ControlDesk

Introduction and Overview

For ControlDesk 2024‑A

Release 2024-A – May 2024

To access the Web version of this document, click the following link or scan the QR code:
https://www.dspace.com/dspace-help/fmit4
To access the Web version, you must have a mydSPACE account. For more information on the
mydSPACE registration process, refer to https://www.dspace.com/faq?097.
How to Contact dSPACE
Mail: dSPACE GmbH
Rathenaustraße 26
33102 Paderborn
Germany
Tel.: +49 5251 1638-0
E-mail: info@dspace.de
Web: https://www.dspace.com

How to Contact dSPACE Support

If you encounter a problem when using dSPACE products, contact your local dSPACE
representative:
§ Local dSPACE companies and distributors: https://www.dspace.com/go/locations
§ For countries not listed, contact dSPACE GmbH in Paderborn, Germany.
Tel.: +49 5251 1638-941 or e-mail: support@dspace.de

You can also use the support request form: https://www.dspace.com/go/supportrequest. If

you are logged on to mydSPACE, you are automatically identified and do not have to add
your contact details manually.

If possible, always provide the serial number of the hardware, the relevant dSPACE License
ID, or the serial number of the CmContainer in your support request.

Software Updates and Patches

dSPACE strongly recommends that you download and install the most recent patches
for your current dSPACE installation. Visit https://www.dspace.com/go/patches for the
software updates and patches themselves and for more information, such as how to
receive an automatic notification when an update or a patch is available for your dSPACE
software.

Important Notice
This publication contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights
are reserved. The publication may be printed for personal or internal use provided all the
proprietary markings are retained on all printed copies. In all other cases, the publication
must not be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic
medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent
of dSPACE GmbH.

© 2010 - 2024 by:

dSPACE GmbH
Rathenaustraße 26
33102 Paderborn
Germany

This publication and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice.

AURELION, AUTERA, ConfigurationDesk, ControlDesk, MicroAutoBox, MicroLabBox,

SCALEXIO, SIMPHERA, SYNECT, SystemDesk, TargetLink, and VEOS are registered
trademarks of dSPACE GmbH in the United States or other countries, or both. Other
brand names or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies or organizations.
 Contents

Contents

About This Document 5

Safety Precautions and Legal Information 9

General Warning When Using the ControlDesk Software.............................. 10
General Warning When Using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the RTI
Bypass Blockset............................................................................................. 11
Warning About Using a dSPACE ECU Interface.............................................. 12
Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet
Traffic............................................................................................................ 15
Important Information on Replaying Logged Ethernet Raw Data.................... 16
Important Information on Using an External Decoder for Interpreting
Ethernet Raw Data........................................................................................ 16
Legal Information on ASAM Binaries and ASAM Documentation................... 17

Introduction to ControlDesk 19
Basics of ControlDesk............................................................................................. 20
About ControlDesk....................................................................................... 20
ControlDesk Versions and Modules............................................................... 21
Host PC Requirements Specific to ControlDesk, and Third-Party
Software....................................................................................................... 24
How to Start ControlDesk............................................................................. 26
How to Identify Accessible Licenses............................................................... 27
Protecting Long-Term Tests Against Interrupting or Blocking.......................... 28

Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk..................................................... 29

User Interface of ControlDesk........................................................................ 30
Panes of ControlDesk.................................................................................... 31
Basics on Ribbons.......................................................................................... 40
How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar................................................. 43
How to Customize the Screen Arrangement.................................................. 45
How to Customize the Ribbon.......................................................... ............ 46

Working in Operator Mode.................................................................................... 49

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode...................................... 49
Operator Mode Functionalities...................................................................... 50
Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode....................................... 52
How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode........................... ............ 53

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Contents

Getting Support..................................................................................................... 55
Getting ControlDesk Updates and Patches, and Getting Support................... 55

Demos for ControlDesk 57

Demo Projects........................................................................................................ 58
Basics on Demo Projects................................................................................ 58
Bus Navigator Demo......................................................................... ............ 62
CalDemo....................................................................................................... 71
ECU Diagnostics Demo.................................................................................. 74
Instrumentation Demo.................................................................................. 82
Real-Time Application Demos........................................................................ 84
Relay Maintenance Demo.............................................................................. 86
Signal Editor Demos...................................................................................... 86
XIL API EESPort Demo....................................................................... ............ 90

Automation Demos................................................................................................ 92
Basics on Automation Demos........................................................................ 92
Tool Automation Demos................................................................................ 93
MC3 Demos.................................................................................................. 96
D3 Demo...................................................................................................... 98
Measurement Data API Demos.................................................................... 100

Demo Programs......................................................................................... .......... 102

CalDemo ECU Program............................................................................... 102
CANGenerator Program.............................................................................. 104

Tutorials, Videos, and PDF Documents 109

Tutorials for ControlDesk............................................................................. 109
Videos for ControlDesk............................................................................... 110
PDF Documents for ControlDesk................................................................. 110

Compatibility of ControlDesk 113

Compatibility of ControlDesk 2024‑A.......................................................... 113
Compatibility of Firmware........................................................................... 115
Compatibility with Real‑Time Testing........................................................... 116
Compatibility with XIL API........................................................................... 119

Glossary 121

Index 159

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 About This Document

About This Document

Content This document introduces you to ControlDesk.

Symbols dSPACE user documentation uses the following symbols:

Symbol Description
Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided,
V DANGER
will result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided,
V WARNING could result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided,
V CAUTION could result in minor or moderate injury.
Indicates a hazard that, if not avoided, could result in
NOTICE
property damage.
Indicates important information that you should take
Note
into account to avoid malfunctions.
Indicates tips that can make your work easier.
Tip
Indicates a link that refers to a definition in the
glossary, which you can find at the end of the
document unless stated otherwise.
Follows the document title in a link that refers to
another document.

Naming conventions dSPACE user documentation uses the following naming conventions:

%name% Names enclosed in percent signs refer to environment variables for

file and path names.

<> Angle brackets contain wildcard characters or placeholders for variable

file and path names, etc.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 About This Document

Special Windows folders Windows‑based software products use the following special folders:

Common Program Data folder A standard folder for application-specific

program data that is used by all users.
%PROGRAMDATA%\dSPACE\<InstallationGUID>\<ProductName>
or
%PROGRAMDATA%\dSPACE\<ProductName>\<VersionNumber>

Tip

The Common Program Data folder is available

via the CommonApplicationSettingsPath property of
the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

Documents folder A standard folder for application‑specific files that are

used by the current user.
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\dSPACE\<ProductName>\<VersionNumber>

Tip

The Documents folder is available via the UserWorkFolder property

of the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

Local Program Data folder A standard folder for application-specific

program data that is used by the current user.
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\dSPACE\<InstallationGUID>\
<ProductName>

Tip

The Local Program Data folder is available

via the ApplicationSettingsPath property of
the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

Accessing dSPACE Help and After you install and decrypt Windows‑based dSPACE software, the
PDF files documentation for the installed products is available in dSPACE Help and as PDF
files.

dSPACE Help (local) You can open your local installation of dSPACE Help:
§ On its home page via Windows Start Menu
§ On specific content using context-sensitive help via F1

PDF files You can access PDF files via the icon in dSPACE Help. The PDF
opens on the first page.

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 About This Document

dSPACE Help (Web) Independently of the software installation, you can

access the Web version of dSPACE Help at https://www.dspace.com/go/help.
To access the Web version, you must have a mydSPACE account.
For more information on the mydSPACE registration process, refer to
https://www.dspace.com/faq?097.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 About This Document

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

Safety Precautions and Legal Information

Introduction To avoid risk of injury and/or damage to the dSPACE hardware, read and ensure
that you comply with the following safety precautions. These precautions must
be observed during all phases of system operation.

Where to go from here Information in this section

General Warning When Using the ControlDesk Software........................ 10

Note the warning when using the ControlDesk software.

General Warning When Using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the
RTI Bypass Blockset.................................................................................. 11
Note the warning when using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the RTI
Bypass Blockset.

Warning About Using a dSPACE ECU Interface........................................ 12

Note the warning when using a dSPACE ECU interface.

Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet

Traffic...................................................................................................... 15
ControlDesk provides means to monitor and log Ethernet traffic on a
low protocol level to support the development of ECUs communicating
over Ethernet (e.g., for ADAS scenarios). This makes it possible for
ControlDesk to log the entire Ethernet traffic between the PC and the
respective network segment.

Important Information on Replaying Logged Ethernet Raw Data.............. 16

ControlDesk can establish an Ethernet connection to monitor/capture
interpreted and noninterpreted Ethernet data.
In addition, this connection can be used to replay previously recorded
Ethernet raw data.

Important Information on Using an External Decoder for

Interpreting Ethernet Raw Data............................................................... 16
If you installed an instance of an external decoder on the PC you are
using, you can click External Decoder to start the exchange of Ethernet
raw data between ControlDesk and the external decoder.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

Legal Information on ASAM Binaries and ASAM Documentation............. 17

Legal information on ASAM binaries and ASAM documentation

General Warning When Using the ControlDesk Software

Introduction Note the following warning when using the ControlDesk software.

Danger potential V WARNING

Risk of serious injury and/or property damage

Using this product can be dangerous. You must observe the
following safety instructions and the relevant instructions in the user
documentation.
Using the ControlDesk software can have a direct effect on networked
electronic systems connected to it.
Improper or negligent use can result in serious personal injury and/or
property damage.
Only persons who are qualified to use this software, and who have
been informed of the above dangers and possible consequences, are
permitted to use this product.
ControlDesk provides advanced features to send messages to a connected
network (CAN, Ethernet, FlexRay, LIN) and all connected network nodes or
to modify ECU memory content directly. Using these features increases the
risk of property damage or personal injury, as ControlDesk cannot detect
operating errors made by the user.
When ControlDesk is controlled via an automation interface, the risk of
property damage or personal injury also exists. ControlDesk is then part of
an overall system and may not be visible to the end user. It nevertheless
produces a direct effect on the technical system or networked electronic
system via the controlling application that uses the automation interface.

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 General Warning When Using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the RTI Bypass Blockset

V WARNING

Risk of serious injury and/or property damage

When the Signal Editor is used, it downloads signal generators directly
to the dSPACE real-time processor. These run in parallel to the real-
time application until they are stopped explicitly (closing the ControlDesk
program is not sufficient to stop running signal generators). Signal
generators directly affect the output behavior of the dSPACE hardware at
run time without any further user interaction or user notification.
When work is carried out with ECUs, ControlDesk complies with the ASAM-
MCD 2 standard, and therefore provides suitable measures for avoiding
dangerous situations, including but not only by specifying limits for the
system's parameters. The user can and should take such measures to
minimize the danger involved in influencing the system.
All technical systems interfaced by ControlDesk where malfunctions or
misoperation involve the danger of injury or death must be examined
for potential hazards by the user, who must if necessary take additional
measures for protection (for example, an emergency off switch).

Liability It is your responsibility to adhere to instructions and warnings. Any unskilled

operation or other improper use of this product in violation of the respective
safety instructions, warnings, or other instructions contained in the user
documentation constitutes contributory negligence, which may lead to a
limitation of liability by dSPACE GmbH, its representatives, agents and regional
dSPACE companies, to the point of total exclusion, as the case may be. Any
exclusion or limitation of liability according to other applicable regulations,
individual agreements, and applicable general terms and conditions remain
unaffected.

Data loss during operating The shutdown procedure of Microsoft Windows operating systems causes some
system shutdown required processes to be aborted although they are still being used by dSPACE
software. To avoid data loss, the dSPACE software must be terminated manually
before a PC shutdown is performed.

General Warning When Using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the RTI Bypass
Blockset

Introduction Note the following warning when using the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the
RTI Bypass Blockset.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

Danger potential Using this product can be dangerous. You must observe the following safety
instructions and the relevant instructions in the user documentation.

V WARNING

Improper or negligent use can result in serious personal injury and/or

property damage.
The Internal Bypass Plug-In for the RTI Bypass Blockset allows the
integration of function code and associated data in ECU image and ECU
variable description files. Programming ECUs with these image files and
accessing ECUs via calibration tools with these ECU description files can
have a direct effect on networked electronic systems and may lead to
unforeseeable system behavior with an increased risk of property damage or
personal injury.
Only persons who are qualified to use the Internal Bypass Plug-In for
the RTI Bypass Blockset, who have been informed about the above
dangers, and who are able to assess the possible consequences to
take appropriate precautions, are permitted to use this product.
All applications where malfunctions or misoperation involve danger of
property damage, injury or death must be examined for potential hazards
by the user, who must if necessary take additional measures for protection,
for example, by implementing an emergency off switch, and/or by clearly
labeling files to prevent original ECU image and ECU description files
being confused with those modified by the Internal Bypass Plug-In for the
RTI Bypass Blockset.

Liability It is your responsibility to adhere to instructions and warnings. Any unskilled

operation or other improper use of this product in violation of the respective
safety instructions, warnings, or other instructions contained in the user
documentation constitutes contributory negligence, which may lead to a
limitation of liability by dSPACE GmbH, its representatives, agents and regional
dSPACE companies, to the point of total exclusion, as the case may be. Any
exclusion or limitation of liability according to other applicable regulations,
individual agreements, and applicable general terms and conditions remain
unaffected.

Warning About Using a dSPACE ECU Interface

Introduction Note the following warning when using a dSPACE ECU interface.

Danger potential Connecting a dSPACE ECU interface to devices such as an electronic control unit
can affect system behavior. This can lead to unexpected or critical situations, or
even constitute a risk of death. Therefore, only persons who are qualified to

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Warning About Using a dSPACE ECU Interface

use dSPACE ECU interfaces, and who have been informed of the dangers and
possible consequences, are permitted to use the interfaces.
Any damage to or malfunction of dSPACE hardware caused by improper
installation is not covered by the warranty, unless the handling and installation
instructions are shown to be defective.

Before integrating an interface and starting operation, read the warnings in this
document carefully.

V WARNING

Risk of serious injury or death due to electrical shock

dSPACE ECU interfaces are designed to be connected to devices that do
not transmit hazardous voltages. According to the EN 61010‑1:2020‑03
standard, a voltage higher than 30 VRMS/ 42.4 VPEAK AC and 60 V DC is
classified as hazardous. It constitutes a risk of serious injury or even death.
Make sure that your system provides safety provisions so that no
hazardous voltages are applied to a dSPACE ECU interface, even in
the event of electrical faults.
If there is a risk of hazardous voltages being applied to a dSPACE ECU
interface, for example, when it is connected to an engine ECU which
typically generates transient hazardous voltages for ignition, one of the
following measures must be taken to avoid the risk of serious injury or
death due to electrical shock:
§ dSPACE ECU interfaces and all devices connected to them must be within
a separate test area according to the locally valid safety standards for the
installation and operation of electrical test equipment.
§ If a connection between the host PC (outside the test area) and the
dSPACE ECU interfaces and all devices connected to them (in the test
area) is required, you have to make sure that this connection is electrically
safe.

NOTICE

Protecting dSPACE ECU interfaces against electrical discharge

Depending on your order, a dSPACE ECU interface such as the DCI‑GSI2
is delivered without an enclosure. Such an interface can be damaged
or destroyed by electrical discharge. Each interface must be kept in its
storage package until it is installed. The interface should be taken out of
its package, configured, and installed only at a workplace that is protected
against electrical discharge.
This warning does not apply to the following interfaces:
§ DCI‑CAN2
§ DCI-CAN/LIN1
§ DCI‑KLine1
These interfaces always come with an enclosure protecting them against
electrical discharge.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

Guidelines for safe in-vehicle Any in-vehicle use of dSPACE products in line with the contractual purposes
use of dSPACE products requires the use of enclosed test tracks that are specially safety-secured for
the specific purpose, i.e., with appropriately restricted access and additional
appropriate safety measures.

If you intend to use dSPACE products outside enclosed tracks, you have to check
with the relevant authorities in your country under which circumstances this is
possible. You and the local authorities involved bear full responsibility for this
type of use.

You must take appropriate measures to ensure that the overall system enters
a safe state if a dangerous situation occurs, e.g., by implementing emergency
shutdown or a limp-home mode. This particularly applies in the following cases:
§ Where safety-critical interventions that affect vehicle behavior are performed,
e.g., the stimulation of a bus system, such as CAN, or the calibration or
bypassing of in-vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) that control powertrain,
chassis, or body systems.
§ Where dSPACE products are deployed in conjunction with ECUs that can pose
a hazard if they malfunction.

Accordingly, the guidelines apply to the use of dSPACE products in aircraft or

vessels in compliance with the contractual purposes.

Example: ECU with As an example, the illustration below shows a setup with an ECU with DCI-
DCI‑GSI2 connected to a GSI2 connected to a MicroAutoBox II. The MicroAutoBox II is connected to the
MicroAutoBox II host PC by the galvanically isolated ETH_CAB2 Ethernet Connection Cable. The
cable ensures an electrically safe connection to the host PC if hazardous voltages
occur within the test area in case of a hardware failure.

ECU with DCI-GSI2

MicroAutoBox II

Ethernet

Host PC

ETH_CAB2 Ethernet
Connection Cable

1) 2)
Electrically safe area Test area

1)
No hazardous voltages occur.
2)
Hazardous voltages can occur.

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet Traffic

Order of installation Install the components of your system in the exact order stated. Any other
sequence may lead to unpredictable results or even damage the system.

Read the instructions carefully before starting installation. Observe all warnings
given.

Liability It is your responsibility to adhere to instructions and warnings. Any unskilled

operation or other improper use of this product in violation of the respective
safety instructions, warnings, or other instructions contained in the user
documentation constitutes contributory negligence, which may lead to a
limitation of liability by dSPACE GmbH, its representatives, agents and regional
dSPACE companies, to the point of total exclusion, as the case may be. Any
exclusion or limitation of liability according to other applicable regulations,
individual agreements, and applicable general terms and conditions remain
unaffected.

Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet Traffic

Introduction ControlDesk provides means to monitor and log Ethernet traffic on a low
protocol level to support the development of ECUs communicating over Ethernet
(e.g., for ADAS scenarios). This makes it possible for ControlDesk to log the
entire Ethernet traffic between the PC and the respective network segment.

Intended use ControlDesk’s monitoring and logging function is intended to support the
development of electronic control units (ECUs) that communicate via Ethernet.
The functionality integrated in ControlDesk is exclusively intended for detecting
and analyzing irregularities and weaknesses in the data input and output of the
Ethernet traffic between ECUs.

NOTICE

It is highly recommended to use the functionality only in network

segments where only PCs for ECU development are accessible.

Danger potential If you add other tools or hardware, such as an Ethernet switch with monitoring
mode, or in case of intentional manipulation, data from outside the network
segment that is directly connected to the PC might also be captured and
logged. This is not the intended use of ControlDesk and its monitoring and
logging function. It must also be noted that intercepting and using external or
private data requires the consent of the respective data owner, unless otherwise
stipulated by law. Otherwise, this might violate legal regulations, especially with
regard to criminal and data protection laws.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

NOTICE

You are responsible for ensuring that ControlDesk’s monitoring and

logging function is used only in accordance with the intended
purpose and the legal regulations.

Related topics Basics

Important Information on Replaying Logged Ethernet Raw Data............................................... 16

Important Information on Using an External Decoder for Interpreting Ethernet Raw
Data......................................................................................................................................... 16

Important Information on Replaying Logged Ethernet Raw Data

Introduction ControlDesk can establish an Ethernet connection to monitor/capture interpreted

and noninterpreted Ethernet data.

In addition, this connection can be used to replay previously recorded Ethernet

raw data.

Danger potential The Ethernet replay feature can lead to unpredictable behavior of the system
under test (to which the data is sent). For example, a faulty or unexpected
package might cause the system to crash, slow down, or close ports.
ControlDesk is not responsible for any such malfunctions.

Related topics Basics

Important Information on Using an External Decoder for Interpreting Ethernet Raw

Data......................................................................................................................................... 16
Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet Traffic...................................... 15

Important Information on Using an External Decoder for Interpreting Ethernet

Raw Data

Introduction If you installed an instance of an external decoder on the PC you are using, you
can click External Decoder to start the exchange of Ethernet raw data between
ControlDesk and the external decoder.

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Legal Information on ASAM Binaries and ASAM Documentation

Using an external decoder is optional. External decoders are third-party products

that are independent of ControlDesk and dSPACE.

If you click External Decoder after you connected an external decoder, you
leave ControlDesk. Both the decision for installing a decoder on the PC and
connecting the decoder with ControlDesk are your responsibility.

If you decide to connect external decoders by clicking the button, ControlDesk

channels the Ethernet raw data to the decoder via interprocess communication
and retrieves the Ethernet raw data interpreted by the decoder via interprocess
communication without influencing the function of the decoder or its results.

Danger potential If external decoders are used, incorrect or sensitive data could be displayed, e.g.,
personal data. In particular, note the Important Information when Monitoring
and Logging Ethernet Traffic on page 15.

Use only decoders you know or have tested and check the results provided
by a decoder, especially before using them in safety-critical applications. If you
cannot guarantee safe and legally compliant use of the decoder, do not use the
External Decoder function.

dSPACE is not liable for the error-free operation of an external decoder, nor
for the results or repercussions of processing incorrectly decoded data in
ControlDesk that stem from using an external decoder.

Related topics Basics

Important Information on Replaying Logged Ethernet Raw Data............................................... 16

Important Information when Monitoring and Logging Ethernet Traffic...................................... 15

Legal Information on ASAM Binaries and ASAM Documentation

Overview Note

Legal Information on ASAM binaries and ASAM documentation

dSPACE software also installs components that are licensed and released by
ASAM e.V. (Association for Standardisation of Automation and Measuring
Systems).
dSPACE hereby confirms that dSPACE is a member of ASAM and as such
entitled to use these licenses and to install the ASAM binaries and the
ASAM documentation together with the dSPACE software.
You are not authorized to pass the ASAM binaries and the ASAM
documentation to third parties without permission. For more information,
visit http://www.asam.net/license.html.

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Safety Precautions and Legal Information

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Introduction to ControlDesk

Introduction to ControlDesk

Where to go from here Information in this section

Basics of ControlDesk.............................................................................. 20

Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk...................................... 29

Working in Operator Mode..................................................................... 49

Getting Support...................................................................................... 55

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Introduction to ControlDesk

Basics of ControlDesk
Where to go from here Information in this section

About ControlDesk.................................................................................. 20
ControlDesk is a universal, modular experiment and instrumentation
software for ECU development. ControlDesk also supports calibration,
measurement and diagnostics access to ECUs via standardized protocols
such as CCP, XCP, and ODX.

ControlDesk Versions and Modules.......................................................... 21

ControlDesk consists of different versions and optional modules.

Host PC Requirements Specific to ControlDesk, and Third-Party

Software................................................................................................. 24
An overview of the ControlDesk‑specific host PC requirements, and on
the required third-party software.

How to Start ControlDesk........................................................................ 26

To start ControlDesk.

How to Identify Accessible Licenses......................................................... 27

To work with ControlDesk versions and modules, the related licenses
must be available and accessible.

Protecting Long-Term Tests Against Interrupting or Blocking.................... 28

Long‑term tests must not be interrupted by your host PC activating a
power-saving state triggered by a user action or by Microsoft Windows.

