Manual FlowLink 5.1
Manual FlowLink 5.1
Flowlink 5.1
Software Instruction Manual
Table of Contents
Welcome
About Teledyne Isco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Contacting Teledyne Isco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About Flowlink... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Compatible Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Flowlink Comparison Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting Started
Getting Started - The Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Getting Started - Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Convert existing site data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connect to an Isco Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Getting Started - Connecting to Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connecting - 2100/4100/4200/6700/4300 Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting - Pulse Doppler Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting - Signature Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Getting Started - Instrument Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Getting Started - Site Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Site Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Getting Started - Graphing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Graphing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Getting Started - Editing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Editing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Menu Commands
File Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
File>Quick Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Quick Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pulse Doppler Quick Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connection Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
File>RTD Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
File>Import Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
iii
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
iv
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
v
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
Window>Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Help Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Help>View Readme File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
vi
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
Rate of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Time Table Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Rain Event (2105) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Network Resolution - 2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
vii
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
Graph Window
Layout - Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Layout - Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Layout - Scatter Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
More topics: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Creating a Graph or Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Quick Graph a data set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Quick Graph a site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
New Graph or Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
DEFAULT Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Open All Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Graph - Navigating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
With the Mouse - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
From the keyboard - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Graph - Modifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Graph Properties - General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Graph Properties - Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Graph Properties - Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Additional Series Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Signature Series Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Graph Properties - Defining a Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Appearance settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Miscellaneous check boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
viii
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
Editor Window
Editor - Viewing and Selecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Editor - Specific Date/Time... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Editor - Making Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Other Adjustment Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Editor - Constant Value Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Editor - Fixed Offset Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Editor - Proportional Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Editor - Time Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Editor - Multiply by Constant Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Editor - Auto Correct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Editor - Restore to Original . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Editor - Undo All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Editor - Scatter Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
No Data Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Schedules
ix
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Table of Contents
How Do I... ?
Create a site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Make a direct connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Direct connections - 4100/4200/6700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Instrument connection diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Direct connections - 2100 and Field Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Instrument Connection Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Direct Connections - Pulse Doppler Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Instrument Connection Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Move an instrument to a new site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Import data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Edit data sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Other Adjustment Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Create a Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Use a Flowlink graph in another application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Export Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Run Flowlink from a command line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Manage the database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Sorting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Defragment the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Backup the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Archive the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Automate Flowlink tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
x
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
1
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
Isco, Inc., was founded in 1958, and since its inception has been
headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Through our focus on
designing and building products to meet specialized customer
needs, the company grew from founder Dr. Robert Allington’s
garage into its current 200,000 square foot plant.
In June of 2004, Isco was acquired by Teledyne Technologies.
(www.teledyne.com), becoming Teledyne Isco and beginning a
new chapter in the company’s story.
Today, Teledyne Isco manufactures a wide range of products for
professionals working in water pollution monitoring and
abatement, chemical compound and drug discovery, chemical
reaction engineering, and geochemical engineering studies of oil
and gas reservoirs.
We have always taken pride in the fact that the products we
produce are used by our customers to improve the quality of life
on Earth. Benefits realized from the use of Teledyne Isco
products range from maintaining a clean environment, to
developing disease-curing drugs and finding new energy sources.
2
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
3
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
4
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
Data Editing
Graphical and Tabular views during X X
edit mode (page 137)
Database Management
Use an Access (.MDB) database (page 27) X X X
Miscellaneous
Automation of Flowlink tasks X X
using Schedules (page 149)
5
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Welcome
6
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
Getting Started - The The powerful database gives Flowlink the strength and
Database flexibility needed to manage your flow monitoring program. The
Flowlink database is graphically depicted in the workspace.
7
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
Getting Started - To create a new database, select Database > New. The default
Data location for a database is in your computer’s local directory.
Name your database and click OK.
Note: If you have just installed Flowlink, your database will be
empty. You will not be able to open any folders in the workspace
until the database contains some records. There are many ways
to add data, but in this tutorial, we will discuss just two of them.
Convert existing site If you have upgraded from Flowlink 3, 4, or 5.0, you most likely
data have many site files containing instrument settings and data
from interrogations. If you need to convert data created in
Flowlink 3 for use with Flowlink 5.1, contact Teledyne Isco for
assistance.
Updating a Flowlink 4 or 5.0 Database
If you need to convert data created in Flowlink 4 or 5.0 for use
with Flowlink 5.1, open the Database Converter, a separate
application included with your Flowlink 5.1 installation. (From
the Windows Start button, choose Programs>Flowlink
5.1>Database Converter.) For Flowlink 5.1, the Database
Converter will convert .MDB and .SDB databases and archived
.ZIP files; for Flowlink Pro, the Database Converter will
convert the file types mentioned above, as well as central server
databases (Microsoft SQL or Oracle). The Database Converter
will also convert .zip files (leaving them in zipped format) and
data transfer files (.sdb). Open the application and click
Select DB.... In the Open Database window, browse to the
database to be converted. From this window, you can also access
detailed steps by clicking Help and then clicking on a topic in the
left column.
Updating a Flowlink 5.1 Database
If you are attempting to open a Flowlink 5.1 database and
receive a message that the database detected is a previous
version, you can quickly convert it by clicking “Update Now.”
Note:
Although any Flowlink 5.1 user can perform this procedure, it is
only necessary for 4300/4330 flow meter users. If you are not
using a 4300/4330 system, you can also select “Don’t ask me
again.”
Connect to an Isco Connecting to an instrument will add the site information and
Instrument instrument settings to the database. While connected, Flowlink
can retrieve data from the instrument and save it in the
database.
Getting Started - To connect to an Isco instrument (see pages 3-4 for a list of
Connecting to compatible instruments), you must first determine the method
you will be using. Flowlink calls the serial or USB port
Instruments connection a direct connection. Select a direct connection when
8
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
9
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
Connecting - You can connect with the Connect window, or if you have
Signature connected with this site before, highlight the Signature site file
Instruments in the workspace (left column in Flowlink) and select
Item > Connect.
Getting Started - If you connected to and retrieved data from an Isco instrument,
Instrument Data your workspace should look similar to the one below.
10
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
As you can see, the database now holds the site and instrument
information, as well as downloaded readings such as Level,
Rainfall, etc., contained in Data Sets.
At this point, you may want to take a look at a few features.
Three items are introduced in this Getting Started tutorial.
• The Site Window
• Graphing Data
• Editing Data
A site file may be moved up or down to appear higher or lower in
the list by clicking and dragging it to the desired position. You
can quickly locate a single site in a large list by pressing
Control+F to open a search window. This function will always
take you to the first occurrence of the word you enter, and
continue on to the next and so on.
You can find general instructions on typical Flowlink tasks in the
“How do I…” section of Flowlink Help.
The Site Window (see pages 49, 77, and 113) lists the site name
and the instrument model number, and a series of tabs where
more specific instrument settings can be found.
Click on any tab in the site window to access the instrument
settings. If you are familiar with programming the instrument,
the settings on the tabs will be easy to recognize.
To make changes to an instrument’s settings, you must first be
connected. Then, modify the settings and click the Apply button
at the bottom of the Site Window. Flowlink will update the
database and send the new settings to the instrument.
Getting Started -
Graphing Data
Graphing Data To graph the readings in the data set, do the following.
1. Using the mouse, click once on a data set to highlight it.
11
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Getting Started
Getting Started -
Editing Data
Editing Data To view or edit the readings in the data set, you must open the
editor.
1. Using the mouse, click once on a data set to highlight it.
12
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
File Commands
File>Open File>Open displays a window where you can select the type of file
to be opened. These options include:
• Site
• Graph/Table
• Scheduled Time
• Schedule Task.
To open an item:
File>Close File>Close from the Flowlink menu closes the active window.
File>Save File>Save from the Flowlink menu or the Save button on the
toolbar saves the data in the active window.
File>Save As Select File>Save As from the Flowlink menu to save the data
under a different name.
13
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
File>Quick Connect File>Quick Connect from the Flowlink menu or the button
on the toolbar opens the Quick Connect window. The Quick
Connect window is where you specify the type of connection and
the settings to use for communicating with the Isco instrument.
When using the Direct, Modem, and TCP connections, Flowlink
will locate the correct site in the database for you. If the site is
not in the database, a new one will be created. When using the
Wireless connection, you must identify the site before Flowlink
can continue.
Quick Connect This window specifies the type of connection and the settings to
use for communicating with an instrument. It can be opened by
selecting File>Quick Connect from the menu, pressing F11 on
your keyboard, or clicking on the Quick Connect toolbar button.
When using the Direct, Modem, and TCP connections, Flowlink
will locate the correct site in the database for you. If the site is
not in the database, a new one will be created. When using the
Wireless connection, you must identify the site before Flowlink
can continue.
Note: If you select a Pulse Doppler instrument, you will select
the instrument type from the Pulse Doppler Connect window.
To connect to a site:
1. Review, and update if necessary, the connection settings.
2. Click on the large button that matches the type of
instrument at the site.
14
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
15
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Notes:
• You can control the default connection settings from
Utilities>Options menu command. After opening the
Options window, enter your default settings on the 4100/
4200/6700, 2100, Field Wizard, and Pulse Doppler tabs.
• You can quick connect by:
File>RTD Transfer File>RTD Transfer from the Flowlink menu or the button on
the toolbar retrieves data stored in an Isco 581 Rapid Transfer
Device (RTD).
This option starts the transfer of data from an RTD to the
Flowlink database. Once started, Flowlink opens the Connect
window and locates the first site stored in the RTD. Flowlink
then reads the instrument information and matches it to a site in
the database. If the site name is not found, a new site is created
in the workspace. If the site name is found, but the instrument
ID does not match, Flowlink will generate a new name for the
site and add it to the workspace.
Next, Flowlink retrieves the site data stored in the RTD. The
window displays a progress bar to monitor the activity. The data
retrieval will continue for each of the instrument’s partitions.
Flowlink repeats the site matching and data retrieval process for
each instrument stored in the RTD.
File>Import Data Flowlink provides import functions for your data. The import file
function allows you to load data from other sources such as non-
Isco instruments, or other information that exists in spreadsheet
form. Select File>Import to import data in several formats.
Flowlink can import files created with WinADFM (software
formerly used with Pulse Doppler instruments). These include
station files (*.stn), which contain site information, and their
corresponding data files (*.nnn where nnn is a number from 0-9).
Both file types must be imported before the data can be viewed.
Flowlink can also import 2100 data dump files (*.ddp) and data
files in comma-delimited format, also known as comma-
separated values (*.csv).
How to Import a Formatted CSV File:
1. From the Flowlink menu, select File>Import.
2. Type the path and file name, or browse for the file by
clicking the Select… button.
3. Click Import. Flowlink begins to import the file.
16
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
You can monitor the Status box that reports the current status
and a progress bar, and the Statistics box that reports the
number of data records, data types, and total records imported.
Flowlink is only able to import properly formatted CSV files. The
format must include a data definition header to instruct Flowlink
how to handle the information in the file. Data from non-Isco
instruments and data from spreadsheet applications must also
comply with this specific header format.
CSV imports: data The Data Definition Header is a format that is necessary for
definition header Flowlink’s Import and Export features.
The Header refers to the first rows in the .CSV file that classify
the data. Flowlink supports a five or six line header. The first
line, “Site Name” is optional and may be omitted.
If you have a Microsoft Excel or similar spreadsheet file to
convert, check to ensure that it is formatted with the header. The
example below shows the arrangement of data in this format.
Header Terms • Site Name - The site name stored within the
instrument.
• Isco Quantity - The quantity of measurements such as
flow, level, temperature, etc.
• Label - Sub-names such as test or specific titles you
want for your data.
• Units - The unit of measure for each measurement.
• Resolution - The number of digits right of the decimal
point as an indication of the number to be rounded. In
the above example, level will always be displayed with 3
digits after the decimal point.
• Significant Digits - The total number of digits to be
displayed. In the example above, level will be displayed
with as many as five significant digits.
Once in the proper format, the spreadsheet file should be saved
(or exported) as a comma-separated-values (.CSV) file, also
17
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
File>Import Graphs Flowlink can add graphs and tables to the database. This option
and Tables allows you to share graph and table templates.
To import graphs and tables:
1. Select File>Import from the Flowlink menu. Flowlink
opens a window to select which files to import.
2. From Files of type, select *.IGD.
3. Select the file(s) to import and click Open. Flowlink adds
the graph and table files to the workspace where they are
ready to be used as a global (shared via server) or local
template.
18
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Graph and Table You can create and save your own graph and table templates, or
Templates use a template from Flowlink. Flowlink includes ready-made
stock templates you can import into your database. The default
location for these templates is in your local
Programs\Flowlink 5.1 directory. In this directory, locate the
Templates folder, where you will find subfolders for Graphs and
Tables. These folders are further divided into Daily, Weekly, or
Monthly templates for Single or Multiple Data Types, and for
either raw data or averages for single-data type table templates.
File>Export Graphs When a graph, table, or scatter plot is active on the Flowlink
and Tables desktop, selecting File>Export will export the series data shown
on the graph, table, or plot. Several export formats are available:
• CSV (“Comma Separated Values”, also known as comma-
delimited), without summary.
Flowlink exports CSV files with a Data Definition
Header.
• CSV, with summary. For tables, the summary
information appears in the last line of the file.
• PDF (Portable Document Format), for sharing and
viewing data using Adobe Acrobat family of products,
including the free Adobe Reader.
• HTML (HyperText Markup Language), for sharing and
viewing data using an Internet browser.
• IGD (Isco Graph Document), for sharing of graph and
table templates.
Notes:
• If transferring a graph exported as HTML to a new
location, be sure to transfer two files: the HTML file and
the referenced image file. Because of this requirement,
PDF is often more suitable, especially when sending the
exported file as an E-mail attachment.
• Exports can be automated using schedules (see page
149).
• If a CSV file with summary is imported into Flowlink,
the summary data is not imported.
19
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
File>Print Preview File>Print Preview from the Flowlink menu or the button on
the toolbar lets you see how your graph or table will look when
printed. You can zoom in/zoom out, browse through multiple
pages, or close the preview. To print from the print preview
screen, click the Print button.
File>Print Setup File>Print Setup from the Flowlink menu opens a dialogue box
where you specify printer settings for your installed printer. To
modify printer settings, refer to your Windows and printer
documentation.
Item Commands Options on the Item menu are the same as those available when
you right-click on an item in the workspace. The options are
variable and will change according to the item that is active.
Typically, the options include several of the choices below:
• New: Creates a new Graph/Table, Schedule, or
Scheduled Task according to which item or folder is
highlighted in the workspace.
• Open: Opens the highlighted item. It will appear on the
Flowlink desktop.
• Copy: Copies the highlighted graph or table.
• Connect: Starts communications with the highlighted
site.
• Rename: Allows you to rename the item highlighted in
the workspace.
• Delete: Deletes the item highlighted in the workspace.
Note: Delete permanently removes the information from
your database. Deleting a folder removes the contents of
the folder. Deleting a site also removes the data sets.
• Schedule: Opens the Schedule Task window so you can
automate a task.
• Quick Graph: When a site is highlighted, this graphs
the site data using a pre-defined graph template. When a
data set is highlighted, this graphs the selected data
using the default graph properties (Utilities>Options
from the menu, then select the graph defaults tab).
• Quick Graph with DEFAULT: This graphs the site
data using the DEFAULT graph/table template located in
the Graphs and Tables folder of the workspace.
20
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Notes:
Double-clicking on an item in the workspace performs the same
operation as the first item in its right-click menu.
“Special” menu options are simply placeholders for menu
commands that are not active for the highlighted item.
About Local and Flowlink Pro manages graphs (including scatter plots and tables)
Global Graph locally and globally. Local graphs are saved on the Flowlink Pro
user’s computer and therefore are only visible to that user.
Folders
If you have made a graph that should be available to all Flowlink
Pro users, you can save it in the Global folder using the
Item>Save to Global Folder menu command. This saves the
graph properties (not the data) on the Flowlink Server. When
other users open the graph from the Global folder, Flowlink Pro
reads the graph properties and reproduces it as a local graph on
the user’s computer.
It is important to remember that all graphs are opened, viewed,
and modified locally. Opening a Global graph, making changes,
and then saving it (File>Save) will create a like-named graph in
the local folder; however it is no longer the same as the Global
graph. To update the Global graph, use the Item>Save to Global
Folder menu command and overwrite the Global graph.
Item>Quick Graph When a site or data set is highlighted in the workspace, clicking
the Quick Graph button (or Item>Quick Graph from the menu)
opens the data in a new graph.
21
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Item>Quick Graph This graphs the site data using the DEFAULT graph/table
with DEFAULT template you specify in the Graphs and Tables folder of the
workspace.
To save a graph as the DEFAULT template, first highlight the
graph in the workspace. Then select Item>Copy to DEFAULT. To
change the properties of the DEFAULT template, right click on
the graph after it is displayed, and select Properties (see page
119).
DEFAULT graphs can be generated by first highlighting a site in
the workspace. Then, right click and select the Quick Graph with
DEFAULT option.
DEFAULT graphs may also be generated while a site Window is
open. To do so, click the DEFAULT button at the bottom of the
site window, or press the F3 keyboard button. A common use of
this feature is to quickly graph the site data before disconnecting
from a site so you can view the data at a glance to check site
conditions.
Item>Archive Site This menu option opens the Archive window (see page 29),
allowing you to archive the data from the site highlighted in the
workspace.
Item>Edit Data Set When a data set is highlighted in the workspace, clicking the
Edit Data Set button (or Item>Edit from the menu) opens the
Editor window (see page 137). Use the Editor to review or change
the readings.
Data Set Properties This window, opened by selecting Item>Properties from the
menu, displays information about the selected data set. The top
half of the window reveals the name, the first and last reading,
and the number of data points.
The Data type box displays how the information is stored in the
Flowlink database.
22
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Actions Commands The options available on the Actions menu will vary according to
what is active on the Flowlink desktop. The options allow you to
make selections from the keyboard instead of using the mouse.
23
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
the tabs. For example, to view the Data Storage tab of the Site
window press “Alt+A, S, 4,” or use the Ctrl+4 shortcut.
You can also scroll through the Site window tabs by pressing
Ctrl+Tab or Shift+Ctrl+Tab.
Actions>Unzoom You can zoom in or out of any part of your graph. To zoom in,
click and drag your cursor across the area of interest. To zoom
24
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Actions>Calculate The Calculate Data Sets option is useful when you need “hands-
Data Sets on” control of the summary intervals and statistical functions
(see page 122). Calculate Data Sets should be used when a
statistical function is applied to data and the results are needed
in a subsequent operation. When attempting to perform complex
analyses without this feature, you may find it is difficult to
control the order of execution or specify when recalculated data
or original data should be used.
To illustrate this need, consider a level data set with readings
taken at fifteen-minute intervals. If the data were to be displayed
25
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Database Commands
Overview: Data retrieved from a site is stored in a Microsoft database
(.MDB) that holds data from all sites. Any number of databases
may be located within the same directory.
Note: Flowlink Pro can also store site data in a Microsoft
database and in an enterprise database (Microsoft SQL
or Oracle).
Flowlink has several menu commands that allow you to manage
the database. Database commands include the following. Click on
your choice for information about them.
