LMS Engineering | FlameTrace Combustion Analysis & DAQ

In-Browser Workstation

Experience FlameTrace Live

Interact directly with a live duplicate of FlameTrace's Main Data Window. Scrub through real engine dyno test cell cycles extracted from a high-speed combustion acquisition run, drag interactive measurement cursors, and inspect real-time thermodynamics.

FlameTrace — [Main Data Window - Dyno_Combustion_Run_01.ftd] Offline Playback

Cycle: 1 / 25

Scrub Cycles:

Main Data Window ✕

Page 2 ✕

Time 3 [T] ✕

CA PCYL2 PCYL5 MFB 2 MFB 5

A: 0.0° 68.4 72.1 0.12 0.14

B: 14.0° 73.3 78.3 0.58 0.62

Δ: 14.0° +4.9 +6.2 +0.46 +0.48

First-Law Apparent Heat Release Rate dQ/dθ (J/°CA) Peak dQ/dθ: 142.6 J/°CA @ 6.0° ATDC

PMAX (Cylinder 2) 73.3 bar LPP: 13.0° ATDC

PMAX (Cylinder 5) 78.3 bar LPP: 14.0° ATDC

Gross IMEP (Cyl 2 / 5) 15.16 / 16.13 bar Trapezoidal ∮ P dV

50% Burn Phasing (AI50) 8.5° ATDC Flame Anchor Angle

Burn Duration (AI10-AI90) 35.0° CA Rassweiler-Withrow

Combustion Status FIRING (OK) Misfire: 0.00 | Knock: 0.00

Source: High-Speed Combustion Research Dataset

Mode: Test Cell Combustion Acquisition

Sync: 0.1° / sample (7,200 samp/cycle) | DAQ: Synchronous

Software Architecture

Engineered for Zero-Compromise
Combustion Diagnostics

FlameTrace is a native, high-performance desktop analysis environment engineered in C++17 with time-critical acquisition pipelines, lock-free ring buffers, and mathematically rigorous thermodynamic algorithms.

🔥

First-Law Thermodynamics

Compute apparent heat release rate ($dQ/d\theta$), cumulative heat release ($CHR$), and Mass Fraction Burned ($MFB$) with variable $\gamma(T) = C_p/C_v$ specific heat ratios evaluated via NASA 7-coefficient polynomials. Supports Annand and Woschni convective heat-loss models and absolute pressure pegging (MAP & least-squares polytropic fitting).

🔍 Click to inspect Combustion Math Editor

⚡

Visual Node-Graph Math Channels

Construct arbitrary virtual channels in real time with a modular 22-block visual DSP editor. Wire together arithmetic, Butterworth and bandpass filters, derivatives, integrals, sliding RMS windows, FFTs, logic switches, and lookup tables with zero C++ compilation required.

🔍 Click to inspect Visual Node Graph

📊

Modeless Diagnostic Oscilloscope

Real-time multi-channel oscilloscope featuring analog and digital edge/window triggering, crank-angle domain and time-domain timebases, and interactive dual cursors (A & B) with automatic $\Delta t$, $\Delta V$, $\Delta\theta$, and frequency readouts. Runs modelessly without interrupting background data streams.

🔍 Click to inspect Oscilloscope Window

⚙️

Arbitrary Function Generator & Trigger Simulator

Drive 2 high-speed analog outputs (up to 250 kS/s) and 8 digital lines. Generate standard waveforms or synthesize realistic crank trigger wheels (60-2, 36-1, 12-1, 24X) for Variable Reluctance (VR) and Hall effect sensors with dynamic RPM sweeps and fault injection.

🔍 Click to inspect Function Generator

🔌

CAN Bus Logging & DBC/J1939 Decoding

Seamlessly interface with Kvaser, ECOM USB-CAN, and SLCAN hardware. Load industry-standard Vector DBC database files to unpack Intel/Motorola CAN frames and log ECU parameters (spark timing, lambda, manifold pressure, throttle angle) synchronized cycle-by-cycle with in-cylinder combustion data.

🔍 Click to inspect CAN Diagnostics

📁

Universal Test Cell Data Interoperability

Drop FlameTrace into existing test cell ecosystems without friction. FlameTrace natively imports and exports high-speed binary combustion datasets, crank-angle resolved time-series, and engineering CSV telemetry, ensuring complete bi-directional compatibility with testbed data pipelines.

🔍 Click to inspect Main Workbench

Acquisition Hardware

FlameTrace DAQ
High-Speed Precision

The FlameTrace DAQ is a custom, laboratory-grade data acquisition engine engineered specifically for high-speed in-cylinder combustion pressure recording and crank-angle synchronization.

