DAQ Hub: Data Acquisition in a Rotating Machine

S de Wit
June 21, 2018
Last updated: Feb 14, 2020

About this Project

Our client for this project is an industrial company that was developing a new piece of equipment. They wanted to be able to take measurements within a confined space in their (rotating) machine to validate its performance.

The Solution

The traditional solution would be to wire up all required sensors to a computer for readout, but connecting all these sensitive sensor wires through a moving joint would be challenging.

Instead, we built a self-containing system that can perform standalone measurements: without having to attach a computer or power supply.

Since this application did not require realtime access to the data, we opted not to use a wireless connection, but to save the acquired data to internal storage (SD card). This allowed us to create a quick and robust solution, enabling our client to continue their R&D project on time.

Real Time Visualization and Logging

Since developing the original DAQ Hub, another project came up that required a connection to a PC via USB. While the original version was focused on measuring in hard to reach spaces, this version is optimized for fast and realtime visualization of sensor data via a standard computer.

For our client it was important to have all data available in realtime, giving a quick overview of their process. We have developped software that retrieves the data in real-time, while processing, visualizing and logging it according to their specific requirements.

We made it our goal to keep it simple and convenient to use. While some advanced settings are available, the basic workflow is simple: plug in the device, press start and the data shows up on the screen. This allows our customer to stay focused on their domain while using our advanced data processing technology.

Technologies Used

  • USB 2.0 High-speed connection
  • Anti-aliasing filter design
  • 8-channel simultaneous sampling
  • Low-noise analog design