About ControlDesk

Overview ControlDesk is a universal, modular experiment and instrumentation software for

ECU development. ControlDesk also supports calibration , measurement and
diagnostics access to ECUs via standardized protocols such as CCP , XCP ,
and ODX.

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Basics of ControlDesk

It supports synchronized data acquisition across RCP and HIL platforms , ECUs,
and bus systems.

ControlDesk
Rapid control ECU
prototyping Hardware-in-the- (measurement, Access to vehicle
SIL testing loop simulation calibration and bus systems
(fullpassing/
bypassing) diagnostics)

Synchronized time base on all platforms/devices

CAN / CAN FD
LIN
Ethernet
PC-based SIL
simulation

ControlDesk can access virtual ECUs generated with dSPACE's SystemDesk and
Simulink models that are simulated offline on the PC.

ControlDesk Versions and Modules

Introduction ControlDesk consists of different versions and optional modules.

The following illustration provides an overview of the available versions and

modules:

ControlDesk

Versions
(Platform ControlDesk -
support ControlDesk Operator Version
included)

Add-on ECU Interface ECU Diagnostic Signal Editor Bus Navigator

modules Module Module Module Module

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May 2024 ControlDesk Introduction and Overview
 Introduction to ControlDesk

ControlDesk (main version) The main version of ControlDesk for creating and running experiments , and
for accessing dSPACE real‑time hardware and VEOS. The functionality can be
extended by optional software modules.
§ Same tool for HIL simulation, SIL testing , rapid control prototyping,
calibration , and ECU diagnostics
§ Creation of layouts and instruments
§ Access to:
§ dSPACE real-time hardware
§ VEOS
§ Test benches by using an ASAM XIL API MAPort Server
§ Synchronous measurement on all data sources
§ Tool automation, for example, for user-specific extensions
§ Automation according to the ASAM MCD3 standard

ControlDesk ‑ A version of ControlDesk that provides only a subset of functionality for running
Operator Version existing experiments. The functionality can be extended by optional software
modules.
§ Use of projects and experiment data that have been created before with the
main version of ControlDesk
§ Access to:
§ dSPACE real-time hardware
§ VEOS
§ Test benches by using an ASAM XIL API MAPort Server
§ Synchronous measurement on all data sources
§ Limited tool automation
§ Protection against altering and creating projects and experiments

For details on working in the operator mode, refer to Working in Operator Mode
on page 49.

ControlDesk ECU Interface An optional software module for ControlDesk for calibration and measurement
Module access to electronic control units (ECUs). The module is also required for
calibration and measurement access to virtual ECUs (V‑ECUs) used in SIL testing
scenarios.
§ Access to ECUs via on-chip debug ports such as JTAG/Nexus and JTAG/OCDS
(requires a DCI-GSI2 )
§ Access to ECUs via CCP (requires a supported PC-based CAN interface such
as the DCI‑CAN2 or the DCI‑CAN/LIN1)
§ Access to ECUs via XCP on CAN (requires a supported PC-based
CAN interface) and XCP on Ethernet (requires an Ethernet network interface
card)
§ Access to V‑ECUs via XCP on Ethernet

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ControlDesk Introduction and Overview May 2024
 Basics of ControlDesk

ControlDesk ECU Diagnostics An optional software module for ControlDesk that facilitates the calibration and
Module validation of ECU diagnostic functions.
§ Compliance with ODX database standard
§ Support of ISO protocols for CAN/CAN FD (requires a supported PC‑based
CAN interface such as the DCI‑CAN2 or the DCI‑CAN/LIN1), Ethernet (requires
no further interface), and K-Line (requires a supported K-Line interface (refer to
Supported K‑Line Interfaces (ControlDesk Platform Management )) such as
the DCI‑KLine1)
§ Instruments for executing diagnostic services and jobs, and for reading and
clearing the fault memory of an ECU
§ ECU flash memory programming via diagnostic interfaces

ControlDesk Signal Editor An optional software module for ControlDesk for the graphical definition
Module and execution of signal generators for stimulating model variables of real-
time /SIL simulation applications.
§ Time-synchronous stimulus generation
§ Replay of measured data contained in an ASAM MF4 file
§ Support of XIL-API stimulus format

ControlDesk Bus Navigator An optional software module for ControlDesk for handling bus messages, such
Module as CAN, LIN, and FlexRay messages, frames, and PDUs and Ethernet packets.

Using the Bus Navigator does not require a license for the ControlDesk (main
version) .
§ Support of CAN (including J1939), Ethernet, and LIN buses for dSPACE real-
time hardware and PC-based bus interfaces
§ Support of CAN and LIN buses for VEOS
§ Replay of logged CAN and Ethernet communication
§ Instruments for handling CAN, LIN, and Ethernet messages, frames, and PDUs

For more information on using the Bus Navigator (stand‑alone), i.e., the
Bus Navigator without a license for the ControlDesk (main version) , refer to
Using the Bus Navigator (Stand-Alone) (ControlDesk Bus Navigator ).

Failure Simulation Package To prepare an electrical error simulation via the graphical user interface (GUI),
use the ControlDesk XIL API EESPort graphical user interface (GUI).

To use the ControlDesk XIL API EESPort GUI, the Failure Simulation Package is
required, which is based on XIL API's EESPort. The implementation is based on
dSPACE XIL API .NET.

Required licenses Working with the different versions and modules requires that you have the
related licenses.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

ControlDesk lets you display information on the licenses that are relevant to
the current ControlDesk session. Refer to How to Identify Accessible Licenses on
page 27.

Working without a license ControlDesk lets you perform the following

tasks even without a valid license:
§ Registering dSPACE real-time hardware
§ Loading, starting and stopping applications on dSPACE real-time hardware
§ Managing the firmware of dSPACE real‑time hardware
Refer to Managing Platforms Without ControlDesk License (ControlDesk Platform
Management ).

Information on installation and licensing For information on installing

dSPACE software and handling dSPACE licenses, refer to What Do You Want
To Do? (Installing dSPACE Software ).

Related topics Basics

What Do You Want To Do? (Installing dSPACE Software )

HowTos

How to Identify Accessible Licenses.......................................................................................... 27

References

Licenses List (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Mapping Between Products and Product Sets (Installing dSPACE Software )

Host PC Requirements Specific to ControlDesk, and Third-Party Software

Host PC requirements To work with ControlDesk, you need a x64-based personal computer as a host
PC.

For information on host PC requirements that apply generally for working with
dSPACE products, refer to Host PC Hardware (Installing dSPACE Software ).

The ControlDesk‑specific requirements are described below.

Ports for connecting hardware

§ To connect DCI‑KLine1, you need a USB port version 1.1 (compatible with USB
2.0). dSPACE does not guarantee compatibility with USB 3.0 or higher.
§ To connect DCI-CAN2 and DCI‑CAN/LIN1, you need a USB port version 2.0
(compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 3.0 or higher).
§ To use the Steering Controller instrument, you need a USB port to connect a
game controller device.

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 Basics of ControlDesk

§ To use the graphical user interface of the ControlDesk XIL API EESPort via
the RS232 interface, your host PC needs an RS232 serial port that can run at
9,600 bit/s to connect Failure Insertion Unit (FIU) boards.
As an alternative you can use an external RS232 converter:
§ USB-to-RS232 converter: Only converters with an FTDI chipset and the
newest FTDI driver are supported. Refer to https://ftdichip.com/drivers/.
§ Ethernet-to-RS232 converter: The IOLAN DS1 converter from Perle is
recommended by dSPACE. Refer to https://www.dspace.com/go/eth2rs232.
There are limitations if you use an external RS232 converter: Software
triggers and dynamic errors are not supported. Communication is also
time-critical and can cause communication errors.
§ To connect a GNSS receiver to the GNSS device , you need a COM port
(RS232), a USB port (USB 1.1 up to USB 3.0), or a USB-to-RS232 converter,
depending on the GNSS receiver you are using. In ControlDesk, the connected
GNSS receiver is assigned to the GNSS device via a COM port.

Graphics adapter and display

§ Standard graphics adapter with a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.
§ Standard graphics adapter with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels or more
(recommended for ConfigurationDesk).
§ Full HD graphics adapter with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels
(recommended).
§ If you use ControlDesk in a VMware environment, 3-D support must be
enabled in VMware.

Third-party driver software To use CAN/LIN interfaces with ControlDesk, you need the appropriate driver
for CAN/LIN interfaces software versions:

CAN/LIN Required Third-Party Software

Interface1), 2)
Interfaces from To use CAN/LIN interfaces from Vector Informatik GmbH with ControlDesk, you need the
Vector Informatik appropriate API and driver:
GmbH § API: XL Driver Library 9.7.26 (or later) is required. The ControlDesk installation provides the
Vector XL Driver Library 9.7.26
§ Driver: Vector Driver Ver. 9.8 or later. You need a driver version that is compatible with the
API you use.
Download the driver from https://www.vector.com.
Interfaces from To use Kvaser CAN/LIN interfaces with ControlDesk, you need the appropriate Kvaser drivers:
Kvaser § Kvaser CAN: Ver. 5.17 or later
§ Kvaser LIN: Ver. 5.17 or later
Download them from https://www.kvaser.com.
1) Refer to Supported CAN Interfaces (ControlDesk Platform Management ).
2)
Refer to Supported LIN Interfaces (ControlDesk Platform Management ).

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

Related topics References

Host PC Hardware (Installing dSPACE Software )

How to Start ControlDesk

Restrictions ControlDesk must not be running. You cannot start a second ControlDesk
instance from the same or from a different dSPACE Release.

Preconditions ControlDesk is installed.

Method To start ControlDesk

1 Click the Windows Start menu and select dSPACE ControlDesk <x.y> –
dSPACE ControlDesk <x.y>.

Note

When you start ControlDesk for the first time after installation, your
firewall may output a security warning. Confirm ControlDesk as trusted
software.

ControlDesk opens.

Result You started ControlDesk.

Tip

The installation process automatically creates a shortcut on the desktop. You

can double-click to start ControlDesk.

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 Basics of ControlDesk

Starting ControlDesk without a valid license If you start ControlDesk

without a valid license, ControlDesk opens the following dialog:

For more information on working with ControlDesk without a valid license,

refer to Managing Platforms Without ControlDesk License (ControlDesk Platform
Management ).

How to Identify Accessible Licenses

Objective To work with ControlDesk versions and modules, the related licenses must be
available and accessible.

Preconditions ControlDesk is started. Refer to How to Start ControlDesk on page 26.

Method To identify accessible licenses

1 On the File ribbon, click Help.
The accessible and used licenses are displayed.

Result You opened the Licenses list that lets you identify the accessible licenses.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

Related topics Basics

ControlDesk Versions and Modules........................................................................................... 21

References

Licenses List (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Protecting Long-Term Tests Against Interrupting or Blocking

Avoiding power-saving states Long‑term tests must not be interrupted by a host PC activating a power-saving
state triggered by a user action or by Microsoft Windows. It is recommended to
disable all power-saving states, for example, the sleep or the hibernation state
during long-term tests.

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Where to go from here Information in this section

User Interface of ControlDesk.................................................................. 30

Provides an overview of the graphical user interface of ControlDesk.

Panes of ControlDesk.............................................................................. 31
The ControlDesk user interface provides a number of panes.

Basics on Ribbons.................................................................................... 40
Ribbons are user interface elements that provide access to common
commands and dialogs.

How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar........................................... 43

Instructions on how to customize the Quick Access Toolbar.

How to Customize the Screen Arrangement............................................ 45

Instructions on creating a custom pane arrangement.

How to Customize the Ribbon................................................................. 46

Instructions on how to customize the ribbon.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

User Interface of ControlDesk

Overview The following illustration shows the ControlDesk user interface.

Quick Access Toolbar Ribbon Main window Working area with pages Search field

Panes Status bar

Main window The entirety of the graphical user interface of ControlDesk.

Quick Access toolbar The Quick Access toolbar is an easy way to call commands. You can customize it
to contain the commands you use most frequently.

Ribbon The ribbon organizes, groups and labels commands of ControlDesk.

Working area An area of the user interface of ControlDesk where you can edit documents,
such as layouts , Python scripts, or signal description sets .

Each document is displayed on a separate page .

Panes The ControlDesk user interface provides a number of panes . For an overview,
refer to Panes of ControlDesk on page 31.

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Status bar The status bar displays the current state of ControlDesk.

Related topics Basics

Basics on Ribbons..................................................................................................................... 40

HowTos

How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar............................................................................ 43

References

Search (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Status Bar (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Panes of ControlDesk

Introduction The ControlDesk user interface provides the following panes :

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Bus Navigator A pane for handling bus messages, such as CAN messages, LIN frames, and
Ethernet packets.

System
Platform/Monitoring device
CAN bus system
Controller

Communication cluster
Network node

Frame (TX)

Frame (RX)
ISignal IPDU

ISignal

For more information on the pane, refer to Bus Navigator (ControlDesk Bus
Navigator ).

EESPort Configurations A pane for configuring error configurations .

For more information on the pane, refer to EESPort Configurations (ControlDesk

Electrical Error Simulation via XIL API EESPort ).

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Instrument Navigator A pane that displays a tree with all the instruments of the active
layout and all the variables that are connected to them. The Instrument
Navigator's main function is easy selection of instruments in complex layouts.

For more information on the pane, refer to Instrument Navigator (ControlDesk

Layouting ).

Instrument Selector A pane in ControlDesk that provides access to instruments . The instruments
can be placed on a layout via double-click or drag & drop.

For more information on the pane, refer to Instrument Selector (ControlDesk

Instrument Handling ).

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Interpreter A pane that can be used to execute line-based commands. It is used by the
Internal Interpreter to print out Python standard error messages and standard
output during the execution or import of Python scripts.

For more information on the pane, refer to Interpreter (ControlDesk

Automation ).

Layout Navigator A pane that displays all opened layouts . It can be used for switching
between layouts.

For more information on the pane, refer to Layout Navigator (ControlDesk

Layouting ).

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Mappings A pane that provides access to all variable mappings of the currently open
experiment .

Group view Variable mapping list

Variable mapping Variable mapping Variable mapping

(resolvable) (not resolvable) (Missing testbench label or
missing label mapping)

For more information on the pane, refer to Mappings (ControlDesk Variable

Management ).

Measurement Configuration A pane that allows you to configure measurement , recording and data
logging .

Default raster

Trigger reference
(active trigger)

Trigger reference
(inactive trigger)

Available triggers

Available recorders

Available data loggers

Navigation area Configuration area

For more information on the pane, refer to Measurement Configuration

(ControlDesk Measurement and Recording ).

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Measurement Data Pool A pane that provides access to measurement data recorded in measurement
data files.

Breadcrumb control

Measurement data file list Variable list Favorites list Bookmark list
(hidden by default)

For more information on the pane, refer to Measurement Data Pool (ControlDesk
Measurement and Recording ).

Messages A pane displaying a history of all error and warning messages that occur
during work with ControlDesk.

Filter panel

Message list

For more information on the pane, refer to Messages (ControlDesk Message

Handling ).

Platforms/Devices A pane that provides functions to handle devices , platforms , and the
applications assigned to the platforms.

1
2
3
4
4

Platform 1
Real-time application 2
(VEOS: offline
1 simulation application)
2
Processing hardware 3
3
Application process 4
4
5 Device 5

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

For more information on the pane, refer to Platforms/Devices (ControlDesk

Platform Management ).

Project A pane that provides access to projects and experiments and all the files
they contain.

Project

Project-global
items

Experiment

Experiment-
specific items

Item info field

For more information on the pane, refer to Project (ControlDesk Project and
Experiment Management ).

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

Properties A pane providing access to the properties of, for example, platforms/devices,
layouts/instruments, and measurement/recording configurations.

For more information on the pane, refer to Properties (Pane) (ControlDesk User
Interface Handling ).

Signal Mapping A pane of the Signal Editor to map model variables to signals and variable
aliases of a signal generator .

For more information on the pane, refer to Signal Mapping (ControlDesk Signal
Editor ).

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Signal Selector A pane of the Signal Editor . The Signal Selector provides signals and
segments for arranging and configuring signal description sets in the
working area .

For more information on the pane, refer to Signal Selector (ControlDesk Signal
Editor ).

User Functions Output A pane that provides access to the output of external tools added to the
Automation ribbon.

For more information on the pane, refer to User Functions Output (ControlDesk
Automation ).

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Variables A pane that provides access to all the variable descriptions and calculated
variables of the currently open experiment .

Function buttons Breadcrumb control

Group view Variable list Favorite list

For more information on the pane, refer to Variables (ControlDesk Variable

Management ).

Related topics Basics

User Interface of ControlDesk................................................................................................... 30

References

Bus Navigator (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )

Show Panes (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Basics on Ribbons

Introduction Ribbons are user interface elements that provide access to common commands
and dialogs.

Ribbon The ribbon organizes and groups commands of a program. The ribbon is located
at the top of the user interface, see the following example.

Ribbon

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

The ribbon consists of several ribbon tabs, see the following example of the
Home ribbon.
Home ribbon

Ribbon group A ribbon group is a part of a tabbed ribbon. It consists of a set of related
commands.

The following illustration shows a ribbon group in ControlDesk as an example.

Ribbon group

Dialog launcher

Dialog launcher A dialog launcher is an optional element of a ribbon group

that lets you open a dialog related to that ribbon group.

Split button A split button is a special form of a button with two parts. The
main icon part of the button executes a default command. The arrow part of the
button opens a submenu.
You can identify a split button by moving the mouse over the button. The button
then is highlighted, see the following example.
The illustration below shows the Activate Working Page split button of
ControlDesk as an example.
Main icon part

Arrow part
Submenu

Backstage view The Backstage view provides basic commands of a software program, such as
Save, Open, Close, Exit. The Backstage view can be identified by the colored
ribbon tab. When the Backstage view is opened, it covers the entire user
interface.

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The following illustration shows the Backstage view of ControlDesk as an

example.

Ribbon group Backstage view

Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access Toolbar is an easy way to call commands. You can customize it
to provide the commands you use most frequently.

Quick Access toolbar

For information on how to add or remove commands to/from the Quick Access
Toolbar, refer to How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar on page 43.

Navigating the ribbon You can navigate the ribbon via mouse and via keyboard.

Navigation via mouse You can navigate the ribbon with the mouse scroll
wheel.

Navigation via keyboard If you want to navigate the ribbon via keyboard,
press the Alt key. Each command in the Quick Access Toolbar and each ribbon
tab then is marked by an access key.
The illustration below shows a ribbon after pressing Alt as an example.

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

If you then press one of the ribbon tab access keys, each command in the
selected ribbon is also marked by an access key.
You can remove the access keys by pressing Alt again.

Customizing the ribbon § You can extend the standard ribbon by your own ribbon tabs, ribbon groups
and commands.
Refer to Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize View
Sets (ControlDesk User Interface Handling ).
§ You can also customize ControlDesk's ribbon by adding your own ribbon
controls via Python extension scripts .
For details, refer to Customizing the Ribbon via Extension Scripts (ControlDesk
Customization ).

Related topics Basics

Customizing the Ribbon via Extension Scripts (ControlDesk Customization )

References

Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize View Sets

(ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar

Objective You can customize the Quick Access Toolbar to display the commands that you
use frequently and you can specify its position.

Method To customize the Quick Access Toolbar

1 On the Quick Access Toolbar, click – Customize Quick Access Toolbar.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

The Quick Access Toolbar page of the Customize dialog is displayed.

2 On the Quick Access Toolbar page you can add and remove commands,
reset the toolbar, and specify the position of the Quick Access Toolbar.
§ To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar, open the Choose
commands from list and select a ribbon. Then select a command from
the list on the left and click Add.

Tip

To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can also select
Add to Quick Access Toolbar in the context menu of a command in
a ribbon.

§ To remove a command from the Quick Access Toolbar, select the

command in the list on the right and click Remove.

Tip

To remove a command from the Quick Access Toolbar, you can also
select Remove from Quick Access Toolbar in the context menu of a
command icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.

§ To reset the Quick Access Toolbar to the factory default, click Reset.
§ To show the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon, select Show Quick
Access Toolbar below the ribbon.
3 Click Close to save the changes.

Result You have customized the Quick Access Toolbar.

Related topics Basics

Basics on Ribbons..................................................................................................................... 40

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

References

Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize View Sets

(ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

How to Customize the Screen Arrangement

Objective The screen arrangement defines which panes are displayed and how they are
arranged. The first time you execute the application, it starts with its default
screen arrangement, which you can modify.

Screen modifications The screen arrangement contains information about:

§ Display states and positions of the toolbars
§ Display states and positions of the panes such as the Project pane
§ Pane settings, such as the docking state

View sets A view set is a named configuration of the panes, the ribbon and the Quick
Access Toolbar of the application. You can create various view sets and switch
between them. All the modifications you make to the screen arrangement are
automatically saved to the currently active view set. For more information on
view sets, refer to Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize
View Sets (ControlDesk User Interface Handling ).

Commands for customizing The application provides various commands, such as the Floating command, to
the screen arrangement modify the state of each pane. You can execute all of these commands quickly
and flexibly via mouse. The following instructions describe how to do this.

Method To customize the screen arrangement

1 Move the mouse pointer onto the title bar of the pane whose position you
want to change.
If you want to move a tabbed pane, you must select its tab instead of the
title bar.
2 Drag the pane to another position while holding the left mouse button
down.
The docking state of the pane is automatically changed to floating and the
screen displays docking stickers that you can use to specify the new position.

Docking Sticker Description

The pane is docked to the top of your application's main
window.

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Docking Sticker Description

The pane is docked to the bottom of your application's
main window.
The pane is docked to the left of your application's main
window.
The pane is docked to the right of your application's
main window.
The pane is docked above, below, to the left, or to the
right of the selected pane. If you drag the mouse onto
the middle docking sticker, the pane is docked as a new
page .

3 Move the mouse pointer onto a docking sticker. When the area of the new
position is displayed, release the left mouse button.

Result The component is moved to the new position in the user interface and docked to
another component.

If you release the mouse button anywhere except on a docking sticker, the
docking state of the pane remains floating.

Tip

If you want to change the order of pane tabs, you can drag them to new
positions.

Related topics References

Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize View Sets

(ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

How to Customize the Ribbon

Objective To adapt the ControlDesk user interface to your requirements, you can add new
tabs and groups to the ribbon, and add commands to them.

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 Working with the User Interface of ControlDesk

Customizing ribbons The ribbon consists of several ribbon tabs that contain ribbon groups with
related commands.

Ribbon tab Ribbon group Custom ribbon group

ControlDesk lets you customize the ribbon in the following ways:

§ You can add new ribbon tabs.
§ You can add new ribbon groups to existing or new ribbon tabs.
§ You can add existing commands to new ribbon groups.

Method To customize the ribbon

1 Open the context menu of the ribbon and select Customize Ribbon.
The Customize Ribbon page of the Customize dialog is displayed.

Note

You cannot change the factory settings, i.e., you cannot add or remove
commands to or from default ribbon groups.
You must add at least one new ribbon group to a new or a default
ribbon tab to add a command.
Add and Remove are enabled only if a custom ribbon group is
selected.

