Open a project - the toolbar button

Figure 4-5: Opening a T3Ster project

In this menu item the user can decide which data sets will be prepared for display or further evaluation. With the Open item of the Projects menu parameters of previously saved measurement data (the contents of .par T3Ster Parameter Files) can be loaded into the memory of the control computer. Such files are the main files of a T3Ster measurement project, since they contain all information regarding a measurement. This is a pure ASCII file describing a measurement (such as configuration, range settings, etc.) The file to be loaded can be selected in the Open window (Figure 4-5). Actual loading takes place if the Open button is pressed. Pressing the Cancel button closes the window without loading any file.

There can be various different projects loaded at a time - one may select any view of any project for display from-within the project bar.

Figure 4-6: Display of a recently opened T3Ster parameter file

Clicking on the project name in the project bar opens / closes the display of views in a project that represent different files. Besides the T3Ster parameter file the second main data set of a project is the .rec file that contains the measured and smoothed transient function(s). Clicking on a given project view the contents of the given file will be displayed in the appropriate format, e.g. as a function plot, see Figure 4-3.

The different project view are as follows:

• Record Parameters - the T3Ster parameter file (.par file),
• Measured and Smoothed - the recorded transient response(s) file (.rec file).

The above two views (files) are available immediately after having saved the results of a measurement⁸. The following views (files) are available only as a result of the evaluation of the measured and smoothed transient response(s):

• Derivative - the view containing the 1^st derivative of the response(s),
• Tau Intensity - the view containing the time-constant spectrum,
• Complex Locus - the view of the complex loci of the measured responses,
• Pulse Thermal Resistance - view of the calculated pulse thermal resistance diagrams,
• Structure Function (cumulative) - the view of the cumulative structure function (calculated for the driving point response only),
• Structure Function (differential) - the view of the differential structure function (calculated for the driving point response only).

The way how function plot views are shown can be controlled either with toolbar buttons or by the different items of the Plot menu. Further details of results evaluation are described in section 5.3.

⁸More precisely, smoothing takes place in the evaluation phase only as described in section 2.2.