Data Acquisition and

Interfacing
Lecture 17

5-axis teaching robot Chan Hian

Full

System Set-up

Interfacing card installed in CPU

PCL-812PG

PCL-839

drivers

Mechanical parts
transmission, stepper motors

PC-based Process Control Monitoring System - Chai

Song Ling

PC and Data Acquisition

System

System Set-up

Data Acquisition system

sensor and signal
conditioner

Introduction
A data acquisition system consists of many
components that are integrated to:
Sense physical variables (use of transducers)
Condition the electrical signal to make it
readable by an A/D board
Convert the signal into a digital format
acceptable by a computer
Process, analyze, store, and display the
acquired data with the help of software

Data Acquisition System

Block Diagram

Flow of information in DAQ

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Input transducer measure physical quantity

Output from transducer conditioned i.e. amplify, filter,
conversion
Conditioned analog signal digitized using ADC
Digital information acquired, process and record by
computer
Modify physical signal, digital output converted to
analog by DAC
Analog signals are conditioned
Output transducer interact with physical variables

Transducers
Sense physical phenomena and translate it into
electric signals.
Examples:

Temperature
Pressure
Light
Force

Displacement
Level
Electric signals
ON/OFF switch

Signal Conditioning
Electrical signals are conditioned so they can
be used by an analog input board. Types of
signal conditioner:
Amplification
Isolation
Filtering
Linearization

Analog to Digital (A/D) Converter

Input signal
Sampling rate
Throughput

Resolution
Range
Gain

A/D Converter: Input Signal

Analog
Signal is continuous
Example: strain gage. Most transducers
produce analog signals

Digital
Signal is either ON or OFF
Example: light switch.

A/D Converter: Sampling

The data is acquired by an ADC using a
process called sampling.
Sampling a analog signal - taking a sample of
the signal at discrete times.

A/D Converter: Sampling Rate

Determines how often conversions take
place.
The higher the sampling rate, the better.
Analog
Input
4 Samples/cycle

16 Samples/cycle

8 Samples/cycle

 This rate at which the signal is sampled sampling frequency.

Sampling frequency - determines the quality
of the analog signal that is converted.
Higher sampling frequency achieves better
conversion of the analog signals
A signal of lower frequency is generated
from such a process (this is called aliasing).
Issermann:
Ts /15 < sampling time< Ts/6
Ts = settling time = 90% complete

A/D Converter: Sampling Rate

Aliasing
Acquired signal gets distorted if sampling
rate is too small.

AnalogAnalog
-toto-Digital Conversion
An ADC converts an analog
voltage to a digital number.
The digital number represents
the input voltage in discrete
steps with finite resolution.
ADC resolution is determined
by the number of bits that
represent the digital number.

Analog to Digital Conversion for a 3-bit ADC

A/D Converter: Resolution

Resolution
The resolution = is a function of number of bits ADC uses to
represents digital data
The higher the resolution, the higher voltage range is broken
into, and therefore, the smaller the detectable voltage change.
A 8 bit ADC gives 256 levels (2^8) compared to a 12 bit ADC
that has 4096 levels (2^12).
Hence, 12 bit ADC will be able to detect smaller increments of
the input signals then a 8 bit ADC.
LSB or least significant bit is defined as the minimum
increment of the voltage that a ADC can convert
E.g. - For full scale input signal of 10V, the LSB for a 3-bit
ADC corresponds to 10/2^3=1.25V. However, for a 12 bit
ADC, LSB = 10/2^12=10/4096=2.44mV.

 LSB varies with the

operating input voltage
range of the ADC.
If the full scale of the
input signal is 10V than
the LSB for a 3-bit
ADC corresponds to
10/2^3=1.25V
For a 12 bit ADC, LSB=
10/2^12 =10/4096
=2.44mV.

Resolution of ADC,
X axis is analog input

Exercise 1
An ADC with word length of 10 bits. If the
input analogue signal range is 10 V, what
is the resolution of this ADC?

Answer
The resolution:
VFS 10V
= 10 = 9.8 mV
n
2
2

Exercise 2
Consider a thermocouple giving an output
of 0.5 mV/0C. What will be the word length
required when its output passes through
an ADC if temperatures from 00 to 2000C
are to be measured with resolution of
0.50C?

