Users Guide

Excel workbook VA12.xls

(Version 1.0.x - for Excel 2003)

Excel workbook VA12_2007.xlsm

(Version 1.1.1 - for Excel 2007, Excel 2010
and Excel 2013)

RION Co., Ltd. Europe Representative Office

www.rion.co.jp

Issue 20131114

User Guide Excel workbook VA12.xls, V1.0.x / VA12_2007.xlsm, V1.1.1

Introduction
The workbooks VA12.xls (for Excel 2003) and VA12_2007.xlsm (for Excel 2007, Excel
2010 and Excel 2013) enable you to open and process measurement data files made on the
RION VA-12 vibration analyzer.
The macros in these workbooks convert and combine a collection of RVD-type data files into
a standard Excel data workbook and make tables of the numerical data and additional
measurement information. For each data file (or address), a separate sheet can be made in the
data workbook. In case of Spectrum (FFT) mode data files and Time Waveform (TIME)
mode data files, charts (graphs) can be made. In case of the Spectrum mode, the charts can be
examined more closely by displaying a user specified frequency range. In case of data folders
containing only Vibration Meter (VM) mode data files, a single table can be made containing
the data from all the files.
The software is set up in such a way that the main workbook (VA12.xls or VA12_2007.xlsm)
and the data workbook (bookz.xls, where z is a number) remain separate Excel workbooks all
the way throughout the session. All the macro program code is contained in the main
workbook VA12.xls (or VA12_2007.xlsm)
IMPORTANT:
- The VA12.xls workbook will run only on Excel 2003.
- The VA12_2007.xlsm workbook will run only on Excel 2007, Excel 2010 and Excel 2013.
- Do not change the names of the workbook VA12.xls (or VA12_2007.xlsm)
- The workbook VA12.xls (or VA12_2007.xlsm) has to be located on a fixed location on your
computer. Changing the location of the workbook VA12.xls (or VA12_2007.xlsm) will lead to
malfunction of the zooming option for Spectrum charts in previously saved data workbooks
(book1.xls, book2.xls, etc.). In other words, when you reopen a previously saved data
workbook and you want to perform zooming on Spectrum charts, the location of the VA12.xls
(or VA12_2007.xlsm) has to be unchanged since you last saved the data workbook.
- Save data workbooks (bookz.xls, where z is a number) on a fixed location on your hard disc.
Moving saved data workbooks to other locations can lead to malfunction of the zooming
option for Spectrum charts. In other words, when you reopen a previously saved data
workbook and you want to perform zooming on Spectrum charts, the location of this data
workbook has to be unchanged to ensure proper zooming function.

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User Guide Excel workbook VA12.xls, V1.0.x / VA12_2007.xlsm, V1.1.1

How to use the macro

In order to open a file, display the data, examine the data and finally save the data, you have
to perform the following steps:
1. When you are using Excel 2003, open the workbook VA12.xls. When using Excel 2007,
Excel 2010 or Excel 2013, open the workbook VA12_2007.xlsm. The start screen appears. In
figure 1, the start screen of the workbook VA12.xls is shown.

Figure 1. Start screen.

2. Open sheet "Setup". You can make the following setting here:
- Generate a report for each address: for each data file (address), a separate sheet is
made in the data workbook. In case of FFT and TIME mode files, graphs are included
on these sheets
- Use fixed range for chart Y-axis: you can specify a preferred Y-range for your
graphs here. When unchecked, the program will calculate an optimum range from the
available data.
- Convert charts to bitmap: here you can select if you want to convert your Excel
graphs to bitmap pictures. Please note that chart adjustments and zooming actions can
not be performed on Bitmap picture charts. Further, when choosing Bitmap picture
charts, numerical source data will not be present in the individual data sheets.

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User Guide Excel workbook VA12.xls, V1.0.x / VA12_2007.xlsm, V1.1.1

- Make a table with VM only data (works only for data folders containing only
VM mode data files). In this case, no separate sheet for each data file (address) is
made, but only one sheet with a table of the data from all the addresses.

