Data Acquisition Definition
Data acquisition is the process of sampling signals that measure real world physical conditions and converting the
resulting samples into digital numeric values that can be manipulated by a computer. Data acquisition systems
(abbreviated with the acronym DAS or DAQ) typically convert analog waveforms into digital values for processing.
The components of data acquisition systems include:
- Sensors that convert physical parameters to electrical signals.
- Signal conditioning circuitry to convert sensor signals into a form that can be converted to digital values.
- Analog-to-digital converters, which convert conditioned sensor signals to digital values.
Sources and Systems
Data acquisition begins with the physical phenomenon or physical property to be measured. Examples of this include temperature,
light intensity, gas pressure, fluid flow, and force. Regardless of the type of physical property to be measured, the physical
state that is to be measured must first be transformed into a unified form that can be sampled by a data acquisition system.
The task of performing such transformations falls on devices called sensors. A data acquisition system is a collection of
software and hardware that lets you measure or control physical characteristics of something in the real world. A complete
data acquisition system consists of DAQ hardware, sensors and actuators, signal conditioning hardware, and a computer
running DAQ software.
DAQ Hardware
DAQ hardware is what usually interfaces between the signal and a PC. It could be in the form of modules that can be
connected to the computer's ports (parallel, serial, USB, etc.) or cards connected to slots (S-100 bus, AppleBus,
ISA, MCA, PCI, PCI-E, etc.) in the motherboard. Usually the space on the back of a PCI card is too small for all
the connections needed, so an external breakout box is required. The cable between this box and the PC can be
expensive due to the many wires, and the required shielding.
DAQ Device Drivers
DAQ device drivers are needed in order for the DAQ hardware to work with a PC. The device driver performs low-level
register writes and reads on the hardware, while exposing a standard API for developing user applications in a
variety of programming environments.
Data acquisition applications are controlled by software programs. Specialized DAQ software may be delivered with the
DAQ hardware. This software can provide tools for building large-scale data acquisition systems.
Additional Information
Please learn more about Dataforth's data acquisition offerings by following these links:
Data Acquisition Systems
Data Acquisition System Components
Data Acquisition Software
Advanced CJC Method