Hello Graham,
I don't know what you consider to be expensive, but I have used DATAQ
starter systems for all of my data acquisition. For simple thrust
measurement I've found the low-end systems to be adequate; $60 with
10-bit ADC at 240 Hz but can be upgraded ($200) to 10 kHz. The most
expensive system is $350, 16 bit resolution, 8 differential analog
inputs, 7 digital ports. They all connect to the USB port. Software is
included that mimics a stripchart recorder output; software that ports
data to Excel is available.
https://www.dataq.com/data-acquisition/starter-kits/?source=homepage
Best -- Terry
On 1/10/2017 4:52 PM, Graham Sortino (Redacted sender gnsortino for
DMARC) wrote:
I'll preface this by saying this is only tangentially related to rockets so apologies in advance if this is somewhat off topic.
I’m starting to design the sensor acquisition (pressure transducers, flow measurement, thermocouples) and control hardware (servo and solenoid valve actuators) for our 500lbf LOX/Kero test stand. I’m trying to decide how I want to handle data acquisition as well as control and I was curious about other approaches people take.
In the past I’ve done this via a simple Arduino microcontroller w/ support boards for power, servo control, and signal conditioning but I have a bit more budget this time and I’d like to do something more sophisticated. My goals are primarily higher frequency signal acquisition, 12 to 16 bit ADC conversion and some-level of isolation to protect electronics.
From research so far it sounds like there are 2 main approaches to data acquisition / control (1) purchase a professional DAQ such as NI/Labview or (2) mainly build your own using a microcontroller. The prior being very expensive and the latter requiring more time/experience in EE/SW.
I’m starting to lean towards the TI Launched development boards (http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/tools-software/launchpads/launchpads.page). From what I’ve been reading they seem a lot more sophisticated/professional then an Arduino and it seems like TI is serious about supporting them. I also am getting the feeling that the professional DAQ systems are a tad overpriced for what you actually get and there is more platform lock-in.
Apologies again if this is slightly off-topic but I hope there a few EE/SW folks on this list who find these topics interesting.
All the Best,
Graham
