Enable or disable logging

Use the logging option to save measurements to a comma-separated values (.csv) log file. You can save one set of measurements or append additional sets of measurements that you collect at a later date. Appending the measurements lets you create a trend/report of the fieldbus segment.

The log file will continue to save measurements until:

  • You disable the logging option.
  • The application has saved the selected number of measurements.
  • The application has saved 100,000 entries in a log file. This is the maximum number.
  • The file size is larger than 176 MB.
Note: As a best practice, create a new log file for each fieldbus segment and connection point you are monitoring. Otherwise, ensure you update the segment name and measurement location fields each time you collect data.
  1. Connect to the FOUNDATION fieldbus device or segment.
  2. On the Fieldbus Diagnostics Overview screen, tap Logging.
  3. Modify the following options, as needed.
    Option Description
    User Name

    The name of the person completing the measurements.

    Segment Name

    The name of the fieldbus segment. If you tap the Go Online option, the Fieldbus Diagnostics application creates a unique name. You can enter a new name.

    File Name

    The name of the .csv file that saves the measurements. You can enter a file name or you can have the application create one based on the device tag or device ID if you tapped Go Online before enabling logging. If multiple devices are on the fieldbus segment, the device with the lowest address is chosen for the file name.

    Measurement Location

    The location on the fieldbus segment where the Trex unit is connected to take the measurement. The options are At Device, At Fieldbus Control Module, and At Hub.

    Save Option

    Select Append to save the measurements to an existing log file of the same filename, or select Replace to overwrite the data in an existing log file with the same filename. Append is the default option. The log file is limited to 176 MB. If the file exceeds 176 MB, the application can no longer append additional log files/measurements to the existing file.

    Target Update Rate

    The number of seconds in between each set of measurements. The default setting is to take a set of measurements every 10 seconds.

    If the Fieldbus Diagnostics application detects a device was added/removed from the device list or it detects a bad DC voltage, the application captures an extra DC voltage measurement in the log file to show the DC voltage dropping.

    Note: The actual update rate may be affected by conditions on the fieldbus network. For example, if the fieldbus network has a lot of scheduled activity, the rotation of the network token will be slow, and the Trex unit will to wait longer to measure each device's signal.
    Max Log Entries

    The maximum number of measurement sets collected in one session and saved to the log file. A DC voltage, a noise, and signal measurement are one measurement set. These entries appear as a row in the .csv log file.

    Note: If the maximum number of entries is reached, the Fieldbus Diagnostics application stops saving data to the log file. You can continue to append log entries to an existing log file, until the log file reaches the maximum file size.
    The Fieldbus Diagnostics application begins saving the measurements.