Panther – Field Data Vibration Test Replication Software
Panther Field Data Replication Control delivers precision and performance in time-domain waveform...
Spectral Dynamics · for Panther and Lynx controllers
WaveGen: design the signal. Panther plays it.
WaveGen turns any waveform you can describe into a stream file that Panther or Lynx plays through the Analyzer or Replication: sweeps and chirps, shaped random, gated bursts, and time histories built to a standard.
Sine
Swept sine
Sine chirp
Random
Square
Triangle
Pulse / burst
On/off gating
Why it matters
The signals test modes don't cover
A controller's built-in modes cover the common cases. Real programs keep producing the others: a sweep with gated bursts, a random with a shape no menu offers, a drive signal for a component test, a repeatable reference for a fixture study.
Without WaveGen
Script, export, convert, hope
Sample rate, scaling and file format are each a chance to get it wrong. Often the first sign is what the shaker does.
With WaveGen
Defined, written, verified, plotted
The signal is set in engineering units, written in the exact format Panther reads, read back to verify it, and shown before it is played.
A signal generator for Panther
Eleven signal types, one file format
| Type | What you set |
|---|---|
| Sine | Amplitude, frequency, offset, phase |
| Swept sine | Linear (Hz/s) or log (oct/min); up, down or up-and-back; phase-continuous |
| Sine chirp | A linear chirp in every block |
| Random | Level rms, band, shape, seed, peak clipping |
| Pseudo random | Every line of the block, for leakage-free analysis |
| Triangle, square | Duty cycle; band-limited edges that don't alias |
| DC, ramp | A level, or a ramp then hold or repeat |
| Pulse / burst | Triangle, sine or haversine; ramped cycles; wavelet envelope |
| Gunfire | MIL-STD-810H 519.8 Procedure III |
Shape it further
Then make it yours
- Random spectrum shapes: flat, fall, rise, band, or your own from a two-column frequency/level text file.
- Amplitude sweep on any type, linear or in dB per second.
- On/off gating with linear, sine or sine-squared tapers.
- Engineering units: enter g, in/s or any unit with its sensitivity; WaveGen writes the volts.
- Guarded: frequencies checked against bandwidth, sweeps and ramps checked to finish, and a warning before any drive peak above 10 V.
- Reproducible: the same seed and settings give the same file, so a retest uses exactly the same signal.
How it works
From idea to verified file
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Choose the player
Panther or Lynx, and the test's sample rate.
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Define the signal
A type and its fields, or the gunfire Setup.
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Generate
Written with Panther's code, read back with Panther's reader.
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Look
The plot shows the file itself.
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Play
Stream output in the Analyzer, or reference in Replication.
Gunfire with no field data
MIL-STD-810H 519.8, Procedure III, from tables to time history
When materiel sits near an aircraft gun and nothing has been measured, the standard asks for a spectrum predicted from charts and equations, then a time history built from it and checked. By hand that takes days and leaves no trail. WaveGen does the first three steps in minutes and writes the file for the fourth.
predicted spectrum · F-16 / M61A1 · 6000 rds/min · 1 m from the muzzlefrom a WaveGen example report
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Predict
Pick the aircraft or pod; the gun, firing rate and guns fill from the tables. Enter the installation. Annex C's spectrum plots as you type.
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Generate
A Random Modulated Harmonic Pulse at the firing rate, corrected until it matches the prediction, cut into bursts with rests.
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Check and analyze
§4.2.3: every pulse within 2.5 % of the period, spectrum within ±3 dB (WaveGen aims for ±1). Then the Step 3 design analysis.
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Replay
In Replication as Procedure I, with the number of plays per axis the report gives.
The standard calls Procedure III a last resort built on 1970s data. WaveGen says so at the top of every report, requires a written rationale before it accepts a margin, marks any chart reading the analyst overrides, and lists every decision it made where the standard is silent. See how Replication runs and scores the test on the gunfire shock page.
Gunfire with no field data: predicted spectrum and time history
MIL-STD-810H Method 519.8, Procedure III, Steps 1 and 2 · F-16 with its M61A1 at 6000 rds/min; materiel 1 m from the muzzle
| §4.2.3 | Requirement | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a. Time | every pulse within 2.5 % of the firing period | 6000 pulses of 655–656 samples: worst 0.098 % | PASS |
| the signal repeats at the firing rate | 100.0000 Hz, 0.000 % from F1 | PASS | |
| b. Freq. | broadband within ±3 dB | −0.19 to +0.18 dB over 459 lines | PASS |
| peaks F1–F4: band power within ±3 dB | +0.00 dB each | PASS | |
| Paragraph 4.2.3 (also within SD's ±1 dB target) | PASS | ||
| Read back | Verified with Panther reader: 19232 blocks, 300.5 s |
| Structure | 30 bursts of 200 pulses (2 s), each followed by 8 s of rest |
| Replication | repeat the file 22 times per axis |
Excerpt from a WaveGen example report (development build).
The report
Every number, and where it came from
Each gunfire file comes with a self-contained HTML report beside it. It opens in any browser and prints cleanly to PDF for a test plan or a customer submission.
- About this prediction: when Procedure III applies, and its limits.
- Gun and installation: every input, with its table.
- Equations C-1 and C-2: every chart reading and dB term, the figure it came from, and whether the analyst entered it.
- Predicted levels and the target spectrum plot.
- §4.2.3 acceptance table with PASS or FAIL per requirement.
- The file: read-back, burst structure, repeat count for Replication.
- Generated vs predicted spectrum overlaid.
- Step 3 design analysis and how every number was obtained.
Beside it: the predicted spectrum and design analysis as CSV, and a JSON file with the pulse timing a Procedure I tolerance check needs.
Who it's for
For the test that isn't in the menu
Test engineers
A signal no standard test mode produces, built in minutes.
Replication users
A clean, documented reference file in engineering units.
R&D and fixture work
Repeatable sweeps, chirps and pseudo random for transfer functions.
Defense and aerospace labs
A 519.8 gunfire requirement with no measured data.
Questions
Frequently asked
Which controllers play WaveGen files?
Panther and Lynx. Files play as stream output in the Analyzer or as a reference in Replication.
Can WaveGen create MIL-STD-810H gunfire time histories?
Yes. For Method 519.8 Procedure III it predicts the Annex C spectrum, generates and checks the time history against paragraph 4.2.3, and writes a report with every number and where it came from.
Are WaveGen files reproducible?
Yes. The same seed and settings give the same file, so a retest uses exactly the same signal.
How does WaveGen protect the hardware?
Frequencies are checked against bandwidth, sweeps and ramps are checked to finish, and WaveGen warns before any drive peak above 10 V.
If you can describe it, Panther can play it.
WaveGen works with Spectral Dynamics Panther and Lynx controllers.
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