2 On the Customize Ribbon page, you can customize the content of new
ribbon tabs and new ribbon groups.
§ To add a new ribbon tab, click New Tab.
§ To add a new ribbon group, select a new or a default ribbon tab and click
New Group.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

§ To add a command to a new ribbon group, select the ribbon group in

the Customize the ribbon list. Then, select a command from the Choose
commands from list and click Add.
§ To remove a command from a custom ribbon group, select the command
in the Customize the ribbon list and click Remove.
§ To reset the ribbon to the factory default, click Reset to Factory Settings.
3 Click Close to save the changes.

Result You customized the ribbon.

The following illustration shows the ControlDesk Home ribbon. The

Documentation custom ribbon group was added.

Related topics References

Customize Quick Access Toolbar/Customize Ribbon/Customize View Sets

(ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

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 Working in Operator Mode

Working in Operator Mode

Where to go from here Information in this section

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode................................. 49

ControlDesk switched to the operator mode and ControlDesk - Operator
Version provide only a subset of functionality.

Operator Mode Functionalities................................................................. 50

In the operator mode, you can work with existing experiments but not
modify them, which protects them from unintentional changes.

Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode................................. 52

You should prepare an experiment for being used in operator mode.

How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode.................................. 53

To protect existing experiments against unintentional changes, you can
switch the ControlDesk to the operator mode.

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode

ControlDesk in operator You can switch ControlDesk to the operator mode:

mode
Operator mode A working mode of ControlDesk in which only a subset
of the ControlDesk functionality is provided. You can work with existing
experiments but not modify them, which protects them from unintentional
changes.

ControlDesk ‑ Operator ControlDesk also provides the Operator Version.

Version
ControlDesk ‑ Operator Version A version of ControlDesk that provides
only a subset of functionality for running existing experiments. The functionality
can be extended by optional software modules.

ControlDesk ‑ Operator Version provides the same functionalities as ControlDesk

switched to the operator mode.

Related topics Basics

Operator Mode Functionalities.................................................................................................. 50

Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode.................................................................. 52

HowTos

How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode................................................................... 53

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References

Operator Mode Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Operator Mode Functionalities

Introduction In the operator mode , you can work with existing experiments but not
modify them, which protects them from unintentional changes.

Disabled ribbon and context In the operator mode, some ribbon commands and context menu commands are
menu commands not available and are therefore grayed out.

Tip

ControlDesk's reference information provides detailed information on which

ribbon commands and context menu commands are available in the
operator mode.

Functions not available in the The table below lists the most important functions of ControlDesk that are not
operator mode available in the operator mode.

Not Possible in Operator Mode

ControlDesk Project and Experiment Management
§ Creating projects /experiments
§ Removing/deleting files from projects/experiments
§ Migrating experiments from prior versions of ControlDesk
ControlDesk Platform Management
§ Adding/removing platforms /devices to/from an experiment
§ Configuring platforms/devices

Tip

§ Registering platforms is possible.

§ Loading, starting and stopping real-time applications is possible.

ControlDesk Variable Management

§ Adding/removing variable descriptions to/from a platform/device
§ Modifying variable properties
§ Adding/removing calculated variables to/from an experiment

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 Working in Operator Mode

Not Possible in Operator Mode

Tip

Reloading/replacing variable descriptions is possible.

ControlDesk Layouting and ControlDesk Instrument Handling

§ Adding/removing layouts to/from an experiment
§ Saving/importing/exporting layouts
§ Adding/removing instruments to/from a layout
§ Moving/resizing/grouping instruments on a layout
§ Connecting/disconnecting variables to/from instruments
ControlDesk Measurement and Recording
§ Adding/removing signals to/from the measurement signal list (data
acquisition and recordings)
§ Importing measurement data files
§ Adding/removing triggers
§ Adding/removing/configuring rasters
§ Adding/removing/configuring recorders

Tip

§ Creating/exporting measurement data files is possible.

§ Configuring trigger conditions is possible. However, the changes
are lost when you save the experiment.

ControlDesk Calibration and Data Set Management

§ Importing data sets
§ Creating new reference data sets

Tip

§ Creating new data sets is possible.

§ Exporting data sets is possible.

ControlDesk Bus Navigator

§ Adding/removing bus instruments
§ Adding/removing monitor nodes, loggers and replay nodes
ControlDesk Signal Editor
§ Adding/importing/removing signal descriptions sets
§ Adding/modifying/removing signals
§ Modifying signal mappings
ControlDesk Electrical Error Simulation via XIL API EESPort
§ Adding/modifying/removing XIL API EESPorts
§ Adding/modifying/removing error configurations
§ Adding/modifying/removing error sets
ControlDesk User Interface Handling
§ Customizing user functions

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Not Possible in Operator Mode

Using the Interpreter
§ Importing/removing Python scripts to/from the project/experiment
§ Modifying Python scripts (including scripts which use ControlDesk
events ) that are part of the project/experiment
§ Editing/executing Python commands in the Internal Interpreter

Tip

§ Automating ControlDesk from an external Python interpreter, from

applications or from further scripting environments is possible.
§ Using ControlDesk events from Python scripts that run in an external
Python interpreter is possible.
§ Running scripts in the Internal Interpreter is possible if the scripts are
part of the project/experiment.

ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation

§ Not possible in the operator mode

Related topics Basics

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode.................................................................. 49

Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode.................................................................. 52

HowTos

How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode................................................................... 53

References

Operator Mode Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode

Steps to prepare an Perform the following steps to prepare an experiment for use in operator
experiment mode :
1. Add and configure all the required platforms and devices to the
experiment; add variable descriptions to the platforms and devices.
2. Add layouts to the experiment and connect variables to instruments on
the layouts.
3. Configure measurements and recordings.
4. Add Python scripts to the project /experiment.

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 Working in Operator Mode

5. Add and configure signal description sets ; map signals to variables of a

real-time application for stimulation .
6. Add and configure failure simulation.

Related topics Basics

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode.................................................................. 49

HowTos

How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode................................................................... 53

References

Operator Mode Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

How to Switch ControlDesk to the Operator Mode

Objective To protect existing experiments against unintentional changes, you can switch
the ControlDesk to the operator mode.

Precondition § ControlDesk is installed on the host PC.

§ The experiment(s) must be prepared for use in operator mode . Refer to
Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode on page 52.

Possible methods § You can switch ControlDesk to the operator mode via the ControlDesk
Options dialog. Refer to Method 1.
§ You can switch ControlDesk to the operator mode via command line. Refer to
Method 2.

Method 1 To switch ControlDesk to the operator mode via the ControlDesk Options
dialog
1 On the File ribbon, click Options.
ControlDesk opens the ControlDesk Options dialog.
2 On the Operator Mode page of the ControlDesk Options dialog, select
Activate operator mode on next tool start.
3 If required, specify a password in the Enter password (optional) and Re-
enter password edit fields.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

If you specify a password, a user who wants to switch ControlDesk from the
operator mode back to the normal mode will have to enter this password.

Tip

Specifying a password is recommended if not every employee is allowed

to switch ControlDesk from the operator mode to the normal mode.

4 In the ControlDesk Options dialog, click OK to close the dialog.

5 Restart ControlDesk.

Method 2 To switch ControlDesk to the operator mode via command line

1 If ControlDesk is currently running, close it.
2 Start ControlDesk via command line with the additional command line
argument -operator.

Result You have switched ControlDesk to the operator mode. This is indicated in the
caption of the user interface as shown in the following illustration.

Next steps To switch ControlDesk back to the normal mode, open the ControlDesk
Options dialog, and deselect Activate operator mode on next tool start
on the Operator Mode page. Enter the password if one was specified before
ControlDesk was switched to the operator mode.

Related topics Basics

Basics on the Operator Version and Operator Mode.................................................................. 49

Operator Mode Functionalities.................................................................................................. 50
Preparing an Experiment for Use in Operator Mode.................................................................. 52

References

Operator Mode Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

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 Getting Support

Getting Support

Getting ControlDesk Updates and Patches, and Getting Support

Updates and patches for Updates and patches for ControlDesk:

ControlDesk
https://www.dspace.com/en/pub/home/support/patches/suppatchcdng.cfm

ControlDesk Product Support The ControlDesk Product Support Center offers the most important support
Center information for ControlDesk. Refer to:

https://www.dspace.com/cdngpsc

Frequently asked questions Check the frequently asked questions (FAQs). Refer to:

https://www.dspace.com/Go/FAQ

dSPACE Support If you encounter a problem when using dSPACE products, contact your local
dSPACE representative:
§ Local dSPACE companies and distributors:
https://www.dspace.com/go/locations
§ For countries not listed, contact dSPACE GmbH in Paderborn, Germany.
Tel.: +49 5251 1638-941 or e-mail: support@dspace.de

You can also use the support request form:

https://www.dspace.com/go/supportrequest. If you are logged on to mydSPACE,
you are automatically identified and do not have to add your contact details
manually.

If possible, always provide the serial number of the hardware, the relevant
dSPACE License ID, or the serial number of the CmContainer in your support
request.

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 Introduction to ControlDesk

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Demos for ControlDesk

Where to go from here Information in this section

Demo Projects......................................................................................... 58

Automation Demos................................................................................. 92

Demo Programs..................................................................................... 102

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Demo Projects
Where to go from here Information in this section

Basics on Demo Projects.......................................................................... 58

Provides an overview of the available demo projects and a list of the
ControlDesk features that they cover.

Bus Navigator Demo................................................................................ 62

Demonstrates the ControlDesk Bus Navigator features (monitoring,
logging, replay, message transmission). The demo is based on a
simulated bus interface.

CalDemo................................................................................................. 71
Demonstrates the ControlDesk measurement and calibration features
without a real ECU connected to the host PC.

ECU Diagnostics Demo............................................................................ 74

Demonstrates the ControlDesk ECU diagnostics features without a
platform/device connected to the host PC.

Instrumentation Demo............................................................................. 82
Demonstrates the ControlDesk 3-D Viewer instrument.

Real-Time Application Demos.................................................................. 84

Demonstrate the ControlDesk measurement and calibration features in
connection with dSPACE real-time hardware connected to the host PC.

Relay Maintenance Demo........................................................................ 86

Allows you to perform relay cleaning in a SCALEXIO system.

Signal Editor Demos................................................................................ 86

Demonstrate the ControlDesk Signal Editor features.

XIL API EESPort Demo.............................................................................. 90

Demonstrates the ControlDesk features for electrical error simulation,
which is based on the ASAM AE XIL API standard.

Basics on Demo Projects

Copying and opening a demo Before you can work with a demo project , carry out the following steps:
project 1. Copy the demo projects to the Documents folder .
To do so, you have two options:
§ Click Copy Demos on the User Settings page of the ControlDesk
Options dialog.
For more information on the User Settings page, refer to User Settings
Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling ).

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 Demo Projects

§ As an alternative, you can use the ControlDesk automation interface.

If you use the ControlDesk Interpreter pane, enter the following
command:
Application.UserSettings.CopyDemos()
ControlDesk copies the demo projects to your Documents folder .

Tip

§ Copying demo projects is required once per user after installing

ControlDesk.
§ If the Documents folder already contains demo projects, they are
not overwritten. In this case, only the missing demo projects are
copied.

2. On the File ribbon, select Open - Project + Experiment (refer

to Open Project + Experiment (ControlDesk Project and Experiment
Management )).
ControlDesk opens the Select a Project dialog.

3. In the Select a Project dialog, select the project and experiment to open,
then click OK.
ControlDesk opens the selected project and experiment.

Tip

The .\Demos folder of your ControlDesk installation contains the Backups

subfolder, which provides a ZIP archive for each demo.
When you need to restore a demo, you can extract the related ZIP archive.
To do so, use the Open Project + Experiment from Backup (ControlDesk
Project and Experiment Management ) command.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Demo project overview The ControlDesk installation provides the following demo projects:

Demo Project Focus

Real-time application demos Demonstrate the ControlDesk measurement and
Refer to Real-Time Application Demos on calibration features in connection with dSPACE real-time
page 84. hardware connected to the host PC.
Bus Navigator demo Demonstrates the ControlDesk Bus Navigator features
Refer to Bus Navigator Demo on page 62. (monitoring, logging, replay, message transmission). The demo
is based on a simulated bus interface.
CalDemo Demonstrates the ControlDesk measurement and
Refer to CalDemo on page 71. calibration features without a real ECU connected to the host
PC.
ECU Diagnostics demo Demonstrates the ControlDesk ECU diagnostics features
Refer to ECU Diagnostics Demo on page 74. without a platform /device connected to the host PC.
XIL API EESPort Demo Demonstrates the ControlDesk features for electrical error
Refer to XIL API EESPort Demo on page 90. simulation , which is based on the ASAM AE XIL API standard.
Signal Editor demos Demonstrate the ControlDesk Signal Editor features.
Refer to Signal Editor Demos on page 86.
Instrumentation Demo Demonstrates the ControlDesk 3-D Viewer instrument .
Refer to Instrumentation Demo on page 82.
Relay maintenance demo (refer to Relay Allows you to perform relay cleaning in a SCALEXIO system.
Maintenance Demo on page 86)
Refer to Relay Maintenance Demo on page 86.

Features covered by the demo The table below lists important ControlDesk features, and shows which demo
projects projects cover each feature (✓) and which do not (—).

Feature Bus CalDemo ECU XIL API Real-Time Signal Instrumentation

Navigator Diagnostics EESPort Application Editor Demo
Demo Demo Demo Demos Demos

Platforms and Devices

CAN Bus Monitoring ✓ – ✓ – – – –
device
DCI-GSI2 device – ✓ – – – – –
DS1104 R&D Controller – – – – ✓ – –
Board platform
DS1202 MicroLabBox – – – – ✓ ✓ –
platform
ECU diagnostics – – ✓ – – – –
MicroAutoBox – – – – ✓ ✓ –
platform (DS1401)
MicroAutoBox III – – – – ✓ ✓ –
platform (DS1403)
MicroLabBox II – – – – ✓ ✓ –
platform (DS1203)

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 Demo Projects

Feature Bus CalDemo ECU XIL API Real-Time Signal Instrumentation

Navigator Diagnostics EESPort Application Editor Demo
Demo Demo Demo Demos Demos
SCALEXIO platform – – – – ✓ ✓ –
VEOS platform – – – – ✓ ✓ –
XCP on CAN device – ✓ – – – – –
XCP on Ethernet – ✓ – – – – –
device

Functional Areas
Automation: event ✓ – – – – – –
handling
Bus communication ✓ – ✓ – – – –
Calculated variables – ✓ ✓ – ✓ – –
Structs and struct – – – – ✓ – –
arrays
Calibration and – ✓ ✓ – ✓ – –
measurement
ECU diagnostics – – ✓ – – – –
Electrical error – – – ✓ – – –
simulation
Stimulation of – – – – – ✓ –
variables via Signal
Editor
Variable mapping – – – – ✓ – –

Specific Instruments
3-D Viewer – – – – – – ✓
Bus Instrument ✓ – – – – – –
Diagnostics – – ✓ – – – –
Instrument
Fault Memory – – ✓ – – – –
Instrument
Multistate Display ✓ – – – – – –
Multiswitch ✓ – – – – – –
Time Plotter ✓ ✓ ✓ – ✓ ✓ –
Table Editor – ✓ – – ✓ – –
Variable Array – ✓ ✓ – ✓ ✓ –

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Related topics Basics

Bus Navigator Demo................................................................................................................. 62

CalDemo.................................................................................................................................. 71
CalDemo ECU Program.......................................................................................................... 102
CANGenerator Program......................................................................................................... 104
ECU Diagnostics Demo............................................................................................................. 74
Instrumentation Demo.............................................................................................................. 82
Real-Time Application Demos................................................................................................... 84
Relay Maintenance Demo......................................................................................................... 86
Signal Editor Demos................................................................................................................. 86
XIL API EESPort Demo............................................................................................................... 90

References

User Settings Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

UserSettings / IXaUserSettings <<Interface>> (ControlDesk Automation )

Bus Navigator Demo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Description of the demo The BusNavigatorDemo project contains the Monitoring, Logging, Replay
project experiment . The experiment allows you to use the bus communication
features (monitoring, logging, replay, message transmission) of ControlDesk. The
demo is based on a simulated bus interface.

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk
§ ControlDesk Bus Navigator Module

Demo setup The Monitoring, Logging, Replay experiment contains two CAN
Bus Monitoring devices , which represent the CAN controllers of two ECUs
interconnected via CAN:
§ The Transceiver Node device represents the CAN controller of the transmitting
ECU.
§ The Receiver Node device represents the CAN controller of the receiving ECU.
The communication between both devices is based on a virtual CAN bus, so no
real CAN bus interface is required.

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 Demo Projects

The illustration below shows the demo setup in the ControlDesk Project pane:

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 Demos for ControlDesk

The illustration below shows the related CAN bus configuration in the
ControlDesk Bus Navigator:

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 Demo Projects

Demo layouts The Monitoring, Logging, Replay experiment contains the

following layouts :

§ dashboard layout
Contains instruments that visualize signals of the Display_1, Display_3 and
Engine_1 messages.

Note

For replaying, monitoring and logging CAN data, online calibration must
be started. To visualize CAN data in the Time Plotter on the dashboard
layout, you also have to start measuring.

Tip

The LayoutAndInstrumentHandling demo shows how to create the

dashboard instrument displayed above via tool automation.
Refer to Tool Automation Demos (refer to Tool Automation Demos on
page 93).

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 Demos for ControlDesk

§ mode signals layout

Contains instruments that visualize the Display_1 message.

§ transmit messages layout

For details on using this layout, see Transmitting and receiving CAN messages
on page 70.

Event handling to activate the monitoring list The BusNavigatorDemo

project provides an event handling example for activating a monitoring
list. For details, refer to Activating a Layout by Using Events (ControlDesk
Automation ).

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 Demo Projects

Replaying CAN data The Monitoring, Logging, Replay experiment contains the CANreplay.asc
replay file:

The replay file is assigned to the CAN Replay node of the Transceiver Node:

To start replaying CAN messages, perform the following steps:

1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Go Online to start online
calibration.
The Monitoring, Logging, Replay experiment contains an event handler that
performs the following steps when you start online calibration:
§ It activates and starts CAN replay via the Transceiver Node.
§ It starts CAN monitoring and CAN logging via the Receiver Node.

Tip

You can also start replay as follows:

§ Click in the dashboard or mode signals layout.

OR
§ Select Start Replay from the context menu of the CAN Replay node
in the Bus Navigator.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

To stop replaying CAN messages, perform the following steps:

1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Go Offline to stop online
calibration.
The experiment contains an event handler that performs the following steps
when you stop online calibration:
§ It stops CAN replay.
§ It stops CAN monitoring and CAN logging.

Tip

You can also stop replay as follows:

§ Click in the dashboard or mode signals layout.

OR
§ Clear Start Replay from the context menu of the CAN Replay node
in the Bus Navigator.

Monitoring CAN data The Receiver Node contains the CAN Monitor node:

During CAN data replay and when monitoring is started, the CAN Monitor
monitoring list displays the data of all the CAN messages monitored by the
Receiver Node (unfiltered monitoring).

Monitoring is started when you start online calibration. You can also start

monitoring by clicking in the monitoring list.

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 Demo Projects

Logging CAN data The Receiver Node contains the CAN Logger node:

The CAN Logger node logs CAN data to the CANlogging.asc file.

Logging is started when you start online calibration. You can also start logging
by selecting Start Logger from the context menu of the CAN Logger node in
the Bus Navigator.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Transmitting and receiving The transmit messages layout lets you transmit the Diagnostics CAN message
CAN messages from the Transceiver Node device to the Receiver Node device.

To transmit and receive CAN messages, perform the following steps:

1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Go Online to start online
calibration.
2. Then perform one of the following steps:
§ To transmit the message once, click in the TX Instrument for CAN
(Bus Monitoring Device).

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 Demo Projects

§ To transmit the message cyclically, specify the desired cycle time and
activate Cyclic in the TX Instrument for CAN (Bus Monitoring Device).

§ To transmit a sequence of messages with changing signals, click

in the layout.

Related topics Basics

Monitoring and Logging Bus Communication (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )

Overview of the Bus Navigator (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )
Working with Bus Instruments (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )

CalDemo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Description of the demo The CalDemo project lets you work with ControlDesk and use its
project measurement and calibration features even without a real ECU connected
to your host PC.

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk

Tip

The ControlDesk ECU Interface Module is not required.

Demo setup The CalDemo project includes three experiments . Each

experiment contains a different device to access a simulated ECU (CalDemo
ECU Program), which is part of the ControlDesk software environment and
which ControlDesk starts automatically when you open the CalDemo project.
§ XCP on CAN device
The device is part of the XCP on CAN experiment in the CalDemo project.
Since the CalDemo ECU runs on the same PC as ControlDesk, the device
is preconfigured to communicate with the CalDemo ECU via a virtual CAN
channel implemented on the host PC.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

§ XCP on Ethernet device

The device is part of the XCP on Ethernet experiment in the CalDemo project.
Since the CalDemo ECU usually runs on the same PC as ControlDesk, the
device is preconfigured to communicate with the CalDemo ECU via the
localhost loopback address.

§ DCI-GSI2 device
The device is part of the DCI-GSI2 experiment in the CalDemo project. The
DCI-GSI2 device is used to access the CalDemo ECU. If you have no DCI-
GSI2 connected to the host PC, the Interface Selection page of the device's
Interface Selection dialog is empty.
However, starting online calibration is possible since the device uses the
localhost loopback address to communicate with the CalDemo ECU.

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 Demo Projects

The illustration below shows the demo setup in ControlDesk's Project pane:

Demo layouts Each experiment contains the following layouts:

§ bit signals layout
The layout shows how to handle the Time Plotter and the Variable Array.
§ signal generator layout
The layout shows how to handle the Time Plotter and the Variable Array.
§ throttle controller layout
The layout shows how to handle the Time Plotter and the Variable Array.
§ working point layout
The layout shows how to handle the Table Editor.
§ xy plotter layout
The layout shows how to handle the XY Plotter.

Measuring and calibrating You can measure and calibrate variables.

variables
To measure and calibrate variables, perform the following steps:
1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Start Measuring to start
measuring.

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The Time Plotter on the throttle controller layout displays variables that
originate from the CalDemo ECU.
2. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Working Page to activate the
working page of the CalDemo ECU.

3. On the throttle controller layout, click below Signal Form to change

the SignalForm parameter value to triangle.
You can observe the effect of the changed parameter value in the Time
Plotter (for an animated graphic, refer to dSPACE Help).

