🔷 GSV86CAN Viewer – Tree View Measurement Monitor & Logger

Overview

GSV86CAN Viewer is a lightweight Windows desktop application (Python / PyQt5) for monitoring and logging measurement data from GSV-6 / GSV-8 CAN-based measurement amplifiers.

The application:

• Communicates with one or more GSV devices over CAN bus using the vendor DLL
• Displays live measurement values in a tree view grouped by Device → Channel
• Supports zeroing (tare) of all devices
• Logs measurement data to CSV or Excel (XLSX) files
• Uses a YAML configuration file for CAN IDs and device options

The software is designed to be:

• Robust against missing or misconfigured devices
• Easily extensible (new devices, sensors, layouts)
• Clear and deterministic for experimental and test‑bench use

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Installation

🔹 Recommended Method (Stable Version)

Download the latest stable version from the Releases page:

👉 https://github.com/me-systeme/GSV86CANViewer/releases

1. Open the page
2. Select the latest version (e.g. v1.0.0)
3. Download Source code (zip)
4. Extract and run

These versions are tested and considered stable.

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🔹 Development Version (main branch)

Alternatively, you can use the latest development version:

git clone https://github.com/me-systeme/GSV86CANViewer.git

⚠️ Note: The main branch may contain unfinished features or breaking changes.

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🔹 Specific Version via Git

If you want to use a specific version:

git clone --branch v1.0.0 --single-branch https://github.com/me-systeme/GSV86CANViewer.git

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Versioning

This project follows Semantic Versioning:

• MAJOR – incompatible changes
• MINOR – new features (backward-compatible)
• PATCH – bug fixes

Example:

• 1.0.0 → first stable release
• 1.1.0 → new feature
• 1.0.1 → bug fix

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✨ Application Features

🌳 Live Tree View (Device → Channel → Value)

The main view shows a tree list:

• one top-level entry per device (from config.yaml)
• one child entry per device channel (channel count detected at runtime) Each channel row displays:
• Channel number (1-based)
• Current measurement value (e.g. kN) The device rows show:
• Device number
• Configured CAN Answer ID
• Device-read CAN Value ID
• Serial number (if readable) Channel count is determined dynamically via chan = gsv.activate(...). You do not need to configure the channel count manually.

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🔎 CAN ID Diagnostics

The device rows show both:

• the configured answer_id from config.yaml
• the device-read value_id from the DLL

This makes it easier to detect configuration mismatches such as:

• value_id != answer_id
• unexpected CAN device settings on the real hardware

This diagnostic display is read-only. The Viewer does not modify CAN settings on devices.

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🎨 Device Color Coding

• Devices with configuration or communication errors are highlighted in red.

This makes it easy to visually identify:

• Which devices failed to initialize correctly

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⚖️ Zero / Tare Function

• A "Zero" button is available below the tree.
• When pressed, a confirmation dialog is shown.
• If confirmed, all active devices are zeroed via the DLL.

Technical notes:

• Zeroing is executed safely inside the acquisition thread
• The UI immediately updates values to zero for visual feedback

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⏺️ Recording / Logging

If logging is enabled in the YAML file:

• A REC button is shown
• Recording can be started/stopped at runtime

Supported formats:

• .csv (streaming write)
• .xlsx (written when recording stops)

Features:

• Automatic filename increment (data.xlsx → data_001.xlsx → data_002.xlsx)
• User confirmation if a file already exists
• Configurable logging rate (e.g. 1 sample per second)

Notes:

• Logging rate is independent of the device measurement frequency.
• On startup, some channels may need a short time until they deliver their first value (depending on device streaming / CAN traffic).

⚠️ Logging Modes & Data Quality

The application supports two logging modes:

strict_samples (default-like behavior)

• Only values received during the logging interval are written

• Missing values remain empty

Additionally:

• A live warning is shown in the status bar if values are missing

• The warning disappears automatically once all channels deliver data again

✔ Best for:

• debugging CAN communication

• validating measurement timing

• detecting data loss

hold_last

• Missing values are filled using the last known value

• Produces fully populated tables

• May hide:

  • device dropouts

  • missing CAN messages

✔ Best for:

• long-term monitoring

• Excel-based workflows

⚠️ Important Note

• Logging rate (rate_hz) is independent of device frequency

• If rate_hz is too high compared to CAN traffic:

  → missing values will occur frequently

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📡 Status & Device Information

At the bottom of the window:

• Status line shows initialization messages, warnings, and errors
• Devices line shows live update rates per CAN ID (Hz)

This helps diagnose:

• CAN communication issues
• Incorrect baud rates or IDs
• Mismatches between configured answer CAN ID and device-read value CAN ID
• Devices that stopped sending data

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🧩 YAML Configuration File

All application behavior is controlled by config.yaml. The configuration file controls:

• CAN baud rate and DLL buffer size
• Device CAN IDs (cmd_id / answer_id)
• Optional settings (frequency, scaling, sensor mapping)
• Logging

Note:

• value_id is not configured in config.yaml
• The Viewer reads the device-side value_id via the DLL for diagnostic display only

