National Instruments (NI) has recently announced its first data acquisition (DAQ) modules that incorporate integrated signal conditioning (SC) technique to ensure high-performance, scalable measurements on PXI Express. This NI SC Express range provides enhanced high data throughput, accuracy, along with best-in-class synchronization to measure thermocouples, high-voltage analog inputs, strain gauges, and bridge-based transducers.
PXI Express offers a dedicated 250 MB/s bandwidth for every SC Express module installed in the chassis so that without comprising data throughput or sample rates engineers can increase the channel count. In addition to simplified cable management, the modules has new software features to enable automatic synchronization. The small footprint helps engineers in setting up and programming sensor measurement systems with high channel count.
The PXIe-4330 24-bit type simultaneous bridge input module of NI provides 25 kS/s per channel sample rate and 0.02 percent accuracy for high-performance torque, strain, force, load, and force measurements. The bridge input module is able to achieve high accuracy by using a ratiometric design. In this design, the excitation voltage is referenced by the ADC in a process that eliminates the dependence of the measurement on the accuracy and stability of the excitation voltage. The distinctive delta-sigma ADCs deliver DC accuracy and AC performance, compared to conventional delta-sigma ADCs that offer AC performance only.
The PXIe-4330 bridge input module of NI is able to conduct full, half, and quarter bridge-enabled measurements using automatic synchronization features. The included driver software helps in tight synchronization over multiple chassis and modules with inter-channel skews that are as low as 5 ppb. The eight channel bridge input module is able to scale up to a 136-channel system within a single chassis or with many channels while synchronizing over multiple chassis. The synchronization, high-accuracy, and simultaneity features render the NI PXIe-4330 module very useful in applications involving high-channel-count structural testing like crash, wind tunnels, and bridge monitoring tests.
The PXIe-4353 thermocouple module of NI helps engineers in measuring temperatures with an accuracy of 0.30 degrees C on 32 channels. The isothermal terminal block is able to minimize errors through a distinctive design for optimizing thermal conductivity. This enables the cold-junction compensation (CJC) thermistors to provide accurate measurements at the thermocouple junctions. The 32-channel thermocouple module is able to scale up to a 544-channel system within a single chassis as well as many channels while synchronizing over multiple chassis.