Conversion of big files to "*.mat" format

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AGo
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Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:33 pm

Conversion of big files to "*.mat" format

Post by AGo »

We used a PS6403 in the streaming mode to record more than 300 MS (megasamples). The *.psdata files (single channel, single waveform) are heavier than 90MB (up to 550MB).

ISSUES :
- PicoScope 6.4.64 converts a big *.psdata file into a single *.mat file, with a size up to the computer capacity (generally half of the RAM memory). If the file is big, only part of it will be converted.
- Being able to load the *.mat file in MATLAB depends on the *.mat file size with respect to the RAM memory size of the computer.

INFO :
The conversion with PicoScope 6.4.64 to *.mat files enlarges the file size by a factor ~10.

The loaded array of a *.mat file in MATLAB 7.4.0(R2007a) needs twice as much memory space as the file size. MATLAB cannot load *.mat files bigger than a fourth of the RAM memory.

For example,
recording 25 MS
->"file.PSDATA" = 10MB
-> "file_converted.mat" = 100MB
-> 1col_array = 200MB of memory.

REQUEST :
- To analyse big *.psdata files, it would be needed in PicoScope to convert a *.psdata file into several splitted *.mat files of user-specified size.

We would greatly appreciate your help.

ziko
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Re: Conversion of big files to "*.mat" format

Post by ziko »

Hi thank you for your suggestion.

From what I can understand the issue is not with PicoScope its just that the file is so large that matlab cannot open it fully.

The mat lab binary format is available freely and can be split if you wrote your own software.

I have relayed your suggestion though.

Kind regards
Ziko

Technical Specialist

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