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Contek Systems Ltd, Aberdeen, UK Control engineering consultant for the oil and gas industry. Process control, de-bottlenecking, compressors, slugging and control system PID tuning. |
| Recent press releases and other news are available here. |
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Contek Systems Ltd, 25 Wilson Road, Banchory, AB31 5UY +44 (0)1330 823643 |
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Try my well-known Process Identification and PID Tuning package
U-Tune.
Click here for details and screenshot. |
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See my FREE
tuning calculator.
Download here. |
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I have written several
tutorials on the practicalities of process control.
Click here for links to our tutorials. |
| Check back from time to time. New articles will be added as time permits. |
| Note: emails can be accessed offshore - telephones can't! |
| Home page |
U-Tune FAQ
What features are available in the trial version?
Why are .WDQ waveform files not associated with any application?
Who do I contact regarding technical difficulties?
Who do I contact regarding problems in purchasing U-Tune?
What are the system requirements?
What differences are there between versions?
Free upgrade for U-Tune owners
What is the latest version?
The latest version of U-Tune is 2.2.0.
What features are available in the trial version?
The trial version is fully functional and provides all the features of the licensed product.
Download and install the trial version. When you run the product, a prompt screen asks if you would like to purchase the product online. Clicking the 'Buy Now' button takes you to Kagi's secure website where you can pay for the product by credit card (price US$199). The product will activate automatically on completion of the purchase. Kagi will email you a registration code which you will need if you want to move the registration to another computer or drive.
What data does U-Tune use?
U-Tune can use data from either of the following sources:
- Text files from any source as long as the data is presented in columns (one column per input or output signal) and delimited by commas, tabs or spaces.
- Waveform files produced by DATAQ data acquisition equipment (www.dataq.com).
Why are .WDQ waveform files not associated with any application?
Waveform files are produced by DATAQ data acquisition equipment (although they can also be created by U-Tune from text files) and are normally associated with their software. You can download a free waveform browser from http://www.dataq.com/products/software/playback.htm.
Who do I contact regarding technical difficulties?
If you experience any technical difficulties or have any suggestions for improvements, please email to contact@contek-systems.co.uk.
Who do I contact regarding problems in purchasing U-Tune?
If you have any problems in purchasing our products, please contact the online shop Kagi:
email: help@kagi.com
website: http://www.kagi.com/orders/shoppersupport.html
The price is US$199.
What are the system requirements?
U-Tune will run on any 32-bit Microsoft Windows operating system e.g. Windows XP, Windows NT or Windows 2000. Screen sizes from 800 x 600 are supported. The layout of the user interface is different for the smaller resolutions.
What differences are there between versions?
Version 2 includes the Manager which allows the results of up to 10 step or pulse tests to be stored. An average process model is computed from the stored records and used to calculate the most appropriate tuning parameters.
Version 2.1 fixed several issues in Version 2.0 mainly relating to opening a corrupted waveform file. It includes the new feature of writing the configuration file to a text file. The new version supports the same configuration file format as Version 2.0.
Version 2.1.1 included minor fixes:
1. A warning is given when trying to open a filename with a name over 128 characters. The restriction is due to Third Party software beyond the control of Contek.
2. U-Tune used to crash when changing the chart top or bottom limits with no trend loaded.
3. The integral parameter used to be limited to three digits. This has been increased to four to give better values for seconds/repeat.
4. An integrating system has been included with the example files to show how the pulse test is accomplished.
5. If U-Tune gives a run-time error 449 when opening a trend, you need a different version of the file DataqFile.ocx. Download it here and copy it to the Windows/System32 directory. This is not required for versions after 2.1.1.
Version 2.2.0 included the following changes:
1. Clicking on a configuration file (.TUN) will open up the U-Tune application.
2. The trend windows stop scrolling at the end of the trend data.
3. If you move a configuration file, it will look for associated trend files in the same directory as well as in a /Trend directory.
5. U-Tune loads much faster.
6. The method of purchasing from Kagi has changed. This means that if you've already bought 2.1.1 or an earlier version, you'll need to get a new key code by emailing me (contact@contek-systems.co.uk) your username and registration code so I can explain what you need to do. You will not need to pay a second time!
Known issues with Version 2
U-Tune will not open files if the full filename is too long (about 128 characters). Moving the file further up the directory structure or shortening the pathname will get around the problem. Version 2.1.1 now gives a warning message if the filename is too long.
Free upgrade for U-Tune owners
Check the version of your copy of U-Tune on the <Help><About> window. The latest version is 2.2.0. If you've already purchased an earlier version, you'll need to email me (contact@contek-systems.co.uk) your username and registration code so I can explain how to upgrade to the latest version.