Opus Suite

Hammer Impact Module

User Guide v1.0
2014-01-21

Compatible Hardware:

Alto
Concerto

Conductor

Soft dB Inc.
1040, Belvedere Avenue, Suite 215
Quebec (Quebec) Canada G1S 3G3
Toll free: 1-866-686-0993 (USA and Canada)
E-mail: info@softdb.com

CONTENTS
1

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2

Compatible Hardware ............................................................................................................. 3

Opus Environment .................................................................................................................. 4

Quick Start.............................................................................................................................. 5

Main Interface ........................................................................................................................ 9

Setup Interface ..................................................................................................................... 10

6.1 Sensor Calibration ................................................................................................................... 13

Measurements tab................................................................................................................ 14
7.1 Measurement Interface .......................................................................................................... 17

Comments tab ...................................................................................................................... 20

Explorer Dialog ..................................................................................................................... 21

10 File Manager......................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix 1: Concerto Hardware ................................................................................................. 24

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the Opus Suite Hammer Impact module.

The Opus Software Suite is a Sound and Vibration software that contains several measurement
modules:

SLM 4-ch module : 4-channels, Class 1 (IEC 61672 and ANSI S1.43)
SLM & 3Vib module : 1 SLM channel (same as SLM 4-ch module) and 3 vibration channels
(ISO 8041 and ISO 2631)
Data Logger module
Building Acoustic module

Sound Transmission (ASTM E 336/ISO 140-4)

Impact Insulation (ASTM E 1007/ISO 140-7)
Room noise (ANSI/ASA S12.2-2008)
Reverberation Time (ISO 3382)
Speech Privacy (ASTM E 2638 and ASTM E 1130)
Building Vibration module (DIN 45669-1 and ANSI S2.46)
Intensity module (IEC 1043)
Impact Hammer module

The Opus Suite is intended to run on a Concerto. The software can also be installed on a Conductor
unit or on any PC if using an Alto unit. Moreover, some post-processing functions are available on a
PC even if no compatible unit is detected.
The current users manual presents the Hammer Impact Module.
General Specifications
Purpose

Software Features

The module is intended to evaluate the dynamic behavior of mechanical

structures by evaluating the transfer function between a force test hammer
and an accelerometer.

Intuitive interface for impact measurements

Sampling from 4 to 48 kHz
Adjustable frequency resolution
Acquisition on trigger level
Adjustable excitation and response window functions
Frequency response function (FRF) calculations
One file is a component that contains several nodes of several
impacts
Save, load and export measurement files

Compatible Hardware

Every hardware option has an embedded state of the art Soft dB SR-MK3 DSP board allowing realtime and precise measurement with very low energy consumption.

Concerto
Handy, lightweight, fully rugged military tablet
All in one instrument
WLAN communication allows using the Concerto as a monitoring
station with remote access.
http://www.softdb.com/en/acoustic/products/concerto.php

Alto
6 or 4 24-Bit asynchronous inputs and 2 outputs
Compact, low-consumption, and flexible
Needs to be connected to a PC.
Competitive price.
http://www.softdb.com/en/acoustic/products/alto.php
Conductor
Rugged platform for acoustics and vibration measurements.
Mainly used for the I-Track sound intensity mapping system.
http://www.softdb.com/en/acoustic/products/conductor.php

Opus Environment

The Concerto unit comes equipped with the Opus Environment. This environment acts as a main
interface that gives access to the different modules and tools.

Modules

The module buttons launches the associated module. When the license of a
module is not found, the text of its button is greyed, but the module can still be
opened to access measurement files.
The File Manager button launches the File Manager Utility (see section 0, p. 20)
The Software Install button launches a browser from which an Opus software
installer can be launched.
The Network Manager button launches the Network Manager interface. This
tools is only available on a Concerto unit
The Unit info gives the information about the hardware type (Concerto, Alto or
Conductor) and the serial number of the unit.
The Clock indicator displays the time and date on the unit. To change time,
simply click on the indicator to display a dialog window.
The Quit button quits the application differently according to the hardware used.
Concerto hardware:
Hold 5 sec to shut down the unit.
Press and release to enter standby mode.
Alto or Conductor hardware:

Press and release to close the application and return to Windows.

Quick Start

The Hammer Impact module can be accessed from the Opus Suite main panel.
Hammer Impact main interface

Measure the
selected element

Table of
Measurements

What you should know

The selected element of the table shows a green background. The details of the selection
are displayed at the right of the table.
The header column of the table (in blue) is the list of nodes.
Each node (row) of the table can contain several impacts.
By selecting an impact, the time signal and the frequency response function of that impact
are available.
By selecting the node, the average frequency response function of the impacts and the
info of the node are available.
Pressing the Measure button will start a series of measurements for the selected node.
The table of measurements displays six nodes (rows) and fives impacts (columns).
Otherwise, the quantity of nodes or impacts per node is not limited.
Select a node in the header column to see the average of the impacts at that node.

