SERVOVALVE CALIBRATION
SYSTEM PROJECT

Team ME 5.3

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Project Sponsor

 

Liaison Engineer
Norm Englund, PE

Team Members
John Cotter
Harun
Robert Phillips
John Ulmen

Faculty Advisor
Dr. Frank J. Shih

Sponsored by
Seattle University &
The Boeing Company

 

Software Development

The final design of the data acquisition and control software was written in C++ using Microsoft Foundation Classes. The procedure for performing a servovalve test was made to be intuitive and to require no prior knowledge. Once the software icon is clicked, a new document is automatically created and the “New Servovalve Project” dialog box shown in Figure 15 prompts the user to enter his or her name and the serial number of the servovalve. These parameters, as well as the automatically generated time stamp, will be displayed on the monitor or any hardcopies.


Figure 15. New Servovalve Project dialog box

The layout of the data acquisition and control software is shown in Figure 16 and consists of the main menu, toolbars, and the main working area.


Figure 16. Layout of the data acquisition and control software

Figure 17. The File submenu

 

Figure 18. The View submenu

 

Figure 19. The Test submenu

The main menu consists of five submenus:

  1. File: open a new file, open an existing file, save the current project, export the current project data to a comma separated value file (*.CSV), print, open the most recent servovalve files (*.SVO), or exit the software [Figure 17]
  2. Edit: cut, copy, or paste
  3. View: turn on/off toolbar or status bar [Figure 18]
  4. Test: performs the 4 servovalve tests:
    1. Flow Gain, which graphs the frequency of the flow meters versus the corresponding current sent to the servovalve
    2. Pressure Gain, which graphs the analog output of the pressure transducers versus the corresponding current sent to the servovalve
    3. Null Leakage, which graphs the flow rate versus the corresponding current sent to the servovalve, but the servovalve ports are blocked so that no fluid can flow between the C1 and C2 ports; the flow meter on the servovalve return port is used to measure the flow that “leaks” from the valve
    4. Dynamic Response, measures the response of a low-mass piston, or

All Tests, which will run all four of the previous tests individually and in succession [Figure 19]

Any test may be selected by the main menu, the toolbar, or its corresponding keyboard shortcut. The equivalent test function is then called in the software and a modal dialog box is displayed with an emergency stop button until the test is complete. Each servovalve test takes approximately ten seconds to perform and a graphical representation of the data will be displayed on the monitor when the test is complete.

Previously saved projects with completed tests can also be opened by selecting any existing Servovalve Calibration System file (*.SVO). An opened file will show up to four existing tests in the display area where the username, the servovalve serial number, the time and date when the test started, and the graphical representations of the formerly sampled data are shown.

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