Data Acquisition

System
MCT 3332 : Instrumentation and
Measurements

Review of Digital Fundamental

Digital to Analog Converter
Data Acquisition System

Data Acquisition System

Functional Diagram for Data Acquisition and Control

Data Acquisition System: DAQ

design

1. Define the input signal

Types of analog signal

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Data Acquisition System: DAQ design

2. Signal Conditioning

Data Acquisition System: DAQ design

Data Acquisition System: DAQ design

3. Connecting from sensor/transducer Signal

conditioning DAQ board/card.
Some considerations before connecting cables:
1. The nature of the signal source (grounded or floating)
2. The grounding configuration of the amplifier, signal condition hardware,
DAQ board.
3. The cabling scheme to connect all the components together.

Data Acquisition System

A DAQ System highlighting the signal and the cabling

Data Acquisition System

o Data acquisition = collection of information.

o The hardware used to acquire data is called data acquisition
system.
o It works as an interface between real world of physical
parameters (analog form) and the world of computers and
digital signals.

Data Acquisition System

o Input signals to the system are obtained either from

o Signals originating from direct measurements of electrical
quantities.
o Signals originating from transducers.
o Instrumentation systems 2 major classes: analog and digital.
o These classes also applied to the data acquisition systems.

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Data Acquisition System

Basic Data Acquisition Systems Elements
Elements of Analog Acquisition Systems:
o Transducers converts physical quantities into electrical
signals.
o Signal Conditioners amplify, modify, selecting certain
portion of signals.
o Visual Display Devices for continuous monitoring.
o Recording Instruments to obtained permanent record of
the signals or input data.
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Data Acquisition System

Elements of Digital Acquisition Systems
o
o

o
o

Transducers converts physical quantities into electrical signals

compatible to the acquisition system.
Signal Conditioners supporting circuitry to the transducer.
Provide excitation power, balancing circuits, and calibration
elements. Example strain gages bridge balanced, power supply
unit.
Multiplexers accepts multiple inputs and connects them to one
measuring instruments. (multiple inputs, one output)
Signal Converter translate analog signal from multiplexer, into a
signals that are acceptable by the A/D converter. (eg. Amplifier
circuits to amplify low voltage from a typical transducer)
Analog to Digital (A/D) Converter converts analog signals to
digital form. Output may be displayed or stored for later analysis.

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Data Acquisition System

Elements of Digital Acquisition Systems
o Auxiliary Equipment analysis on the signals contain
instruments for system programming functions and
digital data processing. (Eg. Computers)
o Digital Recorders records data on papers, magnetic
tapes, etc.

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Data Acquisition System

Interfacing Transducers To Electronic Systems
o Before a transducer - connected to the measurement systems, it
must go through suitable interfacing circuit and adopt certain
noise reduction methods.
o Why are these necessary ?
o Output voltages and currents from many transducers are
very small.
o It is often necessary to transmit these low signals through
some distance before it reaches the data acquisition
systems.
o In industrial environment many electrical machineries
produce electrical noise (in terms of EM field etc.) affect the
low signals.

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Data Acquisition System

Interfacing Transducers To Electronic Systems
Instrumentation Amplifier
o To amplify small signals, transducer's output is amplified with
an instrumentation amplifier.
o This amplifier will strengthen the small signals, and effectively
rejects noise.
o Typical characteristics includes finite gain, and high input
impedance.
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Data Acquisition System

Interfacing Transducers To Electronic Systems
Guarding
o In industrial environment, electrical machines may produce
unwanted signals (noise) that may be picked up by the
connecting wires between the transducer and the
instrumentation amplifier.
o Guarding is a method to reduce the noise is to shield the
wires against the external pickup.

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Data Acquisition System

Interfacing Transducers To Electronic Systems
Guarding

Signals to
be measured

o Examples of guarding method : The diagram shows signal

source is connected to the amplifier through a wire that is near a
power lead.
o If there are capacitance and resistance leakage from the power
lead which causes noise, it will all will be safely conducted
through the shield and grounded.

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Data Acquisition System

Signal Conditioning Elements
o Before input signals coming from the transducers output can be
further process through the data acquisition systems, it needs to
be conditioned to improve amplitude and linearity.
o Signal conditioning means to make any necessary
changes/modification to the analog signals before applying it to
the ADC.

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Data Acquisition System

Signal Conditioning Elements
o Frequently performed types of signals conditioning:
o Filtering
o Signal-Level Change
o Signal Conversion

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Data Acquisition System

Signal Conditioning Elements
Filtering
o In industrial environment - machines - produces unwanted
signals (noise) that will affect the input signals to the data
acquisition systems.
o These noise will have certain frequencies (eg 50Hz 400Hz
due to power line interference).
o These noise will cause errors to the input signals going to the
data acquisition.
o To overcome, use filter that will filter out the unwanted signals
leaving only the pure input signals.

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Data Acquisition System

Signal Conditioning Elements
Signal-Level Change
o Most frequently performed type of signal conditioning.
o Can be done by either attenuation or amplification of the
input signals.
o Attenuation through attenuator circuits while amplification
through op- amps amplifiers.
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Data Acquisition System

Signal Conditioning Elements
Signal Conversion
o Signal conditioning requires converting variations of one
electrical parameters into a proportional variation of other
parameters.
o Example : Transducers converts mechanical displacements into
electrical quantity through resistance.
o The resistance will then converted into its proportional
voltage/current by using a bridge circuit (i.e. wheat stone) or
amplifier.

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Data Acquisition System

Multiplexers
o Electronic circuit with two or more input terminal and one
output terminal.
o Figure shows analog multiplexer with a set of switches
connected to a common output line.
o Switches closes sequentially with only one switch closed at
a time.

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Data Acquisition System

Signal Source Reference Configuration
1. Referenced sources produce grounded signals.
2. No referenced sources produce floating signals.
Examples: batteries, thermocouples, transformer,
isolation amplifier.

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Data Acquisition System

Measurement System
1. Differential
2. Referenced single-ended (RSE)
3. Non referenced single-ended.(NRSE)

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Data Acquisition System

Differential Measurement System

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Data Acquisition System

Referenced single-ended (RSE)

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Data Acquisition System

Non Referenced single-ended (NRSE)

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Data Acquisition System

Tips for measurement system
A grounded signal sources: best using a differential or NRSE
RSE for a grounded signal source if the signal level are high
and cabling has low impedance.
Floating signal source can be measured by differential, RSE
and NRSE.
In general a differential measurement system is preferable
because it rejects the ground-loop-induced error and reduce the
noise pickup in the environment.

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Data Acquisition System

Data Communication in Computer-interface

Examples:
USB, RS232, Serial
Port in
Mouse,
Keyboard

Examples:
general
purpose
interface
bus
(GPIB),
printer port

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Data Acquisition System

Port communication in DAQ System
Some instrument make communication with some port
communication, Commonly for lab and industrial purpose
use GPIB (Parallel Communication) and RS232 (Serial
Communication)
1. GPIB: General Purpose Interface Bus
Advantage: Fast, can connect with some device

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Data Acquisition System

GPIB Configuration

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Data Acquisition System

Serial Communication :RS-232
Characteristics if compare with GPIB: Slow, can only be
connected to a device

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Data Acquisition System

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Data Acquisition System

DAQ Software available:
1. LabView by National Instrument, easy to use.
2. Matlab (xPC)

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