⚙️ 1. dll

dll:
  mybuffersize: 300
  canbaud: 250000

Key	Description
mybuffersize	Internal DLL read buffer size
canbaud	CAN bus baud rate (must match hardware)

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💾 2. logging

logging:
  file: "messdaten.xlsx"
  rate_hz: 1.0

Key	Description
file	Log file path (.csv or .xlsx). Empty = no logging
rate_hz	Logging rate in samples per second

Notes:

• Logging is independent of device frequency
• Values are sampled from the latest available data

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🔌 5. devices

devices:
  frequency: 10
  load_default_settings: false
  auto_sensitivity_adjustment: false
  config:
    - dev_no: 1
      cmd_id: "0x0C8"
      answer_id: "0x0C9"

Key	Description
frequency	Global measurement frequency (Hz, ≤ 100 recommended)
load_default_settings	Loads factory defaults via DLL before reading ranges/scales.
auto_sensitivity_adjustment	Automatically increases sensitivity of the devices
dev_no	Logical device number
cmd_id	CAN command ID
answer_id	CAN answer ID

Per‑device frequency overrides are supported by setting frequency inside a device entry.

Notes:

• answer_id is configured in config.yaml
• value_id is not configured here
• The Viewer reads value_id from the device and shows it in the UI as diagnostic information

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🧪 6. sensors

Defines physical sensor properties.

sensors:
  - sensor_no: 1
    nominal_load: "250 kN"
    char_value: "3.15 mV/V"

Used to:

• Compute scaling factors
• Automatically adjust input ranges

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7. sensor_mapping

Maps sensors to device channels.

sensor_mapping:
  - sensor_no: 1
    channel: [1, 0]

Meaning:

• Sensor 1 is connected to device 1, channel 0

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🚀 Getting Started

📦 Requirements

• Windows (DLL‑based)
• Python 3.10+ 32 bit (recommended)
• Installed CAN hardware (PCAN)
• GSV CAN DLL (GSV86CAN.dll)

Python Dependencies

Install required packages:

pip install PyQt5 pyyaml openpyxl

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Project Structure

project_root/
│
├─ config.yaml
├─ GSV86CAN.dll
├─ src/
│  └─ gsv86canviewer/
│     ├─ main.py
│     ├─ main_window.py
│     ├─ reader_thread.py
│     ├─ recorder.py
│     ├─ gsv86can.py
│     ├─ utils.py
│     └─ config.py

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▶️ Running the Application

Start the application by running

python run.py

On startup:

1. Devices are activated (CAN IDs from config)
2. Channel count is detected automatically per device (activate() result)
3. Selected device metadata is read for diagnostics (e.g. serial number, CAN value ID)
4. Streaming starts and the tree view updates as values arrive

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🧱 Building a Single-File Windows Executable (Onefile)

The application can be packaged into a single standalone .exe using PyInstaller.

Characteristics

• The resulting executable is one single file
• The vendor DLL (GSV86CAN.dll) is embedded inside the executable
• At runtime, PyInstaller extracts the DLL to a temporary directory and loads it automatically
• The configuration file config.yaml remains external and must be located next to the .exe

Build Command

Run the following command from the project root directory:

python -m PyInstaller --noconfirm --clean --windowed --onefile  --paths "src"  --add-binary "GSV86CAN.dll;."  run.py

Resulting Files

After a successful build, the dist/ directory will contain:

dist/
└─ run.exe

To run the application, place config.yaml next to the executable:

run.exe
config.yaml

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Design Notes

• All DLL calls are isolated in gsv86can.py
• All hardware access runs in a QThread (no UI blocking)
• UI logic is strictly separated from acquisition logic
• YAML config is loaded once and treated as read‑only
• Channel structure is not configured manually:
  • devices from YAML
  • channels from activate()

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Usage

This application is intended for engineering, laboratory, and test‑bench use.

Ensure that:

• CAN IDs do not conflict with other devices
• Frequencies stay within device limits
• Zeroing is performed only under safe conditions

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⚠️ CAN Bus Configuration & Safety

The GSV86CAN Viewer does not configure CAN communication settings of devices.

It assumes that all connected devices are already correctly configured and can safely operate together on the same CAN bus.

Important Requirements

Before connecting multiple devices to the same CAN bus, ensure that:

• All CAN IDs are globally unique, especially:
  • cmd_id
  • answer_id
  • value_id
• No two devices transmit on the same CAN ID
• The CAN baud rate matches across all devices

⚠️ If multiple devices share the same value_id, bus collisions will occur immediately, even before the Viewer is started.

Recommended Setup

It is strongly recommended to:

• Configure devices individually or in isolation
• Use a dedicated configuration tool (e.g. StartupCAN)
• Ensure:
  • value_id = answer_id (recommended practice)
  • All IDs are unique across the full system

Role of the Viewer

The Viewer:

• does not modify CAN settings
• does not resolve ID conflicts
• reads measurement data from already configured devices
• may read selected CAN metadata (such as value_id) for diagnostic display only

If CAN conflicts exist, symptoms may include:

• Missing or unstable measurement values
• Incorrect channel data
• Devices appearing as faulty or not responding

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License – see the LICENSE file for details.

📄 Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.