• New…
• Open…
• Close
• Defragment…
• Archive/Transfer…
• Restore From Archive…
• Backup…
• Restore From Backup…
26
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Open Database Use the Open Database dialog to open a database for use.
Flowlink 5.1 and The Database field lists the selected database. This field will also
Flowlink LE remember databases that you have previously opened. To select a
different database, view the drop-down list and select the desired
database. If the desired database is not listed click Browse to
locate and select the desired database.
Click the OK button to open the selected database.
In the event that a database in the drop-down list no longer
exists, remove it from the list by selecting it and clicking the
Delete button.
See Also: About Flowlink 3 Databases and About Flowlink 4 and
5 Databases
Flowlink Pro Flowlink Pro can connect to an .MDB or .SDB database in the
same manner described for Flowlink 5.1 and Flowlink LE.
Flowlink Pro can also connect to a a central server database
(MS SQL or Oracle).
To connect to a central server database:
1. Connection to server database requires a .CFG
(configure) file from the Server Database Administrator.
Save this file from the administrator in a location easily
accessed by the Windows PC running Flowlink Pro.
27
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
2. Click the Configure List button and locate the .CFG file.
Click the open button to select the .CFG file.
3. The names of the available databases are now visible in
the Database field. Use the drop-down list to select the
desired database.
4. Enter the User Name and Password provided by the
Flowlink Pro Administrator.
5. Click OK to connect to the central server database.
About Flowlink 3 Data created in Flowlink version 3 must first be converted for
Databases use in version 5.1. Contact Teledyne Isco for assistance.
28
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Database>Archive/ Allows you to copy or move data and/or site information from the
Transfer open database and to put it into another location. Selecting
Archive/Transfer from the menu opens the Archive window.
The Archive/Transfer function allows you to selectively extract
information from the open database by site name and by date
ranges.
Related Topics:
Use the Database>Backup command when you want to create a
copy of the full database in a compressed format.
Use the Database>Restore command when you want to restore
data in the current database from another database or archive
file
29
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Archive: Pulsed When you check the box in the Archive window next to Export
Doppler Ensemble Ensemble Data, the data can only be archived, not transfered,
Data meaning the original data is preserved in the database.
1. Define the data to be archived.
2. Select the Site(s) to archive.
a. Check the box next to Selected Site(s). This makes the
Select Site(s) button active.
b. Click the Select Site(s) button to open the Select Site(s)
window.
c. Check the box next to each site you want available to
archive, or check the box next to Select All.
d. Click OK. The sites you selected now appear in the
window.
e. Highlight the site to archive for each destination. Only
one site may be archived at a time.
30
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Database>Restore Use this command to restore data in the current database from
From Archive another database or archive file.
Use the Database>Restore from archive… menu option to restore
data in the current database from another database or archive
file.
To restore the database:
1. Select the data to restore. You can choose from All data or
All data in a date range.
2. Identify the source of data. Type in the path and name of
the .ZIP or .MDB file or locate it by pressing the Select…
button. The destination will always be the open database.
3. Generally you won’t want to alter the sites and the
instrument settings. Leaving the Restore site
information check box blank will retain the existing
settings. To overwrite the settings using the source
information, check this box.
4. Click Restore.
Related Topic:
The Database Archive/Transfer command may be used when
only part of the database (a site or date range) needs to be saved.
31
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
View Commands The View options on the Flowlink menu allow you to display or
hide toolbars and windows. Options include the following:
• Main Toolbar
• Graph Toolbar
• Pulsed Doppler Toolbar
• Edit Toolbar
• Status Bar
• AutoHide Workspace
• Comm Statistics (Communication Statistics)
• 2100 Comm Statistics (2100 Communication Statistics)
• 2100 Prompts
• View Type>Recent Measurement Screen
32
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
View>Graph Toolbar The graph toolbar, opened by selecting View>Graph Toolbar, lets
you navigate through the data while editing a data set or
creating a graph or table.
• Beginning of data: Jumps to the first reading in the
data set.
• Previous time span: Jumps to the previous timespan.
(Graph/Table timespans are defined on the Properties/
Time Scale tab. The Editor timespans are set on the
Actions>Go To> Specific Date window.
• Jog Left: Shifts the view to the left 25%.
• Jog Right: Shifts the view to the right 25%.
• Next time span: Jumps to the next time span.
• End of data: Takes you to the last data entry for the
graph you are working on.
• Go to Home Date/Time: A home date/time is a
bookmark. Clicking on this option jumps to the bookmark
set with the Set Home Date/Time button.
• Set Home Date/Time: Sets the current view as the
Home Date/Time.
• Go To Specific Date/Time: Click on this option to go
directly to a specific date or time.
• Table/Graph: Toggles the view between graph and table
views.
• Edit/View: Toggles the view between graph view and
data edit modes.
• Scatter: Toggles the graph display between the normal
view and a scatter plot. Scatter plots require two series of
data.
• Maximize: Displays the graph at the full size of your
monitor. To return the graph to its original position,
press the Esc (Escape) button or click on the title bar.
• Unzoom: You can zoom in or out of any part of your
graph. To zoom in, click on the graph and drag your
cursor to zoom in. You can zoom in horizontally or
vertically. Right-click on the graph and select a zoom
option from the pop-up menu. To zoom out (unzoom) click
on the unzoom button on the graph toolbar.
• Magnify: Decreases the time scale in fixed steps. The
steps are 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days,
1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 1 quarter, and 1 year.
• Unmagnify: Increases the time scale in fixed steps. See
“Magnify” for the fixed steps.
• Refresh: Replots the graph if changes have been made to
the data.
The Graph Toolbar display is enabled when the View>Graph
Toolbar on the menu is checked. Flowlink will then display the
33
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
View>Edit Toolbar The edit toolbar becomes active when you view measured data in
the Editor window.
• Cut, Copy, Paste, Insert Before, Insert After: Use
these commands while you are editing a data set.
• Undo All Editing: Undoes all editing to the site data.
The readings revert to the last saved version.
View>Status Bar The status bar is shown at the bottom of Flowlink’s main window.
It displays messages about the current activity, or while it is idle
“For Help, Press F1.” The Status bar also lists the name and path
of the current database.
Flowlink displays the status bar when View>Status Bar on the
menu is checked.
34
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
View>2100 Prompts Selecting View>2100 Prompts from the Flowlink menu opens the
2100 Prompt History window. This option is only active when
Flowlink is communicating with a 2100 module.
Graphs Command The Graphs menu options will vary according to the type of
graph currently open. Flow Profile options are available when a
Pulse Doppler graph is active on the desktop.
35
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
36
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
poor quality data. Higher correlation values (e.g., above 150) may
indicate external interference or the presence of an acoustic
barrier (such as the surface).
Utilities Command For the Utilities menu options to be active, you must first have a
database open. The Utilities menu contains the following choices:
• Options: Displays the options window that contains the
default settings for Flowlink operations.
• Flow Conversions: A complete listing of flow conversion
methods stored in the database.
• Merge Sites: Allows you to merge site data.
• View Log File: Displays the iscolog.txt file, a record of
scheduled events as they occur.
• License: Opens the Flowlink License Activation wizard.
Use this wizard when you need to renew or upgrade your
Flowlink license.
• Server Options: Opens the Server Options window to
manage Flowlink Pro users and server alarms.
Default Connection Connection type options include Direct, Modem, Wireless, and
Type TCP.
• Select the Direct option when connecting to Isco
instruments through an interrogator cable,
communications cable, or a short haul modem attached
to your computer’s serial port.
• Select the Modem option to connect to instruments
through a telephone modem.
• Select the Wireless option when using the 2102 Wireless
Communication Module.
• Select TCP for remote serial communication via static IP
or public domain address with a 2100 CDMA modem-
37
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Default to … check Check this box on the instrument tab to direct Flowlink
box to use the communication protocol that is compatible for
the device type to which you are primarily connecting.
For example, if you are primarily connecting to Isco’s
2100 devices, check the “Default to 2100” box on the 2100
tab.
Direct/Wireless • Select the default Com port from the pull-down menu.
Connect Refer to your computer’s documentation for more
information on Com ports.
• Select the default Baud rate from the pull-down menu.
The highest baud rate setting will allow the fastest
connections and data retrieval.
Modem Connect Select the modem from the pull-down list. All modems
recognized by your Windows operating system will be
listed here.
The modem you specify here will be the Default modem
selectable from the drop down list on the Devices tab in
the Site window.
Signature Series For the Signature flow meter, Utilities>Options provides default
Event Table Defaults selections for the time used to display data in Event Viewer, and
the directory to which this data is exported.
38
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Default Units This tab, opened by selecting Utilities>Options from the menu,
Options holds the settings for the default display units of measure and
the default graph format properties.
• Highlighting a Quantity displays the available units of
measure for that quantity.
• The highlighted Unit is the current default unit of
measure. To change the default, simply highlight the
desired unit of measure.
• The Format section on this tab shows the default graph
properties for the highlighted quantity. To change the
default properties, use the pull-down lists to specify the
appearance of the Quantity when it is displayed in a
graph.
• Click OK to save the Default Units.
You can also specify the units of measure when connected to an
instrument or in the graph/table properties. The formatting can
also be changed in the graph properties. These changes apply
only to the current site or graph and do not change the default
settings on this tab.
Graph Default The Utilities>Options Graph Defaults tab is used to set graph
Options defaults. New and Quick graphs will use the settings to open the
Graph window. Once the graph is open, you can customize the
appearance with the Properties.
• Colors: Select default colors from the pull-down menus
for the various graph elements.
• Grid Lines: Click on your choice of none, horizontal,
vertical or both.
• Grid in front of data/Display shadow: Select the check
boxes to enable these options.
• Change ‘Average’ label for volume: Select this check box
to report a total volume, deselect this box to report an
average volume.
• Date and Time Range: Select today, this week, this
month, yesterday, last week, last month, or absolute Date
and time.
• Graph Font Size: Click on small, medium or large.
• Change Table Font: Opens the Change Font dialog box,
where you can select a specific font, font style, and font
size that will be used when displaying a table.
39
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Miscellaneous The Misc tab (Utilities>Options) contains settings for the Editor,
Options Log File size, and the Database maintenance frequency.
Editor default timespan - This is the timespan displayed when
editing a data set using the Item>Edit menu command (see page
22). Both the graph and the table of readings use the default
settings from this tab. To set the timespan:
1. Enter a value in the number-entry box.
2. Select a time unit from the pull-down list. The two fields
will then read the new timespan.
3. Click OK at the bottom window.
Table Max No. of Rows - This sets the maximum number of
rows that will appear in the editor window. The default is 1440,
which is a day of readings at one-minute intervals. Up to 16,000
readings can be displayed in the table. However a large number
of displayed readings may affect your computer’s performance.
Database maintenance - You can instruct Flowlink to perform
database maintenance at regular intervals. The maintenance
will help keep the structure of the database intact, and
defragment the database to keep the file size as small as
possible. If you perform database maintenance, Flowlink can also
prevent the log file (Iscolog.txt) from growing too large.
• Perform every ____ days. Enter a value between 1 and
1000. Entering a “0” will disable the database
maintenance.
• Truncate log file at ____ bytes. Enter a value between
10000 and 60000. Flowlink will delete the oldest entries
in the log file as the maintenance is performed.
Diagnostics - Advanced Flowlink diagnostic displays can be
enabled by checking the “Enable various diagnostic features”
check box. When checked, Flowlink will ask for a Diagnostic
Password, which you must obtain from Teledyne Isco.
40
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Flow Conversion This window lists the flow rate conversion methods used by the
List instruments in the database.
Additional flow conversion methods may be added for:
• use as a “template” to quickly set up an instrument
• off-line flow conversion. Off-line flow conversions can
offer many advantages:
• Use less instrument memory - If the instrument
does not store flow rate data, more partition space is
available for other reading types.
• Shorter data retrieval times - If the instrument
does not store flow rate readings, data retrieval is
typically quicker.
• Better flow rate resolution - An instrument’s flow
rate conversion is limited by its internal flow
conversion table and the number of significant digits
held. Off-line flow conversions have no such limits.
Each line in the window shows the name, type, and whether the
flow conversion is in use by an existing instrument. These are
added to the flow conversion list as you connect to new
instruments.
From this window you may:
• Add a flow conversion
• Edit a flow conversion
• Delete a flow conversion.
To delete a flow 1. Highlight the flow conversion to delete. You may not
conversion: delete a flow conversion used by an existing instrument.
2. Press the Delete button. The flow conversion is then
removed from the flow conversion list.
Flow Conversion This window adds or modifies a flow conversion that appears in
Edit the Flow Conversion List.
To edit or create a new flow conversion:
1. Select a flow conversion type and define its attributes.
• Weir - Select the Type and Size or Crest length from
the pull-down lists.
• Flume - Select the Type and Size from the pull-down
lists.
• Flow Metering Insert - Select the type and size of
flow insert from the pull-down lists.
• Manning Formula - Select the Channel type from
the pull-down list. Then enter the Slope, Roughness,
and channel dimensions.
• Area Velocity - Select a channel type from the pull-
down list, enter the channel dimensions, and enter
the silt level.
41
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Utilities>Merge Sites The Utilities>Merge Sites menu command opens the Merge Sites
window, a utility that can merge the data from two sites into a
single site.
Merge Sites This utility merges data sets from two sites. Merging the data
sets will copy the information from the source site to the
destination site.
This can be accomplished either by holding down the Shift key
and dragging one site on top of the other, or by opening the
Merge Site Data window by selecting Utilities>Merge Sites…
from the Flowlink menu.
To use the Merge Site Data Window:
1. Specify the source site. Type the full name of the site or
click on the Select… button to locate and select the site.
2. Specify the destination site. Type the full name of the site
or click on the Select… button to locate and select the
site.
3. If you wish to delete the source data after the merge,
check the “Delete data from source after transfer.”
Note: This option is not available when using the
Shift + drag merge method.
4. Click the Merge button.
5. Flowlink then opens a Merge In Progress window where
you can monitor the merge activity.
Notes:
Use the merge feature with caution. Flowlink will merge all of
the data sets from the source to the destination. This action is
not reversible.
If the source and destination data set properties match (see page
22), Flowlink writes the data from the source’s site data set to
the destination’s site data set. Be aware that if reading times
overlap in the source and destination data sets, the source
readings, from the beginning of data to the end, will overwrite
42
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
any readings of the same time period in the destination site’s data
set.
If the data set properties do not match, a new data set will be
added at the bottom of the destination site.
Utilities>View Log Selecting the Utilities>View Log File menu command displays a
File log of recorded events. In Flowlink 5.1, this command displays
the Iscolog.txt file.
When Flowlink performs a scheduled operation, the date, time,
task name, and result are recorded in the Log File.
Flowlink Pro can display the same Iscolog.txt file when using an
.MDB database. When using a server database, Flowlink Pro will
display the Server Logs. Server Logs report database changes
and failed transactions.
Viewing the Log - This window displays the ISCOLOG.TXT file - a record of events
.MDB Database for an .MBD database.
When Flowlink performs a scheduled operation, the date, time,
task name, and result is recorded in the Log File.
Reviewing the contents of the Log File will assist you in resolving
problems with scheduled operations. Unsuccessful operations
include the word “Errors” at the end of the string. This line is
followed by a brief description of the error. The Log file identifies
successful operations with “Success” at the end of the text string.
To open the ISCOLOG.TXT file, select Utilities>View Log from
the menu.
Viewing the Server This window displays the Server Logs - a record of events for a
Log - Flowlink Pro server database. Most database changes and failed transactions
Database are recorded in the Server Logs.
To open the Server Logs, select Utilities>View Log from the
menu.
Reviewing the contents of the Log File will assist you in resolving
problems with Alarm, Schedule, Database, and Device
Connection operations. Unsuccessful operations include the word
“Errors” at the end of the string.
Entries in the Server Logs can be removed. To do so, highlight
the entry and click the Delete button.
Click the Close button to close the window. After closing the
window you will have the opportunity to save the Server Logs as
a text file. If you click Yes you will be able to choose a location
and name the file.
43
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
The wizard will guide you through the steps to receive a license
key that unlocks the software according to the version of
Flowlink that was purchased.
A valid serial number is required to license Flowlink.
Utilities>Server This menu command opens the Server Options window from
Options which a Flowlink Pro Administrator can manage accounts. The
Server Options window includes settings for user management
and server alarms.
Flowlink Pro Managers and Field Crew members may use the
Server options to change their user password.
Server Alarms The Server Alarms tab of the Server Options window is used to
set up alarm notification if the Flowlink Server fails to receive
pushed data from a site within a user-specified duration, or when
a user-defined alarm condition is met. These server alarms are
delivered as E-mail or SMS text messages.
You may specify one to ten alarm notification groups. To specify
an alarm notification group:
1. In the Alarm Notification Groups box, select a number
between 1 and 10 from the pull down list.
2. Enter a contact name, Email address, and Email address
for SMS text messaging.
3. Click Add. The contact information appears in the
window below, and the fields are cleared for your next
entry.
Continue adding contacts in this manner until you have
completed the contact list for this group number.
4. To set up another group, simply select another number
from the pull down list and repeat steps 2 and 3 as
before.
To set up alarm notification:
1. In the Alarm Generation box, select the time duration for
“Alarm when a site has not reported in...”
Note that this alarm is generated only once.
2. Click the Select Site(s). In the dialogue that appears,
select the sites to be monitored.
Only sites with Alarm type SVR selected for the alarm in
the site window will send conditional alarms to the
server.
3. Select a number between 1 and 10 from the pull down list
for Alarm Notification Group.
Note: record this number for use in the 2100 Site
window’s Alarm Notification box.
4. Click Save and Flowlink creates the Alarm notification.
Note: Changes to the server alarms are reported in the Server
Logs.
44
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Site Selection Use the Select Sites window to choose sites. Click the check box
for each site you wish to select. To quickly select all sites, choose
the “Select All Sites” option.
Click OK to save your site selections.
User Management The User Management tab of the Server Options window is used
by a Flowlink Pro Administrator to set up and manage user
accounts.
To set up a user account:
1. Open the Flowlink Server database using an
administrator account.
2. Click the Add button to start a new user account.
3. Enter a user name. Special characters and spaces are not
allowed in this field. An underscore (_) may be used as a
space.
4. Enter a password for the user. Please note:
• You can enter a default password. The user will be
able to choose a new password after logging into the
database.
• If a user forgets their password, an Administrator
can enter a new password.
5. Enter the user’s initials. These two characters are used
in the Server Logs.
6. Enter the Name of the user. Spaces are allowed in this
field.
7. Choose a role for the user.
8. Enter an E-mail address for the user. This optional field
is used for server alarm notifications.
9. Enter an E-mail for SMS address. This optional field is
used for server alarm notifications. Cellular phone
services often support SMS text messages. Contact your
cellular telephone service provider for more information
on sending E-mail as an SMS text message.
10. The Flowlink Pro server database can display graphical
Flowlink data via the Internet. This web interface can
support multiple languages. Choose the preferred
language from the drop-down list.
11. Click the Save button to save the user data and create
the account.
Existing accounts can be modified by selecting the User Name
and modifying the data. Click the Save button to update the user
data in the database.
