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Tractor is an application that drives test equipment with tests you specify. The help at this point is a bit sparse--the application is currently pre-1.0, but getting very close to release. However, many are using it in factory settings every day to test products, including QuantAsylum: Your QA401 and many of our other products are 100% tested with Tractor before they leave our facility.
The list of tests and parameter descriptions are located here.
To build a test, you first create a Test Plan. This can be done using the File-New Test Plan menu option. This will create a default settings file with a new unique Product ID. Additional details about the test plan can be specified in the Settings menu.
With a Test Plan set up, you can then add tests to that test plan. The list of tests that can be added is located here.
Test Plans are saved as files with a .tractor_tp file extension. If you associate Tractor with the .tractor_tp test extension, then you can click on a .tractor_tp file it will open in Tractor.
The settings screen is shown below:
The setup section defines the equipment you'll be using for the Tractor test. There are currently four options in the Test Configuration drop-down:
You must select one of these that captures your current test setup configuration. If you only have a QA401, then you'd select the option with just the QA401. If you wish to use a QA401 and QA450 together, then you'd select that option.
This can be changed later.
The common settings are settings that you will always need across all configurations. The Session can be a text string of whatever you wish. This could be blank, or it could be a note that say "Production run of March 13 of 1000 units with Karen's feedback bias change." This note will be reflected in the various logs, so if needed then set it to something that makes sense for your organizations work flow.
The Product ID is a unique ID that is the basis for defining your product. Every database query you do will be against a specified Product ID. If you are using the QuantAsylum Cloud Database, then understand that anyone that knows this product ID can query the Cloud Database for performance metrics. If you lose the product ID, it's no longer possible to query the Cloud Database.
There are buttons to generate a new Product ID, save the Product ID or load a Product ID.
There are three logging options. The first allows to you use a CSV log that is stored locally on your machine. This is a simple file format that will allow easy analysis of key measurements in Excel. The application will generate a test failure if you have specified to use the CSV log AND the CSV log cannot be written to. If you open the CSV log in a program such as Notepad, then it will be locked against further writes resulting in a failure. If you are seeing CSV write failures, make sure the log isn't open in another program. You can check for errors and exceptions using the Tools->Open Program Log menu item from the main screen.That will use your default system application for viewing CSV files.
The Audit DB Logging tab appears as follows:
The Audit DB is also known as the Cloud Database. This is a remote, free, database that you can use to backup your measurements if required by insurance, ISO certifications or other policy decisions. To use the Cloud Database, just click the Use Database checkbox, enter your email, and then press the Test Connection button. You should get confirmation that the Cloud Database is functioning. From that point on, measurements made for this Test Plan will be automatically save to the cloud if you have an internet connection present.
The MS SQL tab appears as follows:
If you opt to use a SQL database, you must specify the database connection string. The person that administers your database can tell you what this string will be. From this tab, you can also test your database connection, create a new database and delete a database. Generally, deleting a database will fail because SQL server cannot delete databases that are connected. So, you must first drop the database in SQL Server Management and then you can delete from the management tool or from the application.
The links below are detailed walk-throughs using Tractor. Some of the links might be referencing older versions of Tractor:
Automated Amplifier Testing with Tractor
Automated Pedal Measurements with Tractor
Automating EQ Tests with Tractor