Related topics Basics

Basics on Configuring Measurement (ControlDesk Measurement and Recording )

CalDemo ECU Program.......................................................................................................... 102
Calibrating Parameters (ControlDesk Calibration and Data Set Management )

ECU Diagnostics Demo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

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 Demo Projects

Description of the demo The DiagDemo project lets you perform the following tasks even without a
project real ECU connected to your host PC:
§ ECU diagnostics with ControlDesk's diagnostics instruments via the ECU
Diagnostics device
§ Measurement and calibration of diagnostics variables via the ECU
Diagnostics device in connection with ControlDesk's standard instruments

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk

Demo setup The DiagDemo project contains the ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D
v2.0.2) experiment , which contains the following devices:
§ ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D v2.0.2) device
The device is preconfigured to access the CalDemo ECU via CAN using a
virtual CAN channel. ControlDesk starts the CalDemo ECU automatically when
you open the DiagDemo project. For instructions on starting the CalDemo ECU
manually, for example, if you closed it unintentionally, refer to Starting the
CalDemo ECU on page 103.
ControlDesk automatically loads a demo ODX database to the device when
you open the DiagDemo project. A variable description based on the ODX
database is added to the device so you can perform measurement and
calibration of diagnostic variables via the ECU Diagnostics device.
§ CAN Bus Monitoring device
The device is preconfigured to monitor CAN communication between
ControlDesk and the CalDemo ECU.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

The illustration below shows the demo setup in ControlDesk's Project pane:

Demo layouts The ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D v2.0.2) experiment contains

the following layouts:
§ diagnostic trouble codes layout
Contains instruments with DTC measurement variables, and a Fault Memory
Instrument . See Measuring diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) on page 79.
§ diagnostic variables layout
Contains instruments to measure and calibrate diagnostics variables via the
ECU Diagnostics device. See Measuring and calibrating variables via the ECU
Diagnostics device on page 79.
§ diagnostics layout
Contains a Diagnostics Instrument for executing diagnostic jobs and
services . See Executing diagnostic jobs on page 76 and Configuring and
executing diagnostic services on page 77.

Executing diagnostic jobs You can execute jobs with the Diagnostics Instrument. For example, you can
execute the UDS Demo Security Access Job diagnostic job to enable security
access, which is required to perform parameter changes on the CalDemo ECU via
the ECU Diagnostics device.

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 Demo Projects

Tip

The job is executed for demonstration purposes only. Normally, you do not
have to execute it manually. ControlDesk executes it automatically when
you start online calibration since this is necessary for write operations and
access to protected areas.

To get security access by executing a diagnostic job, perform the following steps:
1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Go Online to start online
calibration. ControlDesk connects to the CalDemo ECU. You are now directly
accessing the hardware.
2. In the Diagnostics Instrument on the diagnostics layout, select UDS Demo
Security Access Job and click Execute.

The job performs the following steps:

1. It executes the DiagnosticSessionControl service and changes to the
programmingSession.
2. It executes the SecurityAccessRequestSeed service to request the seed
value from the CalDemo ECU.
3. It executes the SecurityAccessSendKey service to send the key to the
CalDemo ECU.

Configuring and executing You can configure and execute services with the Diagnostics Instrument. For
diagnostic services example, you can execute the WriteDataByIdentifier service to configure the
current gear value.

To configure the gear value by executing a service, perform the following steps:
1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Go Online to start online
calibration. ControlDesk connects to the CalDemo ECU. You are now directly
accessing the hardware.

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 Demos for ControlDesk

2. In the Diagnostics Instrument on the diagnostics layout, select the

WriteDataByIdentifier service.

3. Select DemoCarEngineData as the DataIdentifier.

4. Specify 0x4 as the CurrentGear value.

5. Click Execute to execute the WriteDataByIdentifier service.
The Time Plotter on the diagnostic variables layout displays the gear
change:

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 Demo Projects

Measuring and calibrating You can measure and calibrate diagnostics variables via the ECU Diagnostics
variables via the ECU device in connection with ControlDesk's standard instruments. Measurement
Diagnostics device and calibration via the ECU Diagnostics device uses diagnostic services available
from the ODX database. When you calibrate a parameter value, for example, you
implicitly configure and execute the service related to that parameter.

ControlDesk's Variables pane shows all the available diagnostics variables:

Perform the following steps:

1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Start Measuring to start
measuring.
The Time Plotter on the diagnostics variables layout displays various
variables that originate from the ECU Diagnostics device.
2. Use, for example, the Climate Control Multiswitch on the diagnostics
variables layout to change the Desired Temperature parameter value.
You can observe the effect of the changed parameter value in the Time
Plotter.

Measuring diagnostic trouble The demo provides DTC measurement variables generated from the
codes (DTCs) device's ODX database. DTC measurement variables make diagnostic trouble

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 Demos for ControlDesk

codes visible in ControlDesk instruments other than the Fault Memory and the
Diagnostics Instrument.

ControlDesk's Variables pane shows all the available DTC measurement

variables in the <Diagnostic Trouble Codes> node:

To change the current DTC states (set and clear DTCs) for DTC measurements,
perform the following steps:
1. On the Home ribbon, click Status Control – Start Measuring to start
measuring.
The instruments on the diagnostic trouble codes layout display various
DTC measurement variables.

2. Clear the checkboxes next to 0x1CC, 0x145 and 0x78.

This deactivates the occurrence of the selected DTCs, i.e., sets the DTC states
to 0.

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 Demo Projects

3. Click next to the three DTCs.

This clears the DTCs:

Note

When you clear a DTC without having deactivated its occurrence, the
DTC reoccurs immediately after you clear it.

Tip

The Fault Memory Instrument on the diagnostic trouble codes layout also
displays when DTCs occurred. If you specify an Update Rate [s] value in the
instrument, this information is updated cyclically.

Monitoring Via ControlDesk's Bus Navigator, you can monitor CAN communication using
CAN communication the CAN Bus Monitoring device. The CAN Monitor monitoring list displays the
raw data of the monitored CAN communication:

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The monitored CAN messages originate from communication between the

ECU Diagnostics device and the CalDemo ECU:
§ CAN messages with the 0x001 ID are requests from the ECU Diagnostics
device.
§ CAN messages with the 0x002 ID are responses from the CalDemo ECU.

Related topics Basics

CalDemo ECU Program.......................................................................................................... 102

Instrumentation Demo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Description of the demo The Instrumentation Demo project contains the 3-D Viewer experiment , which
project demonstrates the 3-D Viewer instrument.

3-D Viewer experiment The 3-D Viewer experiment includes the following
layouts :
§ Spring Demo layout
The Spring Demo layout includes a 3-D Viewer to visualize a mass hanging
from a spring. The movement of items in the Spring Demo is not related to
the value change of connected variables, but is calculated by an instrument
script that is added to a Push Button .
To control the demo, click Start/Stop Simulation.

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 Demo Projects

Refer to Example of Using an Instrument Script with the 3-D Viewer

(ControlDesk Instrument Handling ).
§ Street Scene layout
The Street Scene layout includes a 3-D Viewer to visualize an ego-vehicle
driving on a race track while passing multiple other vehicles. This demo shows
examples of how to use the different item types, and how to configure their
properties.
To control the demo, use the TimeCursorControl instrument group:

Street Scene Demo

This video shows you an introduction to the Street Scene demo, which is
part of the ControlDesk Instrumentation Demo.

To watch this video, click the following link or scan the QR code:
https://www.dspace.com/dspace-help/hHQ3y

Changing the Camera Distance via an Instrument Script

This video shows you an instrument script added to a Slider to change the
3‑D Viewer camera distance.

To watch this video, click the following link or scan the QR code:
https://www.dspace.com/dspace-help/yt9Nw

Refer to Example of Using the 3-D Viewer (ControlDesk Instrument

Handling ).

Related topics Examples

Example of Using an Instrument Script with the 3-D Viewer (ControlDesk

Instrument Handling )
Example of Using the 3-D Viewer (ControlDesk Instrument Handling )

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 Demos for ControlDesk

Real-Time Application Demos

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Available demo projects The following RT application demo projects are available:

Project Description
DS1104 To access a DS1104 R&D Controller Board
(including the DS1104 connected to the host PC, the experiment
Demo experiment) contains a DS1104 R&D Controller Board
platform .
DS1202 To access a MicroLabBox (DS1202) connected to
(including the DS1202 the host PC, the experiment contains a DS1202
Demo experiment) MicroLabBox platform .
DS1401 To access a MicroAutoBox II (DS1401) connected
(including the DS1401 to the host PC, the experiment contains a
Demo experiment) MicroAutoBox platform .
DS1403 To access a MicroAutoBox III (DS1403) connected
(including the DS1403 to the host PC, the experiment contains a
Demo experiment) MicroAutoBox III platform .
MicroLabBox II To access a MicroLabBox II connected to the host
(including the PC, the experiment contains a MicroLabBox II
MicroLabBox II Demo platform .
experiment)
Scalexio To access a SCALEXIO system connected to the
(including the Scalexio host PC, the experiment contains a SCALEXIO
Demo experiment) platform .
Scalexio MC To access a SCALEXIO MC system connected
(including the Scalexio to the host PC, the experiment contains a
MC Demo experiment) SCALEXIO platform .
VEOS To access VEOS, the experiment contains a VEOS
(including the VEOS Demo platform .
experiment)

Description of the demo The RT application demo projects allow you to work with ControlDesk and use
projects all of its features in connection with dSPACE real-time hardware connected to
the host PC, and in connection with VEOS.

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk

Throttle control implemented on the dSPACE real-time hardware The

application running on the dSPACE real-time hardware implements a throttle
control.

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SDF and executable file When you open a real-time application

demo project, ControlDesk automatically loads an SDF file to the
corresponding platform . The SDF file describes measurement variables and
parameters of the throttle control application running on the dSPACE real-
time hardware. It also references an executable file with the throttle control
application.

Variable mapping used by the The RT application demo projects use variable mapping :
RT application demos
The layouts and instruments of the demo experiments are based on
framework labels , which decouple variable names on the experiment level
from variable names on the modeling level as defined in the variable description.

The demo experiment contains related ASAM XIL mapping files for this purpose.
See the following illustration.

The Mappings pane shows the related framework labels. See the following
illustration.

Tip

The .\Demos\RTApplications\Layouts
and .\Demos\RTApplications\Mappings folders of your ControlDesk
installation provide the layout and mapping files on which the RT
application demo projects are based.

For more information, refer to Example of Working with Variable Mappings

(ControlDesk Variable Management ).

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Running a demo project After you have opened a demo project, you have to configure the experiment's
platform according to the dSPACE real-time hardware connected to the host PC.
For instructions, refer to How to Assign dSPACE Real-Time Hardware or VEOS to
a Platform (ControlDesk Platform Management ).

Then you can start a measurement to run the demo project. When you
start a measurement, the executable file with the throttle control real-time
application is downloaded to the dSPACE real-time hardware and then started.
For instructions, refer to How to Start Measuring (ControlDesk Measurement and
Recording ).

Related topics Basics

Basics on Demo Projects........................................................................................................... 58

Handling Platforms (ControlDesk Platform Management )
Handling Real-Time and Offline Simulation Applications (ControlDesk Platform
Management )

Examples

Example of Working with Variable Mappings (ControlDesk Variable

Management )

Relay Maintenance Demo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Description of the demo To avoid the bonding of the relay contacts that are usually not switched during
project normal operation, it is recommended to perform relay cleaning in a SCALEXIO
system once a month.

The Relay Maintenance project lets you perform relay cleaning in a

SCALEXIO system.

For instructions, refer to How to Perform Relay Cleaning in a SCALEXIO System

(SCALEXIO Hardware Installation and Configuration ).

Signal Editor Demos

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

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Available The following Signal Editor application demos are available:

Project Description
SignalEditor_DS1202 To access a MicroLabBox (DS1202)
(including the DS1202 Demo connected to the host PC, the
experiment) experiment contains a DS1202
MicroLabBox platform .
SignalEditor_MicroLabBox II To access a MicroLabBox II connected to
(including the MicroLabBox II_Demo the host PC, the experiment contains a
experiment) MicroLabBox II platform .
SignalEditor_DS1401 To access a MicroAutoBox II (DS1401)
(including the DS1401 Demo connected to the host PC, the
experiment) experiment contains a MicroAutoBox
platform .
SignalEditor_DS1403 To access a MicroAutoBox III (DS1403)
(including the DS1403 Demo connected to the host PC, the
experiment) experiment contains a MicroAutoBox III
platform .
SignalEditor_SCALEXIO To access a SCALEXIO
(including the SCALEXIO Demo system connected to the host PC,
experiment) the experiment contains a SCALEXIO
platform .
SignalEditor_VEOS To access a SIL simulation running on
(including the VEOS Demo VEOS, the experiment contains a VEOS
experiment) platform .

Description of the demo The Signal Editor demo projects allow you to work with ControlDesk and use
projects Signal Editor features with dSPACE real-time hardware connected to the host
PC.

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk
§ ControlDesk Signal Editor Module

Demo overview The demo provides several signal generators , which can
be downloaded and started after online calibration is started . The illustration
below shows the demo for SCALEXIO as an example. Online calibration is started
and the Simple.stz signal generator is downloaded to the SCALEXIO system.

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Throttle control implemented on the dSPACE real-time hardware The

application running on the dSPACE real-time hardware implements a throttle
control. It is derived from the application used by the Real-Time Application
Demos:
The SignalForm application parameter allows you to switch between a
model-internal signal generator and an external signal generator created by
using the Signal Editor.

SignalForm Description
Value
1 The model-internal signal generator is used. The signal form
is sawtooth.
2 The model-internal signal generator is used. The signal form
is square-wave.
3 The model-internal signal generator is used. The signal form
is sine.
5 The external signal generator created with the Signal Editor
is used. The Stimulus variable is stimulated .

The illustration below shows the two segment signals of the Simple.stz
signal generator as an example. The upper segment signal sets the SignalForm
parameter value to 5 for 59 seconds to enable external signal generation. Then
the value is set to 3 to reenable model-internal signal generation.
The lower segment signal stimulates the Stimulus signal: It is initially set to 0
for the first two seconds, then to a sawtooth signal, and finally to 0 again.

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The illustration below shows the resulting measurement . After about

7 seconds' measurement time, the Simple.stz signal generator is started, and
the SignalForm value changes from 3 to 5. This starts stimulation of the
Stimulus parameter.

Running a demo project After you have opened a Signal Editor demo project, you have to perform the
following steps:
1. Configure the experiment's platform according to the dSPACE real-time
hardware connected to the host PC. For instructions, refer to How to Assign
dSPACE Real-Time Hardware or VEOS to a Platform (ControlDesk Platform
Management ).
2. Start online calibration. For instructions, refer to How to Start and Stop
Online Calibration (ControlDesk Calibration and Data Set Management ).

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3. Download the signal generator. From the context menu of a signal

generator, select Stimulus Control – Download.
4. Start measuring. For instructions, refer to How to Start Measuring
(ControlDesk Measurement and Recording ).
5. Start the signal generator. From the context menu of a signal generator,
select Stimulus Control – Start.

Related topics Basics

Basics on the Signal Editor (ControlDesk Signal Editor )

XIL API EESPort Demo

Opening demo projects For instructions on opening demo projects , refer to Copying and opening a
demo project on page 58.

Description of the demo The XILAPIEESPortDemo project shows you ControlDesk and its electrical error
project simulation features in connection with dSPACE fault insertion hardware. As
your simulator probably does not match the configurations used for this
demo, you cannot use it to perform electrical error simulation, but you can gain
an impression of how electrical error simulation works.

Required products and modules Working with this demo requires:

§ ControlDesk
§ Failure Simulation Package
§ (If you work with SCALEXIO failure simulation units) ConfigurationDesk -
Implementation Version: SCALEXIO Failure Simulation

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Demo overview The illustration below shows the error configuration for
the SCALEXIO HighFlex & MultiCompact XIL API EESPort as an example:

Contained XIL API EESPorts The following table shows which simulator
hardware you can use for the XIL API EESPorts in the demo project:

XIL API EESPort For Simulator Hardware

FullSizeVariant1 § dSPACE Simulator Full-Size with DS291 FIU Modules
§ SCALEXIO system with DS291 FIU Modules
FullSizeVariant2 dSPACE Simulator Full-Size with DS293 FIU Modules
SCALEXIO SCALEXIO system with HighFlex and MultiCompact
hardware

Related topics Basics

Basics on Electrical Error Simulation (ControlDesk Electrical Error Simulation via XIL
API EESPort )

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Automation Demos
Where to go from here Information in this section

Basics on Automation Demos.................................................................. 92

Provides an overview of the available automation demos.

Tool Automation Demos.......................................................................... 93

Demonstrate how to automate ControlDesk and use ControlDesk
events .

MC3 Demos............................................................................................ 96
Demonstrate how to remote-control ControlDesk's measurement and
calibration features using ControlDesk’s ASAM MCD-3 MC‑compatible
interface without platform /device hardware connected to the host
PC.

D3 Demo................................................................................................. 98
Demonstrates how to remote-control ControlDesk's ECU
diagnostics features using ControlDesk’s ASAM MCD-3 D‑compatible
interface without platform/device hardware connected to the host PC.
The demo uses the configuration of an ECU Diagnostics device in a
ControlDesk experiment .

Measurement Data API Demos.............................................................. 100

Demonstrate how to load, edit and create measurement data files using
ControlDesk’s Measurement Data API .

Basics on Automation Demos

Overview The ControlDesk installation provides the following automation demos:

Automation Demo(s) Focus

Tool automation Demonstrate how to automate ControlDesk and use ControlDesk
Refer to Tool Automation Demos on events .
page 93.
MC3 Demonstrate how to remote-control ControlDesk's measurement and
Refer to MC3 Demos on page 96. calibration features using ControlDesk’s ASAM MCD-3 MC‑compatible
interface without platform /device hardware connected to the host PC.
D3 Demonstrates how to remote-control ControlDesk's ECU
Refer to D3 Demo on page 98. diagnostics features using ControlDesk’s ASAM MCD-3 D‑compatible
interface without platform/device hardware connected to the host PC.
The demo uses the configuration of an ECU Diagnostics device in a
ControlDesk experiment .

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Automation Demo(s) Focus

Measurement Data API Demonstrate how to load, edit and create measurement data files using
Refer to Measurement Data API Demos ControlDesk’s Measurement Data API .
on page 100.

Note

ControlDesk consists of several modules. To run demos, you must have

installed the related licenses.

Tip

For a short introduction to the Python programming language and

explanations on basic Python functions, refer to Using Python (ControlDesk
Automation ). For example Python scripts, refer to Python Demo Scripts
(ControlDesk Automation ).

Tool Automation Demos

Description of the demos The table below lists the demos that show how to automate ControlDesk and
use ControlDesk events :

Demo Description Refer to

BusNavigatorHandling Shows how to work with the Bus Navigator : Automating the Bus
§ Configuring and starting replay (of bus communication) Navigator (ControlDesk
§ Configuring and starting bus communication monitoring Automation )

§ Configuring and starting bus communication logging

§ Creating a custom Bus Instrument with events
CreateDefaultProjectOnStartUp Shows how to create a default project when ControlDesk Creating a Project
starts. When ControlDesk
Starts Up (ControlDesk
Customization )
CustomUI Shows how to customize the user interface: § Example of Customizing
§ Extending the ControlDesk ribbon by a new tab Ribbons via Extension
§ Extending the context menu of elements by new commands Scripts (ControlDesk
Customization )
§ Example of Extending
the Context Menu of a
Layout via an Extension
Script (ControlDesk
Customization )
DataSetHandling Shows how to work with data sets : § Automating Data Set
§ Creating and copying a new data set Management (ControlDesk
§ Showing information on the active data set Automation )
§ Automating Parameter
§ Defining working and reference data sets
Calibration (ControlDesk
Automation )

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Demo Description Refer to

§ Exporting and importing data sets
§ Managing events
ECUDiagnosticsHandling Shows how to work with an ECU Diagnostics device : Automating ECU Diagnostics
§ Creating an ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D v2.0.2) device Tasks (ControlDesk
§ Importing ODX database files for diagnostic tasks Automation )

§ Adding another ODX database and activating it

§ Selecting a vehicle for diagnostics tasks
§ Selecting a logical link for diagnostics tasks
§ Selecting a CAN interface for the logical link
§ Connecting the ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D v2.0.2) device
§ Executing several diagnostic services and jobs
§ Executing an ECU flash programming session via
ECU Diagnostics
§ Reading DTCs from the ECU fault memory
§ Reading environment data for a specific DTC
EventHandling Shows how to handle events: –
§ Loading the CalDemo project via automation
§ Configuring events in the Project and Experiment context
§ Changing some parameter values to trigger events
§ Displaying logging information
ExperimentHandling Shows how to work with experiments : Automating Project and
§ Creating, renaming, removing, importing and exporting an Experiment Handling
experiment (ControlDesk Automation )
§ Showing information on the active experiment
§ Showing information on all experiments in the active project
§ Adding an XCP on CAN device to an experiment
§ Managing events
InterpreterHandling Shows how to work with the Internal Interpreter: Automating the Internal
§ Running external scripts in the Interpreter Interpreter (ControlDesk
§ Importing scripts to the Interpreter's namespace and adding Automation )
commands to the command stack
§ Running and stopping threads in the Interpreter
§ Editing Python scripts and document properties
§ Managing events
LayoutAndInstrumentHandling Shows how to work with layouts : § Automating Visualization
§ Adding and removing layouts of Variables on
§ Grouping layouts Layouts (ControlDesk
§ Exporting and importing layouts in a new experiments Automation )

§ Adding instruments to a layout and arranging instruments § Automating Parameter

Calibration (ControlDesk
§ Showing layout and instrument information
Automation )
§ Editing the Time Plotter
§ Editing the Variable Array
§ Editing the Table Editor
§ Creating an instrument with photorealistic appearance
§ Managing events
MeasuringAndRecording Shows how to measure and record data: Automating Measurement
§ Starting, configuring and stopping measurements and Recording (ControlDesk
§ Starting, configuring and stopping recordings Automation )

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Demo Description Refer to

§ Showing information about recorded measurement data
§ Exporting and importing recorded measurement data
§ Managing events
PlatformHandling Shows how to work with platforms : Automating Platform
§ Registering a platform Management and Variable
§ Adding a registered platform to an experiment Management (ControlDesk
Automation )
§ Creating and removing a platform
§ Editing a platform
§ Adding and editing a variable description
§ Connecting to a platform
§ Starting and stopping online calibration
§ Managing events
ProgressbarHandling Shows how to work with the progress bar: Automating Progress Bar
§ Creating a non‑modal progress bar without a Cancel button Handling (ControlDesk
§ Creating a modal progress bar for an indeterminate action Automation )

§ Creating a modal progress bar with a Cancel button

ProjectHandling Shows how to work with projects: § Automating Project
§ Showing information about the project roots and Experiment
§ Creating and removing the project root directory Handling (ControlDesk
Automation )
§ Creating, loading and removing projects
§ Automating Event
§ Showing information about the active project
Management (ControlDesk
§ Adding an experiment and a platform to the active project Automation )
§ Creating and loading a backup of a project
§ Managing events
SignalEditorHandling Shows how to work with signal generators : Automating the Signal Editor
§ Opening an experiment with signal generators and reading (ControlDesk Automation )
signal generator information
§ Downloading, starting, pausing and stopping signal generators
§ Mapping model variables to signals and variable aliases of
a signal generator
StartControlDesk Shows how to start ControlDesk, read some properties and close Automating the Start of
ControlDesk. ControlDesk (ControlDesk
Automation )
UserInterfaceHandling Shows how to customize the user interface of ControlDesk, Automating User Interface
including the main and child windows. Handling (ControlDesk
Automation )
VariableAccessHandling Shows how to access variable values directly, without using Automating Direct Variable
instruments: Access (ControlDesk
§ Getting information on variables Automation )
§ Reading and writing scalar variables
§ Reading and writing multidimensional variables
§ Accessing a variable via the variable identifier path

Example scripts showing how to implement modal dialogs ControlDesk

also provides some examples that show you how to
implement modal dialogs in Python and C#. They are
located in the .\Demos\ToolAutomation\Python\DialogExamples
and .\Demos\Toolautomation\C#\DialogExamples folders of your
ControlDesk installation.

