Data Acquisition

CHAPTER 1
Transducers, Signals, and Signal Conditioning

Topics
• Data Acquisition Overview
• Transducers
• Signals
• Signal Conditioning

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System Overview
 Transducer Overview

Topics
• What is a Transducer?
• Types of Transducers
 What is a Transducer?
Physical
Phenomena Signal

A transducer converts a physical

phenomena into a measurable signal
 Signal Overview

Topics
• Types of Signals
• Information in a Signal
– State, Rate, Level,
Shape, and Frequency
Signal Classification
Your Signal

Digital Analog
Digital Signals
Your Signal

Digital
Two possible levels:
• High/On (2 - 5 Volts)
• Low/Off (0 - 0.8 Volts)
Two types of information:
• State
• Rate
Digital Signal Information
Your Signal

Digital
 Analog Signals
Your Signal

Analog
Continuous signal
• Can be at any value with
respect to time
Three types of information:
• Level
• Shape
• Frequency (Analysis required)
Analog Signal Information
Your Signal

Analog

Analysis
Required
 Signal Conditioning Overview

Topics
• Purpose of Signal Conditioning
• Types of Signal Conditioning
 Why Use Signal Conditioning?

Noisy, Low-Level Signal Filtered, Amplified Signal

• Signal Conditioning takes a signal that is difficult for

your DAQ device to measure and makes it easier to
measure
• Signal Conditioning is not always required
– Depends on the signal being measured
 Amplification
• Used on low-level signals (i.e. thermocouples)
• Maximizes use of Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) range and
increases accuracy
• Increases Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)

Noise
Instrumentation
Amplifier

+
_ ADC
Lead Wires

Low-Level Signal External

Amplifier DAQ Device
 DAQ Hardware Overview

Topics
• Types of DAQ Hardware
• Components of a DAQ device
• Configuration Considerations
 Data Acquisition Hardware

Your Signal

DAQ Device
Computer

Cable

Terminal Block

DAQ Hardware turns your PC into a

measurement and automation system
 Terminal Block and Cable

50 pin connector
Your Signal

Cable

Terminal Block
• Terminal Block and Cable route your signal
to specific pins on your DAQ device
• Terminal Block and Cable can be a
combination of 68 pin or 50 pin
 DAQ Device

• Most DAQ devices have:

– Analog Input
– Analog Output
– Digital I/O
– Counters
DAQ Device
• Specialty devices exist for specific applications Computer
– High speed digital I/O
– High speed waveform generation
– Dynamic Signal Acquisition (vibration, sonar)
• Connect to the bus of your computer
• Compatible with a variety of bus protocols
– PCI, PXI/CompactPCI, ISA/AT, PCMCIA, USB, 1394/Firewire
Configuration Considerations
• Analog Input
– Resolution
– Range
– Gain
– Code Width
– Mode (Differential, RSE, or NRSE)
• Analog Output
– Internal vs. External Reference Voltage
– Bipolar vs. Unipolar
Resolution

• Number of bits the ADC uses to represent a signal

• Resolution determines how many different voltage
changes can be measured
• Example: 12-bit resolution
# of levels = 2resolution = 212 = 4,096 levels
• Larger resolution = more precise representation of your
signal
Resolution Example
• 3-bit resolution can represent 8 voltage levels
• 16-bit resolution can represent 65,536 voltage levels
16-Bit Versus 3-Bit Resolution
(5kHz Sine Wave)
10.00
111
8.75
110 16-bit resolution
7.50
101
6.25
Amplitude 100 3-bit resolution
(volts) 5.00
011
3.75
010
2.50
001
1.25
000
0 | | | | |
0 50 100 150 200
Time (s)
 Range

• Minimum and maximum voltages the ADC can digitize

• DAQ devices often have different available ranges
– 0 to +10 volts
– -10 to +10 volts
• Pick a range that your signal fits in
• Smaller range = more precise representation of your signal
– Allows you to use all of your available resolution
 Range = 0 to +10 volts
(5kHz Sine Wave)
Range 10.00
8.75
111
110
Proper Range 7.50
101
6.25
• Using all 8 Amplitude
5.00
100 3-bit resolution
(volts)
levels to 3.75
011
010
represent your 2.50
001
signal 1.25
000
0| | | | |
0 50 100 150 200
Time (s)

