NEW UPDATED FWD DATA COLLECTION SOFTWARE	21/04/2006
	Carl Bro Group gives high priority to the current software development. This holds for RoSy as well as for the software applied for our falling weight deflectometers. »Often we receive good ideas and suggestions from our customers and to the largest extent possible we try to implement the ideas in future software«, René Clemen, production manager, Pavement Consultants, tells. Carl Bro Pavement Consultants has recently released a new and updated version of the FWD data collection software. The software has been improved with a variety of facilities, which will be introduced below. If a customer has a software version that is capable of receiving GPS, then it is possible to see a complete GPS status for the number of satellites received, and an indication of, whether differential signals (DGPS) or standard signals (GPS) are being received. Also it has become possible to enter ”OFFSET” in the chainage counter. In this way the chainage can be corrected to the actual conditions with a reference to e.g. a distance mark or a milestone. The interval counter is now capable of being active in both ”Count UP” and ”Count DOWN”. »Another facility in great demand was the option to define a service interval for when the spray can in the spray marking equipment needs replacement, as it is not a pleasant experience so discover too late that the can was empty. This facility has now been implemented in the software«, René Clemen explains. A well-known fact is that it is important that the falling weight deflectometer collects correct data, as the consequences of incorrect data could be very fatal when used for calculations. It is no longer possible to work with a wrong calibration file (HW.ini) and in this way run the risk of collecting incorrect data, what would be waste of both time and money. In the new data collection software, the calibration file and the equipment number are “locked” together. Working with T beam has also been improved as the E0 curve is now presented with geophone values on both sides of the FWD foot plate. As the number of customers wanting to collect data in imperial units is increasing, the new version allows this. It is very easy to switch between metric and imperial units. The only thing to do is to activate a button in Setup and all data will be presented and saved in imperial or metric units. In the earlier data collection software version the temperature settings for minimum/maximum temperature were fixed. Data had to be collected without being warned with an alarm for minimum/maximum temperatures. The new software has a facility that allows the user to choose, whether to collect data without or with the possibility of getting an alarm for minimum/maximum temperatures. Also a number of customers have experienced deleting measuring files with data from earlier measurements. This is not possible any longer. If data or files are to be deleted, then this will have to be done in Microsoft Explorer or the like.