Step 1

Prepare the component of the structure to be measured

In order to facilitate the measurement procedure, the operator should identify the measurement
nodes properly. A good way to do that is by drawing a mesh of nodes using equidistant vertical and
horizontal line. At that point, it should be decided which of the excitation (hammer) or the response
(accelerometer) will be the moving part over the nodes and which will be fixed during the
experiment. This fixe location should also be identified.
.

Step 2

Setup the unit

Click on the

button to access the setup interface.

The sampling rate and frequency resolution can be adjusted according to the type of structure being
tested. The test mode (roving excitation or roving response) should also be set here.
The operator should set the sensitivity of the sensors used. The sensor sensibility of the response can
be set by using the software calibration tool and a calibrator.
At the bottom there is Test Impact button that will help the operator adjusting the setup by testing
with real signals. Several parameters can be adjusted directly within the test impact measurement
interface.
Notice that the several parameters must stay the same during all the measurements in order to keep
the impacts compatible with each other. Here is the list of parameters that cannot change:
Click

Sampling Frequency
Frequency resolution
Excitation Window
Response Window
Pre-Trigger

to return to the main panel.

Step 3

Do a Measurement

Measurement
State

Accept the
measurement
To proceed to a measurement, select a node in the table of the main panel and click the button
to open the measurement interface.
Once in the measurement panel, the unit is harmed and waiting for a valid trigger signal. The
acquisition start once the hammer strike is detected and stops once the measurement block size is
reached (as set in the setup).
Impact
detected

Block size
reached

The resulting measurement is then displayed.

Click on the
button to accept the measurement or press the
button to
restart the acquisition. Once the impact measurement is accepted, the interface steps to the next
impact of the same node. When there are enough impact measurements, press the
button to return to the main interface.

Main Interface

Figure 1: Main interface

Main controls and indicators

Description of the selected element in the table.
Main interface tabs:
Measurements tab (section 0, p.14)
Comments tab (section 8, p.20)
File Menu button (see the following table).
Setup button that calls the setup interface (section 6, p.10).
Module name and version number.
File name of the measurement.
A green check on the disk icon indicates that the data are saved.
File Menu
New
Open
Save
Save As
Export
File Manager
Quit:

Creates a brand new measurement session.

Opens a previously saved measurement file.
Saves the current measurement into the specified file.
Saves the current measurement into a new file.
Exports the measurement data into a text file.
The file is saved using .txt extension of tab-separated text format. It
can be conveniently opened with Microsoft Excel or any text editor.
Launches the File Manager (see section 0, p. 20)
Allows to quit the module and to return to the Opus Suite Interface.

Setup Interface

Figure 2: Setup interface

General Setup
Indicates which of the excitation of the response is moved during the
test.
The only effect of the parameter is to change the label of a few
controls during the measurement.
The sampling rate of the acquisition. The displayed bandwidth of the
spectrums is half the sampling rate.

Frequency resolution of the spectrums.

Indicator of the resulting acquisition block length used to perform the
FFT analysis. It depends on both the sampling rate and the frequency
resolution.

10

Excitation Input Setup

The input channel can be selected among the available inputs of the
unit.
The available input types are AC and ICP sensors.

Selection of the dynamic range of the input.

Depending on the unit type, two ranges may be available. The
displayed ranges vary according to the Display Unit and the Sensitivity.
- Low Range: 1.5 volt
- High Range: 6 volts
Concerto & Alto-Lite: the input 1 and 2 have two range settings (Low
or High) while inputs 3 and 4 have a single fixed range (Low).
Alto-6 & Conductor: only the low range is available.
Unit used when displaying the input range or the data. The graphs and
the data in the export use this unit.
The sensor sensitivity value and unit.

Excitation Trigger Setup

The trigger level needs be adjusted to properly detect the impacts
during the measurement.
The pre-trigger period will be adjusted so that the impact event is fully
caught by the acquisition block. The trig establishes the zero time.
Excitation Window Setup
Enables or disables the window function over the acquisition block.
The resulting window function is indicated as a dot line plot on the
time excitation graph in the module.
The excitation window function only decreases after that percentage
of the acquisition block (starting from trig). For a block duration of 1
second, a 10% value means that the decrease starts 0.1 second after
trig.
The window function decreases during that percentage of the
acquisition block. For a block duration of 1 second, a 10% value means
that the decrease lasts 0.1 second.

11

Response Input Setup

The input channel can be selected among the available inputs of the
unit.
The available input types are AC and ICP sensors.