To delete a user account, select the User Name and click the
Delete button.
User Roles There are three types of User roles in Flowlink Pro:
• Administrator - an administrator has full rights and
can:
45
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
• Manages users
• View, append, and overwrite data
• Configure server alarms
• Archive and Transfer data
• Delete data after archive or transfer
• Modify device configurations
• Manager - a manager has limited rights that allow:
• View, append, and overwrite data
• Configure server alarms
• Archive and Transfer data
• Delete data after archive or transfer
• Modify device configurations
• Field Crew - a field crew member has rights limited to:
• View and append data
• Modify device configurations
• Archive and transfer data
Window Commands
Flowlink Main Select an area for a quick tour of Flowlink’s main window or click
Window the Help Topics button for Flowlink’s contents and index.
46
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
Window>Arrange The Window>Arrange Icons menu command places the icons for
Icons all minimized windows at the lower edge of the desktop.
Window>Close All The Window>Close All menu command closes all open and
minimized windows.
Window>Workspace If you are working within a graph or another function and want
to return to the workspace without using a mouse, you can select
Window>Workspace from the menu. The keyboard shortcut for
this action is Alt+0 (zero). The Workspace will then become the
active window on the Flowlink desktop. Use the View>Autohide
Workspace menu command to enable or disable the autohide
feature.
Help Commands The Help menu provides information, instructions, or tips about
various features and functions within Flowlink.
• Context Sensitive Help F1 - Selecting this menu option or
pressing the F1 keyboard button displays help for the
active item in Flowlink. For example, press F1 with the
graph window open and Flowlink displays help topics
that can assist you with graphs.
• Contents and Index - Selecting this menu option opens
Flowlink’s Help so you can navigate through the contents
for help topics of interest or search the index for
keywords.
• What’s This? Shift+F1 - Selecting this menu option
changes the cursor to the What’s This help cursor. In this
mode, clicking on any window menu or toolbar will
display help for the selected item.
• Getting Started - Selecting this menu option provides a
brief tutorial that introduces you to basic features in
Flowlink.
• View Readme File
• About Teledyne Isco (see page 2)
• About Flowlink... (see page 2)
Help>View Readme Selecting this menu item opens the Flowlink Readme file. This
File file contains the latest release information for this version of
Flowlink.
47
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Menu Commands
48
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
The Site window contains information that identifies the site and
all of the tabs necessary to set up the operation of the 2100 series
modules.
The top of the Site Window continuously shows three items:
• Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. Enter or modify the site name from the Site
Info tab.
• Jump to measurement tab>> button - a short cut used
to view any measurement properties tab.
• Instrument Time and Connection Status - displays
the instrument time, which is refreshed every 15 seconds,
and the current status of the communications link to the
instrument.
The tabs in the Site Window allow you to view and change many
settings that control the operation of the instrument. The
number of active tabs will depend on the type of instrument and
its data storage capabilities. Tabs that appear in the Site
Window are:
• Site Info (page 50)
• Devices (page 50)
• Measurements (page 52)
• Data (page 52)
• Measurement Properties (page 56)
• Sondes (2105), page 64
• TIENet
(2160 Laser Module only), page 65
• Alarms (modem modules only), page 66
• Analog Output Channels (2108 only), page 67
• Power Control
(2102, modem modules only), page 68
• Pulse Doppler Support (page 68)
• Modbus Input (page 68)
• Modem Setup (page 68)
The Measurement Properties tab is variable, meaning its label
and content will change according to which module and
measurement you have selected. Use this tab to view or change
the settings of the measurement type.
The buttons at the bottom of the Site Window are:
• Connect/Disconnect - Starts or stops communications
with the instrument.
49
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Site Info - 2100 The Site Info tab of the 2100 Site window allows you to view and
change the site’s name, location, date/time, GPS information, and
other site-specific information.
Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. To change the site name, type in the new name and
click the Apply button. Site names can be up to 37 characters
long. Any character may be used in the site name except the
following: \ / : * & ? " < > |
Date/Time Box - displays the instrument’s and your computer’s
time. These two times can be synchronized by pressing the
“Synchronize Instrument’s Time To Computer’s” button. Use the
Synchronize button with caution. Changing the time may affect
the readings stored in the instrument’s memory partitions.
Changing the time may cause readings to be overwritten, or
“gaps” in readings may occur. It is recommended that you
retrieve data from the instrument before synchronizing
the time and date.
GPS Information Box - Enter the Altitude, Latitude, and
Longitude of the site location for system mapping and other
geographical locating purposes.
Devices - 2100 The Devices tab of the Site window displays the modules at the
site.
The box lists all of the attached modules at the site. Each module
will report a:
• Module Name - Identifies the module at the site.
• Model Name - The type of module.
• Model Number - Isco model number.
• Software Version - Level of software installed.
• Hardware Version - Level of hardware.
You can name the individual modules with more meaningful
labels. To do so, highlight the module and click the Change
Module Name… button. Module names can be up to 37
characters long. Any character may be used except the following:
\/:*&?"<>|
50
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
51
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Measurements - When connected, Flowlink continually polls the site for “real-
2100 time” readings. This tab of the Site window displays the real-
time readings. The number of modules and active sensors at the
site will determine which readings are displayed.
The Measurements tab displays the input voltage for the system.
This information will aid you in determining when battery
powered instruments require service.
To view the real-time readings highlight the module(s) and
Flowlink displays the data on the Measurements tab.
To view or set the properties of a specific reading type, click on
the data label. Flowlink will then display the Measurement
Properties tab.
When Flowlink is disconnected from the site, the last valid
measurement values are shown.
Data - 2100 View and manage data storage for 2100 series modules from the
Data tab of the Site window.
The top list box shows the Data Storage Name of each module.
Each module reports:
• Max Readings - The total number of readings that the
module can store.
• Utilization - Displays the amount of memory in use as a
percentage.
• Oldest Reading - The time stamp of the oldest reading
held in the module’s memory.
• Data Storage Fields - Reports how many of the
available storage fields are in use.
When you select (highlight) a Data Storage Name, Flowlink
shows detailed data storage information in the lower half of this
tab.
The bottom list box displays measurement-specific data storage
information for the module highlighted in the upper box. Each
measurement type that may be stored by the module is listed in
this box. Each measurement reports:
52
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Calculated Flow The Calculated Flow window allows you to instruct Flowlink to
automatically calculate a flow based on actual level or area-
velocity readings collected by the instrument. This window is
opened by clicking the Calculated Flow button on the Data tab of
the site window.
Use this window to add Calculated Flow data sets to the site.
53
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Data Storage Setup - Use this window to configure the data storage rates for the
2100 measurement.
Modules can store measurements at a Primary and Secondary
rate. Primary rates are fixed intervals at which the module will
store measurements. Secondary rates allow you to change the
data storage rate if the measurements meet your defined
conditions.
Secondary storage rates are advantageous when you wish to
examine measurement data in greater detail when a significant
event occurs. Until the event occurs, the module stores data at
the primary storage rate to conserve memory space and power.
When the event occurs, the module preempts the primary rate
and stores the data at the secondary rate. The secondary rate
continues until the condition is no longer met (with a hysteresis).
The examples below illustrate a few ways that secondary rates
can be used.
• Store data more frequently if the flow rate is greater
than or equal to 100 gpm.
• Don’t store data (primary rate OFF) until level is greater
than or equal to 1 ft.
• Store data less frequently if input voltage is less than 9
volts.
To configure data storage rates:
54
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Pushed Data Use this window to configure the 2103 Modem Module, or the
2105 or 2103 Cellular Modem Modules, to push data to a
Flowlink Pro database server.
Modems can send measurement data at a Primary and
Secondary rate. Primary rates are fixed intervals at which the
module will send all measurement data to the database server.
Secondary rates allow you to change the pushed data rate if the
measurements meet your defined conditions.
Secondary rates are advantageous when you wish to examine
measurement data in greater detail when a significant event
occurs. Until the event occurs, the module pushes all site data at
the primary rate to conserve power and modem usage. When the
event occurs, the module preempts the primary rate and pushes
data at the secondary rate. The secondary rate continues until
the condition is no longer met (with hysteresis). The examples
below illustrate two ways that secondary rates can be used.
• Push data more frequently if the flow rate is greater than
or equal to 100 gpm.
• Don’t push data (primary rate OFF) until level is greater
than or equal to 1 ft.
To configure pushed data:
1. Select a primary rate from the pull-down list. Note that
selecting “Off ” only disables the primary rate.
2. Select a secondary rate from the “Push data every” pull-
down list. Note that selecting “Off ” disables the
secondary rate.
3. Set an equation that defines “When” the data should be
pushed at the secondary rate. This equation defines the
condition or multiple conditions that must be present to
trigger the secondary rate.
Note: When using secondary rates, the selected
measurements are compared to the equation whenever
measurement is taken at the data storage rate, and at
55
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Pushing Data from The 2105 module can capture, log, and push data from 4200
4200 and 6700 Series flow meters and 6700 Series samplers. The 2105
Series Instruments interfaces with the instrument through a simulated Modbus
connection. 4200/6700 data parameters must be entered as
(2105 only) Modbus parameters.
For complete Modbus input information for 4200/6700
instruments, see your 2105 instruction manual.
Measurements - This tab of the Site window displays the settings for the selected
2100 measurement type. The module and its functions determine
which settings are available. This tab is variable, meaning its
label and content will change according to which Module and
measurement type you have selected.
From this tab you may:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the current reading.
• Modify the measurement settings and unit of measure (if
user-configurable).
• Setup Data Storage…
• Diagnostics… - Clicking this button downloads and
displays a text file from the module. This file reports the
performance of the module and connected devices. The
measurement type will determine which information is
included in this report. If you are not connected to the
module, it displays the last available diagnostic report.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If selected,
the Measurements tab does not display this reading.
If you have made any changes, click on the Apply button to
update the settings in the module.
See also:
Level, Velocity, Flow Rate, Total Flow, Rainfall, Sampler, Sonde,
and 360 Velocity tabs
56
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Note that the Measurements tab for the 2160 Laser Velocity
Module will specify either “360” for the TIENet 360 LaserFlow
Velocity Sensor, or “350” for the TIENet 350 Area Velocity Sensor.
Level - 2100 The Level tab of the Site window is used to view or change level
measurement settings. Access this tab by clicking on the “Level”
label on the Measurements tab.
Modules able to read liquid levels can display this tab. From this
tab you may:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the current level measurement.
• Set the measurement units by selecting an option from
the pull-down list.
• View the date/time that the level was adjusted.
• Adjust (calibrate) the level sensor reading. To adjust the
level, enter the current flow stream level and Apply the
change. To synchronize the levels and apply the change
to all the sensors at once, select the “Adjust ALL level
values” check box.
• Set Up Data Storage…
• Diagnostics… - Downloads and displays a text file from
the module. This file reports the performance of the
module and its sensor.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If checked,
the Measurements tab hides this reading.
If you have made any changes, click on the Apply button to
update the settings in the module.
Level Diagnostics After downloading the diagnostics from the module, Flowlink
displays the information in the Report window. This information
can be useful when evaluating the sensor’s performance, or when
troubleshooting a problem with the assistance of Teledyne Isco’s
Technical Service Department. A brief outline on how to read a
level diagnostics report appears below.
The first section identifies when the report was created and the
type of report.
The second section provides information about the attached level
sensor.
The third section lists the ten most recent measurements. Recent
measurement data is listed in columns:
• Date and Time - the instrument’s date and time that
the measurement was taken.
• Level - The value of the measurement. The unit of
measure is shown enclosed in parentheses.
• Calibration and Offset - These values are associated
with an analog to digital conversion process. Erratic or
widely drifting numbers, when coupled with other
57
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Velocity - 2100 The Velocity tab of the Site window is used to view or change
velocity measurement settings. Access this tab by clicking on the
“Velocity” label on the Measurements tab.
Modules able to read liquid velocities using continuous wave
Doppler can display this tab. From this tab you can:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the current Velocity measurement.
• Set the measurement units by selecting an option from
the pull-down list.
• Enter a Zero level offset value.
• Control how flow readings are recorded if the module is
unable to measure velocity. Check the “Set flow rate to
zero if no velocity data” to record the flow rate as “0.000”
when the module is unable to take a velocity reading. If
the check box is left blank, a no data code will be
recorded instead.
• Prevent interference from other velocity measurements.
If the area velocity sensors of a multiple-module site are
placed near each other, it is important that each sensor
receives its own transmitted signal. Check this box when
multiple area velocity sensors are located in the same
channel so that the site will ensure only one velocity
measurement is taken at a time. Leave this box
unchecked for single-module sites or multiple module
sites measuring velocities in separate channels.
• Positive Velocities Only check box. Select this box to log
only positive velocities; negative velocities (reversed
flows) are ignored. To log both positive and negative
velocities leave this box blank.
• Set Up Data Storage…
• Diagnostics… - Downloads and displays a text file from
the module. This file reports the performance of the
module and its sensor. The measurement type will
determine which information is included in this report.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If checked,
the Measurements tab hides this reading.
If you have made any changes, click on the Apply button to
update the settings in the module.
58
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
360_Velocity - 2160 The 360 Velocity tab of the Site window is used to view or change
laser velocity measurement settings. Access this tab by clicking
on the “Velocity Corrected” label on the Measurements tab.
Modules able to read liquid velocities using Laser Doppler can
display this tab. From this tab you can:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the current Velocity measurement.
• Set the measurement units by selecting an option from
the pull-down list.
• Choose to log only positive velocities, or both positive and
negative velocities. In the Positive Velocities Only check
box, select “true” to log only positive velocities; negative
velocities (reversed flows) are ignored. To log both
positive and negative velocities, select “false.”
• Set Up Data Storage…
• Diagnostics… - Downloads and displays a text file from
the module. This file reports the performance of the
module and its sensor.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If checked,
the Measurements tab hides this reading.
2160 Setup To assist in positioning the LaserFlow sensor above the stream
during installation, you can keep the laser beam constantly on by
clicking the Laser on button. The laser beam will stay on for 10
minutes, or until you click the Laser off button.
During initial setup, in the Multipoint box, check Select All (next
to the Advanced button).
After about 5 minutes, a velocity reading will appear for each of
the 15 points in the Multipoint box. This will help you to
determine which points are necessary for your velocity
measurement, and which ones can be deselected for operation.
An algorithm constantly maintains the relationship between all
points. You can set the 2160 to take measurements at 1 to 15
points per reading; the more points that are used, the longer one
reading will take to complete.
The velocity coefficients of the multipoint function are pre-
programmed into the 2160 module at the factory. However, if
your application requires the addition of any correction factors,
the Advanced button opens the Advanced settings window, where
V = A (offset) + BV (slope) + CV2 (second-order parameter).
If you have made any changes, click on the Apply button to
update the settings in the module.
Zero Level Offset Area Velocity sensors are sometimes mounted higher on the side
of the channel to avoid silting.
• If the Area Velocity sensor is mounted on the side of the
channel, enter the vertical distance from the bottom
59
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Velocity Diagnostics After downloading the diagnostics from the module, Flowlink
displays the information in the Report window. This information
can be useful when evaluating the sensor’s performance, or when
troubleshooting a problem with the assistance of Teledyne Isco’s
Technical Service Department. A brief outline on how to read a
velocity diagnostics report appears below.
The first section identifies when the report was created and the
type of report.
The second section provides information about the attached
velocity sensor.
The third section lists the ten most recent measurements. Recent
measurement data is listed in columns:
• Date and Time - the instrument’s date and time that
the measurement was taken.
• Signal% - the approximate strength of sensor’s return
signal. Percentages below 10 indicate a weak signal.
Percentages near 100 indicate a strong signal. Normal
percentages are from 10 to 90.
• Spectrum% - Reports the amount of noise in the area
velocity return signal. Percentages below 25 indicate a
noisy return signal, while percentages near 100 indicate
a clear signal. Percentages should never vary more than
25% from one reading to the next. Wide variations
indicate an unstable installation. Low percentages
should not cause concern if the level and velocity
readings are accurate and reliable. It is possible that low
percentages are normal for your installation and the
characteristics of the flow stream.
• Velocity - The value of the velocity measurement. The
unit of measure is shown enclosed in parentheses.
• Level - The measured level at the time of the velocity
measurement. The unit of measure is shown enclosed in
parentheses.
The fourth section lists Possible Measurement Problems in
columns. These columns can be read just as the Recent
Measurements except that an additional column identifies the
type of measurement problem.
Velocity diagnostics are most beneficial when monitored long-
term. A slow drop in percentages can indicate silt or debris
building up near the sensor, while a sudden large change can
indicate a failure at the site.
Flow Rate - 2100 The Flow Rate and Flow Rate 2 tabs of the Site window are used
to view or change flow conversion settings. Access this tab by
60
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Flow Rate After downloading the diagnostics from the module, Flowlink
Diagnostics displays the information in the Report window. This information
can be useful when evaluating the module’s performance, or
when troubleshooting a problem with the assistance of Teledyne
Isco’s Technical Service Department.
Flow Rate Diagnostics only presents limited information,
typically:
• Date and Time - the instrument’s date and time that the
report was generated.
• A line indicating that the module’s internal flow
conversion is valid
• The silt level, as entered on the Flow Conversion tab
when using area velocity as the flow conversion method.
• The calculated silt area.
Total Flow - 2100 The Total Flow and Total Flow 2 tabs are used to view total flow
settings for modules able to calculate total flows. Access this tab
by clicking on the “Total Flow” labels on the Measurements tab.
From this tab you may:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the total flow measurement.
61
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Zero Total Flow Cumulative flow reported will eventually reach a maximum
value, depending on the flow conversion method and units
selected. At this point, the total flow will roll over, just as a car’s
odometer would.
The Zero Total Flow button allows you to reset the cumulative
flow at known intervals so that more meaningful values can be
represented by this field. It is also helpful to zero the total flow
after moving the flow meter to a different site.
Total Flow After downloading the diagnostics from the module, Flowlink
Diagnostics displays the information in the Report window. This information
can be useful when evaluating the module’s performance, or
when troubleshooting a problem with the assistance of Teledyne
Isco’s Technical Service Department.
Total Flow Diagnostics presents limited information, typically:
• Date and Time - the instrument’s date and time that the
report was generated.
• Any fault indication associated with the Total Flow
Calculation.
Rainfall - 2100 The Rainfall tab of the Site window is used to view or change
(2105) rainfall measurement settings. Access this tab by clicking the
“Rainfall” label on the Measurements tab.
62
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
The 2105 Interface Module can display this tab. From this tab
you may:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the total rainfall since midnight.
• Set the measurement units by selecting an option from
the pull-down list.
• Set the rain volume per bucket tip.
• Set Up Data Storage...
• Diagnostics... - Downloads and displays a text file from
the module. This file reports the performance of the
module and rain gauge.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If checked,
the Measurements tab does not display this reading.
If you have made any changes, click the Apply button to update
the settings in the module.
Sampler Control - The Sampler tab of the Site window displays the settings used by
2100 (2105) a 2105 Interface Module to control a connected sampler. The
2105 can control two sampler functions - sampler enable and
sampler pacing.
The 2105 Interface Module can display this tab. From this tab
you may:
• View the Module and Measurement name.