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The Python example scripts run only in the Internal Interpreter of ControlDesk.

Supported programming The demos are available for the following programming languages:
languages § Python

Note

The Python demo scripts in

the .\Demos\ToolAutomation\Python\AutomatingControlDesk
folder use Wait() functions to set the script execution to sleep.
When you execute these demo scripts in ControlDesk's Internal
Interpreter , the Wait() functions also set ControlDesk to sleep. For
more information, refer to ControlDesk is Blocked when a Script is
Executed in the Internal Interpreter (ControlDesk Automation ).
You are therefore recommended to execute the demo scripts in an
external interpreter.

§ C#

Tip

The ControlDesk installation also provides the

AutomatingControlDesk.sln solution. It is located in
the .\Demos\ToolAutomation\C#\AutomatingControlDesk folder.

§ M-Code

Location of the demos All the demos are located in

the .\Demos\ToolAutomation\<ProgrammingLanguage>\ folder of your
ControlDesk installation.

Related topics Basics

Using Different Programming Languages (ControlDesk Automation )

MC3 Demos

Introduction Several Python demo scripts show how to use the commands of the asammc3
Python library to remote-control ControlDesk.

Remote-controlling the The demos are configured to automate measurement and calibration tasks
CalDemo project with the XCP on CAN experiment of the CalDemo project . To automate

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measurement tasks, you have to start the CalDemo ECU (refer to Starting the
CalDemo ECU on page 103).

Precondition Before you can use the D3 and MC3 demo scripts, you have to
copy the ControlDesk demo projects to the Documents folder .
To copy the demo projects, you have two options:
§ Click Copy Demos on the User Settings page of the ControlDesk
Options dialog.
For more information on the User Settings page, refer to User Settings Page
(ControlDesk User Interface Handling ).
§ As an alternative, you can use the ControlDesk automation interface. If you
use the ControlDesk Interpreter pane, enter the following command:
Application.UserSettings.CopyDemos()

Tip

§ Copying demo projects is required once per user after installing

ControlDesk.
§ If the Documents folder already contains demo projects, they are not
overwritten. In this case, only the missing demo projects are copied.

Demo scripts for calibration The table below lists the calibration and measurement demo scripts, and the
and measurement actions the scripts automate:

Demo Script1) Description

CalibrationDemoScalar.py2) Shows how to read and write scalar characteristics.
CalibrationDemoCurve.py2) Shows how to read and write CurveCharacteristics.
CalibrationDemoMap.py2) Shows how to read and write MapCharacteristics.
MeasurementDemo.py2) Shows how to measure values via collector events .
MeasurementDemoPolling.py2) Shows how to measure values by polling the collector.
MeasurementDemoRecording.py2) Shows how to record values.
1) You can translate the Python demo scripts into other programming languages, such as
C#, Visual Basic, and MATLAB M-files. As a starting point, you can use the demo source
files in .\Demos\MC3\<ProgrammingLanguage> (available for C#, MATLAB and VB).
With these demo source files, you should be able to translate the Python demo scripts
into the language of your choice. For further information, refer to Using Different
Programming Languages (ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation ).
2)
The script contains named objects corresponding to the CalDemo project and the
CalDemo ECU.

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Demo scripts accessing the The table below lists the demos accessing the database side of the ASAM
database side of the ASAM MCD-3 interface, and the actions the scripts automate:
MCD-3 interface

Demo Script1) Description

ListDbObjectsDemo.py § The ShowDbLogicalLink function shows how to iterate through
the projects, logical links and binaries available in the MCSystem.
§ The ShowDbObjects function loads the first project available in the
system and shows its contents, which is basically the contents of
one A2L file .
ListDbObjectsDemo_Devices.py2) The PrintDeviceInfo function shows how to list devices and
variable descriptions of an experiment.
ListDbObjectsDemo_VariableInfo.py2) The PrintDbLocationInfo function shows how to list names and
properties of variables in an experiment.
1) You can translate the Python demo scripts into other programming languages, such as
C#, Visual Basic, and MATLAB M-files. As a starting point, you can use the demo source
files in .\Demos\MC3\<ProgrammingLanguage> (available for C#, MATLAB and VB).
With these demo source files, you should be able to translate the Python demo scripts
into the language of your choice. For further information, refer to Using Different
Programming Languages (ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation ).
2) The script contains named objects corresponding to the CalDemo project and the
CalDemo ECU.

Location of the demos All the Python demo scripts are located in the .\Demos\MC3\Python folder of
your ControlDesk installation.

Related topics Basics

Basics on Automating Measurement and Calibration via the ControlDesk

MCD3 Interface (ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation )
Demo Projects.......................................................................................................................... 58

References

User Settings Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

UserSettings / IXaUserSettings <<Interface>> (ControlDesk Automation )

D3 Demo

Introduction The MCD3D_v2_0_2_DiagDemo.py demo script shows how to use the

commands of the asamd3 Python library to remote-control ControlDesk.

The demo script accesses ControlDesk's ASAM MCD-3 D interface via the
D3System202 interface. Using the D3System202 interface, you can access the

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configuration of an ECU Diagnostics device in a ControlDesk experiment .

The ControlDesk experiment represents the D3 project.

Remote-controlling the The demo script is configured to automate the DiagDemo project in the ECU
DiagDemo project Diagnostics Demo. The script uses the ECU Diagnostics device configuration in
the ECU Diagnostics (MCD-3D v2.0.2) experiment of the DiagDemo project.

Precondition Before you can use the D3 and MC3 demo scripts, you have to
copy the ControlDesk demo projects to the Documents folder .
To copy the demo projects, you have two options:
§ Click Copy Demos on the User Settings page of the ControlDesk
Options dialog.
For more information on the User Settings page, refer to User Settings Page
(ControlDesk User Interface Handling ).
§ As an alternative, you can use the ControlDesk automation interface. If you
use the ControlDesk Interpreter pane, enter the following command:
Application.UserSettings.CopyDemos()

Tip

§ Copying demo projects is required once per user after installing

ControlDesk.
§ If the Documents folder already contains demo projects, they are not
overwritten. In this case, only the missing demo projects are copied.

Automated actions The demo script automates the following actions:

1. Creating the DSystem object
2. Selecting the D3 project (ControlDesk experiment)
3. Selecting vehicle information
4. Printing ODX database content for the selected vehicle
5. Creating and opening the logical link
6. Configuring the logical link
7. Executing some diagnostic services
8. Executing a single-ECU job
9. Deinitializing the DSystem object

Location of the demo The demo script is located in the .\Demos\D3\Python\DiagDemo folder of your
ControlDesk installation.

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Related topics Basics

Basics on Automating ECU Diagnostics via the ControlDesk MCD3 Interface

(ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation )
Demo Projects.......................................................................................................................... 58
ECU Diagnostics Demo............................................................................................................. 74

HowTos

How to Perform Diagnostic Tasks (ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation )

References

User Settings Page (ControlDesk User Interface Handling )

UserSettings / IXaUserSettings <<Interface>> (ControlDesk Automation )

Measurement Data API Demos

Introduction The Measurement Data API demos demonstrate how to load, edit and create
measurement data files using ControlDesk’s Measurement Data API .

Location of the demos All the demo scripts are located in the .\Demos\MeasurementDataAPI\Python
folder of your ControlDesk installation.

Description of the demos The table below lists the Python demo scripts that show how to use the
Measurement Data API interfaces:

Demo Script Description

CreateAddAndRemove.py Shows basic aspects of the modification of measurements . It shows how to
call the methods Create, Add, and Remove for measurements, x-axes, scalings,
signals , bookmarks , and description categories.
DescriptionCategories.py Explains how the description categories are used with the Measurement Data
API . Measurements contain description information arranged in categories. The
description categories do not have to be created or removed. They are created
automatically with the measurement. The attributes of the description categories
can have different data types.
Downsample.py Performs downsampling on a measurement. The script needs the following
command line arguments:
Downsample <Factor> <SourceFilePath> [<DestinationFilePath>]
ListMeasurements.py Lists the measurement files that are passed as arguments to the standard output.
The script needs the following command line arguments:
ListMeasurements <FilePath1> [<FilePath2> [<FilePath3> [...] ] ]

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Demo Script Description

LoadSaveAndExport.py Shows basic aspects of the creation and removal of measurements. It shows how to
call the methods Load, Save, and Export for measurements.
LoadSection.py Shows how to load a part of a measurement by defining a time section.
Lookups.py Shows how to create and access look-up tables .
MarkMinMax.py Marks the minimum and maximum values of a measurement by bookmarks. The
script needs the following command line arguments:
MarkMinMax <SignalKey> <SourceFilePath> [<DestinationFilePath>]
MeasurementArrays.py Shows how to create measurement arrays .
ScalingTypes.py Scalings are used to transform a measurement signal's source value into a
converted value. This script explains all the scaling types and demonstrates how
scalings are used with the Measurement Data API.
SignalIdentification.py Shows how signals, x-axes, and scalings are identified within their collections.

Related topics Basics

Basics on the Measurement Data API (ControlDesk Measurement Data API )

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Demo Programs
Where to go from here Information in this section

CalDemo ECU Program......................................................................... 102

The ControlDesk installation provides the CalDemo ECU program.

CANGenerator Program........................................................................ 104

The ControlDesk installation provides the CANGenerator program.

CalDemo ECU Program

Introduction The ControlDesk installation provides the CalDemo ECU program.

CalDemo ECU A demo program that runs on the same PC as

ControlDesk. It simulates an ECU on which the Universal Measurement and
Calibration (XCP ) protocol and the Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS)
protocol are implemented.
The CalDemo ECU allows you to perform parameter calibration, variable
measurement, and ECU diagnostics with ControlDesk under realistic
conditions, but without having to have a real ECU connected to the PC.
Communication between the CalDemo ECU and ControlDesk can be established
via XCP on CAN or XCP on Ethernet, and UDS on CAN.

Tip

If communication is established via XCP on Ethernet, the CalDemo ECU can

also run on a PC different from the PC on which ControlDesk is running.

The memory of the CalDemo ECU consists of two areas called memory page .
Each page contains a complete set of parameters, but only one page is accessible
by the CalDemo ECU at a time. You can easily switch the memory pages of the
CalDemo ECU to change from one parameter to another in a single step.
Two ECU tasks run on the CalDemo ECU:
§ ECU task #1 runs at a fixed sample time of 5 ms. In ControlDesk's
Measurement Configuration, ECU task #1 is related to the time-based 5 ms,
10 ms, 50 ms and 100 ms measurement rasters of the CalDemo ECU.
§ ECU task #2 has a variable sample time. Whenever the CalDemo ECU program
is started, the initial sample time is 5 ms. This can then be increased or
decreased by using the dSPACE CalDemo dialog.
ECU task #2 is related to the extEvent measurement raster of the
CalDemo ECU.
The CalDemo ECU can also be used to execute diagnostic services and jobs,
handle DTCs and perform measurement and calibration via ECU diagnostics.

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The CalDemo ECU program is run by invoking CalDemo.exe. The file is located
in the .\Demos\CalDemo folder of the ControlDesk installation.

Throttle control implemented on the CalDemo ECU The application

running on the CalDemo ECU implements a throttle control.

A2L and ECU Image file The CalDemo ECU comes with an A2L file and
an ECU Image file . The A2L file describes measurement variables and
parameters of the throttle control application running on the CalDemo ECU.
The A2L file and the ECU Image file are located in the .\Demos\CalDemo folder
of your ControlDesk installation.

Demo projects using the CalDemo ECU The CalDemo ECU is used in the
following demo projects:
§ CalDemo on page 71
§ ECU Diagnostics Demo on page 74

Starting the CalDemo ECU ControlDesk starts the CalDemo ECU automatically when you open the CalDemo
or the DiagDemo project.

Starting the CalDemo ECU manually There are two ways to start the
CalDemo ECU manually, for example, if you closed it unintentionally:
§ Click the Windows Start button and select dSPACE ControlDesk 2024‑A –
CalDemo.
- OR -
§ Open a command prompt window, change to the .\Demos\CalDemo folder
of your ControlDesk installation, and type CalDemo.
You can also specify one of the following command line options:
§ -can to communicate with the CalDemo ECU via XCP on CAN. This is the
default if you do not specify a command line option.
§ -tcp to communicate with the CalDemo ECU via XCP on Ethernet (TCP)
§ -udp to communicate with the CalDemo ECU via XCP on Ethernet (UDP)

Result The CalDemo ECU is started and the dSPACE CalDemo dialog opens.

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Note

Closing the dSPACE CalDemo dialog will stop the CalDemo ECU.

Related topics Basics

CalDemo.................................................................................................................................. 71
ECU Diagnostics Demo............................................................................................................. 74

CANGenerator Program

Introduction The ControlDesk installation provides the CANGenerator program.

CANGenerator A demo program that simulates a CAN system, that is, it

generates signals that can be measured and recorded with ControlDesk. The
program runs on the same PC as ControlDesk.
The CANGenerator allows you to use the CAN Bus Monitoring device under
realistic conditions, but without having to have any device hardware connected
to the PC.
The CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol is used for communication between
the CANGenerator and ControlDesk. However, since the CANGenerator runs
on the same PC as ControlDesk, ControlDesk does not communicate with the
device via a real CAN channel, but via a virtual CAN channel implemented on
the host PC.
You can start the CAN generator program by running CANGenerator.exe.
The file is located in the .\Demos\CANGenerator folder of the ControlDesk
installation.

Starting the CANGenerator There are two ways to start the CANGenerator:
§ Click the Windows Start button and select dSPACE ControlDesk 2024‑A –
CanGenerator.
§ Run CANGenerator.exe, which is located in the .\Demos\CANGenerator
folder of the ControlDesk installation.

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 Demo Programs

Result The CalDemo ECU is started and the CanGenerator dialog opens.

Note

Closing the CanGenerator dialog will stop the CAN generator program.

Working with the To work with the CANGenerator, perform the following steps:
CANGenerator 1. Define a project and experiment, and add a CAN Bus Monitoring device to
the experiment.
2. Add the CANGenerator.dbc variable description file to the device.
The file is located in the .\Demos\CANGenerator folder of your
ControlDesk installation.
3. Configure the device to use a virtual CAN channel:

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4. In the ControlDesk Bus Navigator pane, add a monitor to the

CAN‑Controller and start monitoring.

Result The ControlDesk Monitoring list displays the bus communication

generated by the CANGenerator, and monitored by using the CAN Bus
Monitoring device.

Related topics HowTos

How to Add a Platform/Device to an Experiment (ControlDesk Platform

Management )
How to Add a Variable Description to a Platform/Device (ControlDesk Variable
Management )
How to Configure a CAN Bus Monitoring Device (ControlDesk Platform
Management )
How to Define a Project (ControlDesk Project and Experiment Management )
How to Define an Experiment (ControlDesk Project and Experiment
Management )
How to Monitor Bus Communication (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )

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 Demo Programs

References

Start (Monitor) (ControlDesk Bus Navigator )

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 Demos for ControlDesk

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 Tutorials, Videos, and PDF Documents

Tutorials, Videos, and PDF Documents

Where to go from here Information in this section

Tutorials for ControlDesk....................................................................... 109

The ControlDesk installation provides a measurement and recording
tutorial.

Videos for ControlDesk.......................................................................... 110

The dSPACE website provides videos for ControDesk.

PDF Documents for ControlDesk............................................................ 110

Provides an overview of the PDF documents for ControlDesk users.

Tutorials for ControlDesk

Measurement and recording This tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions for configuring and performing
tutorial measurements and recordings with ControlDesk. It focuses on the concepts
of measuring and recording with dSPACE real‑time hardware and VEOS: Since
measurements on dSPACE real‑time hardware and VEOS are usually performed
by using high-frequency measurement rasters , the data transfer to the host PC
has to be reduced. This tutorial shows you how to achieve this by defining
measurement triggers for the simulation application .

VEOS is used as the simulation platform in this tutorial. However, you can also
use any dSPACE real‑time hardware to work through the tutorial steps.

Refer to Introduction to the Measurement and Recording Tutorial (ControlDesk

Measurement and Recording ).

Related topics Basics

Videos for ControlDesk........................................................................................................... 110

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Videos for ControlDesk

Introduction The dSPACE website provides videos for ControlDesk. Refer to

https://www.dspace.com/go/controldesktutorial.

Tip

You can also access the ControlDesk videos via dSPACE Help.

Related topics Basics

Tutorials for ControlDesk........................................................................................................ 109

PDF Documents for ControlDesk

Overview The following table shows the PDF documents available for ControlDesk:

Subject PDF Document

New features and migration ControlDeskNewFeaturesAndMigration.pdf
Introduction and overview ControlDeskIntroductionAndOverview.pdf1)
Basic practices
ControlDesk Project and Experiment Management ControlDeskProjectAndExperimentManagement.pdf
ControlDesk Platform Management ControlDeskPlatformManagement.pdf
ControlDesk Variable Management ControlDeskVariableManagement.pdf
ControlDesk Layouting ControlDeskLayouting.pdf
ControlDesk Instrument Handling ControlDeskInstrumentHandling.pdf
ControlDesk Calibration and Data Set Management ControlDeskCalibrationandDataSetManagement.pdf
ControlDesk Measurement and Recording ControlDeskMeasurementAndRecording.pdf
ControlDesk User Interface Handling ControlDeskUserInterfaceHandling.pdf
ControlDesk Message Handling ControlDeskMessageHandling.pdf
Advanced practices
ControlDesk Bus Navigator ControlDeskBusNavigator.pdf
ControlDesk ECU Diagnostics ControlDeskECUDiagnostics.pdf
ControlDesk Signal Editor ControlDeskSignalEditor.pdf
ControlDesk Electrical Error Simulation via XIL API EESPort ControlDeskElectricalErrorSimulation.pdf
ControlDesk Automation ControlDeskAutomation.pdf
ControlDesk MCD-3 Automation ControlDeskMCD3Automation.pdf
ControlDesk Measurement Data API ControlDeskMeasurementDataAPI.pdf
ControlDesk Customization ControlDeskCustomization.pdf

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 PDF Documents for ControlDesk

1) A printed copy of this document is available on demand. You can order it free of charge
by using the following link: http://www.dspace.com/go/requestreleasematerial

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 Compatibility of ControlDesk

Compatibility of ControlDesk

Where to go from here Information in this section

Compatibility of ControlDesk 2024‑A.................................................... 113

To give you an overview of dSPACE software products that are
compatible with ControlDesk 2024‑A.

Compatibility of Firmware..................................................................... 115

To provide guidelines to determine the correct firmware version.

Compatibility with Real‑Time Testing..................................................... 116

To give you guidelines to determine the correct Real‑Time Testing
(RTT) version.

Compatibility with XIL API..................................................................... 119

To provide information on ControlDesk's compatibility with XIL API, for
example, to determine the correct XIL API implementation version.

Compatibility of ControlDesk 2024‑A

General product compatibility ControlDesk 2024‑A is compatible with other dSPACE software products.
Compatibility means that different products can be used in parallel after software
installation.

Note

dSPACE recommends using only software products from the same dSPACE
Release. This ensures maximum run-time compatibility.

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Supported operating systems ControlDesk is available for Windows.

For information on the supported distributions, refer to Operating System

(Installing dSPACE Software ).

Working with real‑time ControlDesk 2024‑A, which is part of dSPACE Release 2024-A, lets you work
applications on DS1104, with real‑time applications on a DS1104, MicroAutoBox II or MicroLabBox, if
MicroAutoBox II, or these applications were built with one of the three previous dSPACE Releases.
MicroLabBox
Working with a real‑time application means:
§ Downloading it to the hardware
§ Measuring and calibrating variables of the application

Note

It will not be possible to use ControlDesk 2024‑A from dSPACE Release

2024-A to experiment with applications generated with products from
future dSPACE Releases.

For details, refer to Run-Time Compatibility of dSPACE Software (New Features

and Migration ).

Working with a The products for working with a SCALEXIO system, MicroAutoBox III, or
SCALEXIO system, MicroLabBox II must be compatible. This is guaranteed only for products
MicroAutoBox III, or delivered with the same dSPACE Release. Contact dSPACE for more information.
MicroLabBox II

Working with VEOS ControlDesk 2024‑A supports VEOS 2024-A from dSPACE Release 2024-A as the
simulation platform for SIL simulation .

Compatibility with Python The automation interface of ControlDesk 2024‑A is compatible with
Python 3.11.

Supported MATLAB Releases ControlDesk 2024‑A supports real‑time applications only if they were built with
one of the supported MATLAB Releases.

For details, refer to Required MATLAB Releases (Installing dSPACE Software ).

Related topics Basics

Compatibility of Firmware...................................................................................................... 115

Compatibility with Real‑Time Testing...................................................................................... 116
Compatibility with XIL API...................................................................................................... 119

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Compatibility of Firmware

Introduction To provide guidelines to determine the correct firmware version.

General guideline dSPACE recommends using only software products from the same dSPACE
Release. This ensures maximum run-time compatibility.

Firmware compatibility Firmware and real‑time application Firmware is downward‑compatible.

guidelines This means:
§ You can use the firmware from a dSPACE Release in the following cases:
§ The firmware is of the same dSPACE Release with which the real‑time
application was built.
§ The firmware is of a newer dSPACE Release than the dSPACE Release with
which the real‑time application was built.
§ You cannot use the firmware from a dSPACE Release if the firmware is of
an older dSPACE Release than the dSPACE Release with which the real‑time
application was built.

Hardware dependency of the required firmware version

§ If you work with DS1202 MicroLabBox, MicroAutoBox III, MicroLabBox II, or

SCALEXIO, use the firmware version that matches the dSPACE Release you are
working with.

Host PC Compatible Firmware Version

dSPACE Release Real-Time SCALEXIO MicroAutoBox III DS1202 DS1203 VEOS
Testing MicroLabBox MicroLabBox II
Version
RLS2024‑A 2024‑A (24.1) 5.0 … 24.1 5.0 … 24.1 24.1 24.1 24.1
RLS2023‑B 2023‑B (23.2) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 23.2 23.2 23.2
RLS2023‑A 2023‑A (23.1) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 23.1 – 23.1
RLS2022-B 2022-B (22.2) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 22.2 – 22.2
RLS2022-A 5.2 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 6.0 – 5.4

§ If you work with any other dSPACE real‑time hardware, use the newest
firmware version available.

For up‑to‑date information on firmware updates, refer to

https://www.dspace.com/go/firmware.

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Compatibility with Real‑Time Testing

Introduction To give you guidelines to determine the correct Real‑Time Testing (RTT) version.