Range = -10 to +10 volts

(5kHz Sine Wave)
10.00
111
Improper Range
7.50 • Only using 4
110
5.00 levels to represent
101 3-bit resolution
2.50 your signal
100
Amplitude
0
(volts) 011
-2.50
010
-5.00
001
-7.50
000
-10.00 | | | | |
50 100 150 200
Time (s)
 Gain
• Gain setting amplifies the signal for best fit in ADC
range
• Gain settings are 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, or 100 for
most devices
• You don’t choose the gain directly
– Choose the input limits of your signal in LabVIEW
– Maximum gain possible is selected
– Maximum gain possible depends on the limits of your
signal and the chosen range of your ADC
• Proper gain = more precise representation of your
signal
– Allows you to use all of your available resolution
Gain Example
– Input limits of the signal = 0 to 5 Volts
– Range Setting for the ADC = 0 to 10 Volts
– Gain Setting applied by Instrumentation Amplifier = 2

Different Gains for 16-bit Resolution

(5kHz Sine Wave)
10.00
8.75
Gain = 2
7.50
6.25
Amplitude Your Signal
5.00
(volts) Gain = 1
3.75
2.50
1.25
0 | | | | |
0 50 100 150 200
Time (s)
 Code Width
• Code Width is the smallest change in the signal your
system can detect (determined by resolution, range, and
gain) range
code width =
gain * 2 resolution
• Smaller Code Width = more precise representation of your
signal
• Example: 12-bit device, range = 0 to 10V, gain = 1
range 10
= = 2.4 mV
gain * 2 resolution 1*2 12

20
Increase range: = 4.8 mV
1*2 12

10
Increase gain: = 24 V
100 * 2 12
Grounding Issues
• To get correct measurements you must properly
ground your system
• How the signal is grounded will affect how we ground
the instrumentation amplifier on the DAQ device
• Steps to proper grounding of your system:
– Determine how your signal is grounded
– Choose a grounding mode for your Measurement System

+
Signal Measurement
VS VM
Source System
-
Signal Source Categories
Signal Source

Grounded Floating

+ +
Vs Vs
_ _
Grounded Signal Source
Signal Source

• Signal is referenced to
Grounded a system ground
– earth ground
– building ground
+
• Examples:
Vs
_ – Power supplies
– Signal Generators
– Anything that plugs into
an outlet ground
Floating Signal Source
Signal Source

• Signal is NOT
referenced to a system Floating
ground
– earth ground
+
– building ground
Vs
• Examples: _
– Batteries
– Thermocouples
– Transformers
– Isolation Amplifiers
 Measurement System
• Three modes of +

grounding for your Measurement

Measurement System System
– Differential -

– Referenced Single-
Ended (RSE)
– Non-Referenced Single-
Ended (NRSE)
• Mode you choose will
depend on how your
signal is grounded
 Differential Mode
Differential Mode
• Two channels used for each signal
– ACH 0 is paired with ACH 8, ACH 1 is paired with ACH 9, etc.
• Rejects common-mode voltage and common-mode noise

ACH (n)
+
VS
+
_ ACH (n + 8)
Instrumentation +
Amplifier
AISENSE
_
VM
AIGND
_

Measurement System
 RSE Mode
Referenced Single-Ended (RSE)
• Measurement made with respect to system ground
• One channel used for each signal
• Doesn’t reject common mode voltage

ACH (n)
+

ACH (n + 8) +
Instrumentation +
VS
Amplifier
AISENSE
_
VM
_ AIGND
_

Measurement System
 NRSE Mode
Non-Referenced Single-Ended (NRSE)
• Variation on RSE
• One channel used for each signal
• Measurement made with respect to AISENSE not system ground
• AISENSE is floating
• Doesn’t reject common mode voltage
ACH (n)
+

ACH (n + 8) +
VS
Instrumentation +
Amplifier
_ AISENSE
_
VM
AIGND
_

Measurement System
Choosing Your Measurement System
Signal Source

Grounded Floating

+ +
Vs Vs
_ _

Measurement System Measurement System

Differential RSE NRSE Differential RSE NRSE

Options for Grounded Signal Sources
BETTER
+ Rejects Common-Mode Voltage
- Cuts Channel Count in Half
Differential
NOT RECOMMENDED
- Voltage difference (Vg) between the two
grounds makes a ground loop that could
RSE damage the device
GOOD
+ Allows use of entire channel count
- Doesn’t reject Common-Mode Voltage
NRSE
Options for Floating Signal Sources
BEST
+ Rejects Common-Mode Voltage
- Cuts Channel Count in Half
Differential - Need bias resistors
BETTER
+ Allows use of entire channel count
+ Don’t need bias resistors
RSE - Doesn’t reject Common-Mode Voltage
GOOD
+ Allows use of entire channel count
- Need bias resistors
NRSE - Doesn’t reject Common-Mode Voltage
 DAQ Software Overview

Topics
• Levels of DAQ Software
• NI-DAQ Overview
• Measurement & Automation Explorer
(MAX) Overview
Levels of Software

User

DAQ
Device