Plot Template Editor

To access the Plot Template Editor:
On the Plots menu, choose Plot Manager. On the Plotting tab, click Edit Plot Templates.

Use this editor to set up the RMC plots. For example, you can change the number of plots, choose which registers to plot, set the pen color, etc.

After making changes, click OK. If RMCToos is online with the controller, the changes will be downloaded to the controller.

Managing Plot Templates

Plot templates can be added, deleted, or reordered.

Add a Plot Template
Click Add.
Delete a Plot Template
Click Delete.
Move Template Up or Down.
Click Up or Down.

Editing Individual Plot Templates

For any plot, the following items can be set:

Name
The name of the plot. This can be used to provide a descriptive name for user reference.
Sample Interval
Specifies the time between each sample. A smaller value will result in finer detail on the plot. Because the memory for a plot is limited, a larger Sample Interval will allow for a longer Plot Duration. The Sample Interval cannot be smaller than the Loop Time of the controller.
Capture Duration
Specifies the length of a captured plot. A captured plot is one that is triggered by a motion command, the Start Plot (100) command, or Trigger Plot (102) command, and is stored internally. If the captured plot duration value is too long for the available plot memory in the RMC, an error bubble will appear. The memory usage depends on the number of data items, the sample interval, and the capture duration.
Trend Duration
Specifies the length of a plot trend. Trending continuously uploads the plot data while it is being captured in the RMC. When the trend reaches the duration, the trend will continue and old data will be lost. If the trend duration value will result in excessive use of PC RAM, an error bubble will appear. The RAM usage depends on the number of data items, the sample interval, and the trend duration.
Default or Custom
Each individual plot can be set as either a Default or Custom plot, as described below. To add or remove plot quantities, the plot template must be set to Custom. See Using Custom Plot Templates.

Default and Custom Plots

Default Plots

Default plots are managed by RMCTools. This option makes managing plots easy and is recommended for most users. The user can choose the axis to plot, and can change the Plot Duration and Sample Interval. Changing other settings requires choosing Custom Plot.

RMCTools will automatically determine which registers should be plotted and how they are displayed, based on the axis type. For example, if Axis 1 is a position-force axis, and a plot is set to be a default plot for Axis 1, the plot will automatically be set to include the Target and Actual Position, Velocity, and Force, Control Output, Status bits, and Mean Squared Error for Position and Force.

Custom Plots

Custom plots can be fully configured by the user. For more details, see Using Custom Plot Templates.

Plot Template Memory Usage

To determine how much memory the Plot Templates will use, below the Plot Template list, click the Template Memory Used link. The dialog shows the amount of RMC memory that will be used for the defined templates, and the memory available.

The memory limits are listed in the Plot Overview topic.