National Instruments Corporation 1 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual

The purpose of a Data Acquisition system is to measure a physical phenomenon

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The purpose of a Data Acquisition system is to measure a physical phenomenon
such as light, temperature, pressure, sound, etc. The building blocks of a Data
Acquisition system are as follows:
Transducer
Signal
Signal Conditioning eXtensions for Instrumentation (SCXI)
Data Acquisition (DAQ) device
Driver level and application level software
These five building blocks allow you to bring the physical phenomena you want to
measure into your computer for analysis and presentation. In the following pages,
we will discuss each one of these blocks individually to give you knowledge of each
building block, and how they fit together to make up your Data Acquisition system.
Definition for DAQ
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Definition for DAQ
In our discussion of transducers, you will learn what a transducer does, and what
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In our discussion of transducers, you will learn what a transducer does, and what
types of transducers to use for measuring the following physical phenomena:
Temperature
Light
Sound
Force
Pressure
Position
Fluid flow
pH levels
The purpose of a transducer is to convert a physical phenomena (light, temperature,
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The purpose of a transducer is to convert a physical phenomena (light, temperature,
pressure, position, sound, etc.) into a measurable electrical signal, such as voltage or
current.
Transducers exist for a variety of applications from measuring temperature to
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Transducers exist for a variety of applications from measuring temperature to
pressure to fluid flow. The above list is only a sample of the types of transducers that
exist and the types of applications they can be used for. If you have a physical
phenomena to measure, a transducer probably exists to measure it. For more
information on transducers and where to get them please visit
http://www.ni.com/sensors
Different transducers have different requirements for converting a physical
phenomena into a measurable signal. For instance, a Resistance Temperature
Detector (RTD) needs an excitation current in order to measure the temperature. A
thermocouple doesnt need any sort of excitation current, but it does need cold
junction compensation. Strain gages use a configuration of resistors called a
Wheatstone Bridge to measure strain.
With the help of a transducer we have converted a physical phenomena (light,
National Instruments Corporation 7 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
With the help of a transducer we have converted a physical phenomena (light,
temperature, pressure, sound, etc.) into a signal. Not all signals are measured in the
same manner, so we will need to learn how to categorize our signal as one of two
types:
Digital
Analog
Once we have categorized our signal we need to figure out what type of information
we want out of that signal. The possible types of information we can obtain from a
signal are:
State
Rate
Level
Shape
Frequency
The next section will discuss all five types of information that can be obtained from
a signal and give real world examples.
Note: Our discussion of signals assumes that we are acquiring the signal. However,
most of the points apply to generating a signal as well. The only exception being
that you dont need to do analysis to generate a signal with a specific frequency.
A signal can fall into one of two categories:
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A signal can fall into one of two categories:
Digital
Analog
Next we will see what makes a signal either digital or analog. We will also see how
the distinction of either digital or analog affects the way we will measure our signal.
Unlike a digital signal, an analog signal can be at any voltage level with respect to
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Unlike a digital signal, an analog signal can be at any voltage level with respect to
time. Since an analog signal can be at any state at any time, the physical quantities
we want to measure differ from those of a digital signal. We can measure the level,
shape, or frequency of an analog signal.
As we just learned, we can measure three quantities of an analog signal: level,
National Instruments Corporation 10 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
As we just learned, we can measure three quantities of an analog signal: level,
shape, and frequency. We will go through these options one by one.
Level
Measuring the level of an analog signal is similar to measuring the state of a digital
signal. The only difference is that an analog signal can be at any voltage state,
whereas a digital signal can only be at one of two states.
Shape
Because analog signals can be at any state with respect to time, the shape of the
signal is often important. For instance, a sine wave has a different shape than a
sawtooth wave. Measuring the shape of a signal opens the door to further analysis
on the signal itself such as peak values, slope, integration, etc.
Frequency
Measuring the frequency of an analog signal is similar to measuring the rate of a
digital signal. However, you cannot directly measure the frequency of an analog
signal. Software analysis of the signal is required to extract the frequency
information. The analysis is usually done by an algorithm called a Fourier
Transform.
Lets look at some real world examples of measuring the level of an analog signal.
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Lets look at some real world examples of measuring the level of an analog signal.
Normally when we measure the level of a signal, the signal does not change much
with respect to time. However, we usually need to measure the signal with a high
level of accuracy. Using a variety of different transducers we could measure the
voltage of a power supply, the temperature of a mixing tank, the pressure inside a
hose, or the load on a piece of machinery, just to name a few.
Next let us examine some examples of measuring the shape of an analog signal.
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Next let us examine some examples of measuring the shape of an analog signal.