3. Now you can open VA-12 instrument data. Open sheet "Start" and press the button "Open
VA-12 data". Look for and open a data folder containing VA-12 data. Such folders are named
"MAN_yyyy" by default (yyyy stands for a four digit number). Then open any data file
(address) of the type "MAN_xxxx.RVD" located in the folder (xxxx stands for a four digit
number). In case the folder contains more than one data file, you can open any
MAN_xxxx.RVD file you prefer, since choosing one file will result in the opening and
processing of all data files contained in this folder. Processing may take some time, especially
when large data files of the type TIME or FFT are processed (in this case it may take up to
several minutes).
In case the data folder contains more than 100 separate data files (addresses), a popup is
shown (see figure 2), where you can choose which set of maximum 100 data files you want to
process. For example, when a folder contains 220 measurement data files, you can choose
between three sets of data to process. Set 1 contains the first batch of 100 data files, set 2
contains the second batch of 100 data files and set 3 contains the remaining 20 data files.

Figure 2. Popup when data folder contains more than 100 addresses.

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User Guide Excel workbook VA12.xls, V1.0.x / VA12_2007.xlsm, V1.1.1

4. After the macro is finished running, a new data workbook (bookz.xls, where z is a number)
is present. The first sheet in this new workbook is called Data. This sheet contains lists of
two columns each, containing the data of all processed data files. In case of Time Waveform
files, time information for each data point is calculated by the program, since this information
is not contained in the raw data file.
When Generate a report for each address was selected in setup, following the sheet Data
are the separate sheets for each individual data file. The sheets for Vibration Meter (VM)
mode data files display date/time, file name and measurement settings information and
numerical measurement data as obtained from the VA-12 instrument. The sheets for Spectrum
(FFT or LIST) mode data files and Time Waveform (TIME) mode data files display date/time,
file name and measurement settings information and numerical measurement data as obtained
from the VA-12 instrument. Also, a chart of the measurement data is available.
In case of data folders containing only VM mode data files, and when Make a table with
VM only data was selected in setup, a single sheet Table_VM_Only is made after sheet
Data. This table contains the data from all the VM mode files in the data folder.
IMPORTANT:
To ensure correct printing of reports, the following maximum page margins are advised
(adjust your page margins in Excel File>Page Setup>Margins in case of printing problems):
top/bottom margin: 2.5 cm, header/footer margin: 2.0 cm, left/right margin:2.5 cm

5. On sheets for Spectrum (FFT) mode data, there is an option available which allows you to
adjust the frequency range displayed in the chart. To adjust the range, enter the lower and/or
upper limit of the range in the green colored cells (D26 and J26). Then press the Adjust
freq.-axis button to confirm your choice. The chart will display the selected range. Please
note that this option is only available when Convert graphs to Bitmap pictures was switched
off in the Setup sheet prior to opening the data (see also point 2).
REMARK:
When Spectrum mode data or Time Waveform data is displayed as Excel type charts (i.e. not
Bitmap picture charts), you can always perform modifications on the charts using the standard
Excel chart modification options.

6. When you are finished examining the data, you can save the data workbook under the
default name (bookz.xls, where z is a number) or under any self chosen name. To do so, select
"File">"Save As" on the Excel menu bar. In the pop up menu, enter a file name of choice (or
leave the default name). Select a location for the file and press "Save".
Whenever you plan to reopen the data workbook in the future to perform zooming action on
Spectrum mode files (as described under point 5), make sure that the data workbook is saved
in a fixed location on the computer. Also, the location of the VA12.xls workbook (or the
VA12_2007.xlsm workbook) has to be unchanged. Changing the location of either the data
workbook or the VA12.xls workbook (or the VA12_2007.xlsm workbook) may lead to the
malfunction of the zoom option.

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