Manfred Weber
Metra Mess- und Frequenztechnik in Radebeul e.K.
PC Vibration Measurement System VibroMetra

FFT Settings

 
You can configure FFT parameters manually in all FFT modes except the automatic mode. The FFT control
panel is composed of three areas:
  • Signal configuration in time domain (previous to FFT)
  • Signal configuration in frequency domain (after FFT)
  • Process data (shows how the analysis is working internally)
FFT Settings
1

Time window

 
1. Time window
 
The signal in time domain is divided into fixed time segments. Such a segment is transformed into the frequency range. The longer the time segment, the finer the resolution in frequency domain. VM-FFT always uses real measurement data and does not artificially extend with zeros (Zero pad).
2

Windowing function

 
2. Windowing function
 
An FFT is exact for discrete frequencies only. Usually, the frequencies in the measurement signal do not correspond to these discrete frequencies. As a result, there is so called leakage. To extenuate this effect, windowing functions are used. Common windowing functions are:
Rectangle
For analyzing shocks
Hann
For analyzing frequencies
Flattop
For analyzing magnitudes
Note: The windowing function "Hann" is also known as "Hanning". Actually it has been named after the mathematician Julius von Hann, so that "Hann" is the correct name.
3

Overlapping

 
3. Overlapping
 
The FFT can take over the different time segments successively without interruption or with an overlap. The percentage Overlapping indicates how much two successive time segments overlap. The more the time segments overlap, the more FFTs are generated in the same time - without a decrease in frequency resolution. Thus it is easier to monitor dynamic processes, for instance the start of an engine.
4

Frequency range to be analyzed

 
4. Frequency range to be analyzed
 
You can enter a frequency range for the analysis. The measurement chart will only show values from within this range. The FFT can be carried out with a lower CPU load when entering a lower frequency range. Furthermore, the frequency range is used as a parameter for the bandpass filter of analog trigger sources.
5

Number of FFTs

 
5. Number of FFTs
Determines the number of FFTs to be displayed on the desktop. The more FFTs the longer the measurement.
6

FFT process data

 
6. FFT process data
In this area, you can read of internal parameters of the FFT which result from the selected settings. This process data is for information only.