• View the sampler’s current Bottle Number and Enable
Status.
• Set Sampler Enable conditions.
• Hide in Measurements check box - when left unchecked,
the Measurements tab displays this reading. If checked,
the Measurements tab does not display this reading.
If you have made any changes, click the Apply button to update
the settings in the module.
Sampler Enable Set up the sampler enable by choosing one of the three options in
the Sampler Enable box:
Always - the sampler remains enabled regardless of changing
conditions.
Never - the sampler remains disabled.
On Trigger - The sampler is enabled when a user-defined
condition is met. Select Latch to keep the sampler enabled after
the condition is no longer true. The enabled state will continue
until the Reset Latch button is pressed.
Sampler Pacing From the Sampler Pacing box, select either None or Flow Paced.
• None - The 2105 will not send flow pulses.
63
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Sonde - 2100 (2105) The Sonde tab of the Site window is used to view or change
Sonde parameter settings. To access this tab, click “Jump to
measurement tab >>” and then “Sonde.”
The 2105 Interface Module can display this tab. From this tab
you may:
• View the Module name and all active sondes
• Scan for available sondes and add them to the Active
Sondes list
• Select and configure active sondes
• Remove sondes from the Active Sondes list
• Save parameter settings for each active sonde
A Measurements tab will be available from the Jump to
Measurement menu for every parameter you have configured the
sonde(s) to measure. Parameters may include any of the
following: Flow Rate, Level, Rainfall, Conductivity, Dissolved
Oxygen, Temperature, pH, Percent, Velocity, Volume, Total
Dissolved Solids, Salinity, Phosphate, Ammonia, Nitrate, TOC,
COD, Total Suspended Solids, Sludge Index, Sludge Volume,
SAC, Tubidity, Load, Input Voltage, Wireless Signal, Rainfall
Intensity, Specific Conductance, Chloride, Chlorophyll, ORP,
Ammonium.
Activating and To add available (connected) sondes and make them active in
Configuring Flowlink, from the Sonde tab click the Scan button. Detected
Available Sondes sondes will appear in the bottom Available Sondes field, with a
number assigned to each in the Address column (following
configuration, this corresponding number will appear on the
64
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Defining Sonde Select the sonde to configure from the Sonde: dropdown list.
Parameters In the Define New Parameter box, select the Data Type from the
dropdown list, name the parameter, and edit the Units of
Measure if necessary. (Tip: To quickly locate the desired
parameter in the Data Type list, click the arrow and type the
first one or two letters.)
If the desired data type is not in the dropdown list, you may
select “User Defined.”
Assign each parameter the appropriate number between 1 and
20 in the field next to the Add button. This number corresponds
to the index position of the desired parameter in the SDI-12 data
string, obtained previously by connecting directly to the sonde
using the manufacturer’s software, or from the sonde’s user
manual. (For example, the manufacturer’s software may display
the parameters in tabular format; the number assigned to the
parameter may correspond to its column number in the table.
Contact the sonde’s manufacturer for detailed instructions.)
Click Add; the new parameter appears in the window above. To
make changes to defined parameters, select the parameter, enter
the changes, and click Edit.
Saved Settings for When you have defined the parameters for the selected sonde,
Manually you can save these settings by clicking Save in the Sonde
Configured Sondes Template File box. Name the *.snd file and save it to the desired
location.
Your saved *.snd files can then be retrieved from your directory
and applied to a selected sonde at a later date, provided the
sonde’s factory measurement setup and configuration is
compatible with your template.
To apply a saved template, click Manual Configuration to open
the Sonde Data screen and click Open. Locate and select the
desired template file. Click Apply to save the settings from this
file to your selected sonde.
TIENet - 2100 (2160) To add an available (connected) 360 LaserFlow or 350 AV sensor
and make it active in Flowlink, from the TIENet tab highlight
the 2160 module (if there are multiple modules) and click
Configure...
65
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Alarms - 2100 The Alarms tab of the Site window supports Isco 2103 and 2105
(modem modules) modem modules that have the factory-installed dialout alarm
capability. When a user-defined alarm condition is met, the
contacts are notified in sequence.
Note that while you are connected to the module through the
modem, it cannot report alarms.
To set up a dialout alarm, you need to enter phone numbers,
pager IDs, and communications parameters to use when an
alarm condition is met, and then you need to define the alarm
condition. To do this, complete the following steps:
1. Connect to the instrument.
2. Select the Alarms tab.
3. From the Alarm type drop down list, select TAP or SMS,
depending on the instrument type, or SVR for Flowlink
Pro users setting up the server alarm function.
4. SVR: From the Notification Group pull down list, select
the number of the notification group that you specified on
the Server Alarms tab of the Utilities>Server Options
window.
5. SMS: type the contact telephone numbers in the Phone
Number list box.
6. TAP: Type the contact telephone numbers in the Phone
Number list box. This must be a valid Telocator
Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) access number. You should
consult with your pager service for TAP access line
numbers and the communications parameter settings.
TAP/SMS: You must enter at least one number; you can
enter as many as five numbers; you can enter the same
number more than once.
TAP/SMS: When an alarm condition is triggered, the
system will try dialing each phone number in the Phone
Number List. Each telephone number string can contain
up to thirteen characters. (Dashes can be used if there is
room to include them within the thirteen characters.) You
can include a comma ( , ) which is preset as a two second
delay, and is needed by PBXs to connect to an outside
line. You may also include the following commands:
@ (wait for silence)
W (wait for dial tone)
T (tone dial)
P (pulse dial)
66
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Server Alarms The Server Alarms tab of the Server Options window is used to
set up alarm notification if the Flowlink Server fails to receive
pushed data from a site within a user-specified duration, or when
a user-defined alarm condition is met. These server alarms are
delivered as E-mail or SMS text messages.
Analog Outputs If you are using Isco’s 2108 Analog Output module, the Channel
tabs on the Site window let you set up information for the analog
output channels.
Output Channel Name - Enter a name for the output channel.
The output channel percentage and the measurement output
value calculated by Flowlink will display below the channel
name.
Modify the Measurement Input for This Channel - Use the
drop down list to select the input you want to measure (such as
level or velocity). Indicate a minimum and maximum input range
(minimum = 0% on analog output; maximum = 100%).
Modify the Data Recording for This Channel - Use the
Update Interval field to set how often the output channel is
updated.
Manual Control - The Manual Control button is used to
temporarily override the channel’s output and is used when you
are calibrating equipment. When you click the button, the
Manual Control dialog box will appear. Set the output channel
percentage by selecting one of the percentages displayed, or by
selecting Custom and entering a percentage amount. Click the
Set Output Channel Percentage button. The output will change
to the manual setting; the dialog box will remain until you click
Cancel. Then the output will revert to your previous settings.
67
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Power Control This tab of the Site window controls the On/off times for a 2102
Wireless Communication Module or 2103/5 Cellular Modem
Module.
Set Wireless Rather than have the 2102 Wireless Module continually enabled,
Schedule you can specify a time period for when the module is powered up.
Type - Select the type of schedule you want: Specific, Weekly,
Daily, or Mon-Fri. When you enter a Specific time period, the
wireless will be activated only during that specified period.
Weekly, Daily, or Mon-Fri time periods will be ongoing.
Start/Stop - The Start and Stop display will vary, depending on
what you selected for Type. For Specific, you will enter a Start
and Stop date and time. For Weekly, enter the Start and Stop day
of week and time. For Daily, enter the Start and Stop time. For
Mon-Fri, enter the Start and Stop time.
When you have made your selections, click OK.
Modem Power The “Power Modem When” allows you to control the On/Off time
of a 2103/5 Cellular Modem through the use of equations. When
the conditions of an equation are true, the site will turn the 2103/
5 Cellular Modem on. When false, the modem is not powered to
conserve battery power.
Click the Set Equation button to build an equation.
Pulse Doppler The ADFM tab of the Site window is used to communicate with
Support - 2105 Pulse Doppler devices attached to a 2105 Interface Module.
NOTE: Pulse Doppler input and Modbus input cannot be used
simultaneously in the same system.
The 2105 Interface Module can display this tab. From this tab
you may:
• enable Pulse Doppler device communication and data
retrieval.
• select the optimal baud rate for communication with the
device(s).
• enable pushed data from the device(s).
For detailed information about setting up the Pulse Doppler
device(s) and 2105-Pulse Doppler interfacing, see the user
manuals for the 2105 module and the Pulse Doppler
instrument(s).
Modbus Input - 2105 The Modbus tab of the Site window is used to configure data
input to the 2105 module using Modbus ASCII or RTU protocol.
The 2105 Interface Module can display this tab. You must set up
and configure your monitoring/control system and Modbus
device(s) before adding and configuring the 2105 module.
Note: Modbus and Pulse Doppler input cannot be used
simultaneously in the same system.
68
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Equation Builder The Equation Builder window is used to create equations from
various site conditions that can be used to generate alarms, log
or push measurement data at secondary rates, and conserve
power by turning on equipment only when needed.
Multiple equations can be built for each module at the 2100 site.
Conditions can also be combined using Boolean logic for even
greater control.
Equations are built using conditions — a set of user-defined
parameters that may be present at the site.
To build an equation:
1. Select the Module Name that the Equation will affect.
2. Choose an equation from the drop-down Equation list. If
none, click the Add button.
The Add button opens the Equation Name dialog. Use
this to give your new equation a descriptive name.
3. Select a Condition from the lower half of the Equation
Builder window.
If no conditions are defined, click the Edit Condition
button. This opens the Condition Builder window from
which you can define a new condition or modify an
existing one.
To select a condition, highlight it and click the Select
Condition button. This starts an equation (Equation A) in
the top half of the Equation Builder window.
4. Select a Parameter Measurement Interval. As a
minimum interval, Flowlink will test the equation
condition(s) at the selected primary data storage rate. To
69
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Condition Builder Use the Condition Builder window to define conditions for
equations.
To define a condition, choose the type of condition from the
options in the top half of the window. Then, specify the
parameters for that condition. Click OK to save the condition and
return to the Equation Builder window.
There several types of conditions:
• Threshold
• Sensor Error
• Rate of Change
• Time Table
• Range
• Rain Event
Note: To remove a previously defined condition, choose “None” as
the condition type.
70
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Sensor Error Sensor Error conditions are TRUE when a sensor error exists for
a specified duration.
An example of a Sensor Error condition would read “When 2150
Area Velocity::Velocity is in error for 30 minutes.”
To define the Sensor Error condition:
1. Select a measured data type from the “When” drop-down
list.
2. Select a duration from the “is in error for” drop-down list.
3. Click OK. The Sensor Error condition is defined and
ready for use in an equation.
71
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Time Table Time table conditions are TRUE when the instrument’s internal
Conditions clock is within the defined duration of time.
An example of a Daily Time table condition would read “starting
Daily at 08:00:00, stopping Daily at 17:00:00.”
To define the time table:
1. Select the type of time table. The options are:
• Specific – Start/stop dates and times for one-time
use.
• Weekly – Start/stop days of week and times,
recurring weekly.
• Daily – Start/stop times, recurring daily.
• Mon-Fri – Start/stop times, recurring each day of the
workweek.
2. Complete the Start and Stop fields. The resulting
duration will be displayed in the text box below the entry
fields.
3. Click OK. The time table is defined and ready for use in
an equation.
72
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Rain Event (2105) Rain Event conditions are TRUE when rainfall increases
at a specified rate.
An example of a rain event condition would be to use
measured rainfall to enable a sampler for a rain event.
You may want to collect samples only if you received 0.25
inches of rain in a one-hour time span, and only if rainfall
has been less than 0.25 inches for a week.
That is, the sampler would stay disabled until a
significant rainfall event occurred. This Rain Event
condition would read “When 2105 Interface
Module:Rainfall is greater than or equal to 0.25 inches
in a 60 minute period following a ‘dry’ period of 1 Week.”
To define the Rain Event condition:
1. Select a 2105 Rainfall measurement from the pull down
list.
2. Enter the threshold amount of rainfall and units of
measure from the pull down list.
3. Enter a time duration in minutes to define the rate of
increased rainfall.
4. Define the “dry” period (period when rate of rainfall is
below the threshold).
NOTE: To specify a Rain Event for any time rainfall is at or
above the threshold, enter a “dry” period of zero.
73
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
Network Resolution The Network Resolution screen will appear when a 2100 module
- 2100 has been replaced or a 2100 module has been added to the
network. You need to indicate what action should be taken to
resolve the situation.
Connected Modules - The physical module(s) that were found
at the site are listed on the left side of the screen. If you click the
ID button to the left of a listed module, the module will be
identified by illuminating its LED or performing an identifying
action (such as a beep from the Field Wizard).
Database Site Definitions - The modules that Flowlink knows
were previously at the site are listed on the right side of the
screen. Where possible, these will be matched with the connected
modules listed on the left side of the screen.
If you click the ! button to the right of module, a window will be
displayed that contains information about the connected module
and selected module from the database. This information
includes the Site Name, Module Name, Module Type, Module
Address and Neuron ID. (The last two items are for diagnostic
purposes.)
Action - Possible actions are listed in the center of the screen.
Where a match has been made between a connected module and
one in the database, the word MATCH will be displayed. Where
an action needs to be taken, a drop down list will be displayed;
use this list to select an appropriate action.
To preview the results of an action, click the ? button to the right
of a module listed in the Database Site Definitions column. After
you have selected the actions you want to take, click OK at the
bottom of the screen.
• <= Clone Module Like Database <= will configure the
module to match the configuration of the selected module
under Available Database Definitions. Use this when
replacing a module at a site.
• => Write Module Config to Database => will update
the Flowlink database with the physical module’s
configuration. Use this when the module has been
replaced and you are using a different database when
you connect.
• Add New Module will configure and add the module to
the existing site.
74
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
75
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 2100
76
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
The Site window contains information that identifies the site and
all of the tabs necessary to set up the operation of the
instrument.
The top of the Site Window continuously shows three fields:
• Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. Enter or modify the site name from the front
panel of the instrument, or from the Site Setup tab.
• Model - from the connected instrument. The model
number is set at the factory and cannot be modified.
• Connection Status - displays the current status of the
communications link to the instrument.
The tabs in the Site Window allow you to view and change many
parameters that control the operation of the instrument. The
number of active tabs will depend on the type of instrument and
its data storage capabilities. Tabs that appear in the Site
Window are:
• Site Info (page 78)
• Devices (page 78)
• Measurements (page 79)
• Device Setup (page 80)
• Data Storage (page 83)
• Flow Conversion (page 86)
• Sampler Control (page 92)
• Units (page 94)
• Alarms (page 94)
The buttons at the bottom of the Site Window are:
• Connect/Disconnect - Starts or stops communications
with the instrument.
• Retrieve Data - transfers data from the instrument to
the Flowlink database.
• DEFAULT Graph - graphs the data using the
DEFAULT template.
• Apply - Saves the modifications to the Site Window and
updates the program settings in the connected
instrument.
• Cancel - clears any modifications made in the current
tab and reverts to previous instrument settings.
• Help
77
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Site Info - 4100/ The Site Info tab of the Site window window allows you to view
4200/6700 and change the site’s name, location, date/time, GPS information,
and other site-specific information.
Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. To change the site name, type in the new name and
click the Apply button. Site names can be up to 37 characters
long. Any character may be used in the site name except the
following: \ / : * & ? " < > |
Date/Time Box - displays the instrument’s and your computer’s
time. These two times can be synchronized by pressing the
“Synchronize Instrument’s Time To Computer’s” button. Use the
Synchronize button with caution. Changing the time may affect
the readings stored in the instrument’s memory partitions.
Changing the time may cause readings to be overwritten, or
“gaps” in readings may occur. It is recommended that you
retrieve data from the instrument before synchronizing
the time and date.
GPS Information Box - Enter the Altitude, Latitude, and
Longitude of the site location for system mapping and other
geographical locating purposes.
Devices - 4100-4200- This tab within the Site window displays general information
6700 about the instrument, input power, and Flowlink connection.
Power Box The Power box displays known information about the
instrument’s power source. This information will aid you in
determining when battery-powered instruments require service.
This field is only active while Flowlink is connected to the
instrument. Many Isco instruments will report the type of power,
a voltage reading, and the percent remaining. Refer to the
instrument’s instruction manual for further explanation of this
feature.
78
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Connection Settings Displays the settings used to communicate with the instrument.
Box When off-line, this box will also allow you to make changes to the
settings. From this box you can modify:
• Type - Direct, Modem, or Wireless. Select the Direct
option when connecting to the instrument through an
interrogator cable or short haul modem attached to your
computer’s serial port. Select the Modem option to
connect the instrument through a telephone modem.
Select the Wireless option to connect to the instrument
using a 2102 Wireless Communication module.
• COM port - (Direct and Wireless) Select the appropriate
COM port setting from the pull-down menu. Refer to
your computer’s documentation for more information on
COM ports.
• Baud Rate - (Direct and Wireless) Select the baud rate
from the pull-down menu. The 9600 baud rate setting
will allow the fastest possible direct connections and data
retrievals.
• Modem - (Modem connection types only) Select an
installed modem from the pull-down list. Flowlink will
only list those modems installed in Windows. Flowlink
will use the selected Modem and its Windows settings
(Com port, baud, etc.) to make the connection. If you need
to change the modem settings, open the Modem Control
Panel. (Windows Start>Settings>Control Panel.) A baud
rate of 9600 is recommended for 4100/4200/6700
instruments.
• Select Default from the list to use the modem
specified in Utilities>Options for the appropriate
device type. This automatically selects the modem
used for a specific site, from any computer.
• Phone number - (Modems only) Enter the phone
number assigned to the instrument. This number can
include the following commands:
T (tone dial)
, (comma - pause)
@ (wait for silence)
W (wait for dial tone)
TCP Address - (6712 w/ CDMA or GSM modem) Enter the
correct static IP or public domain address.
To save changes to the communications settings, click Apply.
79
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Signal Strength Area velocity instruments will display the approximate strength
of sensor’s return signal. Percentages below 10 indicate a weak
signal. Percentages near 100 indicate a strong signal. Normal
percentages are from 10 to 90; typical readings in sewers range
from 50 to 90%. Ultrasonic instruments will display the
approximate strength of the ultrasonic return echo. Typical
readings range from 30 to 100%.
Spectrum Strength Reports the amount of noise in the area velocity return signal.
Percentages below 25 indicate a noisy return signal, percentages
near 100 indicate a clear signal. The typical range in most
installations is 40 to 100%. Ultrasonic instruments do not report
the spectrum strength.
• Percentages should never vary more than 25% from one
reading to the next. Wide variations indicate an unstable
installation.
• Low percentages should not cause concern if the level
and velocity readings are accurate and reliable. It is
possible that low percentages are normal for your
installation and the characteristics of the flow stream.
The diagnostics are most beneficial when monitored long-term. A
slow drop in percentages can indicate silt or debris building up
near the sensor, while a sudden large change can indicate a
failure at the site.
Device Setup - 4100/ The Device Setup tab of the Site window allows you to view and
4200/6700 change instrument settings. The instrument settings on this tab
are not active until you connect to the instrument.
The availability of the following items will depend on the type of
instrument. Refer to the instrument’s instruction manual for
more information on its functions and features.
