Test and Measurement Applications

Test and measurement applications using data acquisition elements require both hardware and software components to completely configure an application. Instead of using rack & stand instrumentation, test engineers use PC-based data acquisition boards and software to build high-performance automatic test equipment (ATE). These boards offer every element on an ATE system; from stimulus to response, to high-speed programmable digital I/O, to switch matrix for multiplexing.

Test and Measurement Applications from Measurement Computing, Inc.

In a typical test and measurement application, the process of testing is not complete once the data is captured or the test is complete. In order for the test to have meaningful results, thorough analysis and modeling is required.

Basic analysis would require the use of software tools to make simple comparisons of tested parameters versus stored values. These simple comparisons can be in the form of a pass/fail, high/low limit, exact match, or other basic comparative process.

Complex analysis would require more advanced software tools that would take and compare thousands to millions of test readings and compare them against fixed limits. But modeling of a dynamic test signal would be required. The report of test results would be displayed as a graph or a visual reproduction of the signal in multiple dimensions.

Hardware can be in the form of a single data acquisition board, or multiple boards, with or without multiplexing. There is a wide range of data acquisition boards with myriad choices of software tools to build PC-based ATE to meet every test and measurement requirement. Any specific requirement not found on a plug-in card can be combined using GPIB instrumentation.

Measurement Computing Corporation offers the largest selection of low-price PC-based data acquisition and measurement products. Shop our online catalog by selecting a category above. From PCI, USB, Ethernet, PC/104, ISA, and PCMCIA bus boards to external systems based on RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, and GPIB interfaces; Measurement Computing has everything you need for your PC-based data acquisition and control applications.

USB-1608FS - $399

Key Features

  • 8 INDEPENDENT 50KHz A/D converters, 1 per analog input
  • 16-bit resolution; accuracy guaranteed to ±2.98 mV (±5V range)
  • Simultaneous sampling up to 100,000 samples/sec total throughput
  • 8 digital I/O bits
  • External digital trigger input

PCI-DAS6013 - $280

Key Features

  • Functionally equivalent to National Instruments' PCI-6013
  • Extremely low cost
  • 16 channels of 16-bit A/D resolution
  • 200 kS/s maximum sample rate
  • 8 bits DIO
  • 2 16-bit counters

PCI-Based Test and Measurement

USB-Based Test and Measurement

Test and Measurement Software