Most signals that we are interested in measuring the shape of change rapidly with
respect to time. We also need a high level of accuracy in how we measure the
signal. Examples of measuring shape range are abundant in the fields of medicine,
electronics, and automotive, and range from measuring a heartbeat to a video signal
to the vibration of a spring. Once we have acquired the signal we can then analyze
it to extract the specific information we need about the shape. For instance when
you are measuring a blood pressure you are concerned with the peak value, whereas
with RC Circuit response you are more concerned with how the amplitude varies
over time.
Now we will examine some examples of measuring the frequency of a signal. When
National Instruments Corporation 13 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
Now we will examine some examples of measuring the frequency of a signal. When
we measure the frequency of a signal we do not need to acquire the signal as quickly
as we do when we measure shape. However, we still need a good deal of accuracy.
We also need some form of software analysis to convert the time signal we have
acquired into a frequency signal. This is usually done in the form of a Fourier
Transform. Examples of measuring frequency can be found in a variety of fields
such as geophysical studies, acoustics, and telecom, and range from measuring an
earthquake to speech analysis as show above.
A digital signal has only two possible states: ON or OFF. ON is also called high
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A digital signal has only two possible states: ON or OFF. ON is also called high
logic and OFF is also called low logic. Digital signals are often referred to as a TTL
(Transistor-to-Transistor Logic) signal. The specifications for a TTL signal state
that a voltage level between 0 - 0.8 Volts it is considered low logic, and a voltage
level between 2 - 5 Volts is considered high logic. Most digital devices in industry
accept a TTL compatible signal.
Since a digital signal only has two states, we can only measure two quantities of a
digital signal: state or rate. The following pages will discuss measuring state and
rate as well as give some real world examples of both.
As we learned earlier, we can measure two quantities of a digital signal: state or rate.
National Instruments Corporation 15 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
As we learned earlier, we can measure two quantities of a digital signal: state or rate.
We will discuss these options one by one.
State
A digital signal only has two possible states: ON or OFF. Thus one of the quantities
of a digital signal we can measure is whether the state is ON or OFF.
Rate
A digital signal also changes state with respect to time. Therefore, the other quantity
of a digital signal we can measure is the rate, or in other words how the digital
signal changes states with respect to time.
Let us consider a real world example of measuring the state of a digital signal.
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Let us consider a real world example of measuring the state of a digital signal.
Assume we have a switch that we want to monitor. Lets say our switch turns a light
on and off. As we can see above, when the switch is open we are going to measure 0
Volts (OFF). When the switch is closed we are going to measure 5 Volts (ON). By
measuring the state of the digital signal we can tell if our light is on or off.
Now lets look at a real world example for measuring the rate of a digital signal.
National Instruments Corporation 17 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
Now lets look at a real world example for measuring the rate of a digital signal.
Assume we have a motor and we want to tell how fast the shaft of the motor is
spinning. We will use an encoder to convert the rotary motion of the shaft into a
digital signal. When an encoder rotates it produces two digital signals. Each digital
signal is a series of alternating ON and OFF states otherwise known as a pulse train.
For each increment of rotation we will get a pulse. The increment of rotation
depends on the encoder. For instance, the DAQ Signal Accessory that is used with
the course has an encoder that gives 24 pulses/revolution. We can then measure the
rate of one of the pulse trains to determine how fast the shaft is rotating.
Note: We could measure both pulse trains to determine the direction that the shaft
was rotating as well as how fast. We will discuss encoders later in this course.
Now that we have learned the five different types of information that we can extract
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Now that we have learned the five different types of information that we can extract
from a signal we will take a look at deriving all five types of information from the
same signal. Let us look at a pulse train. If we treat our signal as a digital signal,
we can measure the state of the signal as either ON or OFF, and the rate at which are
states are changing. If we treat our signal as an analog signal we can measure the
level of the signal at any point in time, the shape of the signal as it rises or falls from
one state to another, and we can determine the frequency of the signal through
software analysis. Measuring both state and level may seem redundant, however the
two measurements are different. When we measure the state we only know if the
signal is ON of OFF. As we learned earlier, ON can be a range from 2 - 5 Volts and
OFF can be a range from 0 - 0.8 Volts. By measuring the level of our signal we can
determine the exact voltage of our signal. Frequency and rate are also very similar.
However, the difference here is that when we measure rate we are measuring how
often a portion of our signal occurs. For instance we can count the number of rising
edges as shown above. When we measure the frequency of a signal, we are getting
the frequency content of our signal. We need to perform analysis such as an FFT to
accomplish a frequency measurement. As we will learn later, we can accomplish all
five of these measurements using a DAQ device and LabVIEW. We will now do an
exercise that will measure all five types of information in our signal.
In this exercise, the students will open a pre-built LabVIEW VI and study the state, rate, level,
shape, and frequency of a signal.