Adjustments Box - displays adjustments to flow measurement
instruments.
• Zero level offset is only applicable to area velocity
instruments. Enter the measured Zero level offset.
80
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Variable Blanking Ultrasonic instruments can vary the blanking to avoid erroneous
level readings. Proper selection of a value will ensure that the
flow meter accepts only valid echoes from the surface of the
liquid, while disregarding invalid returns from the walls, sides of
the channel, manhole rungs, or other obstructions.
Enter this value as the distance from the face of the ultrasonic
level sensor to the maximum expected liquid level. Refer to the
instrument’s instruction manual to calculate this distance. The
flow meter will then ignore any echo reflected from this distance
or less. Keep in mind that if the liquid level rises into the
variable blanking distance, the flow meter will ignore the return
from the liquid surface.
Minimum depth for For area velocity instruments with a standard or extended range
velocity sensor, this sets the minimum depth for measured velocity
readings. Below this level, the flow meter approximates the
velocity using earlier readings, and will not be able to detect the
direction of flow. Refer to the instrument’s instruction manual to
determine the correct setting.
Area velocity flow meters using a low-profile sensor do not
require a minimum depth setting. Low profile sensors always use
one inch (25 mm).
81
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Set flow rate to zero Occasionally velocity readings are lost because either a flow
if no velocity data stream does not contain enough reflective particles, or the sensor
is covered with silt. These lost readings are logged as “No Data
Code 248,” and the flow meter is unable to calculate the flow rate.
This check box selects how flow rates are reported during this
condition.
Checked, the flow meter stores the flow rate as 0.0 under this
condition.
Unchecked, the flow meter uses the current level reading and
repeats the last valid velocity reading to calculate the flow rate.
82
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Sampler Enable Isco 4200 Series Flow Meters can report the cumulative flow
Flow Count while the sampler is enabled and since the Zero Sampler Enable
Total Flow was last reset. The sampler enable flow count does
not increment the volume while the sampler is disabled.
Typically this value can represent the cumulative flow that was
sampled by the sampler, as long as the count is reset (Zero
Sampler Enable Total Flow button) each time the sample bottles
are replaced.
Data Storage - 4100/ View and manage memory partitions in Isco instruments from
4200/6700 the Data Storage tab of the Site window.
Tip - If the instrument is not connected, this tab displays
memory settings read from the instrument at the last
time it was connected.
At the top of the tab, general information about the instrument’s
memory is displayed.
• Total memory - displays the total memory in bytes that
may be used to store readings.
• Free memory - displays the amount of available memory
in both bytes and a percentage of the total memory. This
line also indicates how many partitions are free.
Partition List Box - lists all of the partitions in the instrument.
Highlighting an item on this list will reveal the Partition Setup
Information in the fields to the right.
Partition Setup Information - displays the information about
the partition highlighted in the partition list box. This includes:
• Partition Name - Up to eight characters to label the
memory partition.
• Reading type - displays the type of readings stored such
as Level, Flow Rate, Sample Event, etc.
• Reading Interval - the rate at which the readings are
stored in the instrument’s memory.
• Time Span - displays the total time span of readings held
in the instrument. The instrument will adjust this value
to fill a block of memory.
• Number of samples - (Sample Event partitions only)
displays the number of samples to store. The instrument
will adjust this value to fill a block of memory.
• Recording Mode - Identifies how the instrument saves
the readings.
• Time Partition Created - the creation date and time of
the partition.
• Time of Last Reading - displays the last reading date and
time stored in the instrument.
83
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Instrument The size of a data partition can be calculated if the time span,
Partition Sizes reading interval, and readings per block are known. The time
span and reading interval information is displayed on the Data
Storage Tab when the 4100/4200/6700 instrument is connected to
Flowlink.
The total memory in Isco instruments is divided into blocks of
memory. The 4100 Series Flow Loggers have 235,520 bytes of
84
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
memory divided into 1840 blocks; 4200 Series Flow Meters have
81,792 bytes of memory divided into 639 blocks. Each block
contains 128 bytes. When a partition is created, it is divided into
whole-block units. That is, a partition could use one or two
blocks, but never 1.5 blocks.
The reading type will determine how many readings can be
stored in a block of memory. Refer to the chart below. As you can
see, some reading types require more bytes to store a single
reading.
PH 124
Level 62
Velocity 62
Temperature 62
Conductivity* 62
4-20 percent 62
Flow Rates 31
85
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Flow Conversion - Use the Flow Conversion tab of the Site window to set up how an
4100/4200/6700 Isco instrument will convert level and velocity readings to flow
rates.
To set the flow conversion method:
1. Choose a flow conversion method radio button.
2. Enter the maximum level.
The instrument uses the flow conversion method and the
maximum level to build a conversion table. This
maximum level should be somewhat above the highest
expected liquid level in the channel at the measurement
point.
3. Define its attributes (type, size, etc.).
4. Click the Apply button.
You can also set the flow conversion method by recalling
previously entered settings.
1. Press the Select Flow Conversion… button to open the
Flow Conversion List.
2. Choose a flow conversion from the list and select OK. If
the list does not show the desired flow conversion
method, create a new one by clicking Add.
3. Enter the maximum level.
4. Apply the changes.
Flow Conversion Isco flow meters, flow loggers, and flow modules can use a
Methods number of methods to convert measured readings to a flow rate.
The method you select will depend on the type of instrument and
installation site. Refer to the instruction manual for your
instrument for more details about the possible flow conversion
methods and installation options.
Flowlink supports the following flow conversion methods:
• Weir
• Flume
• Flow Metering Inserts
• Manning formula
• Area Velocity
• Equation
86
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
• Data Points
Weir defined A weir is essentially a dam built across an open channel over
which the liquid flows, usually through some type of an opening
or notch. Weirs are normally classified by the shape. Each type of
weir has an associated equation for determining the flow rate
over the weir.
Flume defined A flume is a specially shaped open channel flow section with an
area and/or slope that is different from that of the channel. This
results in an increased velocity and change in the level of the
liquid flowing through the flume. A flume normally consists of a
converging section, a throat section, and a diverging section. The
flow rate through the flume is a function of the liquid level at
some point or points in the flume.
87
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
A. Metal
1. Steel
2. Cast Iron
3. Wrought Iron
4. Corrugated
B. NonMetal
3. Wood
88
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
4. Clay
5. Brick
6. Concrete
A. Metal
B. NonMetal
1. Cement
2. Concrete
89
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
3. Wood
4. Brick
5. Masonry
6. Asphalt
90
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Silt Level Area velocity flow conversions can compensate for a buildup of
silt in the channel. The silt level value and the channel
dimensions are used to calculate a cross-sectional area of the
channel in which the flow is obstructed. This area is subtracted
from the total channel cross section used to calculate the flow
rate.
To determine the value entered for the silt level, measure the
depth of the silt in the bottom-center of the channel.
Data Point Flow A data point set is a table of correlating level-to-flow rate or
Conversion level-to-area data points. The instrument can interpolate flow
rates or areas for all levels using this data set.
To set up data point flow conversion:
1. Select an active data point set from the list.
2. If the selected set is unused, or if you wish to view/change
the set, click the Edit… button.
3. Apply the settings.
Maximum level is a required entry when flow rates or areas are
calculated in the instrument and held as a table.
91
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
3. Enter at least four data points in the table. The table can
hold a maximum of 50 data points. If you have copied
data points from another table or spreadsheet, select the
top-left cell and press Control-V on your keyboard to
paste the data from the clipboard.
Each data point requires two values:
• Level to flow requires a flow stream level and the
flow rate that corresponds to that measured level.
• Level to area requires a flow stream level and the
cross-sectional area of the channel at that level.
4. Select OK when the set is complete.
Note: The conversion accuracy between points increases with
the number of points entered. Keep in mind that you are defining
the entire channel shape mathematically; select points that best
represent any curves or variations. Compound shapes will need
many data points.
Maximum level Isco instruments that build an internal flow conversion table to
convert readings to flow rates require a Maximum Level. For
most standard primary devices, this is information available
from the manufacturer.
However, you should not arbitrarily enter a value such as the
largest value from a primary device specification sheet. Instead,
use a value that is somewhat above the highest expected level for
your actual situation, even if that level is less than the published
maximum for a given primary device. This will improve the
resolution of the conversion table. For example, if the channel is
six feet deep, but the stream level rarely exceeds four feet,
resolution can be improved if the points within the table were
scaled over four feet instead of six.
Caution: If the actual depth exceeds the entered maximum
level, flow rates will not be calculated for those levels above the
entered maximum level. The indicated flow rate will peak when
depth reaches the maximum level and remain there until actual
depth drops below the entered maximum head.
Sampler Control - This tab of the Site window displays the settings that flow
4100/4200 measurement instruments use to control a connected sampler.
These flow measurement instruments can control two sampler
functions - sampler enable and sampler pacing.
Sampler Enable Set up the sampler enable by choosing one of the three options in
the When to Enable box.
• Always - sets the sampler inhibit line to always enable
the sampler.
• Never - sets the sampler inhibit line to always disable the
sampler.
• On trigger - controls the sampler inhibit line with a user-
defined condition.
92
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Sampler Pacing Control the sampler pacing by choosing one of the pacing options.
• No sampler pacing - The flow logger or flow meter will
not send flow pulses.
• Flow paced - paces the sampler at a rate proportional to
the flow rate by using volume intervals. Use the Change
Pacing button to set the interval.
• Trigger paced - paces the sampler at a time interval that
can change according to a triggered condition.
To set up trigger paced sampling:
1. Select the Trigger paced radio button. The Time paced
interval box becomes active.
2. Enter the When trigger is true interval in minutes. This
is the pacing interval while the trigger condition is met.
3. Enter the When trigger is false interval in minutes. This
is the pacing interval while the trigger condition has not
been met.
4. Set the trigger by pressing the Change Pacing button.
Build the trigger in the Equation Builder.
5. Press the Apply button.
Flow Pulse Use this window to set the flow pulse interval. A flow pulse is a
50 millisecond pulse used to pace a sampler. Enter a value within
the minimum and maximum range listed.
It is important that this setting and the sampler’s pulses
between sampling events setting work together to produce the
desired volume interval. For example, if the flow meter sends a
flow pulse every 100 gallons, and the sampler takes a sample
every 10 flow pulses, the actual volume between samples is 1000
gallons.
93
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Units - 4100/4200/ From the Units tab of the Site window, you may select the units
6700 of measure for the data types reported by your Isco instrument.
Active data types have a pull-down list. Select one of the
available units of measure, and click Apply to save the change.
Note: After readings are stored in the Flowlink database, they
can be converted to other units of measure in a graph or table.
Alarms - 4100/4200/ The Alarms tab of the Site window supports Isco instruments
6700 that have the factory-installed telephone modem with voice
messaging. When a user-defined alarm condition is met,
Flowlink notifies the contacts in sequence until an
acknowledgment is received.
To setup a dialout alarm:
1. Connect to the instrument.
2. Select the Alarms tab.
3. In the Phone number list box, type the contact telephone
numbers.
You must enter at least one number; you can enter as
many as five numbers; you can enter the same number
more than once.
Each telephone number string can contain up to eighteen
characters. You can use dashes or leave them out. You
can include the pause (“,” or comma) Hayes AT command
in the number. The pause is preset as a two second delay.
You can also use the following commands:
@ (wait for silence)
W (wait for dial tone)
T (tone dial)
P (pulse dial)
4. In the Site ID text box, type an easily remembered
number that you can associate with the flow meter. The
modem uses this number in its alarm message.
When the ID box first appears, Flowlink automatically
fills it with the last three digits of the Instrument ID
number; you can use this number or enter another. (This
number is used to acknowledge the alarm call using a
touch-tone telephone. Press *(star) and the ID number
and the instrument will respond with “Acknowledged.”)
5. Type the time between calls in the Delay Between Calls
text box.
The delay can be as long as 127 minutes. Remember that
the modem calls the next contact number only when the
previous call is unacknowledged.
6. To use the call-back feature, check the Enable Call Back
check box. Pagers are convenient to list in the contact
94
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
95
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
How does Flowlink During the connect process, the Flowlink retrieves the site name,
match an model number, and instrument ID. The site name can be changed
instrument to a site from Flowlink or from the instrument’s front panel. Flowlink
does not allow duplicate site names. The model number and
in the database? instrument ID are permanently set at the factory. Flowlink
compares the instrument’s site name, model number, and
instrument ID with the database for the site you selected.
• If all three match, Flowlink has then verified that it is
using the correct database site for the connected
instrument. Flowlink updates the database with the
instrument information and you may continue with data
retrieval, program changes, etc.
• If the site name and model number match but the
instrument IDs do not, you will be notified of the
mismatch and given five options. Select the most
appropriate response for your situation.
• If the site name matches but the model number does not,
Flowlink will be unable to connect to the site. If you in
fact have changed the model used at a site, create a new
site by using the Quick Connect, and then merge the
original site data with the new.
• If the site name does not match but the model number
does, you will be given five options to choose from. Select
the most appropriate response for your situation.
When a mismatch occurs during a scheduled task, Flowlink does
not cancel the operation. Flowlink creates a unique site name,
adds it to the workspace, and continues with the scheduled task.
View the log (Utilities>View Log File) to determine which
connection was attempted and which site was created to
complete the task. Use the Merge feature to add the data to the
correct site.
96
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Equation View This box within the Equation Builder window displays the
trigger equation. To trigger a function in the instrument, an
equation must be entered in this box.
Build the equation using the defined conditions and the
operators AND, OR, and NOT. Triggers must use at least one
condition, or as many as four conditions. Each condition may be
used more than once. You may also use the parentheses to group
conditions, and add a duration.
97
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
98
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Time Table Time table conditions are satisfied when the instrument’s
Conditions internal clock is within the defined duration of time. An example
of a Daily Time table condition would read “starting Daily at
08:00:00, stopping Daily at 17:00:00.”
As many as four times can be entered, using any combination of
time table types. For example, to enable a function every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday, three weekly start/stop times would be
defined in the time table. The three lines would possibly read
“Starting Monday at 08:00:00, Stopping at Monday 17:00:00;
Starting Wednesday at 08:00:00, Stopping Wednesday at
17:00:00; and Starting Friday at 08:00:00, Stopping Friday at
17:00:00.”
To define the time table
1. Select the type of time table. The options are:
• Specific – Start/stop dates and times for one-time
use.
• Weekly – Start/stop days of week and times,
recurring weekly.
• Daily – Start/stop times, recurring daily.
• Mon-Fri – Start/stop times, recurring each day of the
workweek.
2. Complete the Start and Stop fields. The resulting
duration will be displayed in the text box below the entry
fields.
3. To define additional start/stop times, click Add and
repeat the steps above.
Note: Start/stop times can be deleted by highlighting the
line in the text box and clicking Remove.
4. Click Accept. The time table is defined and ready for use
in an equation.
Parentheses and Flowlink provides parentheses so that you can group conditions
Order of Execution or even combine groups with logical operators. Parentheses also
let you control the order in which the flow meter evaluates the
conditions in an equation. The instrument will use an algebraic
order of execution when evaluating a trigger equation. The order
of execution is the order in which the instrument tests conditions
and can be summarized as: “from left to right, and from inside,
out.” “From left to right” means that the flow meter tests
conditions in the same order that you read them in an equation:
from left to right.
When evaluating an equation containing two conditions, the
instrument first checks the condition on the left, then the
condition on the right, and finally evaluates the conditions with
regard to the logical operators used to combine them. If the
equation is true, the instrument triggers the designated action.
Equations using three or more conditions are also evaluated from
left to right. Consider the two equations that follow. Both
99
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
Order of Execution “From inside out” means that the instrument tests the conditions
grouped within parentheses first to get a result before testing
conditions outside of the parentheses.
The equation A AND B OR C is logically equivalent to the
following equation, (A AND B) OR C which uses parentheses to
group A and B together. They are equivalent because the
instrument evaluates the first two conditions, A AND B, before
the third condition even though the first two conditions are not
grouped with parentheses.
However, when the parentheses are moved so that the equation
becomes A AND (B OR C), the equation’s result could be entirely
different. The instrument evaluates the conditions within the
parentheses first (B OR C), comparing the result with the first
condition, A. Thus, this equation is true when both A and the
result of B OR C is true.
Equations with nested parentheses (nested means parentheses
within parentheses) are a little more complicated, but the “from
inside out” rule still applies. Consider the examples below:
• (A AND (B OR C)) AND D. The instrument evaluates
(B OR C) first, then compares the result to A, to get a
second result. Finally, it compares the second result to D.
• A AND ((B OR C) AND D). The instrument evaluates B
OR C first, then compares the result to D, obtaining a
second result. Next, it compares the second result to A.
To add parentheses to an equation:
1. While viewing the Equation view box, place the text
cursor before the first item in the group.
2. Click on the Open Parenthesis button - “(.”
3. Move the text cursor after the last item in the group.
4. Click on the Close Parenthesis button - “).”
100
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
101
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - 4100/4200/6700
102
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
The Site window contains information that identifies the site and
all of the tabs necessary to set up the operation of the Pulse
Doppler series flow meters, including the ADFM, HotTap,
accQmin/accQpro, and H-ADFM flow meters.
The top of the Site Window continuously shows three items:
• Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. Enter or modify the site name from the Site
Info tab.
• Model - Identifies the device type connected.
• Instrument Connection Status - displays the current
status of the communications link to the instrument.
The tabs in the Site Window allow you to view and change many
settings that control the operation of the instrument. Tabs that
appear in the Site Window are:
• Site Info (page 104)
• Devices (page 104)
• Measurements (page 105)
• Flow Rate (page 106)
• Data (page 106)
The buttons at the bottom of the Site Window are:
• Connect/Disconnect - Starts or stops communications
with the instrument.
• Retrieve Data - transfers data from the instrument to
the Flowlink database.
• DEFAULT Graph - graphs the data using the
DEFAULT template.
• Apply - Saves the modifications to the Site Window and
updates the program settings in the connected
instrument.
• Cancel - clears any modifications that you have made in
the current tab and reverts to previous instrument
settings.
• Help
103
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Pulse Doppler
Site Info - Pulse The Site Info tab of the Pulse Doppler Site window allows you to
Doppler view and change the site’s name, and date/time.
Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. To change the site name, type in the new name and
click the Apply button. Site names must be alphanumeric
characters only, and can be up to 37 characters long.
Date/Time Box - displays the instrument’s and your computer’s
time. These two times can be synchronized by pressing the
“Synchronize Instrument’s Time To Computer’s” button. Use the
Synchronize button with caution. Changing the time may affect
the readings stored in the instrument’s memory partitions.
Changing the time may cause readings to be overwritten, or
“gaps” in readings may occur. It is recommended that you
retrieve data from the instrument before synchronizing
the time and date.
GPS Information Box - Enter the Altitude, Latitude, and
Longitude of the site location for system mapping and other
geographical locating purposes.
Devices - Pulse The Devices tab of the Site window displays general information
Doppler about the instrument, secondary depth sensor and battery (if
applicable), and connection information.
• Site ID - Identifies the instrument at the site.
• Firmware Version - Level of firmware installed.
