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RSS FeedsData Acquisition > USB In my previous post about hooking COM ports I described how it’s achieved and why a manufacturer might want to do it. I hinted that a particular advantage of an instrument that hooks a COM port is to allow simple communication using a terminal emulator. Briefly, a terminal emulator is software Read More
DATAQ Instruments Application Notes and News
Minimize Data Loss in the Event of a Crash or Power Failure
In the world of PC based data acquisition, data loss is always a concern. Despite precautions, hard drives crash and power failures happen. However, there are some simple steps that you can take to minimize data loss. In locations where power outages are common, you might consider an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Make sure that Read More
Hooking COM Ports
This post isn’t about angling for fish called Com Ports, nor is it about any kind of lurid Com Port activity. It’s about how some contemporary USB-based instruments use a traditional device at the software level to provide a lot of programming flexibility. Plain and simple, the phrase COM port refers to a serial port Read More
Smart Phone vs. Dumb Phone
Data Acquisition > Products or Data Logger > Products I recently took the plunge and bought a “smart” phone. For 5 or 6 years, I was perfectly happy with my “dumb” phone. Granted, you can’t surf the web on a dumb phone; you can’t play Angry Birds, scan a QR code, or pull up a Read More
Using Analog Inputs as Digital Inputs
Data Acquisition > Software > WinDaq We’re often asked how to best measure a discrete input with an analog data acquisition system. Many of our products provide discrete (digital) input ports that can be read with WinDaq data acquisition software, but sometimes it’s better to acquire the discrete input along with the analog data through Read More
Frequency Measurements, Part 3 of 3
Data Acquisition > Starter Kits This final installment describes a ratiometric approach to frequency measurement used by the DI-149 and DI-155 data acquisition starter kits that resolves the problems encountered by pure analog and other digital techniques. As a recap, pure analog approaches will not allow very low frequency measurements, and although typical digital approaches Read More
Frequency Measurements, Part 2 of 3
Data Acquisition > Starter Kits In Frequency Measurements Part 1, I described why you might need to include frequency as part of a complete data acquisition or data logger measurement. In this part I’ll explain how a data acquisition or logger system typically makes a frequency measurement and point out the pitfalls of each approach. Read More
Frequency Measurements, Part 1 of 3
Data Acquisition > Starter Kits Since our newest data acquisition starter kit (DI-149) supports a frequency measurement function I thought I’d burn a few posts to talk about that feature in general terms. In this first part I’ll talk about where frequency measurements are typically encountered with examples of the specific information that can be Read More
First Impressions of the DI-149 Data Acquisition Starter-Kit
Data Acquisition > Starter Kits > DI-149 At first glance, the DI-149 looks very similar to the DI-145, DATAQ’s entry-level starter kit, released earlier this year. A closer look reveals much more. The DI-149 includes eight, fixed-differential analog inputs, four digital outputs a rate channel and a counter channel. Much more robust than its predecessor, Read More
Strain Gage Module Functionality Testing
Data Acquisition > Mixed Measurements > DI-718B Strain gage modules are used in data acquisition products to provide a supply (excitation) voltage to strain gage-based transducers and to amplify the output, which is then passed on to a data acquisition instrument such as the DATAQ Instruments DI-718B. Often, when a test engineer or maintenance technician Read More