Selection of the dynamic range of the input.

Depending on the unit type, two ranges may be available. The
displayed ranges vary according to the Display Unit and the Sensitivity.
- Low Range: 1.5 volt
- High Range: 6 volts
Concerto & Alto-Lite: the input 1 and 2 have two range settings (Low
or High) while inputs 3 and 4 have a single fixed range (Low).
Alto-6 & Conductor: only the low range is available.
Unit used when displaying the input range or the data. The graphs and
the data in the export use this unit.

The sensor sensitivity value and unit.

It can be entered manually or the Calibration interface can be used
(see section 6.1, p.13).
Response Window Setup
Enables or disables the window function over the acquisition block.
The resulting window function is indicated as a dot line plot on the
time response graph in the module.
The window function attenuates the signal using an inverse
exponential attenuation from the trig (zero time) to the end of the
acquisition block.

The button
pops the measurement interface in test mode. This allows
the operator to better adjust most of the parameters directly using real signals.

12

6.1

Sensor Calibration

The input sensitivity can be calibrated using the calibration function and a sensor calibrator. Click the
button on the Setup interface to launch the Calibration interface.

Step 1

Adjust the calibration parameters

The defaults values are:

Averaging time:
Frequency:
Calibrator Level:

5s
156 Hz
1 g rms

Step 2

Install the calibrator device on the microphone

Step 3

Click START

After the average time is elapsed, the sensitivity value will update.
Step 4

Click OK to accept the sensitivity value

13

Measurements tab
Fixed sensor information

Details of the selected element of the table

Table of Measurements

The Measurements tab can be divided in three parts. The information about the fixed sensor
(Response if roving excitation and Excitation if roving response) is in upper left corner. Just under is
the table of measurements. Finally, the details of the selected element are on the right side.
Measurements controls
The Response/Excitation information fields allow the operator to write
the position and description information of the fixed sensor. In roving
excitation mode, the response (accelerometer) is fixed. In roving
response mode, the excitation (hammer) is fixed.
The measure button call the measurement interface (see the following
subsections).
Click this button to delete the selected table element (either a single
impact or the whole node row).
Table of Measurements

14

Table of Measurements
The first column of the table of measurements contains the node
headers. Each node may contain several impacts, which appear on the
same row.
Click on new below the last node in order to add an unlimited
quantity of nodes.
When a node header is selected, the data displayed in the graphs is the
average of all its impacts. The data available are: FRF amplitude/phase
and coherence.
To measure a series of impacts for a node, select the node header and
press the measure button.
The impact measurements are visible beside each node header.
Click on new beside the last impact element in order to add an
unlimited quantity of impacts.
When an impact element is selected, the corresponding data are
displayed in the graphs. The data available are: excitation time signal,
response time signal, FRF amplitude/phase and coherence.
To measure a given impact, select the impact element and press the
measure button.
By selecting the component element, the data displayed in the graphs
are the average of all the nodes contained in the table.
Details of the selected element of the table
The text information at the top of the main interface
gives some precisions on the selected element.
The time signal graphs of excitation and response are
available when an impact element is selected.
The input signals are the blue plots.
The window functions (for the FFT evaluation) are
the white dot plots.

15

The frequency response function (amplitude and

phase) is shown for either a single impact, a node
(average of impacts at one node) or the component
(average of nodes).

The information tab shows the position and

description fields of the selected node.
The coherence of the impacts at one node or the
coherence of the nodes of the component is also
displayed. There is no coherence for an impact alone
or for a node containing only one impact.

16

7.1

Measurement Interface

Level Measurement controls

Description of the current element to be measured.

Impact
detected

Once in the measurement panel, the unit is harmed and waiting for a
valid trigger signal. The acquisition starts once the hammer strike is
detected and stops once the measurement block length is reached (as
set in the setup).
The start button is mainly used to restart the measurement when it
was not satisfying.
The stop button can be used to abort/disable the acquisition.

Block length
reached

17

The excitation and response meters give the necessary information

about the range of operation of the inputs.
From bottom and top of the meters are the lower and higher levels
that can be recorded. The scale is logarithmic.
Dark blue: current level.
Light blue: peak level during the acquisition block.
Yellow bar: trigger level to be reached on the excitation channel.
Sat (red) appears over the meter if saturation has been detected
during the acquisition block.
The time signal tab shows the time signal of the excitation and the
response (in blue).
The window functions (for the FFT evaluation) are the white dot plots.

The FRF tab shows the frequency response function (amplitude and
phase) of the current impact.

18

Several setup parameters are displayed here.

Only the ranges and the trigger level can be modified when doing a
measurement. Other parameters can only be modified in test mode
(access through the setup interface).

If the measurement is acceptable, press the Accept button in order to

step to the next impact of the same node.
Press the Return button to return to the main interface.

