The Custom Test plugin for VBOX Test Suite gives you the ability to complete a wide range of tests to a set of defined conditions. Once you have defined a test, the software will automatically produce results any time these conditions are met. You can then compare and analyse the data and export a customised report.
The Custom Test has a unique Test Setup ribbon, from which you can configure the test.
Image missing
Click on the Configure button to open the Settings window where you can define the parameters of the test.
Click on the Report button to create a report from the current test results.
Click on the Maths Channels button to open the Maths Channels window to configure unique maths channels. You can find more information about maths channels in the Test Setup section.
Click on the Save Settings button to save the current test setup and add it to the Saved Settings area in the Add Test window.
The test will also be added to the list under the Custom Test button on the Home tab for easy access.
Click on the Export button to display a dropdown menu with the export options. You can export the selected results or line results to a .csv or a .txt file.
Image missing
Click on the Add Gate button to add a virtual gate to the chart and map at the point of the cursor. Gates are indicated by green lines. The currently selected gate will be indicated by a blue line.
You can now use the gates to define start and/or end conditions.
Image missing
Click on the Add Gate button to add a virtual gate to the chart and map at the point of the cursor. Gates are indicated by green lines. The currently selected gate will be indicated by a blue line.
You can now use the gates to define start and/or end conditions.
Note: Opening a plugin (either as a new tab or overwriting an existing one) will clear all set gates, requiring you to redefine the gates before you amend the test configuration to set start/end conditions.
When you have added a gate, the name of the currently selected gate will be displayed in the name box. Click on the arrow in the box to see a dropdown list of all the added gates. The gates will be named according to the type of gate (if applicable) and the order it was added.
When you have added a gate, you can specify the gate width. The default gate width is 20 m.
Type the required width in the Width (m) value box.
Note: If you change the gate width, the last used gate width will be used as the default width for the next gate.
Click on the Rename button to edit the currently selected gate line.
Click on the Delete button to delete the currently selected gate line.
Click on the Delete All button to delete all set gates for the session.
Click on the Export button to export the created gate(s) as an .spl file. This file can be reused at a later date and with another VBOX product.
Click on the Import button to import a previously saved or provided .spl file. When the file is imported, the gates will be added in the order that they were saved in the .spl file.
Image missing
The Add button adds a column to the Test Results area. Click this button to open a dropdown menu where you can select a channel to display in the test results window.
When you select a column header in the Test Results area, the channel name will be displayed in the Channel box (the top box in the Data Column section). Some columns will have required channels and cannot be changed, but if you can change the channel, the Channel box will become a drop-down list with the available channels.
When you select a column header in the Test Results area, and it is a changeable channel, the Condition dropdown menu becomes available. The conditions will depend on the test and selected channel.
Examples are:
- Avg
- Max
- Min
- Delta
- At Start
- At End
The Sort Ascending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from A to Z.
The Sort Descending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from Z to A.
Image missing
Click on the Select All button to select every run in the Test Results area with one click.
Run - Deselect All
Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.
Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.
Image missing
Click on the Edit Data button to open the Session Data window and add various vehicle and test information, such as:
Test
- Test Date
- Time Zone
- Test Track
- Test Facility
- Comments
Vehicle
- Vehicle Model
- Vehicle Number
- Driver Name
Conditions
- Weather
- Temperature (ºC)
- Wind Speed (km/h)
When in Offline mode, the Session Data will be saved into the VBOX file. This information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.
When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.
To save time, you can import and export the session data for other sessions. When you have completed the Session Data, you can export the data to a .vbses file by clicking on the Export button in the Session Data window. The exported file will contain all the session data and can be imported into another session via the Import button in the Session Data window.
Image missing
Click on Help to automatically open an Internet browser and load the relevant section of the User Guide on the Racelogic Support Centre.
If you are creating a new test, the Settings window will open when you add the new test. This is where you can define the test parameters.
If you have already added an Accel test and you have it open, you can click on the Configure button to open the Settings window to define or amend the test parameters.
The Start Condition(s) section defines the circumstances that will trigger the test.
Use the dropdown lists to select any logged channel as the start condition. You can also set the test to start immediately.
If you select a channel, you can define the value you want the test to start at, using one of the available functions:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| = | Will start the test when the parameter equals the set value. |
| ≠ | Will start the test when the parameter does not equal the set value. |
| > | Will start the test when the parameter is greater than the set value. |
| < | Will start the test when the parameter is less than the set value. |
| >= | Will start the test when the parameter is greater than or equal to the set value. |
| <= | Will start the test when the parameter is less than or equal to the set value. |
| Is Increasing | Will start the test only when the parameter increases in value. |
| Is Decreasing | Will start the test only when the parameter decreases in value. |
Click the + button to define an AND condition, for example, "Start when Speed is 40 km/h AND Speed is decreasing". Click the X button to the right of a condition to delete it.
In addition to the AND condition, you can also add an OR condition by clicking the Add button. This will add a new condition box where you can define an additional set of criteria that can start the test.
The End Condition(s) section defines the criteria that will end the test.
