PC based

Fast Fourier Vibration analyzer

FAKOPP Enterprise
9423 Agfalva, Fenyo u. 26.
Fax: (99) 33 00 99
www.fakopp.com
2005
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 Fast Fourier Vibration analyzer

Installation and start

No installation is necessary. Please simply copy FFT.exe to your hard disk. The
software consists of two files:
hangolo.exe
hangolo.ini
The hangolo.exe is an executable file, please use it for start.

Hardware requirements:

IBM compatible PC (Sorry, we have no Apple version), Operation system:

Windows: 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP.
Monitor resolution is at least 600* 800 pixel or higher.
Properly installed sound card. Unfortunately, some no-name low quality sound
card’s internal clock is not precise. In this case the measured frequency data are
wrong. We recommend you to check you sound card by testing a tuning fork or
using a precise tuning device. When the test is successful, no further test is
necessary. If the test is not successful, please use an other sound card.

Activation of the microphone input:

Sometimes the microphone input is off. In this case activation is necessary by the
following steps:
Click “Start” (left down corner)
Click “Run” and type: sndvol32 then press enter
In the „Volume Control” window click:
Options,
Properties
Select recording and click OK
Select microphone
Set suitable volume (max is recommended) If you are using dynamic
microphone further amplification is necessary: please click special
Button and select “20 dB boost”
Finally close the window.
After the above procedure microphone input will be active.

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Setting the frequency of the normal A tone

The normal A tone frequency is set to 442 Hz. If you want you can change it by
changing the only one number in the ini file. After modification the content of the
ini file, please save it, and restart the FFT.exe. The new frequency of the A tone
appears in the head line of the software.

Software license

The PC based FFT analyzer software is a free product of Fakopp Enterprise,

available at company home page. If you are using it, please always refer like: The
applied software is written by Fakopp Enterprise: www.fakopp.com.

Using the FFT analyzer

Connect the microphone to your PC and the system is ready for work . The software
is a single window software and the size of the window is not changeable. If you
want to enlarge you can reduce the resolution of your monitor.

Using the software is simple. The recorded sound sample appears in the “Wave”
frame. You can see the spectra of the recorded sample below the wave in the
“Spectra” frame. Setting the parameters are possible by the buttons and input boxes
at the right hand side of the window.

Trigger frame.
You can control the sampling by the trigger parameter. The trigger level is defined
in percent as the ratio of the full scale. By clicking the arrows increasing or
decreasing by 5% is possible from 0 to 100. Sound sampling start automatically, if
the actual measured sound level is above the trigger level. You can switch off the
trigger function by setting 0%, it means, continuous sampling. In noisy environment
please set higher trigger level, above the noise level. At 100% level the microphone
is blocked.

The wave frame

Changing the vertical scale of the wave frame is possible by the arrows located at
the right sight from the wave frame. If the amplitude is so high, that can not fit to
the frame (the sin wave turns to rectangular wave) means the signal is overloaded.
Solution can be selecting a new microphone location, or reduction of the
microphone level. The locations of the arrows and frames are given in figure 2.

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Settings relate to logarithmic decrement determination
The settings relate to logarithmic decrement (LD) determination is located below
the trigger frame. We can set two numbers: the firs one gives the number of
discarded data points. The preset data is 0, max. acceptable is 3000. Some case, the
beginning of the vibration is disturbed and this function let you discard the
beginning of the signal. Do not apply too high value, do not discard the valuable
part of your signal.

The second one gives the time delay, so called Logarithmic Decrement Delay:
(LDD). The logarithmic decrement measurement is based on two FFT analysis
carried on the input data. The input of the second FFT is delayed in time. The color
of the FFT spectra appears in the “Spectra” frame is white. If the signal is amplitude
is decreasing by time, this white spectra is always lower than the first black (not
delayed) one. The delay setting is optimal, if the amplitude ratio between the white
and black peak is between 0,2 – 0,8. After setting the two parameters described
above, you are ready for LD determination.

If you want to measure LD, please activate this function, by clicking LDD button.
The LD value appears in the “Main data” frame, above the frequency data.
Information about the tallest peak is given in the “Main data” frame. When the
function is active, we are not able to change the delay and discard parameters.
Selecting a peak by mouse, the LD data and the frequency appears in the “Cursor
data” frame. The mouse working as cursor, plus/minus 10 pixel interval from the tip
of the mouse pointer, the tallest peak will be evaluate in the cursor frame.