Several RTT versions on the host PC If more than one RTT version is
installed on the host PC, only one RTT version is active. ControlDesk uses the
active RTT version.
You can use the dSPACE Installation Manager to:
§ Look up the RTT versions currently installed on the host PC
§ Activate another RTT version if you also have RTT 1.7.1 or later installed on the
host PC

Tip

You can install RTT 1.7.1 or later from the dSPACE Release DVD.

SCALEXIO, MicroAutoBox III, The RTT version of the simulation platform and the RTT version active on the
MicroLabBox, VEOS: required host PC must be identical to use RTT in connection with ControlDesk and one of
RTT versions the following dSPACE simulation platforms:
§ dSPACE real‑time simulation platforms:
§ SCALEXIO
§ MicroAutoBox III
§ MicroLabBox
§ MicroLabBox II
The RTT version of a real‑time simulation platform depends on the platform's
firmware version.
§ VEOS
The RTT version of VEOS depends on the product version.

The following table shows the mapping between the firmware/product version
and the corresponding RTT version:

Host PC Compatible Firmware Version

dSPACE Release Real-Time SCALEXIO MicroAutoBox III DS1202 DS1203 VEOS
Testing MicroLabBox MicroLabBox II
Version
RLS2024‑A 2024‑A (24.1) 5.0 … 24.1 5.0 … 24.1 24.1 24.1 24.1
RLS2023‑B 2023‑B (23.2) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 23.2 23.2 23.2
RLS2023‑A 2023‑A (23.1) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 23.1 – 23.1
RLS2022-B 2022-B (22.2) 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 22.2 – 22.2
RLS2022-A 5.2 5.0 … 23.2 5.0 … 23.2 6.0 – 5.4

Looking up the firmware version You can look up the firmware version
used on a dSPACE real‑time simulation platform.

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 Compatibility with Real-Time Testing

To look up the firmware version, the platform state must be one of the
following:
§ Connected
§ Online calibration started
§ Measuring/recording
When you select the platform in ControlDesk's Project pane, the firmware
version is displayed in the Properties pane. The following illustration shows an
example.

MicroAutoBox II: required RTT The RTT version used for building the real-time application and the RTT
versions version active on the host PC must be identical to use RTT in connection with
ControlDesk and one of the following dSPACE simulation platforms:
§ MicroAutoBox (for MicroAutoBox II)

Looking up the RTT version used for building the real-time

application You can look up the RTT version used for building the real-time
application currently loaded on the dSPACE platform.
To look up the RTT version, the platform state must be one of the following:
§ Connected
§ Online calibration started
§ Measuring/recording
When you select the platform in ControlDesk's Platforms/Devices pane, the
RTT version of the application is displayed in the Properties pane. The following
illustration shows an example.

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 Compatibility of ControlDesk

Signal Editor, Bus Navigator: To work with ControlDesk's Signal Editor and/or the Bus Navigator :
required RTT versions § The RTT versions used for building the real-time application and used by the
Signal Editor and/or the Bus Navigator must be identical.
§ The RTT version must be 1.7.1 or higher.

For details, refer to RTT Installation and Signal Editor (ControlDesk Signal
Editor ) and/or Basics on Replaying CAN and Ethernet Bus Communication
(ControlDesk Bus Navigator ).

Related topics Basics

Basics on Replaying CAN and Ethernet Bus Communication (ControlDesk Bus

Navigator )
RTT Installation and Signal Editor (ControlDesk Signal Editor )

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 Compatibility with XIL API

Compatibility with XIL API

Introduction To provide information on ControlDesk's compatibility with XIL API, for example,
to determine the correct XIL API implementation version.

XIL API MAPort platform The XIL API MAPort platform provides access to a simulation platform via an
ASAM XIL API implementation that is installed on your host PC.

The following XIL API versions for the MAPort implementation are supported:
§ XIL API version 2.2.0

Note

§ For MAPort implementations according to XIL API version 2.2.0, the

platform supports the same features as for MAPort implementations
according to XIL API version 2.1.0.
§ You have to implement a number of methods in your MAPort
implementation even though they are deprecated in XIL API version
2.2.0. For an overview, refer to Specifics when Working with XIL API
2.2.0 Implementations (ControlDesk Platform Management ).

§ XIL API version 2.1.0

§ XIL API version 2.0.1

ControlDesk 2024‑A supports the dSPACE XIL API implementation delivered with
dSPACE Release 2024-A.

Electrical error simulation In the context of dSPACE products, electrical error simulation is based on the
ASAM AE XIL API standard.
§ The following XIL API version for the EESPort implementation is supported:
§ XIL API version 2.2.0
§ Only the dSPACE XIL API EESPort implementation is supported. The version of
ControlDesk and the version of the dSPACE EESPort implementation must be
of the same dSPACE Release. For example, if you use ControlDesk 2024‑A,
which is part of dSPACE Release 2024-A, you must select the dSPACE XIL API
EESPort implementation from dSPACE Release 2024-A.

Signal Editor The Signal Editor lets you import and export signal description sets and signal
generators according to the ASAM AE XIL API standard.

The following XIL API versions are supported:

§ XIL API version 2.2.0
§ XIL API version 2.1.0

To use the Signal Editor, no ASAM XIL API implementation needs to be installed
on your host PC.

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Related topics Basics

Basics on Electrical Error Simulation (ControlDesk Electrical Error Simulation via XIL
API EESPort )
Basics on Signal Description Sets and Signal Generators (ControlDesk Signal
Editor )
Basics on the XIL API MAPort Platform (ControlDesk Platform Management )
Specifics when Working with XIL API 2.2.0 Implementations (ControlDesk Platform
Management )

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 Glossary

Glossary

Introduction Briefly explains the most important expressions and naming conventions used in
the ControlDesk documentation.

Where to go from here Information in this section

Numerics............................................................................................... 122

A........................................................................................................... 122

B........................................................................................................... 123

C........................................................................................................... 124

D........................................................................................................... 128

E........................................................................................................... 132

F............................................................................................................ 134

G........................................................................................................... 135

H........................................................................................................... 136

I............................................................................................................ 136

K........................................................................................................... 138

L............................................................................................................ 138

M.......................................................................................................... 139

N........................................................................................................... 143

O........................................................................................................... 143

P........................................................................................................... 144

Q........................................................................................................... 146

R........................................................................................................... 147

S........................................................................................................... 148

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 Glossary

T........................................................................................................... 151

U........................................................................................................... 152

V........................................................................................................... 153

W.......................................................................................................... 155

X........................................................................................................... 156

Numerics

3-D Viewer An instrument for displaying items in a 3-D environment.

A2L file A file that contains all the relevant information on measurement
and calibration variables in an ECU application and the ECU's communication
interface(s). This includes information on the variables' memory addresses and
conversion methods, the memory layout and data structures in the ECU as well
as interface description data (IF_DATA) .

Acquisition An object in the Measurement Configuration pane that

specifies the variables to be measured and their measurement configuration.

Active variable description The variable description that is currently active

for a platform/device. Multiple variable descriptions can be assigned to one
platform/device, but only one of them can be active at a time.

Additional write variable A scalar parameter or writable measurement

variable that can be connected to an instrument in addition to the main
variable . When the value of the main variable changes, the changed value
is also applied to all the additional write variables connected to the instrument.

Airspeed Indicator An instrument for displaying the airspeed of a simulated

aircraft.

Altimeter An instrument for displaying the altitude of a simulated aircraft.

Animated Needle An instrument for displaying the value of a connected

variable by a needle deflection.

Application image An image file that contains all the files that are created
when the user builds a real-time application. It particularly includes the variable
description (SDF) file. To extend a real-time application, ControlDesk lets the user
create an updated application image from a data set. The updated application

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 B

image then contains a real-time application with an additional set of parameter

values.

Artificial Horizon An instrument displaying the rotation on both the lateral

and the longitudinal axis to indicate the angle of pitch and roll of a simulated
aircraft. The Artificial Horizon has a pitch scale and a roll scale.

Automatic Reconnect Feature for automatically reconnecting to

platform/device hardware, for example, when the ignition is turned off and on,
or when the physical connection between the ControlDesk PC and the ECU is
temporarily interrupted.
If the feature is enabled for a platform/device and if the platform/device is in the
'unplugged' state, ControlDesk tries to re-establish the logical connection to
the platform/device hardware. After the logical connection is re-established, the
platform/device has the same state as before the unplugged state was detected.
A measurement started before the unplugged state was detected is resumed.

Automation A communication mechanism that can be used by various

programming languages. A client can use it to control a server by calling
methods and properties of the server's automation interface.

Automation script A script that uses automation to control an automation

server.

Axis point object Common axis

Bar An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array ) for displaying
a numerical value as a bar deflection on a horizontal or vertical scale.

Bitfield A value cell type of the Variable Array for displaying and editing
the source value of a parameter as a bit string.

Bookmark A marker for a certain event during a measurement or recording.

Browser An instrument for displaying Web pages and different file types,
e.g., PDF, HTML and TXT files.

Bus configuration A configuration of all the controllers, communication

matrices, and messages/frames/PDUs of a specific communication bus such as
CAN. ControlDesk lets you display and experiment with bus configurations in the
Bus Navigator .

Bus connection A mode for connecting dSPACE real-time hardware to the

host PC via bus. Bus connections can be used for dSPACE real-time hardware
installed directly in the host PC.

Bus Instrument An instrument available for the Bus Navigator . It can

be configured for different purposes, for example, to display information on
received messages (RX messages) or to manipulate and transmit messages (TX
messages). The instrument is tailor-made and displays only the message- and

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 Glossary

signal-specific settings which are enabled for display and/or manipulation by

ControlDesk during run time.
For bus communication modeled with the Bus Manager, the related Bus
Instruments are based on the Hierarchy Array .

Bus Navigator
§ Bus Navigator in ControlDesk
A ControlDesk component for handling bus messages, such as CAN messages,
LIN frames, and Ethernet packets.
§ Bus Navigator (stand-alone)
A dSPACE software product for handling bus messages, such as CAN
messages, LIN frames, and Ethernet packets.
There are some restrictions when you use the Bus Navigator (stand-alone). For
example, going online and measuring is only supported for bus monitoring
devices.
Using the Bus Navigator (stand-alone) does not require a license for the
ControlDesk main version.

Bus Navigator pane A pane for handling bus messages, such as CAN
messages, LIN frames, and Ethernet packets.

Bus statistics A feature of the Bus Navigator that lets you display
and log statistical information on the bus load during monitoring (of bus
communication) .

Bypassing A method for replacing an existing ECU function by running a new

function.

Calculated variable A scalar variable that can be measured and recorded

and that is derived from one or more input signals.
The following variable types are supported as input signals:
§ Measurement variables
§ Single elements of measurement arrays or value blocks
§ Scalar parameters or existing calculated variables
§ Scalar elements of structs
ControlDesk performs the computation of calculated variable values according to
a user‑defined computation formula that uses one or more input signals.
Calculated variables are represented by the symbol.

CalDemo ECU A demo program that runs on the same PC as

ControlDesk. It simulates an ECU on which the Universal Measurement and
Calibration (XCP ) protocol and the Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS)
protocol are implemented.
The CalDemo ECU allows you to perform parameter calibration, variable
measurement, and ECU diagnostics with ControlDesk under realistic

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 C

conditions, but without having to have a real ECU connected to the PC.
Communication between the CalDemo ECU and ControlDesk can be established
via XCP on CAN or XCP on Ethernet, and UDS on CAN.

Tip

If communication is established via XCP on Ethernet, the CalDemo ECU can

also run on a PC different from the PC on which ControlDesk is running.

The memory of the CalDemo ECU consists of two areas called memory page .
Each page contains a complete set of parameters, but only one page is accessible
by the CalDemo ECU at a time. You can easily switch the memory pages of the
CalDemo ECU to change from one parameter to another in a single step.
Two ECU tasks run on the CalDemo ECU:
§ ECU task #1 runs at a fixed sample time of 5 ms. In ControlDesk's
Measurement Configuration, ECU task #1 is related to the time-based 5 ms,
10 ms, 50 ms and 100 ms measurement rasters of the CalDemo ECU.
§ ECU task #2 has a variable sample time. Whenever the CalDemo ECU program
is started, the initial sample time is 5 ms. This can then be increased or
decreased by using the dSPACE CalDemo dialog.
ECU task #2 is related to the extEvent measurement raster of the
CalDemo ECU.
The CalDemo ECU can also be used to execute diagnostic services and jobs,
handle DTCs and perform measurement and calibration via ECU diagnostics.
The CalDemo ECU program is run by invoking CalDemo.exe. The file is located
in the .\Demos\CalDemo folder of the ControlDesk installation.

Calibration Changing the parameter values of real-time applications or

ECU applications .

Calibration memory segment Part of the memory of an ECU containing the

calibratable parameters. Memory segments can be defined as MEMORY_SEGMENT
in the A2L file. ControlDesk can use the segments to evaluate the memory pages
of the ECU.
ControlDesk lets you perform the calibration of:
§ Parameters inside memory segments
§ Parameters outside memory segments
§ Parameters even if no memory segments are defined in the A2L file.

CAN Bus Monitoring device A device that monitors the data stream on a
CAN bus connected to the ControlDesk PC.
The CAN Bus Monitoring device works, for example, with PC-based CAN
interfaces such as the DCI-CAN2 or the DCI-CAN/LIN1 .
The device supports the following variable description file types:
§ DBC
§ FIBEX
§ AUTOSAR system description (ARXML)

CANGenerator A demo program that simulates a CAN system, that is, it

generates signals that can be measured and recorded with ControlDesk. The
program runs on the same PC as ControlDesk.

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 Glossary

The CANGenerator allows you to use the CAN Bus Monitoring device under
realistic conditions, but without having to have any device hardware connected
to the PC.
The CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol is used for communication between
the CANGenerator and ControlDesk. However, since the CANGenerator runs
on the same PC as ControlDesk, ControlDesk does not communicate with the
device via a real CAN channel, but via a virtual CAN channel implemented on
the host PC.
You can start the CAN generator program by running CANGenerator.exe.
The file is located in the .\Demos\CANGenerator folder of the ControlDesk
installation.

Capture A data packet of all the measurement variables assigned to a

measurement raster . The packet comprises the data that results from a single
triggering of the raster.

CCP Abbreviation of CAN Calibration Protocol. This protocol can be

implemented on electronic control units (ECUs) and allows users to access ECUs
with measurement and calibration systems (MCS) such as ControlDesk.
The basic features of CCP are:
§ Read and write access to the ECU memory, i.e., providing access for calibration
§ Synchronous data acquisition
§ Flash programming for ECU development purposes
The CCP protocol was developed by ASAM e.V. (Association for Standardization
of Automation and Measuring Systems e.V.). For the protocol specification, refer
to https://www.asam.net.
The following device supports ECUs with an integrated CCP service:
§ CCP device

CCP device A device that provides access to an ECU with CCP connected
to the ControlDesk PC via CAN, for example, for measurement and calibration
purposes via CCP (CAN Calibration Protocol) .

Check Button An instrument (or a cell type of the Variable Array ) for
displaying whether the value of a connected variable matches predefined values
or for writing a predefined value to a connected variable.

cmdloader A command line tool for registering platforms and handling

applications without using the user interface of an experiment software.

Common axis A parameter that consists of a 1‑dimensional array

containing axis points. A common axis can be referenced by one or more
curves and/or maps . Calibrating the data points of a common axis affects all
the curves and/or maps referencing the axis.
Common axes are represented by the symbol.

Common Program Data folder A standard folder for application-specific

program data that is used by all users.
%PROGRAMDATA%\dSPACE\<InstallationGUID>\<ProductName>
or

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%PROGRAMDATA%\dSPACE\<ProductName>\<VersionNumber>

Tip

The Common Program Data folder is available

via the CommonApplicationSettingsPath property of
the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

Computation method A formula or a table that defines the transformation

of a source value into a converted value (and vice versa). In addition to
the computation methods defined in the variable description file, ControlDesk
provides the __Identity computation method which means the converted and the
source value are equal.

Connected A platform/device state defined by the following characteristics:

§ A continuous logical connection is established between ControlDesk and the
platform/device hardware.
§ A platform/device must be in the 'connected' state before it can change to the
'measuring/recording' or 'online calibration started' state.
§ Online calibration is impossible. ControlDesk did not yet adjust the memory
segments containing calibration data in the platform/device and on the
corresponding hardware. Offline calibration is possible.
§ Platform/device configuration is not possible. However, you can invoke
platform/device configuration for a platform/device that is in the connected
state. ControlDesk temporarily sets the platform/device to the disconnected
state.
The 'connected' platform/device state is indicated by the icon.

Connection mode dSPACE real‑time systems can be installed within the host
PC or connected to the host via a bus interface and/or via Ethernet. When the
Ethernet is being used, different network clients might exist. The connection
type being used and, in the case of Ethernet, the network client being used,
determine the dSPACE systems that can be accessed.

Control primitive A special diagnostic communication object for changing

communication states or protocol parameters, or for identifying (ECU) variants.

ControlDesk The main version of ControlDesk for creating and running

experiments , and for accessing dSPACE real‑time hardware and VEOS. The
functionality can be extended by optional software modules.

ControlDesk ‑ Operator Version A version of ControlDesk that provides

only a subset of functionality for running existing experiments. The functionality
can be extended by optional software modules.

ControlDesk Bus Navigator Module An optional software module for

ControlDesk for handling bus messages, such as CAN, LIN, and FlexRay
messages, frames, and PDUs and Ethernet packets.
Using the Bus Navigator does not require a license for the ControlDesk (main
version) .

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ControlDesk ECU Diagnostics Module An optional software module for

ControlDesk that facilitates the calibration and validation of ECU diagnostic
functions.

ControlDesk ECU Interface Module An optional software module for

ControlDesk for calibration and measurement access to electronic control units
(ECUs). The module is also required for calibration and measurement access to
virtual ECUs (V‑ECUs) used in SIL testing scenarios.

ControlDesk Signal Editor Module An optional software module for

ControlDesk for the graphical definition and execution of signal generators for
stimulating model variables of real-time /SIL simulation applications.

Controller board Single‑board hardware computing the real-time

application. Contains a real-time processor for fast calculation of the model and
I/O interfaces for carrying out the control developments.

Conversion table A table that specifies the value conversion of a source

value into a converted value. In the case of verbal conversion , the converted
value is a string that represents one numerical value or a range of numerical
values.

Conversion type The type of a computation method , for example a linear

function or a verbal computation method.

Curve A parameter that consists of

§ A 1‑dimensional array containing the axis points for the x‑axis. This array can
also be specified by a reference to a common axis .
§ Another 1‑dimensional array containing data points. The curve assigns one
data point to each axis point.
Curves are represented by the symbol.

DAQ module A hardware module for the acquisition of physical quantities

Data cursor One or two cursors that are used to display the values of
selected chart positions in a Time Plotter or an Index Plotter .

Data logger An object in the Measurement Configuration pane that

represents a data logging configuration.

Data logger signal list A list that contains the variables to be included in
subsequent data loggings on real-time hardware.

Data logging The recording of data on dSPACE real-time hardware that

does not require a physical connection between the host PC and the real-
time hardware. In contrast to flight recording , data logging is configured in
ControlDesk.

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Data set A set of the parameters and their values of a platform/device

derived from the variable description of the platform/device. There are different
types of data sets:
§ Reference data set
§ Sub data set
§ Unassigned data set
§ Working data set

DCI-CAN/LIN1 A dSPACE-specific interface between the host PC and the

CAN/CAN FD bus and/or LIN bus. The DCI-CAN/LIN1 transfers messages between
the CAN‑/LIN‑based devices and the host PC via the universal serial bus (USB).

DCI-CAN2 A dSPACE-specific interface between the host PC and the CAN

bus. The DCI‑CAN2 transfers CAN and CAN FD messages between the
CAN‑based devices and the host PC via the universal serial bus (USB).

DCI-GSI2 Abbreviation of dSPACE Communication Interface - Generic Serial

Interface 2. A dSPACE-specific interface for ECU calibration, measurement and
ECU interfacing.

DCI-GSI2 device A device that provides access to an ECU with DCI-GSI2

connected to the ControlDesk PC for measurement, calibration, and bypassing
purposes via the ECU's debug interface.

DCI-KLine1 Abbreviation of dSPACE Communication Interface - K-Line

Interface. A dSPACE-specific interface between the host PC and the diagnostics
bus via K-Line.

Debug interface An ECU interface for diagnostics tasks and flashing.

Default raster A platform-/device-specific measurement raster that is used

when a variable of the platform/device is connected to a plotter or a
recorder , for example.

Deposition definition A definition specifying the sequence in which the axis

point values of a curve or map are deposited in memory.

Device A software component for carrying out calibration and/or

measurement , bypassing , ECU flash programming , or ECU
diagnostics tasks.
ControlDesk provides the following devices:
§ Bus devices:
§ CAN Bus Monitoring device
§ Ethernet Bus Monitoring device
§ LIN Bus Monitoring device
§ ECU Diagnostics device
§ GNSS device
§ Measurement and calibration devices:
§ CCP device
§ DCI-GSI2 device
§ XCP on CAN device
§ XCP on Ethernet device

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Each device usually has a variable description that specifies the device’s
variables to be calibrated and measured.

Diagnostic interface Interface for accessing the fault memory of an ECU.

Diagnostic job (often called Java job) Programmed sequence that is usually
built from a sequence of the diagnostic service . A diagnostic job is either a
single-ECU job or a multiple-ECU job, depending on whether it communicates
with one ECU or multiple ECUs.

Diagnostic protocol A protocol that defines how an ECU communicates

with a connected diagnostic tester. The protocol must be implemented on the
ECU and on the tester. The diagnostics database specifies the diagnostic
protocol(s) supported by a specific ECU.
ControlDesk’s ECU Diagnostics device supports CAN and K‑Line as the physical
layers for communication with an ECU connected to the ControlDesk PC. For
information on the supported diagnostic protocols with CAN and K‑Line, refer to
Basics of ECU Diagnostics with ControlDesk (ControlDesk ECU Diagnostics ).

Diagnostic service A service implemented on the ECU as a basic diagnostic

communication element. Communication is performed by selecting a service,
configuring its parameters, executing it, and receiving the ECU results. When a
service is executed, a defined request is sent to the ECU and the ECU answers
with a specific response.

Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) A hexadecimal index for the identification of

vehicle malfunctions. DTCs are stored in the fault memory of ECUs and can be
read by diagnostic testers.

Diagnostics database A database that completely describes one or more

ECUs with respect to diagnostics communication. ControlDesk supports the
ASAM MCD-2 D ODX database format, which was standardized by ASAM
e.V. (Association for Standardisation of Automation and Measuring Systems e.V.).
For the format specification, refer to https://www.asam.net.
Proprietary diagnostics database formats are not supported by ControlDesk.

Diagnostics Instrument An instrument for communicating with an ECU

via the diagnostic protocol using diagnostic services , diagnostic jobs , and
control primitives .

Disabled A platform/device state defined by the following characteristics:

§ No logical connection is established between ControlDesk and the
platform/device hardware.
§ When a platform/device is disabled, ControlDesk does not try to establish the
logical connection for that platform/device. Any communication between the
platform/device hardware and ControlDesk is rejected.
§ Online calibration is impossible. Offline calibration is possible.
§ Platform/device configuration is possible.
The 'disabled' platform/device state is indicated by the icon.

