reset controller.
        }
   
        controller.RecorderPeriodSet(RECORD_PERIOD_SAMPLES);                      // Configure recorder to record every 'n' samples (Every 'n' ms)
        controller.RecorderCircularBufferSet(false);                              // Do not use a circular buffer
        controller.RecorderDataCountSet(VALUES_PER_RECORD);                       // Configure the number of values for each record. (how many things to record)
        controller.RecorderDataAddressSet(0, axis.AddressGet(RSIAxisAddressType.RSIAxisAddressTypeACTUAL_POSITION)); // Configure the recoder to record values from this address (1st recorded address)
        controller.RecorderDataAddressSet(1, input.AddressGet());                 // Configure the recoder to record values from this address (2nd recorded address)
   
        controller.RecorderStart();                                               // Start recording.
        controller.OS.Sleep(RECORD_TIME);                                         // Put this thread to sleep for some milliseconds.
   
        int recordsAvailable = controller.RecorderRecordCountGet();               // find out how many records were recorded. (Get the number of records that are stored and ready for reading)
   
        Console.WriteLine("There are {0} Records available.", recordsAvailable);  // Print the number of records recorded.
   
        for (int i = 0; i < recordsAvailable; i++)                                // Check every record recorded.
        {
          controller.RecorderRecordDataRetrieve();                                // Retrieve one record of recorded data.
   
          double positionRecord = controller.RecorderRecordDataDoubleGet(0);      // Get the value from the 1st specified address. /use double 
          var digitalInputsValue = controller.RecorderRecordDataValueGet(1);      // Get the value from the 2nd specified address.
   
          if ((digitalInputsValue & input.MaskGet()) == input.MaskGet())          // We are checking to see if the digital input 1 bit changes. If it does then we record the position when that input went high. 
          {
            i = recordsAvailable;                                                 // break from loop.
            Console.WriteLine("Your encoder position was: " + positionRecord + " when the input triggered.");
          }
        }
   
        controller.RecorderStop();  // Stop recording.
        controller.RecorderReset(); // Reset controller.

Recording Performance Metrics

• C++

   
  #include <iomanip>
   
  #include "SampleAppsHelper.h" // Import our helper functions.
  #include "rsi.h"              // Import our RapidCode Library.
   
  using namespace RSI::RapidCode; // Import the RapidCode namespace
   
  // Helper function to calculate the minimum, maximum, and average of a vector of integers
  static std::vector<int> MinMaxAvg(std::vector<int> data)
  {
    int min = data[0];
    int max = data[0];
    int sum = 0;
   
    for (int i = 0; i < data.size(); i++)
    {
      if (data[i] < min)
      {
        min = data[i];
      }
      if (data[i] > max)
      {
        max = data[i];
      }
      sum += data[i];
    }
   
    int avg = sum / data.size();
    return {min, max, avg};
  }
   
  int main()
  {
    const std::string SAMPLE_APP_NAME = "Utilities: Record Performance";
   
    // Print a start message to indicate that the sample app has started
    SampleAppsHelper::PrintHeader(SAMPLE_APP_NAME);
   
    /* CONSTANTS */
    const int RECORD_PERIOD_SAMPLES = 1; // Number of samples between each record.
    const int RECORD_TIME = 1000;        // Time in milliseconds to record for.
   
    /* RAPIDCODE INITIALIZATION */
   
    // Create the controller
    MotionController::CreationParameters params = SampleAppsHelper::GetCreationParameters();
    MotionController *controller = MotionController::Create(&params);
   
    int exitCode = -1; // Set the exit code to an error value.
    try                // Ensure that the controller is deleted if an error occurs.
    {
      SampleAppsHelper::CheckErrors(controller);
   
      /* SAMPLE APP BODY */
   
      // Check if the network is started
      int valuesPerRecord;
      bool networkTimingEnabled = false;
      if (controller->NetworkStateGet() != RSINetworkState::RSINetworkStateOPERATIONAL)
      {
        std::cout << "Network is not operational. Only Firmware Timing Deltas will be recorded." << std::endl;
        valuesPerRecord = 1;
      }
      else
      {
        // Enable network timing
        controller->NetworkTimingEnableSet(true);
        networkTimingEnabled = true;
        valuesPerRecord = 3;
      }
   