• System Voltage - Power status of the system.
To give the device a different name, click the Site Info tab,
highlight the name in the Site Name field, and type in the new
name. Site names can be up to 37 characters long. Any character
may be used except the following: \ / : * & ? " < > |
All of the information is read directly from the flow meter. The
Model Name and Firmware Version cannot be modified - they are
set at the factory.
Secondary Depth Sensor Box - If you are using a secondary
depth sensor, specify its type, span, and zero level offset (if
needed).
Connection Information Box - Displays the settings used to
communicate with the instrument. When off-line you can modify:
• Type - Direct or Modem. Select the Direct option when
connecting to the instrument with a communication
cable attached to your computer’s serial port. Select the
Modem option to connect to the instrument through a
telephone modem.
• COM port - (Direct) Select the appropriate COM port
setting from the pull-down menu. Refer to your
computer’s documentation for more information on COM
ports.
• Baud Rate - (Direct) Select the baud rate of 38400 from
the pull-down menu.
104
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Pulse Doppler
Measurements - When connected, Flowlink continually polls the site for “real-
Pulse Doppler time” readings. This tab of the Site window displays the real-
time readings, as well as test data, in the Output window.
Program and Restart - writes your selected program settings
to the instrument and starts the program.
Erase Recorder - deletes all saved data from the internal
recorder.
Bench Test - The Bench Test function is for diagnostic purposes
and is not required for routine operation. If for any reason the
Bench Test is performed, regardless of the time interval between
tests, first retrieve and save all recorded data before it is
performed again. Prior to redeployment, select "Erase Recorder"
and then "Restart."
Field Test - This system performance evaluation is for use at the
monitoring site with the sensor installed and in the stream.
Quick Data - refreshes the Output window with the current
data readings, and creates a graphical display to verify beam
configuration, ensuring proper performance of the flow meter.
Restart - restarts the instrument using the programmed
parameters currently stored in its memory.
105
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Pulse Doppler
Flow Rate - Pulse Use the Flow Rate tab to specify the appropriate channel
Doppler geometry and dimensions. The instrument and its functions
determine which settings are available.
From this tab you may:
• Select the channel type
• Enter channel dimensions
• Enter sensor mounting information
If you have made any changes, click Apply to update the settings
in the instrument.
Data - Pulse Doppler The flow meter’s recorder must be cleared following data
retrieval. Save all downloaded data and, prior to redeployment,
erase the recorder and restart the ADFM.
View and manage data storage for Pulse Doppler series
instruments from the Data tab of the Site window:
Data Storage or Sample Interval - shows the data storage
interval, selectable in minutes, the number of individual
measurements (samples) per reading, and the estimated velocity
precision as a percentage of maximum expected velocity.
Secondary Rate (accQmin/accQpro only) - allows you to
increase the measurement interval during higher flow
conditions. To program this secondary interval, select the Enable
Burst Sampling check box.
Data Format (all except H-ADFM) - For more manageable file
size, Reduced format is recommended.
Standard format is selected for recording additional raw data
such as Velocity, Amplitude, Percent Good, and Correlation, with
a selectable interval (Full Data Interval).
All data may be stored on the instrument’s internal recorder in
slate or wrap mode, as well as output via serial port.
Velocity Model (H-ADFM only) - The Velocity Model type is
referred to as the Linear Regression model. This model
calculates the average velocity V at time t. A, B, and C are site-
specific regression coefficients. These will have been determined
by the installer using independent calibration data when the
H-ADFM was installed and configured. Vi is the index velocity,
computed as an average of the velocity bins specified in the index
106
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Pulse Doppler
107
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Pulse Doppler
108
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Info - Signature The Site Info tab of the Signature site window allows you to view
and change the site’s location, date/time, GPS information, and
other site-specific information.
The Site Name: field is populated by whatever site name has
been programmed into the flow meter itself through either the
front panel keypad or through the flow meter’s browser window.
Devices - Signature The Devices tab of the Signature site window displays
information about the individual flow meter, including its model,
serial number, software revision, and other information.
Program - Signature The Program tab provides remote access to the flow meter
through the flow meter’s browser, which emulates the actual
4300 display and controls. This is where actual setup and
programming can be done remotely.
Softkeys
The three buttons that appear across the bottom of the screen
are softkeys that will change in function and appearance,
depending on what screen you are on, and what you have entered
previously.
109
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Signature Flow Meter
Viewing Signature To retrieve data from the flow meter and save it to the database,
Data click the Interrogate button at the bottom of the Program
window. The browser will display all available data that can be
retrieved. Check the box(es) next to the desired data and click
Next.
When the download is ready, the browser will display the
message “The data has been successfully dumped.” Click the
Download Data button. When the data has been downloaded, a
message will say, “Download complete.”
Event Viewer - Unique to the Signature Series flow meter are four event data
Signature types that can be recorded to ensure that data integrity is not
compromised. This event data cannot be altered.
The four event data types are:
• Program Report
-Tracks configuration changes to the flow meter
• Summary Report A, B
-Tracks measurement summaries (e.g. Min/Max/Avg)
• Diagnostic Report
Tracks the occurrence of and results from last 23
diagnostic tests
• History Report
Tracks last 55 user events
When double-clicked or dragged from the site tree, these four
events open by default in tabular format, in the Event Viewer.
To view a specific range of data, use the drop down menus in the
Range box to select the appropriate calendar days, and check the
box next to “Lock to current date.”
In the Event Viewer, each data type will appear in a single table
row. To view complete information about an event, double-click
on it, and the report will appear in a small window.
Events will be displayed chronologically by descending Event
Time. To reverse the display order, click on the Event Time
column header. To sort the list alphabetically, click the Event
Summary column header.
Data Integrity
Flowlink’s integrity check program will verify that the data is
original and unaltered. If the data is authentic, a green check
mark will appear in the title bar of the Event Viewer. If the data
cannot be verified as original or unaltered, a red circle and slash
will appear instead.
Exporting Data
Event data can be exported, along with their respective
authentication markers, in the form of a text (.txt) report, to a
110
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Signature Flow Meter
Graphing
The four event types can also be viewed in graphical format by
clicking the graph icon in the tool bar, or right-clicking the item
in the site tree and selecting Quick Graph. The event data will
appear in the standard graph window, like any other data type,
and can be viewed alongside other data types.
Enter a percentage of the Y-axis height to specify the position of
the Event symbols in the pane.
111
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Signature Flow Meter
112
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Info - Field The Site Info tab of the Field Wizard Site Window lets you view
Wizard and change the site name, module name, date/time, and
connection information.
Site Name - displays the site name stored within the
instrument. To change the site name, type in the new name and
click the Apply button. Site names can be up to 37 characters
long. Any character may be used in the site name except the
following: \ / : * & ? " < > |
Module Name - displays the name for the Field Wizard module.
To change the module name, type in the new name and click the
Apply button. Module names can be up to 37 characters long.
Any character may be used in the module name except the
following: \ / : * & ? " < > |
113
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Site Window - Field Wizard
Connection This box displays the settings used to communicate with the
Information Box Field Wizard. When off-line you can modify:
• Type - You should select the Direct option when
connecting to the Field Wizard module.
• COM port - Select the appropriate COM port setting
from the pull-down menu. Refer to your computer’s
documentation for more information on COM ports.
• Baud Rate - Select the baud rate from the pull-down
menu. Select 38400 when connecting to the Field Wizard.
• Modem - (not used for the Field Wizard)
• Phone number - (not used for the Field Wizard)
To save changes to the communications settings, click Apply.
Interrogated Sites - The Interrogated Sites tab of the Field Wizard Site Window lists
Field Wizard the sites that the Field Wizard interrogated and the modules
that comprise each site.
The top section of the display lists the interrogated site’s name,
the date and time it was last interrogated, and whether the files
are in a saved state.
When you select a site name, the bottom section of the display
will list the modules that exist at that site. When you select a
module and click the Details button, it will display more details
about that module.
Field Wizard The 2101 Field Wizard is a portable data retrieval module
designed to collect data from, or “interrogate” Isco 2100 Series
flow modules. It then is able to transfer that data to Flowlink.
The Field Wizard may also serve as a local display and keypad
for a 2100 Series site.
Use the Quick Connect window to begin communications
between Flowlink and the Field Wizard.
114
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Layout - Graph The top-center of the Graph window shows the main- and sub-
titles. Directly below the titles is the legend. The legend shows a
label and a color bar for each series of data. The Y-axis displays
the units of measure and the X-axis displays the time and date.
The bottom line in the graph window displays the timespan
shown on the graph. All displayed times are referenced to the
first data set of the first series. Quick Graphs will round the start
time to the nearest hour or to the nearest fifteen-minute interval
when the timespan is less than ten hours.
If the Display Summary check box is selected (see page 124), the
legend will also show the sum of all data in the timespan for
Total Flow, Flow Rate, and Rainfall; other reading types will
display the average value.
Layout - Table The graph window can also display the data as a table. The
main- and sub-titles appear at the top of the table. Column
headings are shown below the titles to indicate the series label,
and units. The first column is the date and time, which is always
referenced to the first data set of the first series. The columns to
the right of the time/date column list the readings in each series
of data.
When Statistical Functions are used (see page 129), the column
headings will include the function applied.
If the Display Summary check box is selected (see page 124), the
bottom of the column will show the sum of all data in the column
for Total Flow, Flow Rate, and Rainfall; other reading types will
display the average value.
Layout - Scatter Plot The graph window can also be displayed as a scatter plot. The
main- and sub-titles appear at the top of the scatter plot. No
legends appear with a scatter plot, and many of the features for
each series are disabled, as they have no relevance when a
scatter plot is rendered. Scatter plots can be displayed with a
Best Fit Curve.
In a scatter plot, only the first 2 series specified on the Series tab
of the Graph Properties window are used, and there must be at
least 2 series specified in order to see a non-blank scatter plot.
The first series specified is always specified on the y-axis, and the
115
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Creating a Graph or There are a number of methods for creating a graph or table in
Table Flowlink - Quick Graph a data set, Quick Graph a site, New
Graph, DEFAULT Graph, or Open All Graphs. Any of these
methods will open a Graph window.
Quick Graph a data This graphs a data set using the default graph properties.
set To Quick Graph a data set you can double-click on it, or:
1. Highlight a data set in the workspace.
Quick Graph a site This graphs a site using a template. A template is any existing
graph in the open database. When you quick graph a site, the
original graph’s data is substituted by the data of the desired
site, while all of the graph properties remain unchanged. For
your convenience, the Flowlink database can be pre-loaded with
graph and table templates during installation. The templates,
which are located in the Templates sub-directory of the Flowlink
5.1 program folder, support many of the common needs of
Flowlink users. For easy reference, each template is identified by
a descriptive name. To make a template active in Flowlink,
simply open the .IGD file.
The easiest way to Quick Graph a site using a template is to drag
and drop the desired data set(s) on the desired graph. Or, you
can:
1. Right-click a site in the workspace.
116
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
New Graph or Table This opens a blank Graph window. To create a new graph:
DEFAULT Graph When you click the DEFAULT Graph button on the Site window,
you can quickly display a graph of the site data, using the
DEFAULT graph/table template. A common use of this feature
would be to quickly graph the site data before disconnecting, so
you can view the data at a glance to check site conditions.
The Quick Graph with DEFAULT option also appears when you
right-click on a site in the workspace.
Flowlink provides several templates to choose from that can be
imported and saved as the default. To set a Flowlink template as
the default:
1. Select File>Import.
2. In the “Select files for import” window, go to
C:\Program Files\Flowlink 5.1\Templates.
3. Locate the template subfolder with the data interval and
type(s) you wish to graph.
(From Files of Type, select *.igd.)
4. Select the IGD template and Open.
5. When Import Progress is complete, click Done.
6. The imported template now appears in the workspace,
identified by file name. To set it as the default, right-click
the template and select Copy to DEFAULT.
117
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Open All Graphs To view all graph templates in the local or global directory
simultaneously, right-click the desired folder and select *Open
All Graphs.
Graph - Navigating You can move through a Graph or a Table with either the mouse
or the keyboard.
118
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph - Modifying The appearance of the Graph or Table can be changed with the
Properties window. To display the Properties window a graph
window must be active on the Flowlink desktop. There are three
ways to open the Properties window: double-click on the graph,
click the Graph Properties button on the Graph Toolbar, or press
Alt-Enter.
The Properties window groups the settings on three tabs.
• General Tab - contains the settings for the basic
appearance of the graph. Use this tab to specify the titles,
the type - graph or table, orientation, background colors,
and font sizes.
• Time Scale Tab - contains the time settings used for the
horizontal (X-axis) display. Use this tab to set start times
and timespans.
• Series Tab - contains the settings that apply to the data
displayed on the vertical (Y-axis). Use this tab to add
data sets, control the appearance of the data, perform
statistical operations, etc.
• Scatterplots Tab - use this tab to select the X and Y data
sets for a scatterplot graph, as well as settings for basic
appearance and smoothing.
Note:
Graphs and tables can only display data sets from the open
(working) database. To include readings from more than one
database, you first must Transfer the data to a single database.
Graph Properties - The General Tab in the Properties window contains the settings
General that control the basic appearance of the graph. Use this tab to
specify the titles, the type - graph or table, orientation,
background colors, font sizes, and a template site.
Follow the yellow numbered steps to enter the General settings.
119
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
120
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph Properties - The Time Scale Tab in the Properties window contains the time
Time Scale settings. Use the Time settings to control the start time and
timespan displayed on a graph’s X-axis (horizontal), or the start
time and number of rows in a table.
Follow the yellow numbered steps to enter the Time Scale
settings.
1. Choose the starting date and time…. There are eight
choices that can define the left-most point on the graph’s
X-axis, or the first row of data in a table. The first seven
options are always relative to today’s date. That is, if the
graph is opened on a later day, Flowlink redraws the
graph relative to the new date. Flowlink assumes that
your computer’s time and date are set correctly. To verify
that your settings are correct you can review the
“Current time range and duration” block on this tab.
• Today - Starts the data from today’s date at the time
you specify.
• This week - Starts the data at the day of week and
time you specify.
• This month - Starts the data from the first day of
the month at the time you specify.
• Yesterday - Start the data with yesterday’s date at
the time you enter.
• Last week - Starts the data from the entered day of
week and time from last week.
• Last month - Starts from the first day of the last
calendar month at the time you specify.
• Relative - Use this option for those times that
cannot be defined with the choices above. Fill in the
entries to specify the starting point relative to the
current time and date.
• Absolute - Enter the exact time and date to appear
at the beginning of the graph or the first reading in a
table.
When Printing, repeat this timespan a total of __ times - As
a default, Flowlink will print one full timespan. Increasing this
number allows you to print multiple time spans. For example, if a
graph displays a one day timespan but you need seven pages to
cover the full week, enter “7”.
121
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph Properties - The Series Tab of the Properties window contains the settings
Series that apply to the data displayed on the Y-axis (vertical). Use this
tab to add lines to the graph or columns to a table, perform
statistical operations, control the appearance of the series, etc.
A series is a single line plotted on a graph, or a column in a table.
A valid graph must have at least one defined series, or as many
as eight. Within a series, you can apply mathematical operations
to data sets anywhere in the list or to a previously defined series.
A data set can be any data set listed in the workspace of the open
database. (The open database is listed on the General tab of the
Properties window.) At least one data set must be defined. As
many as eight data sets may be entered. You can perform
statistical operations on a data set, such as averaging readings
over a summary interval.
Follow the yellow numbered steps to enter the Series tab
settings.
1. Highlight a series or data set. Note that highlighting one
of these in the top part of the window changes the
associated properties in the lower half. Highlighting one
of these allows you to modify that line, or add another
series or data set below it. At this point, you can proceed
with either step 2 or 3.
2. Then click a button. There are three buttons:
• New series - Adds a blank new series to the end of
the list. You must then define the series in the lower
half of the window (step 3).
• New Data Set - Adds a new data set below the
highlighted item. You must then define the data set
in the lower half of the window (step 3).
122
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Additional Series The Series tab includes settings that control the general
Settings appearance of the series. These controls are located in the
Format and Scaling sections of the tab. The Format settings
allow you to select the line color, type, and symbol from the pull
down lists. These format settings override the default settings
specified in the Utilities>Options settings (page 39), and only
apply to the current graph. The Scaling often works best when
the Automatic check boxes are selected. However, you may wish
to manually control the scaling. To do so, deselect the Automatic
check boxes and enter Manual scaling values. The values entered
will use the units specified in the Series definition box.
Signature Series For the Signature event data types Program, ReportA/B, History,
Settings and Diagnostic, enter a percentage of the Y-axis height to specify
the position of the Event symbols in the pane.
Graph Properties - To define the series, complete all of the fields in the Series
Defining a Series definition box.
Appearance settings • Label - Type in the label. The label appears in the legend
on a graph, or as a column heading in a table.
• Type - (Graph only) Select a Line, Bar, or Point Graph
from the pull-down list. Bar graphs require that the Y-
axis to be put on the left side.
• Units - Defines the units of measure. You will be unable
to choose the units until a data set is defined for this
series, or until an operation is chosen from the pull-down
list. Default units of measure can be set using the
Utilities>Options settings (page 39).
• Put in pane number -(Graph only) Flowlink can
display up to four panes. Choose a pane number from the
pull-down list.
• Relative height - (Graph only) Allows you to change the
proportions of the panes.
• Put Y-axis on - (Graph only) Select an option from the
pull down list. The far-left and far-right can be useful
when displaying more than two lines in a pane.
• Invert Y Axis - Checking this box inverts the display in
the pane. Note that if more than one series is displayed
in the pane, each must have the Invert Y Axis option
selected before the pane’s Y-axis is inverted.
123
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
124
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph Properties - Series formulas can apply mathematical operations to data sets.
Series Formulas With formulas, you can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and/or use
exponentiation, absolute values, and negative integers.
Operations can be grouped with parentheses to control the order
of execution.
Example. Use a series formula to plot the average level recorded
at two sites.
(The example assumes that a blank New graph was created
using the File>New menu option. The following steps start with
the Series tab of the Graph Properties window, although the
General and Time Scale settings should also be defined.)
1. The List of Series and Data Sets box shows S1 and 1A
undefined. Highlight data set 1A.
2. Identify the source of data. Click the Select… button and
locate the level data set for the first site.
3. Click the New Data Set button. Flowlink adds data set
1B, highlighted, but undefined.
4. Identify the source of data. Click the Select… button and
locate the level data set for the second site.
5. Highlight series S1.
6. Select Series Formula from the Operation pull-down list.
Flowlink displays the Formula entry box.
7. Type the formula in the box using the variables assigned
in the List of Series and Data Sets. For the example, type
(1A+1B)/2.
125
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Notes:
• For best results, always recalculate the data sets using
the averaging statistical function. (Select the AVG button
in the data set properties.) Set the summary interval to
the desired interval for displaying the results on a graph
or a table.
• The operations are executed from left to right, starting
from within enclosed parentheses. Flowlink executes the
exponentiation operations first, followed by
multiplication and division operations, and it then
proceeds with addition and subtraction, working its way
outside of the parentheses.
• Use care to ensure that the data sets are from the same
reading types. The units of measure are assigned by the
first data set.
