Data acquisition system allows easy customisation

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 14, 2008

The 6005 is a ten-slot enclosure that accepts all series 6000 transducer signal conditioning and data acquisition modules.

Pacific Instruments has released USB 2.0 and Ethernet interfaces for the Model 6005 portable, DC powered data acquisition system.

The new interfaces increase data throughput from 1 to 4M samples per second.

The 6005 is a ten-slot enclosure that accepts all series 6000 transducer signal conditioning and data acquisition modules.

With the input modules, it is a complete, ready-to-run signal conditioning and data acquisition system.

The 6005 is DC or battery-powered, with a 10-20V DC range as standard and a 20-50V DC version available.

Its compact, rugged design makes it suitable for portable applications.

All connectors and controls are located on the front for easy access in tight spaces.

With space for up to 10 modules, all that is needed for a complete, mobile system that records and displays transducer data is a laptop computer with Windows XP or Vista and PI660 acquisition and display software.

Simply plug the 6005 into the laptop's USB 2.0 port, load PI660 software and you're ready to go.

An optional on-board rotating or solid-state drive is available for data storage or for backup recording while data is output and recorded externally.

The optional Ethernet interface provides remote control and data recording without performance limitations.

The 6005 data acquisition unit may be located some distance from the computer that serves as the operator workstation for data display, recording and distribution.

Distance is limited only by the Ethernet's physical media, which can be copper, optic or RF.

The 6005 is configured for specific measurements and transducers by plug-in signal conditioning modules.

Over twenty different modules are available, accommodating virtually all types of transducers, digital inputs and outputs and IRIG time.

Capabilities include voltage and current excitation, remote sensing, voltage and shunt calibration, automatic zero and balance, gains to 5000, anti-aliasing filters, a 100kHz bandwidth, simultaneous sampling and 16 or 32bit resolution.

Sampling rates are programmable independently for each channel and can range from 1 sample per second or slower to 200,000 samples per second.

PI660 software makes it quick and easy to learn to use 6005.

Setup programming can be done in any database or spreadsheet program that makes Microsoft Access-compatible files.

Data may also be entered using menus tailored to each measurement type.

A number of real-time displays are provided and data may be played back and plotted.

A math engine calculates and displays derived parameters.

Continuously monitored alarms can alert the operator to measurement channels that need attention and can trigger saving pre and post-alarm data.

Out-of-limit measurements can automatically generate control outputs that can be used to limit or terminate testing, preventing damage to expensive test equipment.

Recorded data may be exported in ASCII and binary formats that are compatible with most analysis programs.