01 / OFFICIAL PATH
Export from catman
HBK lists data export from catman into ASCII, Excel, DIAdem, MATLAB, NI TDMS, nCode, MDF, and other engineering formats. For a user with a suitable catman installation, the official export route is a sensible baseline because the file can be reviewed before conversion and the export configuration can be documented.
CSV is part of the broader delimited-text or ASCII workflow. Before relying on an export, record the delimiter, decimal separator, header-row layout, time column, encoding, and representation of missing values. Those choices determine whether another tool reads the result consistently.
02 / PYTHON
Read with APReader, then write CSV
The community-maintained apread package reads catmanAP binary files
into Python as channels and groups. Its current README states that saving and
post-processing functions were removed, so CSV layout and writing remain the
responsibility of your own code. This gives flexibility, but it also means your
team owns compatibility checks, schema decisions, error handling, and tests.
Start with a representative file and compare channel names, lengths, units, and timestamps against a trusted catman view or official export. See the APReader guide for a minimal read example.
03 / SCALE
One file versus batch conversion
| Concern | Single file | Batch workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Review | Manual channel check is practical | Automated inventory and exceptions are needed |
| Schema | Can be decided for one file | Must handle channel changes across runs |
| Failures | Visible immediately | Need per-file status and a processing report |
| Reproducibility | Record export settings | Version configuration and conversion code |
| Validation | Spot-check output | Automate counts, lengths, units, and timestamps |
A batch process should never reduce a failed or ambiguous file to a silent empty CSV. Keep source filenames or stable run identifiers in the processing report, separate warnings from successful outputs, and make reruns deterministic.
04 / ENGINEERING CONTEXT
Why units and metadata matter
Numeric samples without engineering context are easy to misuse. At minimum, decide how the CSV workflow carries channel name, physical unit, acquisition start, sample interval or time column, and any calibration or sensor context your analysis requires. A wide CSV may be convenient when channels share a time base; separate tables can be safer when they do not.
Design decision
A CSV file has no universal convention for engineering metadata. Preserve context in headers, a companion manifest, or another documented structure.
05 / TIME DOMAINS
Do not assume one shared time column
A measurement can contain channels sampled at different rates. APReader describes grouping channels by data length and associating each group with a recognized time channel. Whether using catman or Python, inspect the available time channels before flattening data into CSV. Padding, interpolation, resampling, or separate outputs are analytical choices—not neutral formatting operations.
06 / INTEGRITY
Check for incomplete or truncated data
In one internal technical proof-of-concept, a partially incomplete BIN file could still be read by a parser while some channels contained fewer samples than expected. This observation does not show that all catman BIN files behave this way and does not imply a defect in catman.
When building conversion workflows, validating channel lengths can help detect potentially incomplete data.
- Compare sample counts for channels expected to share a time domain.
- Check each channel against its associated time channel.
- Flag unexpected zero-length or unusually short channels.
- Keep warnings in a report instead of silently filling or dropping data.
07 / CHECKLIST
A practical conversion sequence
- Preserve the original BIN file and identify the generating catman version.
- Inventory channels, data types, units, and time domains.
- Define CSV shape, delimiter, encoding, and metadata representation.
- Convert one representative file and compare it with a trusted reference.
- Add channel-length and time-domain checks before scaling to a batch.
- Produce an output manifest with successes, warnings, and failures.
EARLY-ACCESS RESEARCH
Working with catman BIN files regularly?
BIN Bridge is an early-stage, planned concept for local batch processing, metadata preservation, and integrity checks. Compatibility is still being studied; no converter is available yet.
Join Early AccessSOURCES