“The estimated five largest worldwide application markets in 2007 for data acquisition products were industrial maintenance, military/aerospace, off-line production testing/QC and on-line discrete and process manufacturing,” according to a research report from electronics market researchers at electronics.ca. More than 20 years ago, PC-based data-acquisition devices were introduced, and graphical programming environments have grown to provide advanced analysis and visualization capabilities.

There also has been significant growth in use of external devices, especially USB PC front ends. As portable peripheral add-ons to computers, they can be moved easily to another platform in a different location. Distributed I/O products with Ethernet connectivity make DAQ easier and inexpensive.

The paperless chart recorder market also is growing. Acceptance of paperless chart recorders by regulators such as the U.S. FDA and EPA encouraged suppliers to add more channels and larger LCD screens.

Then, there are Web-based technologies. According to “Flourishing Trends in Data Acquisition, Monitoring and Logging” (ControlDesign.com/daqtrends), an article on the Indian business directory jimtrade.com, Web-based transfer of data eventually will replace HMI and will facilitate not only acquiring data but also control the operation. “Suppose,” reads the article, “a production manager of a plant receives an alarm on his pager while away from the plant. Instead of rushing to the plant, he goes to the nearest PC and via Internet connection and browser, can access the Web-enabled PLCs or a single-loop controller and take corrective action.”

Then there is wireless. According to “The Future of Data Acquisition,” a white paper from National Instruments, “Wireless technologies have undergone a consolidation and standardization of technologies similar to what occurred for plug-in and cabled PC buses. For high-speed continuous transmission, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) has seen incredible adoption in mobile computing applications, recently making the jump from your laptop to your Apple iPhone. Maybe even more important for data acquisition applications, vendors have improved the industrial ruggedness of Wi-Fi products. Additionally, IT requirements have significantly enhanced the security and reliability of Wi-Fi networks with technologies such as WPA2 data encryption. Today, Wi-Fi access points can be connected to Ethernet-based data acquisition systems.”

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	Shock Recorder Model OM-CP-UltraShock 101-50-EB battery-powered, three-axis shock recorder measures and records temperature, pressure and humidity while shock is recorded at the peak acceleration levels. It records up to 170,000 measurements per channel, more than 1 million measurements total. The recorder can be used for production and assembly lines of delicate electronics, IC fabrication, communications and computer components. Omega Engineering 203/359-1660
	Videographic Recorder Memograph M Graphic Data Manager includes up to 20 universal inputs, analyzes the raw data and stores analog values, counter values or quantities and simultaneously up to six different operating times or switch states. Up to 100 alarm setpoint values can be monitored and retransmitted using the six relays included in the basic version. By Modbus or Profibus, the device can be expanded to 40 channels connected to SCADA and PLCs. Endress+Hauser 888/endress
	Data Acquisition System ADRE SXP data acquisition system consists of the 408 Dynamic Signal Processing instrument (DSPi) and ADRE Sxp software for portable asset management programs where speed and flexibility in data collection are needed. It can operate standalone in test stands or remotely. It has true client/server architecture, WAN/LAN enabled, dynamic input cards, an onboard 130 GB hard drive, integrated display, scalability, industry-standard connectors and differential inputs. GE Energy 775/782-3611
	Data Collection Adam-5081 high-speed quadrature encoder and counter module for Adam-5550 programmable controllers has an isolation of 2,500 Vdc, a high-speed frequency mode (5 Hz to 1 MHz) and a counter code at 1 MHz. An advanced digital filter eliminates noise and interference for accurate data collection and transmission. The module has four counter modes and frequency mode supports up to eight. Advantech Industrial Automation 800/205-7940
	Videographic Recorder SM500F field-mountable videographic data recorder can be installed into a panel, wall or pipe without an enclosure. NEMA 4X/IP66 -protected recorder comes with color or monochrome display and a variety of display formats including chart, bargraph and digital indicators. On-screen logs provide operators access to alarm, totalizer and audit trail data. Data can be removed with 2 GB SD camera card. Show More Content 1 of 2 < 1 | 2 > View on one page Show Comments Hide Comments Join the discussion We welcome your thoughtful comments. All comments will display your user name. Want to participate in the discussion? Register for free Log in for complete access. Comments No one has commented on this page yet. RSS feed for comments on this page | RSS feed for all comments