19

Comments tab

The Comments tab on the main panel can be used as a general note pad that will be saved along with
the measurement data.

20

Explorer Dialog
File / Folder Operators
Directory Path

Shortcuts

Directory Content

Explorer Window Controls and Indicators

Go to parent directory
Open directory
File/Folder
Create new folder
Operators
Rename folder or file
Delete folder or file
Directory Path

Displays the path of the active directory.

Accesses to common directories.
When used on a stand-alone computer, those shortcuts are linked to:

Shortcuts

Desktop
My Documents
Computer
When used on a Concerto, the shortcuts are linked to:

Opus Root
USB Device.

Displays the content of a directory and responds to common actions:

Directory
Content

Single clicking on an element selects it.

Double clicking on a directory opens it.

21

10 File Manager
The File manager is used to perform most file operations:

Navigate the directory structure

Create folders
Rename files and folders
Move or copy files and folders from one place to another
Delete a file or a folder

Although not very useful on a stand-alone computer, this manager is necessary on the Concerto, on
which Windows explorer is unavailable. Its primary function is to allow the user to manage the
Concerto directory structure and to export files and folders to a USB memory stick.

Directory
Path

Shortcuts

Move/Copy
Operators

File/Folder
Operators

Directory
Content

Disk Info

22

Directory Path

Displays the path of the active directory.

Allows easy access to common directories. When the File Manager is used on a
stand-alone computer, these shortcuts are linked to:

Shortcuts

Desktop
My Documents
Computer
When the File Manager is used on a Concerto, the shortcuts are linked to:

Move/Copy
Operators

Opus Root
USB Device.

Copies or moves a file or folder from a source to its destination.

Allows user to:

File/Folder
Operators

Go to parent directory
Open directory
Create new folder
Rename folder or file
Delete folder or file

Displays the content of a directory and responds to common actions from the
user:
Directory
Content

Disk info

Single clicking on an element will select it

Double clicking on a directory will open it
Dragging an element from one side to the other will copy it.

Displays the disk information of the associated hardware.

23

Appendix 1: Concerto Hardware

Connections
Mic
Stand
4 Inputs

Loudspeaker

Headphone Jack

Power-on
button

2 Outputs

DC in

20
insert

Second
Battery

USB
port

Battery indicator
Right click

24

Enter

Arrow keys

Power on/off
Power-on

Turn On

Turn Off

Press the trigger button located at the back of the unit

This key has two (2) functions:
1. To turn the unit ON.
2. Start a measurement once the SLM Module is loaded
After a few seconds, the Opus Environment Interface will appear.
The stand-by mode allows fast load time.

Stand-by

To put the unit on stand-by, click the Turn Off button.

Note: The unit can be in stand-by for more than three days without recharging,
provided batteries are fully charged prior to storage.

Shutdown

To Shut down the unit, click and hold the Turn Off button for five seconds.

25

Power Reset
If the Concerto happens to crash and it is not possible to take back the control, a power reset might
be necessary. To complete the power reset, the three buttons on the front of the Concerto must be
used.
Here is the procedure:
Step 1

Press and hold the Function, Enter and Down Arrow button for 5 seconds until the
Concerto shuts down

Step 2

Wait 5 seconds and press the power button

Step 3

Wait 5 seconds and press the power button a second time to restart the Concerto from
a power reset.

Step 1

Step 2 and 3

Power-on

Press and hold to trigger the

power reset

Press 2 times
to restart from
power reset

26

Inputs and Signal Processing Specifications (Embedded Signal Ranger MK3 DSP Board)
Texas Instruments TMS320C6424
DSP Processor
Inputs

Outputs

Linear Range

2 x (25-120 dBA or 30-130 dBA) + 2 x (25-120 dBA)

Conditioning

AC, DC, ICP (4 mA)

Physical (DAP Tech 9000 Tablet PC)

Intel Atom E660T 1.3 GHz
Operating system
Storage

16 GB SSD

Data Transfer

USB

Display

180 mm (7 inches) WVGA (800 x 480)

Dimensions

230 x 185 x 60mm (9.0 x 7.3 x 2.4 inches)

Weight

1350 g (2.96 lb)

Battery

2 x Li-ion battery, 7.4 V, 3100 mAh, (1 internal + 1 hot-swappable)

Power

10-20 VDC, 2A

Protection rating

IEC 68-2-32 method 1 (Multiple 1m drops on concrete)

IP67 (Rain, Humidity, 1 meter immersion)
MIL-STD-810F method 506.4 procedure I (windblown rain)
Humidity: 95% non-condensing
Temperature: MIL-STD-810-F (-20 C ... +50 C);
Vibration: MIL-STD 810E 514.5

27