      // Add a recorder
      int recorderIndex = controller->RecorderCountGet();
      controller->RecorderCountSet(recorderIndex + 1);
   
      // Check if the recorder is running already, if it is then stop it
      if (controller->RecorderEnabledGet(recorderIndex))
      {
        controller->RecorderStop(recorderIndex);
        controller->RecorderReset(recorderIndex);
      }
   
      // Configure the recorder
      controller->RecorderPeriodSet(RECORD_PERIOD_SAMPLES);
      controller->RecorderCircularBufferSet(false);
      controller->RecorderDataCountSet(valuesPerRecord);
      controller->RecorderDataAddressSet(0, controller->AddressGet(RSIControllerAddressType::RSIControllerAddressTypeFIRMWARE_TIMING_DELTA));
   
      if (networkTimingEnabled)
      {
        controller->RecorderDataAddressSet(1, controller->AddressGet(RSIControllerAddressType::RSIControllerAddressTypeNETWORK_TIMING_DELTA));
        controller->RecorderDataAddressSet(2, controller->AddressGet(RSIControllerAddressType::RSIControllerAddressTypeNETWORK_TIMING_RECEIVE_DELTA));
      }
   
      // Start the recorder
      controller->RecorderStart(recorderIndex);
      controller->OS->Sleep(RECORD_TIME);
      controller->RecorderStop(recorderIndex);
   
      int recordCount = controller->RecorderRecordCountGet(recorderIndex);
      std::cout << "There are " << recordCount << " records available." << std::endl;
   
      // Read the records
      std::vector<int> firmawareTimingDeltas(recordCount);
      std::vector<int> networkTimingDeltas(recordCount);
      std::vector<int> networkTimingReceiveDeltas(recordCount);
   
      for (int i = 0; i < recordCount; i++)
      {
        controller->RecorderRecordDataRetrieve(recorderIndex);
        firmawareTimingDeltas[i] = controller->RecorderRecordDataValueGet(recorderIndex, 0);
   
        if (networkTimingEnabled)
        {
          networkTimingDeltas[i] = controller->RecorderRecordDataValueGet(recorderIndex, 1);
          networkTimingReceiveDeltas[i] = controller->RecorderRecordDataValueGet(recorderIndex, 2);
        }
      }
   
      // Calculate the statistics
      std::vector<int> firmwareTimingStats = MinMaxAvg(firmawareTimingDeltas);
      std::cout << "Firmware Timing Deltas (us):       ";
      std::cout << "  Min = " << std::setw(4) << firmwareTimingStats[0];
      std::cout << "  Max = " << std::setw(4) << firmwareTimingStats[1];
      std::cout << "  Avg = " << std::setw(4) << firmwareTimingStats[2] << std::endl;
   
      if (networkTimingEnabled)
      {
        std::vector<int> networkTimingStats = MinMaxAvg(networkTimingDeltas);
        std::cout << "Network Timing Deltas (us):        ";
        std::cout << "  Min = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingStats[0];
        std::cout << "  Max = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingStats[1];
        std::cout << "  Avg = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingStats[2] << std::endl;
   
        std::vector<int> networkTimingReceiveStats = MinMaxAvg(networkTimingReceiveDeltas);
        std::cout << "Network Timing Receive Deltas (us):";
        std::cout << "  Min = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingReceiveStats[0];
        std::cout << "  Max = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingReceiveStats[1];
        std::cout << "  Avg = " << std::setw(4) << networkTimingReceiveStats[2] << std::endl;
      }
   
      // Delete the recorder
      controller->RecorderCountSet(recorderIndex);
   
      exitCode = 0; // Set the exit code to success.
    }
    catch (const std::exception &ex)
    {
      std::cerr << ex.what() << std::endl;
      exitCode = -1;
    }
    // Delete the controller as the program exits to ensure memory is deallocated in the correct order
    controller->Delete();
   
    // Print a message to indicate the sample app has finished and if it was successful or not
    SampleAppsHelper::PrintFooter(SAMPLE_APP_NAME, exitCode);
   
    return exitCode;
  }