The Signal Counter node counts bars with a signal (or without one) over a number of bars, and signals once the count is reached.
“Signal” here means any condition, not only a trade signal. For example: has the Stochastics been overbought or oversold for at least 5 bars? On a Renko chart, have there been at least 3 pullback bars? Are 3 or more of the last 20 bars touching a moving average? The Long and Short sides are counted separately.
Properties tab
The essential settings for the node.
Modifiers
Buttons for the most common output modifiers. They change only the selected instance of a node on a Logic Board, so they appear only when a node is selected there, not when a solver is selected in the Solvers panel. That keeps the solver’s original output unchanged everywhere else it’s used, much like changing an SMA’s plot color on one chart leaves it unchanged on your other charts.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable | Turns the node on or off. When it’s off, the node is left out of the system’s calculations. It still looks connected on the Logic Board, but it’s ignored. |
| Invert | Inverts the node’s output. The same calculation as the Inverter function node, without its extra options. |
| Swap | Swaps the outputs: Long becomes Short and Short becomes Long. The same as the Long/Short Modifier function node with Mode: Swap. |
Properties
This node’s settings apply to this node only. Unlike a solver, which can be used in several places with shared Global Properties, each of these nodes is a single, independent node.
Options
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Counting What | Signals: bars whose input is at or above the Signal Threshold. Non Signals: bars whose input is below it. All Bars: every bar. Use it to create a signal a number of bars after a reset. |
| Counting Up To | How many to count within the Lookback Period before the node signals. For example, 3 for “3 or more touches of the moving average in the last 20 bars”. |
| Lookback Period | How many bars to count over. For example, on a 1 minute chart, to find a third CCI cross within 30 minutes, set 30. |
| Signal Threshold | The smallest input value that counts as a signal. |
Reset
A reset sets the count back to zero. For example, counting over the last 10 bars, a reset 5 bars back restarts the count there, as if counting only the last 5 bars.
Reset On
Which signals reset (turn off) the node: signals at its Input connector, at its separate Reset connector, or both. Tick as many as you need, and untick any you don’t use so the node isn’t reset by accident.
As everywhere in BloodHound, the Long output and the Short output are reset separately: a Long reset signal resets only the Long side. The “Opposite” options are the exception that crosses over, letting a Short signal reset the Long side and vice versa.
| Option | Resets the node when… |
|---|---|
| Input Signal | A Long signal at the Input connector resets the Long output’s calculation; a Short signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Input No Signal | A bar with no Long signal at the Input resets the Long output’s calculation; a bar with no Short signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Reset Signal | A Long signal at the Reset connector resets the Long output’s calculation; a Short signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Reset No Signal | A bar with no Long signal at the Reset connector resets the Long output’s calculation; a bar with no Short signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Input Opposite Signal | Crosses over: a Short signal at the Input resets the Long output’s calculation, and a Long signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Input Opposite No Signal | A bar with no Short signal at the Input resets the Long output’s calculation; a bar with no Long signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Reset Opposite Signal | A Short signal at the Reset connector resets the Long output’s calculation; a Long signal resets the Short output’s. |
| Reset Opposite No Signal | A bar with no Short signal at the Reset connector resets the Long output’s calculation; a bar with no Long signal resets the Short output’s. |
Output
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Output Style | Digital: the output stays at Value At Zero Count until the count is reached, then becomes Value if Counted. Analog: the output rises with the count. With Counting Up To at 3 and Value if Counted at 1: 0.33 after the first, 0.67 after the second, 1 after the third. |
| Value At Zero Count | The output when nothing has been counted in the Lookback Period, and after a reset. |
| Value if Counted | The output once the count is reached. |
Options tab
Secondary settings shared by all nodes.
Weight
Changes the node’s final output value. Only needed when designing a fuzzy logic system, or a fuzzy logic part of a system.
How Weight works
Weight changes only the selected instance of a node on a Logic Board. So the controls appear only when a node is selected there, not when a solver is selected in the Solvers panel: a solver’s original output can’t be changed globally.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Multiply Output | Multiplies the node’s internal Long and Short values (set by the Output Rules on the Properties tab) by this number. The final output still can’t go above 1 (see Slider). |
| Slider | Limits the final output to between 0 and 1. The left handle sets a minimum output, given whether or not the condition is true. The right handle sets the maximum; the output is capped there. |
| Hedge Operation | Applies a formula to the internal value. None: unchanged. Very: squares it (value²). Somewhat: takes the square root (√value). |
Example: two out of three
Three solvers check three indicator conditions, but only two need to be true. Connect them to an Additive logic node and set each solver’s maximum (the slider’s right handle) to 0.5. When any two are true, the Additive node adds 0.5 + 0.5 + 0 = 1, which means the two-out-of-three condition is met.
Description
Free text for describing what the node does or what it’s for. The Description is shared by every instance of the node, unlike Weight, which is set per instance.
Help tab
Shows this page for the selected node, inside BloodHound. Click the node’s image at the top of the page to open it in a bigger window. The built-in web viewer needs NinjaTrader 8.0.26.0 or newer.
Example video
A simple example from the weekly workshop, May 4, 2023 (from 3:00).