Answer
The full scale output from sensor:
200 0.5= 100 mV
With word length n, this voltage is divided into
100/2n mV steps
For a resolution of 0.50C, we must be able to detect a
signal from sensor 0.5 0.5=0.25mV
Thus, the word length:
0.25 = 100/2n;
n = 8.6
9-bit word length is required

Bits
The smallest unit in
digital signal is the bit,
a contraction of the
more descriptive
phase of binary digit.

Off
0

On
1

A bit is a single
element in digital
signal, having only two
possible states: on
(indicating 1) or off
(indicating 0).

Bytes

Off Off On Off Off Off Off On

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

Bits are organized into

larger units called bytes,
the basic unit of
information in a computer
system.
A basic byte contains 8 bits.
The total amount of
information it can convey is
28 (=256) possible
combinations.

1 byte = 8 bit = 2 nibble

2-byte = 16 bit, 4-byte = 32bit
1 Kbyte = 1210byte = 1024 byte
1 Mbyte = 1210210= 1,018,576byte

1GB = 230
1TB = 240

AnalogAnalog
-toto-Digital Converter
Theory
Analog
Input

N-bit
Digital Output

N-bit
ADC

3-bit ADC Scale

1 Volt
. 875
. 75 Volt
. 625

1
1
Step Size = N = 3
2
2
= 0.125 V

.5V
. 375
. 25 V
. 125

0 Volt
Analog Input Signal

111
110
101
100
011
010
001
000
Digital Output Code

Example of Encoding (8(8-bit

system)

Data Bus Line D7

Value

D6

27
(128)

D5

26
(64)

D4

25
(32)

D3

24
(16)

Decimal Value
Binary Code

D2

D1

D0

23
(8)

22
(4)

21
(2)

20
(1)

167
1

Encoding (8(8-bit Bus, 0

0-5 V Input)
Analog Input (V)

Decimal Number

Digital Output

0000 0000

1.2

1.2
255 = 61.2 61
5.0

0011 1101

3.7

3.7
255 = 188.76 189
5 .0

10111101

255

1111 1111

Numbering system binary, decimal, hexadecimal

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Binary

0000

0001

0010

0011

0100

0101

0110

0111

1000

1001

10

1010

11

1011

12

1100

13

1101

14

1110

15

1111

Numbering system binary, decimal,

hexadecimal
010111101011010100102=
26214410 + 6553610 + 3276810 + 1638410 + 8192
+ 204810 + 51210 + 25610 + 6410 + 1610 + 210 =
38792210
Compare this to the conversion to hexadecimal,
where each group of four digits can be
considered independently, and converted directly:
010111101011010100102=
0101 1110 1011 0101 00102=
5
E
B
5
216 = 5EB5216

Elementary Bus Structure

Microprocessor

Monitor
ROM

Optional
User ROM

System
& User
RAM

Address Bus
Data Bus

Keyboard

System
Input/Output

Addr bus which addr to go

Data bus data from CPU to addr
Control bus command from CPU

Display

User
Input/Output

http://www.chassisplans.com/PDF/T4I_Reference_
Manual.pdf

A schematic diagram of Data Acquisition System

Example of Computer DAQ

System
DAQ Board
Trigger

Sensor

Timer
Digital Control
Interrupt
Circuit
Instrumentation
Amplifier

Input
Strobe

+
Bridge

Filter

S/H

Display
Control

A/D

Parallel/Series Computer
Input Port

D/A

Parallel/Series
Output Port

Output Strobe

Multiplexer
Device where
computer reads
information from
various channel one
at a time
Electronic switch
Computer instruct
MUX select particular
channel and the data
are read and
processed

Sample and hold

Take the snapshot of the sensor signal
and hold the value
Switch connect the capacitor and the
capacitor hold the value until the new
sample is acquired

Data Acquisition Software

It can be the most critical factor in
obtaining reliable, high performance
operation.
Transforms the PC and DAQ hardware
into a complete DAQ, analysis, and
display system.
Different alternatives:
Programmable software.
Data acquisition software packages.

Programmable Software
Involves the use of a programming
language, such as:
C++, Visual C++
BASIC, Visual Basic + Add-on tools (such
as VisuaLab with VTX)
Fortran
C#

Advantage: flexibility
Disadvantages: complexity and steep
learning curve

Data Acquisition Software

Does not require programming.
Enables developers to design the
custom instrument best suited to their
application.
Examples: TestPoint, SnapMaster,
LabView, DADISP, DASYLAB, etc.

KPCI-3108

End of Lecture 17