• Valid formulas will yield the result when you click the
OK button. If Flowlink recognizes a formula error, it
provides a Details>> button to explain the error.
See Also: Calculate Data Sets, page 25.
Graph Properties - The Scatterplots Tab in the Properties window contains the
Scatterplots settings for a scatterplot graph. In order to generate a scatterplot
graph, first select the Scatter option on the General Tab in the
Properties window, or click the button in the Graph Toolbar.
The scatterplot graph uses two series defined in the Series tab of
the Graph Properties window. The first series data is plotted
against the Y-axis, the second series data against the X-axis.
By default, the scatterplot graph uses the first two data series
defined in the Series tab of the Graph Properties window. To
select the data to be graphed, highlight “New XY Series” in the
box. Select a data series for X and a data series for Y from the
dropdown lists, and click the Add Plot button.
The settings for appearance and best fit curve appear for
whatever plot is selected in the box:
• Data Point Size - select small, medium, or large.
• Data Point Symbol - select a shape from the dropdown
list
• Data Point Color - select a color from the dropdown list.
• Best Fit Curve - apply a smooth curve to your data by
selecting the Generate Best Fit Curve checkbox.
126
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph Properties - Flow Conversion operations can perform off-line flow conversion
Flow Conversion with level, or level and velocity data sets.
127
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
To calculate a flow rate off-line, the List of Series and Data Sets
should contain at least one series and one level data set for a
level-to-flow conversion. Area velocity flow conversions should
contain at least one series, and two data sets - level and velocity.
Steps: (assuming the list contains the required series and data
sets already defined.)
1. Highlight the series in the List of Series and Data Sets
box.
2. Select Flow Conversion from the Operation pull-down
list. The window displays additional entry fields.
3. Enter a Conversion method. You can type in the name of
a flow conversion method listed on the Flow Conversion
List, or click the Choose... button to select from the list.
4. Enter the variable assigned to the level data set in the
Level field. The variable is displayed in front of data sets
in the List of Series and Data Sets box. For example, type
1A.
5. If you selected an area velocity Flow conversion method,
enter the variable for the velocity data set in the Vel:
field. For example, type 1B.
Notes:
• For best results, always recalculate the level and velocity
data using the averaging statistical function. (Select the
AVG button in the data set properties.) Set the summary
interval to the desired interval for displaying the flow
rate on a graph or a table.
• Valid formulas will yield a flow conversion when you click
the OK button. If Flowlink recognizes a formula error, it
provides a Details>> button to explain the error.
Graph Properties - Volume Conversions calculate volumes from a flow rate. Volume
Volume Conversion conversions can be performed with or without summary
intervals. Without summary intervals, Flowlink integrates the
volume between each flow rate reading. With an averaging
summary interval, Flowlink integrates the volume over the
interval.
Example. Using a flow rate data set, report hourly volumes and a
daily total volume in a table.
(The example assumes that a blank, New graph was created
using the File>New menu option. The following steps start with
the General tab of the Graph Properties window and explain only
the minimum required settings.)
1. On the General tab, set the Type to Table.
2. View the Time Scale tab.
3. Choose the starting date and set the time to start at
128
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Graph Properties - Defining a data set is step 3 of the Graph Properties Series tab.
Defining a Data set To define the data set, complete all of the fields in the lower half
of the tab.
Statistical function You can use statistical functions to modify the readings in a data
set. The functions are applied in conjunction with the summary
interval defined on the Time Scale tab. There are several options:
• None - Disables the functions. Any setting in the
summary interval is ignored.
• Avg - (Average) Recalculates the data to produce an
average value for the summary interval. For example,
recalculating flow rate readings taken at five-minute
intervals over a one-hour summary interval will produce
an hourly average flow rate. The graph or table will
display one data point every hour.
• Min - (Minimum) Reports the lowest-valued reading that
occurs during each summary interval. For example, to
report the lowest pH reading of every hour, set the
summary time interval to one hour and select the Min
button. The graph will plot the lowest pH reading of each
hour. A table will also report the lowest reading of the
hour. However, a table can also report in a separate
column the time the reading occurred if the Display min/
max times check box is selected for the corresponding
series.
• Max - Reports the highest-valued reading that occurs
during each summary interval. It reports the data in the
same manner as the Min function described above.
• Sum - Adds the values of all the readings during the
summary interval and reports the sum at the end of each
129
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Data Set Displays the site name and data set used as the source. You can
change the source by typing in the name of another site and data
set, or click the Select… button to browse for a source.
Data Type The data type buttons allow you to select edited readings or
original values from the database. When the Zero error data
option is selected, the graph will go to zero when an error is
encountered, rather than drawing a straight line from the last
valid reading to the next valid reading.
130
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Generate Scatter When a graph or table is active on the Flowlink desktop, clicking
Plot
the button will generate a scatter plot using the first two
series defined in the Series tab of the Graph Properties window.
The first series data is plotted against the Y-axis, the second
series data against the X-axis. Only data points visible in the
current time span of the graph or table window are scatter
plotted. You can move to the next or previous time span by using
the Actions>Go To options or the Graph Toolbar buttons. To
return to the normal graph or table view from a scatter plot view,
click the scatter plot button again.
This view requires two series of data to be defined. If there are
additional series defined on the Graph Properties window they
will be ignored in the scatter plot view.
The scatter plot view may also be defined as a graph property by
checking the Generate scatter plot check box on the General tab
of the Graph Properties window. The graph property window also
allows you to add a best fit curve to the scatter plot.
The scatter plot includes display elements that help you read the
data. Like normal graphs, the scatter plot includes the title and
subtitle at the top of the display and a time span below the plot
area. Information about the selected data point is reported in the
top-right corner above the plot area. The top-most numbers
reports the X and Y coordinates of the selected point. The
Number of Points identifies how many points have the same X
and Y coordinates. When several points have the same
coordinates, the Time Stamp reports the latest highlighted data
point.
Reference Curve Reference Curves allow you to create a data set that can be used
as a weekly “standard” or “baseline” to test or compare other
data sets of the same measurement type.
For example, flow rate data representing a dry weather flow
pattern can be established as a reference curve. The reference
curve can then be compared to flow rates experienced during wet
weather. As a data series, this normal, dry weather flow rate can
also be subtracted from the wet weather flow rate using a series
formula to report the difference.
To establish a reference curve:
1. Graph the data to be used as a reference.
Tip - Because reference curve data repeats weekly,
setting the time scale to one week may be helpful.
2. Locate a suitable week and note the start date.
3. Right-click on the graph and select the Reference Curve
menu option.
4. Enter the Start Date.
5. Select the Destination of the Reference Curve data set.
6. Click OK. Flowlink creates a new data set in the selected
destination.
131
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Horizontal Lines Two horizontal lines can be added to each pane in a graph to
temporarily annotate data for display and printing. To add
horizontal lines:
1. In an open graph, select a data point in the pane to which
the line should be added.
2. Right-click on the graph and select the Horizontal Line
option. This opens a window to specify where the lines
will be added.
3. Check the 1st Value check box, then enter the Y-axis
value that the horizontal line will intersect.
4. If a second line is desired, check the 2nd Value box and
specify the Y-axis value.
5. Click OK.
Repeat for other panes as needed.
Note: Horizontal lines are active as long as the graph is open.
The lines will display for all viewed time spans. However,
horizontal lines are not saved with the Graph (.IGD) file.
Text Boxes Text can be added to graphs to annotate data. To add text:
1. Select a data point on a graph.
132
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Best Fit Curves To aid the analysis of data represented in a scatter plot, the Best
Fit Curves feature can apply a smooth curve to your data. This
can help you determine if the data fits within an expected model.
Additionally, best fit curves may be used when editing data in a
scatter plot.
To display a best fit curve on a scatter plot, open the graph
properties window and select the “Generate best fit curve” check
box on the General Properties tab.
You can select from two types of best fit curves. A third degree
polynomial curve can be applied using any data in series one and
two. A Manning formula curve can also be applied to plot the
level with a calculated velocity based on the pipe diameter,
roughness coefficient and slope. The Manning formula option
requires that series one use Level data for the Y-Axis and series
two use Velocity data for the X-Axis. Select the check box for the
desired option. If the Manning formula is selected, a window
appears to enter coefficients for the formula.
The best fit curve will be displayed with limits. Enter the limit
value and specify the limit type. Limit type options are:
• Percent of Best Fit Curve - Flowlink calculates upper
and lower limit lines using the limit value as a
percentage of each best fit curve data point.
• Offset of Best Fit Curve - Flowlink calculates upper
and lower limits using the limit value as a fixed offset for
each best fit curve data point.
133
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Manning When adding a best fit curve using a Manning formula, Flowlink
Coefficients opens a dialog box so you can add the Manning coefficients.
Enter values for the following:
• Diameter - Enter the pipe diameter.
• Slope - Enter the slope as a dimensionless quantity,
delta Y/ delta X, not as percent slope.
• Roughness - Enter the roughness coefficient for the pipe
(see page 88).
Flow Profiles (Pulse When graphing flow data from Pulse Doppler instruments, there
Doppler only) are five additional options for viewing the data. From either the
toolbar or Graphs>Flow Profile, you may select any combination
of the following views:
The Profile Cross-Section window shows a hydrograph and a
color contour plot of the flow profile. This flow profile is
developed from the raw beam velocity profiling information. This
raw velocity data is entered into an algorithm that produces a
mathematical description of velocity as a function of position
within the pipe or channel. The Y axis represents channel height,
and the X axis represents channel width. Velocity is represented
by different colors.
Velocity and Velocity Vector plots indicate the quality of the
sensor installation and alignment. In a perfect installation,
Beams 1 & 3 will be equal in amplitude and opposite in sign.
Beams 2 & 4 will also be equal in amplitude and opposite in sign,
but will have a greater amplitude than 1 & 3 by approximately
50%. Even in a perfect installation, however, hydraulic
conditions may still produce asymmetrical beam profiles.
A Pulse Doppler instrument operates by emitting a sound pulse
and then receiving the echoes backscattered by material
suspended in the flow. Amplitude is a measure of the strength of
this return signal.
Correlation is a measure of the quality of the processed velocity
information. Lower Correlation values (e.g., below 100) are an
indication of poor quality velocity data. Higher Correlation
values (e.g., above 150) may indicate external interference (noise)
or the presence of a “hard” acoustic barrier.
The Play/Pause Graph button on the toolbar shows the data
sequence in a continuous loop until Play/Pause Graph is pressed
again.
134
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Saving Graphs and Once you have created a graph or a table, you can save it for later
Tables use, or to be used as an object in another application. Flowlink
supports Object Linking and Embedding (OLE 2.1).
To save a graph or table:
1. With the Graph window active on the Flowlink desktop,
Printing a Graph or
Table
Print Preview After creating the graph or table, you can check to see how it will
look on paper.
135
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Graph Window
Export Data When a graph, table, or scatter plot is active on the Flowlink
desktop (see How do I Create a Graph), selecting File>Export
will export the series data shown on the graph, table, or plot.
Several export formats are available:
• CSV (“Comma Separated Values”, also known as comma-
delimited), without summary.
Most spreadsheet applications can open or read .CSV
formats, and as an ASCII text file, the .CSV file can be
opened with any text editor. Flowlink exports CSV files
with a Data Definition Header.
• CSV, with summary. For tables, the summary
information appears in the last line of the file.
• PDF (Portable Document Format), for sharing and
viewing data using Adobe Acrobat family of products,
including the free Adobe Reader.
• HTML (HyperText Markup Language), for sharing and
viewing data using an Internet browser.
How to export data:
1. From the Flowlink menu, select File>Export.
2. Type the path and file name, or browse for the new
location by clicking the Select… button.
3. Select the export format from the Save As Type box and
click OK.
4. Click Export.
Flowlink displays its progress on the bar in the status box.
136
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
137
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Editor - Viewing and The editor window displays the data in two views: as a graph and
Selecting as a table of readings. There are several ways to move through
these readings and to select them for editing.
With the Mouse -
• Navigating - Navigating is easiest when using the
graph toolbar. Select View>Graph Toolbar from the menu
and it will appear next to the Flowlink menu bar. You can
drag it to any position that is convenient. The buttons on
the toolbar help you navigate through the data. Buttons
on the toolbar allow you to move (jog) 25% back or
forward, to display the previous or next timespan, to
advance to the beginning or end of data, to maximize the
graph, to go to a particular date or time, or to zoom out
(Unzoom).
• Select a point - Hold your cursor over a point on the
graph and left-click. Note that the table on the right will
highlight the time, date and value of that one data point.
Conversely, left-click on a line in the table and the graph
will indicate that point.
• Selecting a range of points - Left-click and drag across
the graph to select a block of readings. Note that it is
possible to select non-consecutive points. This method is
ideal when there is a need to adjust only the highest or
lowest points, excluding the normal readings. Non-
consecutive selected points will prevent you from copying
or cutting the readings.
On the table, you can also shift-click, or you can left-click
and drag the cursor over the readings. Control-click to
select non-consecutive points.
• Display the Editor menu options - right-click
anywhere in the Editor window.
From the keyboard, you will find it easiest to work within the
table.
• Navigating - Press Alt-A, G (Actions>Go To) to navigate
using menu commands, or use the following keys:
Home - beginning of data
End - end of data
Page Up - previous timespan
Page Down - next timespan
Ctrl-Page Up - jog left (25% of timespan)
Ctrl-Page Down - jog right
• Selecting a point - Up and down arrow keys.
• Selecting a range of points - Use the Up or Down
arrow key to select the first point. Hold down the shift
key while pressing the Up or down arrow keys to select
the remaining points.
138
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Notes:
• The graph will always adjust its display to show all of the
readings over the timespan. However, the table may not
always be able to do so. The table is limited to the
number of readings specified by the Utilities>Options
setting. When the table cannot display all of the readings
over the full timespan visible in the graph, the table can
be advanced to the next page of data by selecting the first
or last row of table data.
• It is possible for the graph to contain many more selected
points than the table can show. However the Editor will
still apply adjustments to all selected data.
• The graph displays the original and edited readings
graphed as different colors. The table lists edited and
original values for each point.
Editor - Making Reading adjustments may be needed for several reasons. Some
Adjustments examples are:
• To correct erroneous readings caused by mis-calibrated
sensors
• To fill in gaps caused by power outages, signal loss, etc.
• Clock changes
• Memory partition changes
To adjust the data:
1. Open the data set for editing. There are two ways to do
this:
• Highlight the data set in the workspace and click the
139
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
140
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Other Adjustment • Copy and Paste - Highlight correct readings and Copy
Methods (Ctrl-C) them. This places the readings on the clipboard.
Highlight the incorrect data and Paste (Ctrl-V). Flowlink
replaces the readings with those on the clipboard. You
can also copy and paste using the buttons on the toolbar
or using the menu options displayed when you right-click
in the editor window.
• Cut - Highlight the readings to remove and Cut (Ctrl-X)
them. This places them on the clipboard. They will be
available for pasting elsewhere until they are replaced by
another Copy or Cut. Cut can be used to remove
unwanted readings or No Data codes from the data set.
You can also cut readings with the Cut button on the
toolbar.
• Insert - Highlight the beginning point where you wish to
insert readings. Then, right click and select
Insert>Before or Insert>After. The editor then inserts
data from the clipboard (from the last Copy or Cut).
Insert may be used to fill gaps, or to add readings at the
beginning or end of the data. It cannot overwrite valid
readings.
• Click and drag - Single readings can be moved on the
graph by clicking and dragging the point to a new value.
Notes:
• It is possible to insert readings that will not appear in
the timespan currently viewed on the graph and the
table. It may be necessary to move to the previous or next
time span to see the adjustments.
• When Flowlink combines sites to form a line of data on a
graph or report, it will not combine error codes with
readings. Instead, it will report no data.
• New values that you can store in the database are only
limited to the resolution and significant digits for the
data set. Viewing the Data set Properties (Highlight a
data set in the workspace and press Ctrl+F2) will reveal
this information.
• When editing, Flowlink saves both the original and the
edited data. If necessary, the original values can be
restored.
141
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Paste Paste places readings stored on the clipboard into the data set.
(Copy or cut the readings to store them on the clipboard.)
To paste readings from the clipboard:
1. Select the reading to be replaced. If more than one
reading is on the clipboard, select the starting point for
the new readings.
2. Click the Paste button from the toolbar or right-click and
select Paste (Ctrl-V). The new reading(s) will appear.
If there are multiple readings on the clipboard, Paste will
transfer all to the selected location. If the block of readings on the
clipboard overlaps existing readings, Paste overwrites the
existing readings. If you are trying to fill in gaps of data while
preserving valid readings, use the Insert command instead.
Note: Only similar readings can be pasted into a data set. For
example, only level readings can be pasted into a level data set.
142
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Editor - Fixed Offset A fixed offset adjustment increases or decreases all selected
Adjustment readings by the same amount. When you apply a fixed offset
adjustment, the adjustment is added to or subtracted from each
of the selected readings.
Example: Increase level readings by 0.5 feet.
Although fixed adjustments have many applications, they are
most frequently used to correct calibration errors.
Steps
1. Highlight the readings to edit.
2. Select the Fixed Offset adjustment from the Type pull-
down list on the Editor toolbar.
3. Enter the Amount. This value can be positive or negative.
4. Click Adjust.
143
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Steps:
1. Highlight the readings to edit.
2. Select the Proportional adjustment from the Type pull-
down list on the Editor toolbar.
3. Enter the Amount. This value can be positive or negative,
and will be divided among the total number of readings
highlighted.
4. Click Adjust.
Editor - Time Time adjustments offset the times of the selected readings by a
Adjustments fixed amount. A common use for time adjustments is to correct
readings recorded by an instrument set for the wrong time.
Steps
1. Highlight the readings to edit.
2. Select the Time (minutes) adjustment from the Type
pull-down list on the Editor toolbar.
3. Enter the Amount in minutes. This value can be positive
or negative. For example, enter 2 hours as 120 minutes.
4. Click Adjust.
Note:
It is possible to make time adjustments that will not appear in
the timespan currently viewed on the graph and the table. It may
be necessary to move to the previous or next time span to see the
adjustments.
Editor - Auto Correct An Auto Correct adjustment redraws the selected data points to
connect the data points immediately before and after the selected
data. When you apply an auto correct adjustment, the editor
calculates the data points so that a straight line connects the
adjacent points.
Example: Select “spikes” or gaps of missing data and redraw data
points to connect known good values.
144
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Steps
1. Highlight the readings to edit.
2. Select the Auto Correct adjustment from the Type pull-
down list on the Editor toolbar.
3. Click Adjust.
Editor - Restore to Flowlink saves the edited and the original values in the
Original database. It is possible to restore the readings in a data set to
their original values by clearing the edited values.
To restore the original data:
1. Highlight the readings in the table or graph view that
you wish to restore.
2. Select the Restore to Original adjustment from the Type
pull-down list on the Editor toolbar.
3. Click Adjust.
Notes:
• Restore Original Data differs from the “Undo All Editing”
button, which simply reverts to the last saved data.
• Restore Original Data can be used at any time to remove
modifications.
Editor - Undo All Undo All cancels any changes that you have made to the data.
