2 THE DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM eect ‘aig = creme Peet Coed | anaes Sate} Tanne ef 9 Fs — Tranatate > 4° Seat bo “OS Postion regency coun | ~ Proces, ‘TRANSOUCER ‘THE OATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM Figure 1-1. Where the Data Acquisition System Fits sophisticated systems may be capable of analysis or further processing, For instance, a DAS may be as simple as a digital voltmeter (DVM), which displays its output as a decimal readout, or it may be complex. ‘enough to contain a large-scale computer as part of its hardware. Now that we understand the function of this type of system, let's examine the components of a basic data acquisition system, as shown in the block diagram in Figure 1-2. Each of the blocks in this figure Tepresents a particular data acquisition function, and each is defined in general terms as follows: Dial ey compute amo SEL Aonioa Sup Lt omar ‘tdTS Sela Batter E>] pee conve Sate osrat_[ ome | mt] ineurs “> Batt Emuy | RECORDING Process ‘evice Basic Data Acquisition System—Block Diagram VOWHAT IT IS a Analog Multiplexer ‘The analog multiplexer permits a number of signal sources to be auto ‘matically measured by the same data acquisition hardware. It consists of a series of switches whose inputs are tied to the various analog signals and whose outputs are tied to a common measuring point. Each input is individually connected to the measuring point in a predetermined sequence. The number of channels in a mulkiplexer may vary from two to several hundred. Signal Conditioning ‘Very often the signals presented to the inputs of the data acquisition system are not in a form appropriate for conversion, and so they must be preconditioned. The required signal conditioning could consist of linear amplification, logarithmic amplification, filtering, peak detec- tion, or sample-and-hold. Often more than one of these functions is required. For instance, it is not uncommon to combine amplification with filtering or to find a low-level amplifier before a sample-and-hold. Analog-to-Digital (A/D) Converter ‘The analog-to digital converter actually translates the analog signal {into an encoded digital format. Of the numerous ways to perform this function, only about a half-dozen techniques have found wide accep. tance. Most notable are the dual-slope integrating and the successive approximation converters. A/D converters are often referred to by the ‘number of output digits they produce. In a binary system, the range is from 4 to 16 bits, while in a binary-coded decimal system, 8 to 4 digits are normal Digital Clock ‘The digital clock provides the master timing for the data acquisition system. It may be as simple as 2 multiphased crystal controlled oscil- lator, or it may provide the user with 2 wide selection of multiplexer ates and modes of operation. Some systems also contain both time-of- day and day-of-year clocks. Manual Data Entry Many data acquisition systems provide users with a way to tag the data they are accumulating, through some sort of manual data entry. ‘They ‘may wish to note such things as the type of daca, special conditions surrounding the measurements, and/or the run number. Such infor:4 THE DATA ACQUISITION s¥STEM ‘mation is generally provided in a “header” that precedes the actual ‘measurement data, Digital Buffer ‘The ability to record discrete events is often a requirement of a data ion system. Since these events are usually accompanied by the ‘opening or closing of a switch, they represent a digital input. Out-of- tolerance conditions or some other situations that might invalidate the data collection ate most often designated as “diserete events.” Output Butter ‘The output buffer acts as the data collector for the DAS. In an ordered sequence, it gathers up such data as the multiplexer channel number, the signal conditioner gain, A/D converter data, manual data, clock information, and discrete events, The buffer combines the data with the proper format for entry into the recording or processing system. It also provides the proper buffering and control to interface with the recording or processing device. If the processing device were a minicomputer, the output buffer might be called a “peripheral controller.” Recording/ Processing Device ‘A number of different equipment types can fill the role of the record- ing or processing device. Some of the equipment types commonly used are paper tape punches, celeprimters (TTY), magnetic tape units, lite printers, cathode-ray tube displays, floppy disks, general-purpose digi tal computers, and special-purpose digital processors, In recent years, all these components of the data acquisition sys- tem have become more automated; a typical block diagram can be seen in Figure 1-8. All the major functions of Figure 1-2 can he found with the exception of manual entry, which is accomplished directly by the computer through the keyboard display. Clock informa- tion is supplied by the computer, and timing is generated in the input/ ‘output (1/0) controller. This system configuration has two distinct advantages: first, on-line programmable processing is possible; and second, a host of storage media is available. The rapid expansion of the dats acquisition field is directly attributable to the advent of low- ‘cost computer hardware, which makes systems like that of Figure I-3 reality. Yet we should not ovcrlook the dotted-line box in the lower right-hand corner of that figure: Software can easily become a more costly burden than the hardware, ‘The latest trend in test instrumentation is to embed a micro- Pra ty Kevoourd (aioe congue ont aio Dig Diets. 8 = 3 5 z 8 é