Use the dropdown list to select any logged channel for the end condition. You can also end the test at the end of the session, after a set time or after a set distance.
If you select a channel, you can define the value you want the test to start at, using one of the available functions:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| = | Will start the test when the parameter equals the set value. |
| ≠ | Will start the test when the parameter does not equal the set value. |
| > | Will start the test when the parameter is greater than the set value. |
| < | Will start the test when the parameter is less than the set value. |
| >= | Will start the test when the parameter is greater than or equal to the set value. |
| <= | Will start the test when the parameter is less than or equal to the set value. |
| Is Increasing | Will start the test only when the parameter increases in value. |
| Is Decreasing | Will start the test only when the parameter decreases in value. |
Click the + button to define an AND condition, for example, "Start when Speed is 40 km/h AND Speed is decreasing". Click the X button to the right of a condition to delete it.
In addition to the AND condition, you can also add an OR condition by clicking the Add button. This will add a new condition box where you can define an additional set of criteria that can start the test.
Image missing
Use this setting to specify a channel you want to use to easily identify if certain parameters have exceeded a set threshold. If a run exceeds the set threshold, it will be highlighted red to mark it as Failed.
Select the required channel from the dropdown list and specify a low and high threshold value.
Set the lowest and highest value that qualifies as a pass for the set channel.
You can type in the required levels in the value boxes or you can use the arrow buttons for the value boxes to increase or decrease the values.
You can set the pass conditions so that the run fails whenever the threshold is exceeded, either at the start of the test, at the end of the test, anytime during the test or averaged during the test.
You can add multiple pass conditions by clicking on the + button to the right of the last condition in the list.
You can delete a condition by clicking on the X button to the right of the relevant condition.
- Select Columns to display each interim result as a column on the right-hand side of the results table.
- Select Separate Table to display each interim result as a row in a separate table next to the results table.
You can display intermediary results that are determined by any added Interim Conditions.
Click the + button to add a new interim result condition.
Every: The Interim Result will be displayed Every time VBOX Test Suite records the set value (e.g. every 10 km/h),
At: The Interim Result will be displayed At an instance of a value (e.g. only at 10 km/h).
Between: The Interim Result will be displayed when between values (e.g. between 30 km/h and 50 km/h).
Select the source of the Interim Result and set the required value.
You can delete a condition by clicking on the X button to the right of the relevant condition.
You can analyse the test results further by using the Frequency Distribution option to see distance or time spent inside a channel value range or the frequency the channel was inside a value range.
Open the Analyse dropdown list to select the desired condition:
- Total time spent
- Total distance travelled
- Count of samples
- Count at time interval (s)
- Count at distance intervals (m)
Select a channel from the Channel dropdown list and specify an interval. You can also add an offset to that value and specify if this is an absolute value or not. You can add more channels by clicking on the + button to the right of the bottom condition.
Each selected channel will be added as a separate table next to the test results table. You can toggle the distribution by count or by percentage with the options on the table header or by using the Frequency Distribution buttons in the Test Setup ribbon.
This feature is particularly useful for applications such as economy testing, where the frequency of time spent at certain speeds has a direct impact on the test outcomes.
The software can automatically calibrate wheels speeds before producing a % wheel slip channel.
Add a Wheel Slip Calculation by clicking on the + button. Select the wheel speed source from the dropdown list of CAN Channels. You can add extra wheel speed channels by clicking on the + icon to the right of a set channel. You can remove a set channel by clicking on the X to the right of the channel.
The Advanced settings control when a test will reset.
By default, the test will reset every time one or more of the start conditions are met. However, unticking the Reset when Start Condition is met will cause the test start when the start conditions are first met, and continue until the end condition is met.
Tick the Show Accuracy to add an Accuracy row to the yellow section of the results table (when 2 or more runs have been selected).
When you add the Time Since Run gauge to the dashboard, you can choose whether the gauge is measuring from one of the following two options:
- Last completed run
(default) - Last started or completed run
(covering situations where a test has been started but then aborted).
You can rename a session tab by double-clicking the tab header. Changing the name on the session tab in the software will automatically change the name of the locally saved VBOX file (.vbo or .vbb).
By pressing the Edit Data button next to the name of the session in the Test Results area or on the Test Setup tab on the ribbon, you can add vehicle and test information to the session.
- When in Offline mode, this information will be saved into the VBOX file, meaning that this information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.
- When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.
This information will be included in the test report to make it easier to see under what conditions the test was conducted.
To save time, you can import and export the session information for use in other sessions (the entire range of data is exported, not just the visible screen).
Once the session information has been completed, you can export the data to a .vbses file. This file will contain all the session information that can then be imported into the open session information field.
The Test Results area has the following default columns:
There is also a selection box that, when ticked, includes that run in the graph and into the Average/Max/Min/Standard Deviation calculations. Once selected, a coloured square will appear to indicate which colour this run is displayed as on the graph.
| Note: If you are loading a file in Offline mode, all valid runs will automatically be ticked. |
The software will automatically add columns based on the configured settings