Disconnected A platform/device state defined by the following

characteristics:
§ No logical connection is established between ControlDesk and the
platform/device hardware.

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§ When a platform/device is in the disconnected state, ControlDesk does not try

to re-establish the logical connection for that platform/device.
§ Online calibration is impossible. Offline calibration is possible.
§ Platform/device configuration is possible.
The 'disconnected' platform/device state is indicated by the icon.

Display An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array ) for
displaying the value of a scalar variable or the text content of an ASCII variable.

Documents folder A standard folder for application‑specific files that are

used by the current user.
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\dSPACE\<ProductName>\<VersionNumber>

Tip

The Documents folder is available via the UserWorkFolder property

of the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

DS1104 R&D Controller Board platform A platform that provides access to

a DS1104 R&D Controller Board installed in the host PC for function prototyping
purposes.

DS1202 MicroLabBox platform A platform that provides access to a

MicroLabBox connected to the host PC for function prototyping purposes.

DsDAQ service A service in a real-time application or offline simulation

application (OSA) that provides measurement data from the application to
the host PC. Unlike the host service , the DsDAQ service lets you perform, for
example, triggered measurements with complex trigger conditions.
The following platforms support applications that contain the DsDAQ service:
§ DS1202 MicroLabBox platform
§ MicroAutoBox III platform
§ MicroLabBox II platform
§ SCALEXIO platform
§ VEOS platform
§ XIL API MAPort platform

dSPACE Calibration and Bypassing Service An ECU service for

measurement, calibration, bypassing, and ECU flash programming. The dSPACE
Calibration and Bypassing Service can be integrated on the ECU. It provides
access to the ECU application and the ECU resources and is used to control
communication between an ECU and a calibration and/or bypassing tool.
With the dSPACE Calibration and Bypassing Service, users can run measurement,
calibration, bypassing, and flash programming tasks on an ECU via the DCI‑GSI2.
The service is also designed for bypassing ECU functions using dSPACE
prototyping hardware by means of the RTI Bypass Blockset in connection
with DPMEM PODs. The dSPACE Calibration and Bypassing Service allows
measurement, calibration, and bypassing tasks to be performed in parallel.

dSPACE Internal Bypassing Service An ECU service for on‑target

prototyping. The dSPACE Internal Bypassing Service can be integrated in the ECU

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application. It lets you add additional functions to be executed in the context of

the ECU application without the need for recompiling the ECU application.

dSPACE Log A collection of errors, warnings, information, questions, and

advice issued by all dSPACE products and connected systems over more than one
session.

dSPACE Python distribution A Python version installed by and configured

for a dSPACE setup/installation.

dSPACE system A hardware system such as a MicroAutoBox III or SCALEXIO

system on which the real-time application runs.

DSSIGCONV A command line tool that lets you do the following:

§ Convert MF4 files to other file formats.
§ Reduce the file content by selecting specific parts or specific signals to be
stored in the destination file.
§ Add reduction data to an MF4 file.

Duration trigger A trigger that defines a duration. Using a duration

trigger, you can, for example, specify the duration of data acquisition for a
measurement raster . A duration trigger can be used as a stop trigger .

ECU Abbreviation of electronic control unit.

ECU application A sequence of operations executed by an ECU. An

ECU application is mostly represented by a group of files such as
ECU Image files , MAP files , A2L files and/or software module description
files.

ECU calibration interface Interface for accessing an ECU by either

emulating the ECU's memory or using a communication protocol (for example,
XCP on CAN).

ECU diagnostics Functions such as:

§ Handling the ECU fault memory: Entries in the ECU´s fault memory can be
read, cleared, and saved.
§ Executing diagnostic services and jobs: Users can communicate with an ECU
via a diagnostic protocol using diagnostic services, diagnostic jobs, and control
primitives.
ControlDesk provides the ECU Diagnostics device to access ECUs for
diagnostic tasks. Communication is via diagnostic protocols implemented on
the ECUs.
ECU diagnostics with ControlDesk are completely based on Open Diagnostic
Data Exchange (ODX), the ASAM MCD-2 D diagnostics standard.
ControlDesk provides the Fault Memory Instrument and the Diagnostics
Instrument for ECU diagnostics tasks.

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ECU Diagnostics device A device that provides access to ECUs connected

to the ControlDesk PC via CAN or K-Line for diagnostics or flash programming
purposes.
ControlDesk provides the ECU Diagnostics v2.0.2 device, which supports the
ASAM MCD-3 D V2.0.2 standard.
ControlDesk supports the following ODX database standards:
§ ASAM MCD-2 D V2.0.1
§ ASAM MCD-2 D V2.2.0 (ISO 22901‑1)

ECU flash programming A method by which new code or data is stored in

ECU flash memory.

ECU Image file A binary file that is part of the ECU application . It usually
contains the code of an ECU application and the data of the parameters within
the application. It can be stored as an Intel Hex (HEX) or Motorola S‑Record
(MOT or S19) file.

EESPort Configurations A pane for configuring error configurations .

Electrical error simulation Simulating electrical errors such as loose

contacts, broken cables, and short-circuits, in the wiring of an ECU. Electrical
error simulation is performed by the fault simulation hardware of an
HIL simulator.

Electrical Error Simulation port (EESPort) An Electrical Error Simulation

port (EESPort) provides access to a fault simulation hardware for simulating
electrical errors in an ECU wiring according to the ASAM AE XIL API standard.
The configuration of the EESPort is described by a hardware-dependent port
configuration and one or more error configurations.
Environment model A model that represents a part or all of the ECU's
environment in a simulation scenario.
The environment model is a part of the simulation system .

Environment VPU The executable of an environment model built for the

VEOS platform. An environment VPU is part of an offline simulation application
(OSA).

Error An electrical error that is specified by:

§ An error category
§ An error type
§ A load type

Error category The error category defines how a signal is disturbed. Which
errors you can create for a signal depends on the connected fault simulation
hardware.

Error configuration An XML file that describes a sequence of errors you

want to switch during electrical error simulation. Each error configuration
comprises error sets with one or more errors.

Error set An error set is used to group errors (pin faults).

Error type The error type specifies the way an error category – i.e., an
interruption or short circuit of signals – is provided. The error type defines the
disturbance itself.

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Ethernet Bus Monitoring device A device that monitors the data stream on
an Ethernet network connected to the ControlDesk PC.
The device supports the following variable description file type:
§ AUTOSAR system description (ARXML)

Ethernet connection A mode for connecting dSPACE real-time hardware

to the host PC via Ethernet. Ethernet connections are possible with
MicroAutoBox II/III and MicroLabBox/MicroLabBox II.

Ethernet decoding A feature of the Bus Navigator that lets you view
protocol data and raw data of an Ethernet frame.

Event An event that is triggered by an action performed in ControlDesk.

Event context The scope of validity of event sources and events . There is
one event handler code area for each event context.

Event handler Code that is executed when the related event occurs.

Event management Functionality for executing custom code according to

actions triggered by ControlDesk.

Event source An object providing and triggering events .

LayoutManagement is an example of an event source.
Event state State of an event . ControlDesk provides the following event
states:
§ No event handler is defined
§ Event handler is defined and enabled
§ Event handler is defined and disabled
§ Event handler is defined, but no Python code is available
§ Event handler is deactivated because a run-time error occurred during the
execution of the Python code

Experiment A container for collecting and managing information and files

required for a parameter calibration and/or measurement task. A number of
experiments can be collected in a project but only one of them can be active.

Extension script A Python script (PY or PYC file) that is executed each time
ControlDesk starts up. An extension script can be executed for all users or
user-specifically.

Failure insertion unit Hardware unit used with dSPACE simulators to

simulate faults in the wiring of an ECU, such as broken wire and short circuit
to ground.

Fault memory Part of the ECU memory that stores diagnostic trouble code
(DTC) entries with status and environment information.

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Fault Memory Instrument An instrument for reading, clearing, and saving

the content of the ECU’s fault memory .

Firmware update An update for the firmware installed in the board’s flash
memory. Firmware should be updated if it is older than required by the real-time
application to be downloaded.

Fixed axis An axis with data points that are not deposited in the ECU
memory. Unlike a common axis , a fixed axis is specified within a curve or
map . The parameters of a fixed axis cannot be calibrated.

Fixed parameter A parameter that has a fixed value during a running

simulation. Changing the value of a fixed parameter does not immediately affect
the simulation results. The affect occurs only after you stop the simulation and
start it again. A fixed parameter is represented by an added pin in its symbol, for
example: .

Flash job A specific diagnostic job for flashing the ECU memory. A flash
job implements the process control for flashing the ECU memory, such as
initialization, security access, writing data blocks, etc.

Flight recording The recording of data on dSPACE real-time hardware that

does not require a physical connection between the host PC and the real-time
hardware. In contrast to data logging , flight recording is not configured in
ControlDesk but via RTI and RTLib.

Frame An instrument for adding a background frame to a layout, for

example, to visualize an instrument group.

Framework label The name of a variable on the experiment level (framework

label in ASAM XIL) that is decoupled from the name of a variable on the
modeling level (testbench label in ASAM XIL). A framework label is defined
by a label name (ID) and a data type. The framework labels in a framework label
list are unique.

Gauge An instrument for displaying the value of the connected variable by a

needle deflection on a circular scale.

Gigalink module A dSPACE board for connecting several processor boards in

a multiprocessor system. The board allows high-speed serial data transmission via
fiber-optic cable.

GNSS data Positioning and timing data that is transmitted by a Global

Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo. GNSS
receivers use this data to determine their location.

GNSS device A device that provides positioning data from a GNSS receiver
(e.g., a serial GPS mouse) in ControlDesk.
The device that supports various global navigation satellite systems.

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GPX file An XML file that contains geodata, such as waypoints, routes, or
tracks. In ControlDesk, you can import GPX files to visualize GNSS positioning
data in a Map instrument.

Heading Indicator An instrument displaying the heading direction of a

simulated aircraft on a circular scale.

Hierarchy Array An instrument for displaying variables grouped into custom

hierarchy levels using different cell types for visualization.

Host service A service in a real-time application that provides measurement

data from the application to the host PC.
The following platforms support applications that contain the host service:
§ DS1104 R&D Controller Board platform
§ MicroAutoBox platform

Index Plotter A plotter instrument for displaying signals that are measured
in an event-based raster (index plots).

Input quantity A variable that is referenced by a Table Editor and that

provides the input value of the variable connected to that Table Editor.

Inspection (of bus communication) The observation of bus communication

on a bus channel by a simulator , e.g., a SCALEXIO system.

Instrument An on-screen representation that is designed to monitor and/or

control simulator variables interactively and to display data captures. Instruments
can be arranged freely on layouts .
The following instruments can be used in ControlDesk:
§ 3-D Viewer
§ Airspeed Indicator
§ Altimeter
§ Animated Needle
§ Artificial Horizon
§ Bar
§ Browser
§ Bus Instrument
§ Check Button
§ Diagnostics Instrument

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§ Display
§ Fault Memory Instrument
§ Frame
§ Gauge
§ Heading Indicator
§ Hierarchy Array
§ Index Plotter
§ Invisible Switch
§ Knob
§ Multistate Display
§ Multiswitch
§ Numeric Input
§ On/Off Button
§ Push Button
§ Radio Button
§ Selection Box
§ Slider
§ Sound Controller
§ Static Text
§ Steering Controller
§ Table Editor
§ Time Plotter
§ Variable Array
§ XY Plotter

Instrument Navigator A pane that displays a tree with all the

instruments of the active layout and all the variables that are connected to
them. The Instrument Navigator's main function is easy selection of instruments
in complex layouts.

Instrument script A Python script used to extend the functionality of an

instrument .

Instrument Selector A pane in ControlDesk that provides access to

instruments . The instruments can be placed on a layout via double-click
or drag & drop.

Interface description data (IF_DATA) An information structure, mostly

provided by an A2L file , describing the type, features, and configuration of
an implemented ECU interface.

Internal Interpreter ControlDesk's built-in programming interface for

editing, running and importing Python scripts. It also processes event handler
code .
The Internal Interpreter contains an Interpreter pane where the user can
enter Python commands interactively and which displays output and error
messages of Python commands.

Interpreter pane A pane that can be used to execute line-based

commands. It is used by the Internal Interpreter to print out Python standard

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error messages and standard output during the execution or import of Python
scripts.

Invisible Switch An instrument for defining an area that is sensitive to mouse

operations.

IOCNET IOCNET (I/O carrier network) is a dSPACE-specific high-speed serial

communication bus that connects all the real-time hardware in a SCALEXIO
system. IOCNET can also be used to build a multiprocessor system that consists
of multiple SCALEXIO processor hardware components.

Knob An instrument for displaying and setting the value of the connected
variable by means of a knob on a circular scale.

Label list A list of user-defined variables that can be used for saving
connected variables, etc.

Layout A page with instruments for visualizing, measuring, and

calibrating variables interactively.

Layout Navigator A pane that displays all opened layouts . It can be

used for switching between layouts.

Layout script A Python script used to extend the functionality of a layout .

Leading raster The measurement raster that specifies the

trigger settings for the Time Plotter display. The leading raster determines
the time range that is visible in the plotter if a start and stop trigger is used for
displaying the signals.

LIN Bus Monitoring device A device that monitors the data stream on a LIN
bus connected to the ControlDesk PC.
The LIN Bus Monitoring device works, for example, with PC-based LIN interfaces.
The device supports the following variable description file types:
§ LDF
§ FIBEX
§ AUTOSAR system description (ARXML)

Load type The load type specifies the option to disturb a signal with or
without load rejection.

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Local Program Data folder A standard folder for application-specific

program data that is used by the current user.
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\dSPACE\<InstallationGUID>\
<ProductName>

Tip

The Local Program Data folder is available

via the ApplicationSettingsPath property of
the ApplicationEnvironment / IAeApplicationEnvironment
<<Interface>> interface.

Logging (of bus communication) A feature of the Bus Navigator that lets
you log raw bus communication data. You can add logger nodes on different
hierarchy levels of the Bus Navigator tree for this purpose. You can specify
filters to log filtered bus communication. The logged bus communication can be
replayed .

Logical link A representation of an ECU specified in the diagnostics

database. A logical link contains information on the ECU itself, and all the
information required for accessing it, such as the diagnostic protocol used
for communication between the ECU and ControlDesk. Each logical link is
represented by a unique short name in the ODX database .

Look-up table A look-up table maps one or more input values to one output
value. You have to differentiate between the following look-up table types:
§ A 1-D look-up table maps one input value to one output value.
§ A 2-D look-up table maps two input values to one output value.
§ An n-D look-up table maps multidimensional table data with 3 or more input
values to one output value.
Look-up table is a generic term for curves and maps .

Main variable A scalar variable that is visualized in an instrument that can

be used to change parameter values. In addition to the main variable, additional
write variables can also be connected to (but not visualized in) the same
instrument. When you change the value of the main variable in an instrument,
the changed value is also applied to all the additional write variables connected
to that instrument.

Manipulation (of bus communication) The alteration of bus

communication by a simulator , e.g., a SCALEXIO system, immediately before
the bus communication is transmitted on a bus to test an ECU, for example.

Map A parameter that consists of

§ A 1‑dimensional array containing the axis points for the x‑axis. This array can
also be specified by a reference to a common axis .

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§ A 1‑dimensional array containing the axis points for the y‑axis. This array can
also be specified by a reference to a common axis .
§ A 2–dimensional array containing data points. The map assigns one data point
of the array to each pair of x‑axis and y‑axis points.
Maps are represented by the symbol.

Map file A file that contains symbols (symbolic names) and their physical
addresses. It is generated during the build process of an ECU application .

Map instrument A customized Browser instrument. It uses an instrument

script to open a web map and connect positioning data to the map. The Map
instrument offers prepared connection nodes to connect variables with GNSS
data .

Measurement Viewing and analyzing the time traces of variables , for

example, to observe the effects of ECU parameter changes.
ControlDesk provides various instruments for measuring variables.

Measurement (variable type) A scalar variable that can be measured,

including individual elements of a measurement array.
Measurement variables are represented by the symbol.

Measurement array A 1‑, 2‑, or 3‑dimensional array of measurement

variables. In variable lists, ControlDesk displays entries for the measurement array
itself and for each array element.
Measurement arrays are represented by the symbol.

Measurement buffer A ring buffer that buffers measurement data at the

start of a measurement . The measurement buffer size determines the amount
of data that can be buffered. Earlier values are overwritten by later values when
the buffer capacity is exceeded (buffer overflow).

Measurement Configuration A pane that allows you to configure

measurement , recording and data logging .

Measurement Data API Application programming interface for accessing

measurement data. The API lets the user access measurement data without
having to use ControlDesk.

Measurement Data Pool A pane that provides access to measurement

data recorded in measurement data files.

Measurement raster Specification of how often a value of a variable is

updated during a measurement . A measurement raster can be derived from a
measurement service .

Measurement service The generic term for the following services:

§ CCP service
§ DsDAQ service
§ Host service
§ XCP service

Measurement signal list A list containing the variables to be included

in subsequent measurements and recordings. The list is global for all
platforms/devices of the current experiment.

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The measurement signal list is available in the configuration area of the

Measurement Configuration pane.

Measurement variable Any variable type that can be measured but not
calibrated.

Measuring/recording A platform/device state defined by the following

characteristics:
§ A continuous logical connection is established between ControlDesk and the
platform/device hardware.
§ Online calibration is possible. Parameter values can be changed directly on the
platform/device hardware.
§ A measurement (or recording) is running.
§ Platform/device configuration is not possible.
The 'measuring' / 'recording' platform/device state is indicated by the icon.

Memory page An area of a calibration memory. Each page contains a

complete set of parameters of the platform/device hardware, but only one of
the pages is “visible” to the microcontroller of the ECU or the real‑time processor
(RTP) of the platform hardware at a time.
ControlDesk supports platform/device hardware with up to two memory pages.
These are usually the working page and the reference page . The parameter
values on the two memory pages usually are different. ControlDesk lets you
switch from one page to the other, so that when parameters are changed
on one page, the changes can be made available to the ECU or prototyping
hardware via a single page switch.

Messages pane A pane displaying a history of all error and warning

messages that occur during work with ControlDesk.

MicroAutoBox III platform A platform that provides access to a

MicroAutoBox III connected to the host PC for function prototyping purposes
such as bypassing .

MicroAutoBox platform A platform that provides access to a

MicroAutoBox II connected to the host PC for function prototyping purposes
such as bypassing.

MicroLabBox II platform A platform that provides access to a

MicroLabBox II connected to the host PC for function prototyping purposes.

Mirrored memory A memory area created by ControlDesk on the host PC

that mirrors the contents of the available memory pages of calibration and
prototyping hardware. For hardware with two memory pages, the mirrored
memory is divided into a reference and a working page, each of them containing
a complete set of parameters. When a calibration or prototyping platform/device
is added to an experiment, ControlDesk initially fills the available memory pages
of the mirrored memory with the contents of the ECU Image file (initial filling
for calibration devices) or with the contents of the SDF file (initial filling for
platforms).
§ Mirrored memory for offline calibration
Parameter values can even be changed offline . Changes to parameter values
that are made offline affect only the mirrored memory.

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§ Offline‑to‑online transition for online calibration

For online calibration, an offline-to-online transition must be performed.
During the transition, ControlDesk compares the memory pages of the
hardware of each platform/device with the corresponding pages of the
mirrored memory. If the pages differ, the user has to equalize them by
uploading them from the hardware to the host PC, or downloading them
from the host PC to the hardware.
§ Mirrored memory for online calibration
When ControlDesk is in the online mode, parameter value changes become
effective synchronously on the memory pages of the hardware and in the
mirrored memory. In other words, parameter values on the hardware and on
the host PC are always the same while you are performing online calibration.

Monitoring (of bus communication) A feature of the Bus Navigator that

lets you observe bus communication. You can open monitoring lists and add
monitor nodes on different hierarchy levels of the Bus Navigator tree for this
purpose. You can specify filters to monitor filtered bus communication.

Multi-capture history The storage of all the captures acquired during

a triggered measurement . The amount of stored data depends on the
measurement buffer.

Multi-pin error A feature of the SCALEXIO concept for electrical error

simulation that lets you simulate a short circuit between three or more signal
channels and/or bus channels. The channels can be located on the same or
different boards or I/O units. You can simulate a short circuit between:
§ Channels of the same signal category (e.g., four signal generation channels)
§ Channels of different signal categories (e.g., three signal generation channels
and two signal measurement channels)
§ Signal channels and bus channels (e.g., two signal generation channels, one
signal measurement channel, and one bus channel)

Multiple electrical errors A feature of the SCALEXIO concept for electrical

error simulation that lets you switch electrical errors at the same time or in
succession. For example, you can simulate an open circuit for one channel and a
short circuit for another channel at the same time, without deactivating the first
error.

Multistate Display An instrument for displaying the value of a variable as an

LED state and/or as a message text.

Multistate LED A value cell type of the Variable Array and Hierarchy
Array for displaying the value of a variable as an LED state.

Multiswitch An instrument for changing variable values by clicking sensitive

areas in the instrument and for visualizing different states depending on the
current value of the connected variable.

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Numeric Input An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array )
for displaying and setting the value of the connected variable numerically.

Observing variables Reading variable values cyclically from the dSPACE real-
time hardware and displaying their current values in ControlDesk, even if no
measurement is running. Variable observation is performed without using a
measurement buffer, and no value history is kept.
For platforms that support variable observation, variable observation is available
for parameters and measurement variables that are visualized in single-shot
instruments (all instruments except for a plotter ). If you visualize a variable
in a single‑shot instrument, the variable is not added to the measurement signal
list . Visualizing a parameter or measurement variable in a plotter automatically
adds the variable to the measurement signal list .
ControlDesk starts observing variables if one of the following conditions is true:
§ Online Calibration is started for the platform.
All the parameters and measurement variables that are visualized in single‑shot
instruments are observed.
§ Measurement is started for the platform.
All the visualized parameters and measurement variables that are not
activated for measurement in the measurement signal list are observed. Data
of the activated parameters and measurement variables is acquired using
measurement rasters.

ODX database Abbreviation of Open Diagnostic Data Exchange, a

diagnostics database that is the central ECU description for working with
an ECU Diagnostics device in ControlDesk. The ODX database contains
all the information required to perform diagnostic communication between
ControlDesk and a specific ECU or set of ECUs in a vehicle network. ControlDesk
expects the database to be compliant with ASAM MCD-2 D (ODX).

Offline State in which the parameter values of platform/device hardware in

the current experiment cannot be changed. This applies regardless of whether or
not the host PC is physically connected to the hardware.
The mirrored memory allows parameter values to be changed even offline.

Offline simulation application (OSA) An offline simulation application

(OSA) file is an executable file for VEOS. After the build process, the OSA file
can be downloaded to VEOS.
An OSA contains one or more VPUs , such as V-ECUs and/or
environment VPUs.

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On/Off Button An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array )
for setting the value of the connected parameter to a predefined value when the
button is pressed (On value) and released (Off value).