True 1.0 MS/s Simultaneous Sampling: Dedicated 8-ADC architecture acquires all 8 differential channels simultaneously with zero inter-channel skew.
20-bit True ADC Resolution: Over 1,000,000 discrete quantization levels deliver an 88 µV RMS noise floor and >100 dB CMRR.
1.3 MHz Analog Bandwidth: Resolves sharp pre-ignition pressure spikes, flame front shockwaves, and acoustic detonation ringing (5–30 kHz).
Four 32-bit 100 MHz Hardware Counters: 10 ns timing resolution provides 0.1° crank-angle tracking up to 15,000+ RPM.
16 Multi-Logic Digital I/O (PFI): Software-selectable 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V, and 5V LVCMOS with 10 MHz waveform capability.
2 High-Speed Analog Outputs: 16-bit DACs at 250 kS/s with 16k onboard FIFO for autonomous sensor excitation and trigger synthesis.
SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C): Bus-powered DMA streaming over 8 dedicated hardware signal pipes for continuous, drop-free acquisition.

Configure Your System

FLAMETRACE DAQ — BNC BREAKOUT

USB 3.2 BUS POWERED

AI 1Diff In

AI 2Diff In

AI 3Diff In

AI 4Diff In

AI 5Diff In

AI 6Diff In

AI 7Diff In

AI 8Diff In

AO 1250 kS/s

AO 2250 kS/s

DIO 1Crank/Ctr0

DIO 2Cam/Ctr1

DIO 3VVT/Ctr2

DIO 4Aux/Ctr3

● 8× AI (1 MS/s 20-bit) ● 2× AO (16-bit) ● 16× DIO / 4× Timers

Tight Hardware-Software Lockstep

FlameTrace features an interactive DAQ Faceplate dialog in the software that visually mirrors the physical BNC breakout jacks. Simply click any connector to inspect its real-time signal stream, calibrate charge amplifier gains, or route timing triggers.

🔍 Click to inspect DAQ Breakout Panel

Specifications

Technical Specifications

Comprehensive hardware and software specifications for the FlameTrace combustion analysis system.

Subsystem	Parameter	Specification
Analog Input (AI)	Architecture	Dedicated 8-ADC simultaneous architecture
	Channel Count	8 Differential (true simultaneous) or 16 Single-Ended (scanned)
	ADC Resolution	20 bits (>1,000,000 discrete codes)
	Max Sample Rate	1.0 MS/s per channel (all 8 differential channels concurrently)
	Input Voltage Ranges	Software-selectable: ±10 V, ±5 V, ±2.5 V, ±0.2 V
	Small-Signal Bandwidth	1.3 MHz (-3 dB on ±10V / ±5V / ±2.5V ranges), 360 kHz (±0.2V)
	Common-Mode Rejection (CMRR)	100 dB (DC to 60 Hz)
	Input Impedance & Protection	>10 GΩ in parallel with 35 pF; ±30 V active overvoltage protection
Timing & Counters	Counters / Timers	4 General-Purpose 32-bit hardware counters/timers
	Base Clock Rate	100 MHz internal timebase (10 ns resolution, 50 ppm accuracy)
	Crank Angle Resolution	Down to 0.1° Crank Angle (7,200 samples/cycle) up to 15,000+ RPM
	Supported Trigger Wheels	60-2, 36-1, 12-1, 24X, and uniform optical/magnetic pulse wheels
Analog Output (AO)	Channels & Resolution	2 Channels, 16-bit DAC resolution
	Update Rate & Output Range	250 kS/s simultaneous hardware update; ±10 V bipolar range
	Waveform Modes & FIFO	16,383-sample FIFO; autonomous periodic waveform & trigger synthesis
Digital I/O (PFI)	Channels	16 High-Speed Digital Lines (individually programmable input/output)
	Logic Families	Software-selectable: 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V, 5.0 V LVCMOS
	Waveform Digital I/O	Up to 10 MHz sample clock with programmable hardware glitch filters
Host Interconnect	Bus Interface	SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB Type-C)
	Data Streaming	8 dedicated hardware DMA signal streaming channels
	Power Source	USB bus-powered (no external power brick required)
Software Environment	Architecture	Native Windows (x64) C++17 / Qt with real-time acquisition thread
	File Interoperability	Universal high-speed binary and CSV testbed dataset read/write compatibility
	Thermodynamic Models	First Law HRR, Rassweiler-Withrow MFB, NASA polynomials, Annand/Woschni
	CAN Bus Support	Kvaser, ECOM USB-CAN, SLCAN; Vector DBC and SAE J1939 decoding

FlameTrace
Combustion, simplified

Experience FlameTrace Live