The definition of the logarithmic decrement (LD) is: LD=*T where ““ is the
parameter of the exponential covering curve – see figure 1. „T” is the period of
time, inverse of the frequency. The LD is dimension less quantity. Usually the LD
values are low numbers, depending on the material tested. For this reason this
software gives the actual LD data multiplied by 1000.

The physical interpretation of LD is a characterization of the damping capacity of

the material or system tested. If LD data is high, the damping is fast, signal last
short. If the LD data is low, damping is slow, signal last long. LD data is basically
independent on frequency. LD is influenced by the following parameters: internal
friction in the material, sound radiation, and absorbtion on the boundaries like
support. We can minimize the effect of support absorbtion by selecting suitable
supporting material (foam or rubber) and selecting optimal location for support e.g.
nodal point or line.

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 - t
e

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

time = t

T
LD = Logatithmic Decrement =  * T

Figure 1.: Parameters are used in the definition of the logarithmic decrement (LD)
Frequency measurement
The frequency measured automatically. The tallest peak frequency appears in the
„Main data” frame. The peak, selected by the mouse appears in the “Cursor data”
frame. This function is useful in frequency determination of less tall peaks, like
overtones. Frequencies below 1000 Hz is given in 0,1. Frequencies above 1000 Hz
is given in 1 Hz accuracy. The spectra frame low frequency is always 0 Hz, (left
corner) and the spectra frame upper limit frequency is selectable. Using the arrows
located below the spectra frame, right corner, the following upper frequencies can
be select in Hz:
22050 11024 7350 5512 4410
3674 3150 2756 2450 2204
IMPORTANT! No protection against sampling mistake. If the actual frequency is
higher then the selected upper limit frequency, the measured data will be wrong
without warning, because the sampling error. To avoid this problem, always start
the analysis by 22050Hz setting as upper frequency, then select an optimal upper
frequency.

The error of the frequency measurement

The random error of the frequency determination is lower than the upper frequency
limit divided by 1000. The systematic error depends on the quality of the applied
sound card, described

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Figure 2.: The FFT software window with LD determination function. Helper line
function is off.

Tuning function
In the main data and also in the cursor data frame a tuning bar supports the
instrument tuning. A black bar shows the measured frequency shift relative to the
clear tone - shown above the bar. This is a simple graphic support. The normal A
tone frequency is 442 Hz. Changing this value is possible in the ini file.

Helper Line
Helper line is support xylophone tone bar tuning. Please select the basic tone by
moving the mouse pointer in the spectra frame. Below the helper line text, the
actual tone and its frequency show up. If the mouse points the desired basic tone,
please click „F1” and the helper lines appears in the spectra frame. The lowest
indicate the basic tone position in the spectra, the middle one is the first over tone
-two octaves above, frequency is 4 times higher than the basic tone- and the third

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one frequency is 9,514 times higher than the selected basic tone. If you need other
overtone structure, please send us a request. Address is given at the end of this
manual. If the frequency of the helper lines are higher than the frequency limit of
the FFT analyzer, line is shown at the most right position of the spectra frame.
Press “F1” again for switching of the helper lines. The off function will be active
only at the next measurement.

Hold function
If you want to save the actual image, please click „Hold’ button. Until the next click
on “Hold” button, the microphone is in hold status. The hold function can be switch
on /off by using “Alt”+ H buttons together as well.

Printing
Print function is not available. You van save the FFT window image by the
following steps:
- press “Alt + Print Screen” when the FFT window is active (top bar is blue)
- Click Start then select Run
- Type: mspaint and click OK
- press “Ctrl” +C to paste the image
- save the image in the desired file format. (TIF is our recommendation)

Application ideas:
- MOE determination of prismatic bares
- Shear modulus determination of prismatic bars
- Tuning of instrument
- Xylophone tone bare tuning
- Acoustic experiments

Support
If you have any question please send an e-mail to office@fakopp.com, or contact us
via phone or fax:
Tel: (99) 510996
Tel/fax: (99) 33 00 99

www.fakopp.com