The reading and time values revert to the last-saved values.
See also: Restore to Original
Editor - Scatter Plots Data sets displayed in a scatter plot layout may be edited. To
enable editing when viewing a scatter plot, right-click on the plot
and select the Edit menu option. Flowlink then displays an
editing toolbar. However, unlike editing data in a normal graph
view, a table view is not available while editing a scatter plot.
There are a few ways to edit data in a scatter plot. To adjust a
single point, it is easiest to click and drag the point:
1. Identify a single point that requires editing and
determine which direction it should be adjusted. Select
the Horizontal or Vertical option from the Direction box
on the editing toolbar.
Note: Selecting “Vertical” edits data in the data set
labeled on the Y-axis. The data set labeled on the X-axis
will not be adjusted. Conversely, selecting “Horizontal”
adjusts data in the data set labeled on the X-axis.
2. Click and drag the point to adjust it along the selected
axis. This step can be repeated for other points.
3. Click the Save button on the editing toolbar to save the
changes.
To cancel the adjustments, click the Undo All button. All
adjusted points return to the last-saved coordinates.
145
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
Best fit curves can assist with the data editing, especially when
many points need to be adjusted. With best fit curves and limits
displayed in a scatter plot, you can:
• Adjust a single point, moving it to the nearest limit or to
the best fit curve. To do so, click on the point to highlight
it. Set the Direction. Then, choose the Correct...“To limit”
or “To Best Fit Curve” option. Click the Adjust button.
• Adjust a block of points, moving them to the nearest limit
or to the best fit curve. To do so, click and drag the cursor
across a block of points. The editor displays a box to show
which points are selected. Then, use the editing toolbar
to adjust the selected points.
• Adjust all outliers, moving them to the nearest limit or to
the best fit curve. To do so, select the Direction. Then,
choose the Correct... “All Outliers To Limit” or “All
Outliers To Best Fit Curve.” Click the Adjust button.
To exit the editor, right-click on the scatter plot and deselect the
Edit menu option.
No Data Codes When an Isco instrument fails to obtain a reading, it stores one of
several No Data Codes instead of a reading. These codes are
listed below.
The Editor window may be used to correct the errors.
146
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
147
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Editor Window
148
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Schedules
149
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Schedules
Schedule Times The Schedule Window contains the settings that define when a
task or tasks will occur.
Set up a schedule by following the steps below:
1. To open the Schedule Time window, right-click on
Schedule in the workspace and select New Schedule.
2. Select one of the Run Task options and make the
appropriate entries:
• Manual - enter a name. The Manual option can be
useful for performing a series of Flowlink operations
without assigning fixed or recurring times. Start a
Manual schedule with Item>Run Now from the
menu.
• Once - enter the time (e.g. 7:00 AM), and the month,
day, and year.
• Hourly - enter the minutes after the hour.
• Daily - enter the time, and check the applicable days
of the week.
• Weekly - enter the time, and select the day of the
week from the pull-down list.
• Monthly - enter the time and the day of the month.
3. Set up the Error Handling. This provides instructions for
Flowlink when it cannot complete a scheduled task.
Problems such as a bad modem connection or “printer off-
line” can cause these errors.
• Fill in the Retry ____ times before quitting and Allow
____ minutes before each retry boxes. Use care so
that later time-critical schedules are not delayed.
• Select the appropriate On Hard Error radio button. A
hard error is when the task has failed all of the
retries. Generally, you would want to abort the task
list if the following tasks at the same scheduled time
relied on this task. For example, if Flowlink was
unable to complete a scheduled interrogation, there
would be no need to continue with the next scheduled
task - printing the graph. Flowlink will log a message
in the Logs Folder after a hard error.
4. Press the Apply Changes button and the schedule will
appear under “Schedules” in the Workspace. If you have
modified an existing scheduled time and wish to restore
the last applied settings, use the Cancel button.
Temporarily Disable When checked, the schedule is placed on hold. Flowlink will skip
Check box this schedule and all of its tasks as long as this check box is
filled. This does not affect other schedules.
150
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Schedules
Schedule Task The Schedule Task Window contains the settings that define the
operation to be performed.
Schedule a task by following the steps below:
1. To set up a new task, right-click on a schedule in the
workspace and select New Task.
2. Select the type of operation. Tasks that can be scheduled
include site interrogations, printing graphs or tables,
running a program, importing from a file, exportnig or
saving to a file, calculating data sets, compacting a
database, backing up a database, archiving a database,
and restoring a database.
3. Type or select the name of the task item. Depending on
the type of operation selected in step 1, this can be done
by typing the name of the item, or by clicking the
Select… button and selecting an item from the list.
4. If necessary, specify the target directory for file export
operations.
5. Select a Schedule from the Pull-down list. These are
schedules that already appear in the Workspace.
When all of the entries have been made, click the OK
button to save the Schedule Task.
Note: To add another site to an existing scheduled task, simply
drag and drop the site over the desired schedule.
Temporarily Disable Individual tasks may be put on temporary hold in one of two
Tasks ways:
• Right-click a task and select Disable Task, or highlight a
task and select Disable Task from the Item menu.
or
• Double-click a task to open the task window and check
the box near the bottom, next to “Temporarily disable
this scheduled task.”
This action puts this scheduled task on hold. Flowlink will skip
this scheduled task as long as this check box is filled. The action
does not affect other tasks at the same scheduled time, or
identical tasks at different scheduled times.
Re-enable the task by selecting Enable Task or deselecting the
Disable check box.
Notes:
• Retrieve data from site - The site must already exist in
the current database.
• Print a graph or table - The graph or table settings
must be pre-defined and saved. The graph or table should
use a relative start time so that the viewed data is
updated whenever the graph or table is opened or
scheduled.
• Run a program - This type of scheduled task will
behave differently depending on its position among other
151
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Schedules
Schedule Time This window is displayed when a schedule is about to run while
Prompt the database is still open in Flowlink.
• To proceed with the schedule, click OK. You will be able
to continue with Flowlink after the schedule is done.
• To stop the schedule, click Cancel. You can then continue
your work in Flowlink without interruption.
• If you do not respond within 30 seconds, the schedule will
automatically run.
If you are modifying an item in the database that may affect the
results of the schedule, cancel the schedule. Run the schedule
manually (Item>Run Now) when you are through with the
modifications.
152
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
How Do I... ?
Create a site There are many reasons for adding a site to the workspace. The
most common need is to place a new instrument in the field.
Adding a new instrument to the Flowlink database is simple. The
Direct Connect method is described below.
1. Connect your PC to the instrument. Use an interrogator
cable to connect to 4100/4200/6700 instruments; use the
Communications Cable to connect to a Pulse Doppler or
2100 instrument, or Field Wizard.
153
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Make a direct Direct connections use a cable to attach your PC to the Isco
connection instrument.
• 4100, 4200, and 6700 Series instruments use an
Interrogator Cable for direct connections. The
interrogator cable is also compatible with the 675 and
676 Logging Rain Gauge.
• 2100 Series instruments including the Field Wizard use a
Communications Cable for direct connections.
• Pulse Doppler Series instruments use a Communications
Cable for direct connections.
Direct connections - When the interrogator port is easily accessible, you may use the
4100/4200/6700 10-foot long one-piece interrogator cable. Unrestricted access to
the interrogator port allows you to connect to the instrument as
needed, and to disconnect and cap the port when you are
through.
• Part Number 60-2544-044 - for computers with a 9-pin
connector
• Part Number 60-2544-040 - for computers with a 25-pin
connector
• Part Number 60-2004-507 - for computers with a USB
connector
If the instrument’s location is inaccessible, use the two-piece
interrogator cable. It is a set of two cables, one 10 feet long and
one 3 feet long. The 10-foot cable connects to the instrument,
while the 3-foot cable connects to your PC. These two cables are
connected to communicate with the instrument. When you are
done, disconnect the two cables from each other. Because the 10-
foot section should remain connected to the instrument, a 10-foot
cable is needed for each inaccessible instrument.
• Part Number 60-2544-025 - 10-foot cable, connects to the
instrument
• Part Number 60-2544-026 - 3-foot cable, connects to
computer with a 9-pin connector
• Part Number 60-2544-027 - 3-foot cable, connects to
computer with a 25-pin connector
• Part Number 60-2544-028 - 25-foot extension cable
Note: 4100 Series Flow Loggers and 4200 Series Flow Meters - If
you are connecting a battery-powered flow logger, the
interrogator cable must be disconnected when not in use.
Otherwise, the flow logger will drain its battery unnecessarily.
One-piece cables must be completely removed from the flow
logger, and the interrogator port should be capped to prevent
damage. If you are using a two-piece cable, they must be
separated.
154
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Instrument
connection diagram
Instrument
Connection
Diagram
The 2101 Field Wizard does not have a case top connector.
Instead, the communications cable attaches to the connector on
the right side of the case.
Extension and custom-length cables are available from Teledyne
Isco.
155
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
156
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Import data Importing brings data from non-Isco instruments or from other
applications into the Flowlink database. The imported data is
added to the Flowlink database and will show up in the
workspace as a site, although it is not a site to which you can
“connect.”
Flowlink can import files created with WinADFM (software
formerly used with Pulse Doppler instruments). These include
station files (*.stn), which contain site information, and their
corresponding data files (*.nnn where nnn is a number from 0-9).
Both file types must be imported before the data can be viewed.
Flowlink can also import 2100 data dump files (*.ddp) and data
files in comma-delimited format, also known as comma-
separated values (*.csv).
The beginning of a CSV file must include a “Data Definition
Header” (see page 17) to instruct Flowlink how to handle the
information in the file. Data from non-Isco devices and data from
spreadsheet applications must comply with this header format.
How to Import a Formatted CSV File:
1. From the Flowlink menu, select File>Import.
2. Type the path and file name, or browse for the file by
clicking the Select… button.
3. Click Import.
At this point, watch the Status box that reports the current
status and a progress bar, and the Statistics box that reports the
number of data records, data types, and total records imported.
Edit data sets Reading adjustments may be needed for several reasons. Some
examples are:
• To correct erroneous readings caused by mis-calibrated
sensors
• To fill in gaps caused by power outages, signal loss, etc.
• Clock changes
• Memory partition changes
157
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Other Adjustment • Copy and Paste - Highlight correct readings and Copy
Methods (Ctrl-C) them. This places the readings on the clipboard.
Highlight the incorrect data and Paste (Ctrl-V). Flowlink
replaces the readings with those on the clipboard. You
can also copy and paste using the buttons on the toolbar
or using the “Actions” menu options.
• Cut - Highlight the readings to remove and Cut (Ctrl-X)
them. This places them on the clipboard. They will be
available for pasting elsewhere until they are replaced by
another Copy or Cut. Cut can be used to remove
unwanted readings or No Data codes from the data set.
You can also cut readings with the Cut button on the
toolbar or using the Actions>Cut menu option.
• Insert - Highlight the beginning point where you wish to
insert readings. Select Actions>Insert or press Ctrl-I and
complete the entries in the insert window. Insert may be
used to fill gaps, or to add readings at the beginning or
end of the data. It cannot overwrite valid readings.
Notes:
158
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Create a Graph There are a number of methods that you can use to create a
graph or table in Flowlink - Quick Graph a data set or site, New
Graph, and Quick Graph with DEFAULT. Any of these methods
will open a Graph window.
Quick Graph a data set - graphs a data set using the default
graph properties.
To Quick Graph a data set you can double-click on it, or:
1. Highlight a data set in the workspace.
159
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Use a Flowlink graph When you save a graph or table, it not only appears in the
in another workspace, but an IGD (Isco Graph Document) file is also saved
in the current directory. You can import an IGD file as an object
application
160
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
into any application that supports OLE 2.1. For example, you can
insert a Flowlink graph or table into your word-processing,
spreadsheet, or presentation files.
There are several ways to import an object. Before importing an
IGD file as an object, you should consider whether linking or
embedding would work best for your needs. Linking and
embedding differ in how they update the file. For this discussion,
let’s consider the Flowlink IGD file as the source, and the
external application’s document as the destination.
A linked object is not part of the destination file. The destination
file only displays a representation of the linked object while it
remembers the location of the source. It remembers the location
so the representation can be updated. If you allow the application
to update the links as the document is opened, it builds a new
representation of the object. If an IGD file is constantly reused
and updated, linking would be ideal if you always wanted the
current view. Another advantage to linking is that it reduces the
destination’s file size. There are some disadvantages to linking.
Since the destination file must remember the location of the
source, the destination file is not very portable. Moving the
destination or the source file will destroy the link.
An embedded object is part of the destination file, but is no
longer part of the source file. The view of the IGD file cannot be
updated by the source. However, you can double-click on it to
open the object in the source application to manually update the
view.
If you are running an application as a scheduled task to process
an IGD file, you must link the IGD file. The application should
also be set to update the links as the document is opened.
Otherwise, the representation of the IGD file will never be
updated.
Inserting an IGD file:
1. Open the application and the destination document.
2. From the menu, select Insert>Object...
3. Select Create from file.
4. Browse for and select the IGD file.
5. (Optional) Check the Link to file box.
6. Click OK. The application will display the IGD file inside
the document.
Export Data When a graph, table, or scatter plot is active on the Flowlink
desktop (see How do I Create a Graph), selecting File>Export
will export the series data shown on the graph, table, or plot.
Several export formats are available:
• CSV (“Comma Separated Values”, also known as comma-
delimited), without summary.
Most spreadsheet applications can open or read .CSV
formats, and as an ASCII text file, the .CSV file can be
161
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Run Flowlink from a Flowlink includes command line switches so tasks can be run
command line from a command line, macro, or a script.
Flowlink Command Line Options:
Task Syntax
162
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Manage the Teledyne Isco recommends that you keep all of your sites in a
database single database. The single database allows you to use Flowlink’s
abilities to meet your flow monitoring needs. Flowlink can
perform advanced analysis (I&I, CSO, Flow comparisons,
stormwater, etc.) on numerous sites, as long as it can access the
data. More than one database would only be recommended when
there is a need to perform independent studies, such as
contractual or short-term analysis.
To help maintain the database, consider the following:
• Sorting Data in the workspace so sites are easy to find.
• Defragment the Database at regular intervals.
• Periodically Backup the Database for easy recovery.
• Periodically Archive the Database to remove data no
longer needed.
163
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
Sorting Data To keep a large number of sites in the database, it is often best to
group multiple sites in folders in the same way files are kept in
directories. Creating folders in the workspace to sort the sites
will make them easier to locate.
1. Highlight the parent-level folder labeled “Sites.”
2. Select Item>Create Folder. Flowlink adds an empty
folder under Sites.
3. Name the folder.
4. You can position the new folder anywhere in the
workspace under Sites. It does not need to be in
alphanumeric order. To move the folder, click and drag.
5. Click and drag sites to the folder.
Folders can also be used to sort Graphs and Tables.
Backup the Periodically, you may want to backup the database, should data
Database recovery ever become necessary. Flowlink allows you to backup
the current database using the Database>Backup… menu
command. The backup saves the sites and site data, graphs and
tables, and schedules. You can schedule a backup to be performed
at regular intervals.
When running a backup, you specify the destination (removable
media, network drives, recordable CDs, 3.5" diskettes) and
Flowlink saves the database in a compressed .ZIP file. Flowlink
can restore the database from this backup file.
Archive the As you continue to retrieve data from sites, the file size of the
Database database continues to grow to hold the data. Archiving lets you
remove data from the database that is no longer needed. For
example, if you analyze the data to produce just weekly and
monthly graphs, the previous month of data is no longer needed
in the database. Archiving the data at regular intervals will
greatly reduce the need for storage space.
Archives are not the same as backups. An archive only stores the
sites and the site data, whereas a backup will include the graphs,
tables, and schedules.
Archiving the database lets you specify the date range or date of
interrogation to pull from the database. Archives can be saved as
an .MDB file, an ADFM ensemble data file, or a compressed .ZIP
file. .MDB files can be opened directly in Flowlink; reopen
compressed files with the Restore from Archive menu command.
164
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
165
Isco Flowlink 5.1® Software
166
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Numerics Bookmark, 25
2105 Modbus input, 68
2160 laser flow module, 65 C
Calculated flow, 53
A Calculating data sets, 25
About Flowlink, 2 Cancel, 23
Accumulate statistical function, 129 Com port options, 37
Actions menu, 23 Command line operation, 162
apply, 23 Comparison matrix, 5 & LE, 4
calculate data sets, 25 Compatible instruments, 3
cancel, 23 Condition, 70, 96
connect, 23 grouping conditions, 99
diagnostics, 23 hysteresis, 71
disconnect, 23 rainfall, 73
enable editing, 24 range, 72
go to, 24 rate, 72, 98
graph/table, 25 sensor error, 71
magnify, 24 setting up, 70, 98
maximize, 24 threshold, 71, 98
properties, 25 time, 72, 99
refresh, 24 Connection options, 37
retrieve data, 23 Connection settings, 78
retrieve options, 23 Connection window, 14
set home date/time, 25 Pulse Doppler, 14
switch to tab, 23 Correlation graph display, 36
unmagnify, 24 Create a graph, 159
unzoom, 24 Create a site, 153
Adding modules, 74 CSV file format, 17
Alarms Curve - reference, 131
2100 site window, 66
4100/4200/6700 - site window, 94 D
server alarms, 44, 67 Data
Amplitude graph display, 36 Signature Flow Meter, 110
Analog outputs, 67 Data - site window, 52
Annotating graphs Data definition header, 17
horizontal lines, 132 Data point flow conversion, 41, 60, 86, 91
text boxes, 132 editing data points, 91
vertical line, 132 Data set properties, 22
Apply, 23 Data sets - calculating, 25
Archive, 29 Data storage - site window, 83
Archive/Transfer, 29 Data storage setup, 52, 54
Area velocity flow conversion, 41, 60, 86, 90 data table, 36
Automate Flowlink tasks, 149, 151, 164 Database, 26
Averaging readings, 129 archive/transfer, 29
backup, 31
B close, 28
Backup, 31, 163 converting from older versions, 28
Basic info - site window, 78 defragment, 29
Blanking, 81 MDB (Access), 27
Index-167
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Index-168
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Index-169
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Index-170
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Utilities, 37
default units, 39
flow conversion, 40, 41
instrument connection options, 37
merge sites, 42
options, 37
view log file, 43
V
Variable blanking, 80, 81
Vector graph display, 36
Velocity - site window, 58
Velocity Corrected - site window, 59
Velocity diagnostics - 2100, 60
Velocity graph display, 36
Velocity input, 90
View, 32
edit bar, 34
graph toolbar, 33
main toolbar, 32
pulsed Doppler toolbar, 34
status bar, 34
workspace, 34
Viewing recent measurements, 35
Viewing the log, 43
Viewing the Server logs, 43
W
Wakeup Monitor, 149
Weir, 41, 60, 86, 87
Window commands, 46
arrange icons, 47
cascade, 47
close all, 47
tile, 47
workspace, 47
Wireless power control, 68
Wireless schedule, 68
Workspace, 34
Z
Zero level offset, 58, 59, 80
Zero total flow, 61, 62, 80
Index-171
Isco Flowlink 5® Software
Index
Index-172