Online calibration started A platform/device state defined by the following

characteristics:
§ A continuous logical connection is established between ControlDesk and the
platform/device hardware.
§ Online calibration is possible. Parameter values can be changed directly on the
platform/device hardware.
§ Platform/device configuration is not possible.
Before starting online calibration, ControlDesk lets you compare the memory
pages on the platform/device hardware with the corresponding pages of the
mirrored memory . If the parameter values on the pages differ, they must
be equalized by uploading the values from the hardware to ControlDesk, or
downloading the values from ControlDesk to the hardware. However, a page
cannot be downloaded if it is read‑only.
The 'online calibration started' platform/device state is indicated by the
symbol.

Operation signal A signal which represents the result of an arithmetical

operation (such as addition or multiplication) between two other signals.

Operator mode A working mode of ControlDesk in which only a subset

of the ControlDesk functionality is provided. You can work with existing
experiments but not modify them, which protects them from unintentional
changes.

Output parameter A parameter or writable measurement whose

memory address is used to write the computed value of a calculated
variable to.

Page An area in the ControlDesk working area to display and edit a

document, such as a layout , a Python script, or a signal description set .

Pane A separate area of the ControlDesk user interface that provides access
to a specific component, such as the Bus Navigator.

Parameter Any variable type that can be calibrated.

Parameter limits Limits within which parameters can be changed.

Parameters have hard and weak limits.
§ Hard limits
Hard limits designate the value range of a parameter that you cannot cross
during calibration.
The hard limits of a parameter originate from the corresponding variable
description and cannot be edited in ControlDesk.

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§ Weak limits
Weak limits designate the value range of a parameter that you should not
cross during calibration. When you cross the value range defined by the weak
limits, ControlDesk warns you.
In ControlDesk, you can edit the weak limits of a parameter within the value
range given by the parameter’s hard limits.

Pitch variable A variable connected to the pitch scale of an Artificial

Horizon .

Platform A software component representing a simulator where a simulation

application is computed in real-time (on dSPACE real-time hardware) or in non-
real-time (on VEOS).
ControlDesk provides the following platforms:
§ DS1104 R&D Controller Board platform
§ DS1202 MicroLabBox platform
§ MicroAutoBox platform
§ MicroAutoBox III platform
§ MicroLabBox II platform
§ SCALEXIO platform
§ VEOS platform
§ XIL API MAPort platform
Each platform usually has a variable description that specifies its variables.

Platform trigger A trigger that is available for a platform and that is

evaluated on the related dSPACE real-time hardware or VEOS.

Platforms/Devices pane A pane that provides functions to handle

devices , platforms , and the applications assigned to the platforms.

Plotter instrument ControlDesk offers three plotter instruments with

different main purposes:
§ The Index Plotter displays signals in relation to events.
§ The Time Plotter displays signals in relation to measurement time.
§ The XY Plotter displays signals in relation to other signals.

Port configuration To interface the fault simulation hardware, an EESPort

needs the hardware-dependent port configuration file (PORTCONFIG file). The
file's contents must fit the connected HIL simulator architecture and its fault
simulation hardware.

Postprocessing The handling of measured and recorded data by the

following actions:
§ Displaying measured or recorded data
§ Zooming into measured or recorded signals with a plotter
§ Displaying the values of measurement variables and parameters as they were
at any specific point in time

Preview feature A feature in an early but completely tested development

stage. It might benefit from user feedback before being finally integrated into
the regular product.
The final version of the feature might be incompatible with the preview version.

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Processor board A board that computes real-time applications. It has an

operating system that controls all calculations and communication to other
boards.

Project A container for collecting and managing the information and

files required for experiment/calibration/modification tasks in a number of
experiments . A project collects the experiments and manages their common
data.

Project pane A pane that provides access to projects and experiments

and all the files they contain.

Project root directory The directory on your file system to which

ControlDesk saves all the experiments and documents of a project . Every
project is associated with a project root directory, and several projects can use
the same project root directory. The user can group projects by specifying several
project root directories.
ControlDesk uses the Documents folder as the default project root directory
unless a different one is specified.

Properties pane A pane providing access to the properties of, for

example, platforms/devices, layouts/instruments, and measurement/recording
configurations.

Proposed calibration A calibration mode in which the parameter value

changes that the user makes do not become effective on the hardware until
they are applied. This allows several parameter changes to be written to the
hardware together. Being in proposed calibration mode is like being in the offline
calibration mode temporarily.

Push Button An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array ) for
setting the value of the connected parameter by push buttons.

Python Editor An editor for editing PY files.

The Python Editor is displayed in the ControlDesk working area .

Quick start measurement A type of measurement in which all the ECU

variables configured for measurement are measured and recorded, starting
with the first execution of an ECU task. ControlDesk supports quick start
measurements on ECUs with DCI‑GSI2, CCP, and XCP (except for XCP on
Ethernet with the TCP transmission protocol).
Quick start measurement can be used to perform cold start measurements.
Cold start means that the vehicle and/or the engine are cooled down to the
temperature of the environment and then started. One reason for performing
cold start measurements is to observe the behavior of an engine during the
warm‑up phase.

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Radio Button An instrument for displaying and setting the value of the
connected parameter by radio buttons.

Real-time application An application that can be executed in real time on

dSPACE real‑time hardware. A real-time application can be built from a Simulink
model containing RTI blocks, for example.

Record layout A record layout is used to specify a data type and define the
order of the data in the memory of the target system (ECU, for example). For
scalar data types, a record layout allows you to add an address mode (direct or
indirect). For structured (aggregated) data types, the record layout specifies all
the structure elements and the order they appear in.
The RECORD_LAYOUT keyword in an A2L file is used to specify the various record
layouts of the data types in the memory. The structural setup of the various data
types must be described in such a way that a standard application system will be
able to process all data types (reading, writing, operating point display etc.).

Record layout component A component of a record layout. A structured

record layout consists of several components according to the ASAP2
specification. For example, the AXIS_PTS_X component specifies the x-axis
points, and the FNC_VALUES component describes the function values of a map
or a curve.

Recorder An object in the Measurement Configuration pane that specifies

and executes the recording of variables according to a specific measurement
configuration.

Recorder signal list A list that contains the variables to be included in

subsequent recordings .

Recording Saving the time traces of variables to a file. Both measurement

variables and parameters can be recorded. Recorded data can be
postprocessed directly in ControlDesk.
A recording can be started and stopped immediately or via a trigger:
§ Immediate recording
The recording is started and stopped without delay, without having to meet a
trigger condition.
§ Triggered recording
The recording is not started or stopped until certain trigger conditions are met.
These conditions can be defined and edited in ControlDesk.

Reduction data Additional content in an MF4 file that allows for visualizing
the MF4 file data depending on the visualization resolution. Reduction data
therefore improves the performance of the visualization and postprocessing of
measurement data.

Reference data set A read-only data set assigned to the reference page of a
device that has two memory pages . There can be only one reference data set
for each device. The reference data set is read‑only.

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Reference page Memory area containing the parameters of an ECU. The

reference page contains the read‑only reference data set .

Note

Some platforms/devices provide only a working page . You cannot switch

to a reference page in this case.

Replay (of bus communication) A feature of the Bus Navigator that lets
you replay logged bus communication data from a log file. You can add replay
nodes to the Bus Navigator tree for this purpose. You can specify filters to replay
selected parts of the logged bus communication .

Resynchronization Mechanism to periodically synchronize the drifting timers

of the platform/device hardware ControlDesk is connected to. Resynchronization
means adjustment to a common time base.

Roll variable A variable connected to the roll scale of an Artificial Horizon .

Sample count trigger A trigger that specifies the number of samples in a

data capture.
A sample count trigger can be used as a stop trigger .

SCALEXIO platform A platform that provides access to a single-core,

multicore or multiprocessor SCALEXIO system connected to the host PC for
HIL simulation and function prototyping purposes.

SCALEXIO system A dSPACE simulation system consisting of at least one

processing hardware component, I/O boards, and I/O units. They communicate
with each other via the IOCNET. In a SCALEXIO system, two types of processing
hardware can be used, a DS6001 Processor Board or a SCALEXIO Processing
Unit. In hardware-in-the-loop scenario, the SCALEXIO system simulates the
environment to test an ECU. It provides the sensor signals for the ECU, measures
the signals of the ECU, and provides the power (battery voltage) for the ECU and
a bus interface for restbus simulation.

SDF file A file that describes a dSPACE simulation application , including the
contained parameters and measurement variables. SDF files are created during
the build process.

Segment The minimum part a segment signal can consist of.

There are different kinds of segments to be used in segment signals:
§ Segments to form synthetic signal shapes (sine, sawtooth, ramp, etc.)
§ Segments to perform arithmetical operations (addition, multiplication) with
other segments
§ Segments to represent numerical signal data (measured data)

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Segment signal A signal consisting of one or more segments .

Selection Box An instrument for selecting a text-value entry and setting the
respective numerical value for the connected variable.

Signal
§ Representation of a variable measured in a specific measurement raster .
§ Generic term for segment signals and operation signals .
A signal is part of a signal description set which can be displayed and edited
in the working area.

Signal description set A group of one or more signals .

A signal description set and its signals can be edited in the working area by
means of the Signal Editor . Each signal description set is stored as an STZ
file either in the Signal Description Sets folder or in the Signal Generators
folder.

Signal Editor A software component to create, configure, display, and

manage signals in signal description sets .

Signal file A file that contains the wiring information of a simulator and that
is part of the standard dSPACE documentation of dSPACE Simulator Full-Size.
Normally, dSPACE generates this file when designing the simulator. Before using
a fault simulation system, users can adapt the signal file to their needs.

Signal generator An STZ file containing a signal description set and

optional information about the signal mapping , the description of variables,
and the real-time platform.
The file is located in the Signal Generators folder and used to generate,
download, and control Real-Time Testing sequences, which are executed on the
real-time platform to stimulate model variables in real time.

Signal Mapping A pane of the Signal Editor to map model variables to

signals and variable aliases of a signal generator .

Signal Selector A pane of the Signal Editor . The Signal Selector provides
signals and segments for arranging and configuring signal description
sets in the working area .

SIL simulation Abbreviation of software‑in‑the‑loop simulation.

A PC-based simulation in which the simulator is not connected to a physical
system and is thus independent of the real time.

SIL testing Abbreviation of software‑in‑the‑loop testing.

Simulation and testing of individual software functions, complete virtual ECUs
(V‑ECUs ), or even V‑ECU networks on a local PC or highly parallel in the cloud
independently of real-time constraints and real hardware.

Simulation (of bus communication) The simulation of bus communication

of ECUs that are not the devices under test (restbus simulation), or the simulation
of bus communication of an individual ECU by a simulator , e.g., a SCALEXIO
system.

Simulation application The generic term for offline simulation application

(OSA) and real-time application .

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Simulation system A description of the composition of V‑ECU models,

environment models, real ECUs, and their interconnections required for
simulating the behavior of a system. A simulation system is the basis for the
generation of a simulation application for a given simulator platform.

Simulation time group A group of platforms/devices in an

experiment whose simulation times are synchronized with each other. If
resynchronization is enabled, ControlDesk synchronizes a simulation time
group as a whole, not the single members of the group individually.

Simulator A system that imitates the characteristics or behaviors of a selected

physical or abstract system.

Single-processor system A system that is based on one dSPACE processor or

controller board.

Single-shot instrument An instrument that displays an instantaneous

value of a connected variable without keeping a value history. In ControlDesk,
all instruments except for a plotter are single-shot instruments. For
platforms that support the variable observer functionality, you can use
single-shot instruments to observe variables.

Slave application An application assigned to the slave DSP of a controller

or I/O board. It is usually loaded and started together with the real-time
application running on the corresponding main board.

Slave DSP A DSP subsystem installed on a controller or I/O board. Its

slave application can be loaded together with the real-time application or
separately.

Slider An instrument (or a value cell type of the Variable Array ) for
displaying and setting the value of the connected variable by means of a slide.

Sound Controller An instrument for generating sounds based on WAV

and/or MP3 sound files.

Standard axis An axis with data points that are deposited in the ECU
memory. Unlike a common axis , a standard axis is specified within a
curve or map . The parameters of a standard axis can be calibrated, which
affects only the related curve or map.

Start trigger A trigger that is used, for example, to start a measurement

raster . A platform trigger can be used as a start trigger.

Static Text An instrument for displaying explanations or inscriptions on the

layout.

Steering Controller An instrument for changing variable values using a

game controller device such as a joystick or a steering wheel.

Stimulation Writing signals to variables in real-time models during a

simulation run.

Stop trigger A trigger that is used, for example, to stop a measurement

raster .

String A text variable in ASCII format.

Strings are represented by the symbol.

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Struct A variable with the struct data type. A struct contains a structured list
of variables that can have various data types. In ControlDesk, a struct variable
can contain either parameters and value blocks or measurement variables and
measurement arrays. ControlDesk supports nested structs, i.e., structs that
contain further structs and struct arrays as elements.
Structs are represented by the symbol.

Struct array An array of homogeneous struct variables.

Struct arrays are represented by the symbol.

STZ file A ZIP file containing signal descriptions in the STI format. The STZ file
can also contain additional MAT files to describe numerical signal data.

Sub data set A data set that does not contain the complete set of the
parameters of a platform/device.

Symbol A symbolic name of a physical address in a Map file .

System variable A type of variable that represents internal variables of the

device or platform hardware and that can be used as measurement signals in
ControlDesk to give feedback on the status of the related device or platform
hardware. For example, an ECU’s power supply status or the simulation state of a
dSPACE board can be visualized via system variables.

Table Editor An instrument for displaying and setting values of a connected

curve, map, value block, or axis in a 2-D, 3-D, and grid view. The Table Editor can
also display the values of a measurement array.
The Table Editor can be used for the following variable types:
§ Common axis ( )
§ Curve ( )
§ Map ( )
§ Measurement array ( )
§ Value block ( )

Testbench label Name of a variable on the modeling level (testbench label

in ASAM XIL) to identify model variables from the variable description . A
testbench label is defined by a label name (ID) and a data type. The testbench
labels are unique in each testbench label list with an assigned port ID.

Time cursor A cursor which is visible at the same time position in the
following instruments:
§ In all Time Plotters
§ In all XY Plotters
§ In all bus monitoring lists

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You can use the time cursor to view signal values at a specific point in time. If
you move the time cursor, all measured signals and the respective parameters
are updated. Instruments and bus monitoring lists display the values that are
available at the selected time position.

Time Plotter A plotter instrument for displaying signals that are measured
in a time-based raster (time plots).

TRC file A variable description file with information on the variables available
in an environment model running on a dSPACE platform .

Trigger A condition for executing an action such as starting and stopping a

measurement raster or a recorder .
The generic term for the following trigger types:
§ Duration trigger
§ Platform trigger
§ Sample count trigger

Trigger condition A formula that specifies the condition of a

trigger mathematically.

Triggered measurement The measurement of a measurement

raster started by a platform trigger . The data flow between the dSPACE
real-time hardware or VEOS and the host PC is not continuous.

Unassigned data set A data set that is assigned neither to the working
page nor to the reference page of a platform/device. An unassigned data set
can be defined as the new working or reference data set. It then replaces the
“old“ working or reference data set and is written to the corresponding memory
page, if one is available on the platform/device.

Unplugged A platform/device state defined by the following characteristics:

§ The logical connection between ControlDesk and the hardware was
interrupted, for example, because the ignition was turned off or the
ControlDesk PC and the hardware were disconnected.
§ Before the state of a platform/device changes to 'unplugged', the
platform/device was in one of the following states:
§ 'Connected'
§ 'Online calibration started'
§ 'Measuring' / 'Recording'

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Tip

A device for which the connection between ControlDesk and the device
hardware currently is interrupted is also set to the 'unplugged' state when
you start online calibration if both the following conditions are fulfilled:
§ The device's Start unplugged property is enabled.
§ The Start online calibration behavior property is set to 'Ignore
differences'.
This is possible for CCP and XCP devices. For details on the two properties
listed above, refer to General Settings Properties (ControlDesk Platform
Management ).

§ If the Automatic Reconnect feature is enabled for a platform/device and if the

platform/device is in the 'unplugged' state, ControlDesk periodically tries to
re-establish the logical connection for that platform/device.
§ Online calibration is impossible. Offline calibration is possible.
§ Platform/device configuration is possible.

The 'unplugged' platform/device state is indicated by the icon.

Untriggered measurement The measurement of a measurement

raster not started by a platform trigger . The data flow between the dSPACE
real-time hardware or VEOS and the host PC is continuous.

User function An external function or program that is added to the

ControlDesk user interface for quick and easy access during work with
ControlDesk.

User Functions Output A pane that provides access to the output of

external tools added to the Automation ribbon.

Value (variable type) A scalar parameter , as well as the individual

elements of a value block .
Values are represented by the symbol.

Value block A parameter that consists of a 1‑ or 2‑dimensional array of

scalar parameters .
In variable lists, ControlDesk displays entries for the value block itself and for
each array element.
Value blocks are represented by the symbol.

Value conversion The conversion of the original source values of variables

into the corresponding scaled converted values.

Variable Any parameter or measurement variable defined in a variable

description . ControlDesk provides various instruments to visualize variable
values.

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Variable alias An alias name that lets the user control the property of a
segment by a model parameter of a real-time application.

Variable Array An instrument for calibrating parameters and displaying

measurement variable values.
The Variable Array can be used for the following variable types:
§ Measurement ( )
§ Measurement array ( )
§ String ( )
§ Struct ( )
§ Struct array ( )
§ Value ( )
§ Value block ( )

Variable connection The connection of a variable to an instrument .

Via the variable connection, data is exchanged between a variable and the
instrument used to measure or calibrate the variable. In other words, variable
connections are required to visualize variables in instrument.

Variable description A file describing the variables in a simulation

application, which are available for measurement , calibration , and
stimulation .

Variable Filter A variable filter contains the filter configuration of a

combined filter, which is used to filter the variable list in the Variables pane
using a combination of filter conditions.

Variable mapping A concept to decouple the names of variables on the

experiment level (framework labels ) from the names of variables on the
modeling level (testbench labels ). Mapping is achieved by the implementation
of a separate abstraction layer instead of the direct use of model variables
from a variable description (identifier mapping in ASAM XIL). For example,
layouts and instruments can be created based on framework labels,
independently of the variable description.
Mapping information is contained in an XIL mapping file .

Variables pane A pane that provides access to all the variable

descriptions and calculated variables of the currently open experiment .

V‑ECU Abbreviation of virtual ECU.

ECU software that can be executed in a software‑in‑the‑loop
(SIL) testing environment such as a local PC or highly parallel in the cloud
independently of real-time constraints and real ECU hardware.

Vehicle information The ODX database can contain information for one
or more vehicles. Vehicle information data is used for vehicle identification
purposes and for access to vehicles. It references the access paths (logical links)
to the ECUs.

VEOS A simulator which is part of the PC and allows the user to run an
offline simulation application (OSA) without relation to real time.

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VEOS platform A platform that configures and controls the offline simulation
application (OSA) running in VEOS and that also provides access to the
application's environment VPU .

Verbal conversion A conversion in which a conversion table is used to

specify the computation of numerical values into strings. The verbal conversion
table is used when you switch the value representation from source to converted
mode and vice versa.

Verbal conversion range A conversion in which a conversion table is

used to specify the computation of a range of numerical values into strings. The
verbal conversion range table is used when you switch the value representation
from source to converted mode and vice versa.

View set A named configuration of the panes of ControlDesk. A view set

has a default state and a current state that can differ from the default state. The
configuration includes the geometry, visibility, and docking or floating state of
panes.

Visualization The representation of variables in instruments :

§ Measurement variables can be visualized in instruments to view and analyze
their time traces.
§ Calibration parameters can be visualized in instruments to change their
values.

VPU Abbreviation of virtual processing unit. A VPU is part of an offline

simulation application in VEOS. Each VPU runs in a separate process of the PC.
VPU is also the generic term for:
§ V-ECUs
§ Environment VPUs
§ Controller VPUs
§ Bus VPUs

Working area An area of the user interface of ControlDesk where you can
edit documents, such as layouts , Python scripts, or signal description sets .
Each document is displayed on a separate page .

Working data set The data set currently residing in the memory of a
platform/device hardware. There can be only one working data set for each
calibration platform/device. The working data set is read/write.

Working page Memory area containing the parameters of an ECU or

prototyping hardware (memory page ). The working page contains the
read/write working data set .
If the platform/device also provides a reference page , ControlDesk lets you
switch between both pages.

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Writable measurement A scalar variable that can be measured and

calibrated.

XCP Abbreviation of Universal Measurement and Calibration Protocol. A

protocol that is implemented on electronic control units (ECUs) and provides
access to ECUs with measurement and calibration systems (MCS) such as
ControlDesk.
XCP is based on the master-slave principle:
§ The ECU is the slave.
§ The measurement and calibration system is the master.
The “X“ stands for the physical layers for communication between the ECU and
the MCS, such as CAN (Controller Area Network) and Ethernet.
The basic features of XCP are:
§ ECU parameter calibration (CAL)
§ Synchronous data acquisition (DAQ)
§ Synchronous data stimulation (STIM), i.e., for bypassing
§ ECU flash programming (PGM)
The XCP protocol was developed by ASAM e.V. (Association for Standardisation
of Automation and Measuring Systems e.V.). For the protocol specification, refer
to https://www.asam.net.
The following ControlDesk devices support ECUs with an integrated XCP service:
§ XCP on CAN device
§ XCP on Ethernet device

XCP on CAN device A device that provides access to an ECU with XCP
connected to the ControlDesk PC via CAN. Using the XCP on CAN device, you
can access the ECU for measurement and calibration purposes via XCP (Universal
Measurement and Calibration Protocol).
XCP on Ethernet device A device that provides access to an ECU or
V‑ECU with XCP connected to the ControlDesk PC via Ethernet. The XCP
on Ethernet device provides access to the ECU/V-ECU via XCP (Universal
Measurement and Calibration Protocol) for measurement and calibration
purposes.

XIL API EESPort Electrical Error Simulation port (EESPort)

XIL API MAPort platform A platform that provides access to a simulation

platform via the ASAM XIL API implementation that is installed on your host PC.

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 X

XIL mapping file An XML file according to the ASAM XIL standard
that contains, for example, all the information required for variable
mapping (identifier mapping):
§ Framework labels
§ Testbench labels
§ Label mappings
XIL mapping files can be created by different tools in the dSPACE XIL mapping
tool chain, for example, by ConfigurationDesk. In ControlDesk, framework labels
from these files can be used for variable mapping.

XY Plotter A plotter instrument for displaying signals as functions of other

signals.

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 Glossary

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 Index

U
Index
B user interface of ControlDesk 30
basics
operator mode 49 V
operator version 49
view set 45
ribbons 40

C
Common Program Data folder 6, 126
ControlDesk
operator mode 49
Product Support Center 55
customizing the screen arrangement 45

D
demos
basics 58
overview 58
Documents folder 6, 131

F
functionalities
operator mode 50

I
Instrument Selector 33, 137

L
Local Program Data folder 6, 139

M
Measurement Data Pool 36, 140
Messages pane 141

O
operator mode
basics 49
functionalities 50
operator version
basics 49

P
Platforms/Devices pane 145
Product Support Center 55
Project pane 146
Properties pane 146

R
ribbons
basics 40

S
safety precautions 9
starting ControlDesk 26

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 Index

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