National Instruments Corporation 19 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
shape, and frequency of a signal.
We have now taken our physical phenomena, converted it into a signal with our
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We have now taken our physical phenomena, converted it into a signal with our
transducer, and decided the type information in our signal we want to measure.
However, it is not always possible to connect our signal directly to our Data
Acquisition device. We might need to alter the signal to make it suitable for our
Data Acquisition device to measure. We can alter our signal with signal
conditioning hardware. National Instruments main signal conditioning product line
is referred to by the acronym SCXI which stands for Signal Conditioning eXtensions
for Instrumentation. For more information on National Instruments SCXI products
as well as other signal conditioning hardware please visit http://www.ni.com/sigcon
In the following section we will discuss the purpose of signal conditioning, and the
following common types of signal conditioning:
Amplification
Excitation
Linearization
Isolation
Filtering
As we learned in our discussion of transducers, most transducers need some sort of
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As we learned in our discussion of transducers, most transducers need some sort of
external hardware in order to perform their job. For instance, RTDs need excitation
current, and strain gages need a configuration of resistors called a Wheatstone
bridge.
In addition to needing external hardware, not all transducers produce a perfect
voltage for our Data Acquisition device to measure. The signal from the transducer
could be noisy, or if could be too small or too large for the range of our DAQ device.
For instance, thermocouples, strain gages, and microphones all produce a voltage in
the millivolt range making it hard to detect changes in the signal.
Most transducers need some form of signal conditioning whether it is to provide an
excitation current or to turn the signal from the transducer into one that can be easily
measured by a DAQ device. We will now discuss some common types of signal
conditioning and their uses.
Amplification is a way of increasing a signal from a transducer that is too small for
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Amplification is a way of increasing a signal from a transducer that is too small for
your DAQ device to accurately measure. A common example is a thermocouple.
Thermocouples output a voltage in the millivolt range. If you were to send the
signal from your thermocouple straight to your DAQ device, it is feasible that a
change of a degree or two in temperature would not be detected by your system.
However, if we amplify the signal we will be measuring a signal that is better suited
to the range of our DAQ device. Your signal can either be amplified on the DAQ
device or externally. The problem with amplifying the signal on the DAQ device is
that we also amplify the noise the signal has picked up on its way to the DAQ
device. In order to minimize the amount of noise that is amplified it is best to place
the amplifier as close to the signal source as possible. Thus it is usually best to use
some form of external amplification. As we will see next, we can show the benefit
of external amplification with an index called the Signal to Noise Ratio.
The Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is a measure of how much noise exists in your
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The Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is a measure of how much noise exists in your
signal compared to the signal itself. It is defined as the voltage level of your signal
divided by the voltage level of the noise. The larger the Signal to Noise Ratio the
better. As you can see above, the Signal to Noise Ratio is the best when only
external amplification is used on your signal, and the worst when the signal is only
amplified on the DAQ device.
Transducer Excitation
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Transducer Excitation
As we learned in our discussion of transducers, most transducers need some external
voltage or current in order to perform their job. The excitation voltage or current
can be provided by your signal conditioning hardware.
Linearization
A good deal of transducers do not produce voltages in a linear manner. For instance,
a change in voltage of 10 millivolts for a thermocouple is usually not a change of 10
degrees. Most transducers have linearization tables that map out how to scale your
transducer. The linearization of your transducer can either be done in hardware or
software.
Isolation
Often your signal will exceed the limits that your DAQ device can handle. Trying to
measure a signal that is to small for your DAQ device can only result in an
inaccurate reading, but trying to measure a signal that is too large for your DAQ
device can damage the device. With large voltages we apply a signal conditioning
technique called isolation. The signal conditioning hardware is designed to handle
high voltages and attenuate them to a voltage your DAQ device can handle.
Filtering
Filtering is used to remove unwanted portions of your signal. The most common
application of this is to remove unwanted noise from your signal. Most noise is
created from lights or the power supply of your computer and will show up around
60Hz. Using a low pass filter with a cutoff frequency below 60Hz will help to
remove that noise from your signal. Filtering can be done in hardware or software.
Above is a listing of some common transducers and the types of signal conditioning
National Instruments Corporation 25 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
Above is a listing of some common transducers and the types of signal conditioning
that are often necessary to make the signal easy to measure for a DAQ device.
1. A DAQ System consists of five components: Transducers, Signals, Signal
National Instruments Corporation 26 DAQ & SC Course Instructor Manual
1. A DAQ System consists of five components: Transducers, Signals, Signal
Conditioning, DAQ Hardware, and DAQ Software
2. d. Measureable Signal
3. Level, Shape, Frequency
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3. Level, Shape, Frequency
4. State, Rate
5. All of the above
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5. All of the above