This page contains the step-by-step instruction for how to configure, run and analyse Time and Motion Tests in VBOX Test Suite.
The Time and Motion plugin for VBOX Test Suite gives you the ability to generate reports to view how queuing time would change as a result of simulated speed limits and if there would be any occurrences of the excavator waiting.
Add a Test
- Click the Add button in the Test section on the Home tab.
- Select the Mining Test category and the Time and Motion test.
- Select New Test.
- Click OK to add the selected test.
Configure a Test
New Test
When you add a new test, the test settings window will automatically open when the test opens.
- Enter the approach speed for the load area.
- Set up the required speed limits.
- Enter the minimum number of runs to be included in the report.
- Enter the standard deviation.
- Enter the minimum load time.
- Enter the minimum dump time.
- Enter the maximum load speed.
- Enter the maximum dump time.
- Click OK.
Run a Test
- Click the Online button in the Data section on the Home tab.
- Select the correct COM port from the dropdown list to connect VBOX Test Suite to your VBOX.
When Test Suite has connected to the VBOX unit, the dashboard will change to show the Start, Stop and Reset buttons.
Start, Stop and Reset a Test
- Click the Start button to add a tab to the Test Results area ready to be populated with results once the start and end conditions have been met.
When you start a test, the Start button will change to a Pause button. When you pause a test the button will change to a Resume button you can use to resume the test.
- Click the Stop button to complete the test.
This will stop all open tests and future results cannot be added to the test's results tab.
- Press the Start button again to start a new test in a new results tab.
If, for any reason, a mistake has been made during the test, you can restart the test by pressing the Reset button.
Session Data
- Click on the Edit Data button in the Session section of the Test Setup tab, or on the Session tab in the Results area, to open the Session Data window and enter or import the relevant data for the session.
- Click OK to confirm and close the session data.
Results
The results from each run in your test will be populated in the Results table.
You can add and remove columns to the results table.
Adding a Column
You can add columns to the Test Results area by clicking the Add button on the Test Setup ribbon or right-clicking anywhere in the Test Results area and selecting the Add option. This will display a drop-down list of all the available channels to display in a results column. By default, this value is displayed as an At End value, which will display the value of the parameter at the end of the run.
You can remove a column by clicking the X that appears when you hover over the column title. If you have removed a column, you can add it again by clicking the Add button and selecting the desired channel.
Editing a Column
By default, a column is added without a condition. You can change this by clicking on the column header for the channel you wish to add a condition for. The selected column will be highlighted in yellow. Click on the condition dropdown in the Data column area on the Test Setup tab and select the required condition.
You can choose the following conditions for the main results:
- Avg
The mean average of the parameter during the run.
- Max
The maximum value of the parameter during the run.
- Min
The minimum value of the parameter during the run.
- Delta
The difference between the start and end value of the parameter.
- At Line
The value of the parameter at the crossing of the specified gate line (e.g. Start/Finish).
You can change the displayed parameter, by selecting a parameter from the dropdown menu above.
Sorting the Results
You can sort the results in ascending or descending order. To do this, you must click on the relevant column to select it and then click on the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending button on the Test Setup ribbon or right-click in the Test Results area and select the option you need.
Filters
You can filter the results by right-clicking on a value in the cell results table (e.g. Time (s)). You can then select to include only results with a value equal to the selected value or with a value that is <= than or >= than the selected value for that channel. You can filter multiple channels. A notification bar above the results will shows the applied filters. You can remove the filters by clicking on the X in the notification bar.
Copying Cells, Rows or Columns
You can copy individual results cells so that they can be pasted into other software applications. Click on the relevant cell to select it, right-click on it and select Copy or use the keyboard shortcut. Select multiple cells by clicking and dragging with the mouse or pressing the Ctrl key when selecting cells. Select all cells between 2 cells by holding down the Shift key and between clicking on the first and the second cell.
You can also copy an individual row, column or the entire results table by selecting the required data area, right-clicking and selecting Copy Row, Copy column or Copy All.
Renaming a Column
You can rename a column by double-clicking on the column title or by selecting the relevant column and right-clicking and selecting Rename Column or pressing F2 on the keyboard. Renamed columns will be included in exported files and generated reports.
Export
Click on the Export button to display a dropdown menu with the export options. You can export the selected results or line results to a .csv or a .txt file.
Average/Max/Min/Standard Deviation Values
You can set the Test Suite software to automatically calculate the Average/Max/Min/Standard Deviation values of all relevant runs by ticking the selection box next to the run number.
Once you have selected more than one result, the average, maximum and minimum values will be displayed. Once you have selected more than two results, it will also display the standard deviation of the selected runs.
If you select the tick box next to the Avg, Test Suite will add a moving average ‘best fit’ curve to all of the selected runs.
Interim Result(s)
If you have specified Interim result(s) in the Test Configuration these will be displayed in the Test Results area.
The Columns setting will display each interim result as a column on the right-hand side of the results table, in the order it was specified in the settings. If multiple At or Between conditions are met in a run, Test Suite will only display the first result.
The Separate Table setting will display the interim results from a selected run in a new window in the Test Results area. If you select multiple runs, the window will display the interim results from the last selected run. In addition to the interim results, the start conditions will also be displayed.
Change a Channel
You can change the channel used for interim result(s), by selecting the column header for the required result and clicking on the channel name in the Data Column section on the Test Setup tab or right-clicking on the column header and and selecting the channel name from the dropdown menu. Both options will display a list of all available channels you can replace with.
Add a Channel
You can also add columns to the interim result(s) by selecting a result header and clicking on the Add button in the Data Column section on the Test Setup tab or by right-clicking on the result header and and selecting the Add option from the dropdown menu. Both options will display a list of the available channels you can select to display as a results column associated to that particular interim result.
Remove a Channel
You can remove a column by clicking on the x icon that appears when you hover over the column header.
| Note: If you change a channel or add extra columns to the interim result(s) and you save the test configuration, the changed or extra columns will be applied to all interim results in the file when you load it back into the software, not just the specified results. |
Create a Report
Click on the Report button in the Test section on the Test Setup tab to see a preview of the report from the session.
The Report window will present options to print or export the report.
Alternatively, you can right-click in the Test Results area and select Export to either export the results to a .CSV file or export the results to a Text file.
The report will contain the entered session data and test results.
