Highest-Accuracy Multifunction Data Acquisition Now on USB
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Figure 1. USB-628x devices are available with both screw and mass termination.
National Instruments is introducing a new line of USB data acquisition (DAQ) products – the 18-bit high-accuracy USB M Series line, available with 68-pin mass termination or direct screw connectivity.
The NI USB-6281 and USB-6289 feature an 18-bit ADC that provides a four times increase in resolution over 16-bit devices equivalent to more than 5 1⁄2 digits of resolution for DC measurements. These high-accuracy devices also incorporate the NI-PGIA 2 custom amplifier and NI-MCal self calibration to minimize settling time, guarantee maximum accuracy, and maintain the specified resolution at all available sampling rates. Additionally, you can take advantage of an onboard lowpass filter to further improve your measurements. Together, these devices deliver an absolute accuracy of 980 μV at the ±10 V range and 28 μV at ±100 mV at a sampling rate of up to 625 kS/s.
With enhanced waveform generation capabilities on the USB-628x devices, you now can define custom offset and range settings for analog output. You also can maximize the 16 bits of output resolution around a fixed DC offset, increasing the accuracy of analog waveforms.
Unlike typical multifunction USB data acquisition devices, NI M Series USB devices incorporate NI signal streaming, a patent-pending technology that provides multiple, bidirectional high-speed data streams over USB. NI signal streaming technology combined with the error correction, noise rejection, power management, and power distribution inherent to the USB protocol yield a robust, secure, and reliable bus. Without NI signal streaming technology, a multifunction data acquisition device can sustain only a single high-speed data stream, effectively making it a single-function device.
Table 1. The above table provides an overview of specifications for the new USB-628x devices.
New Applications for USB Data Acquisition
The high accuracy and breadth of functionality offered by the USB-628x devices open new areas for data acquisition in analytical instrumentation and medical devices. Applications that can benefit from 18-bit resolution include geological monitoring, materials analysis, optics, spectroscopy, structural sensing, gas detection, and heart rate monitoring. The USB-628x devices are also ideal for electronics characterization and research. NI also offers board-only versions for OEM applications.
These devices are shipped with NI-DAQmx driver software and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress LE, an interactive measurement workbench for quickly acquiring, analyzing, and presenting your data with no programming required. The NI-DAQmx driver also provides time-saving features such as code generation for both LabVIEW and text-based languages; more than 3,000 measurement examples; device simulation; connection diagrams; and compatibility with LabVIEW, ANSI C/C++, C#, Visual Basic .NET, and Visual Basic 6.0.
The USB-6281 and USB-6289 devices increase the number of applications USB M Series devices can fulfill while continuing the high performance and ease of use of NI data acquisition products.
Compare USB M Series specifications and pricing.
This article first appeared in the Q1 2008 issue of Instrumentation Newsletter.
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