Data Acquisition System Companies

[Dion Worles]

Asthe world moves to PC-based data acquisition systems, the market for global data acquisition systems has grown significantly. Data acquisition or DAQ is a process that measures physical or electrical phenomena like acceleration, temperature, sound, voltage, current, pressure, etc. using a computer. A typical DAQ system consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer that has programmable software.

Initially, DAQ systems were simply mechanical devices with chart recorders. However, with advancements in technology, powerful microprocessors are now used to perform complex data processing and represent the data as actionable indicators. With the emergence of the industrial internet of things (IIoT), the demand for industrial data acquisition systems has increased.

As the world moves to PC-based data acquisition systems, the market for global data acquisition systems has grown significantly. Data acquisition or DAQ is a process that measures physical or electrical phenomena like sound, pressure, temperature, voltage, current etc. using a computer. A typical DAQ system consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer that has programmable software.

Initially, DAQ systems were simply mechanical devices with chart recorders. However, with advancement in technology, powerful microprocessors are now used to perform complex data processing and represent the data as actionable indicators. With the emergence of the industrial internet of things (IIoT), the demand for industrial data acquisition systems has increased. According to analysts at Technavio, the global industrial data acquisition system market, which was valued at at $936.4 million in 2015, is expected to reach $1.28 billion in 2020, with a CAGR of 6.4%.

AMETEK Inc. is a global leader in electronic instruments and electromechanical devices. Analytical instruments, industrial battery charges, programmable power equipment, electromagnetic compatibility test equipment and sensors for gas turbine generators are some of its most sought after products. When it comes to industrial data acquisition systems, SentinelEX series analyzers is its latest offering.

Founded in 1976, National Instruments Corp. manufactures virtual instrumentation software and automated test equipment. Instrument control, data acquisition and machine control are some of its major applications. Its data acquisition (DAQ) solutions are used for making discoveries and decisions that depend on specific measurements.

Spectris is a UK based company that manufactures highly specialized measuring instruments and controls for technically demanding industrial applications. Its highly specialized products are known for streamlining processes, improving productivity and most of all delivering better quality. Its HBM solution provides a wide range of measurement solutions combined with the advanced DAQ systems to be used in laboratory and industrial applications.

Yokogawa Electric designs, manufactures, and sells measurement solutions, control systems, and information technologies. A Japan based company, Yokogawa is known for its data acquisition solutions which are used for measuring, recording, presenting, and analyzing of various aspects involved in the industrial data acquisition process.

DEWETRON provides data acquisition instruments and customized system solutions in all areas of R & D. Automotive, aerospace, energy & power analysis and transportation are some of the major industries the company serves. A part of the TKH group, DEWETRON manufactures state-of-the-art test and measurement instruments.

An American multinational conglomerate, HoneyWell International manufactures measurement and control products, along with software solutions and open interfaces for data access. Its circular chart recorders and paperless recorders are highly in demand data acquisition solutions.

Rockwell Automation provides integrated systems, industrial automation control, power, and information solutions for process manufacturing. The wide range of industries it serves includes F&B, transportation, oil and gas, metals, mining, and life sciences.

Data acquisition systems, shortened to DAS or DAQ, are systems designed to convert analog waveforms into digital values, so that they can be used for processing. In other words, they take abstract data and record it in such a way that humans can interpret it and use it. Industries that make use of this technology include aerospace, medicine, wastewater services, and industrial manufacturing.

Within these industries, operators of DAQ software and instruments use them for tasks like data measurement, monitoring, and recording. In addition to allowing manufacturers to read data, data acquisition systems allow them to test a wide variety of technical products and make informed process adjustments. Operators can use DAQ software to input data about virtually anything, from gas pressure to voltage.

Typical data acquisition software applications include flight data acquisition, structural dynamics test systems, local electronic data capture systems, and data collection via PC-based systems and chart recorders. Another common data acquisition application is the use of central web-based systems for clinical trial data, such as the collection of wastewater toxicity and treatment response data. In general, operators most often use data acquisition systems to conduct measurement and testing for field studies, research, and product troubleshooting.

Data acquisition systems have been around since the 1960s, when creators at IBM developed the first computer-hardware machines. They put out their first official data acquisition machine in 1963. They called it the IBM 7700 Data Acquisition System. Just one year later, they released the 1800 Data Acquisition and Control System. Unlike the IBM 7700, this system featured a component for disk storage.

The next innovation in data acquisition came in 1981, once again from IBM. It was that year that IBM released the first data acquisition system combined with PC (personal computer) technology. They called this new system the IBM Personal Computer and Scientific Solutions.

Since then, data acquisition systems have become much more advanced. Engineers continue to make them smaller, simpler, and much more powerful. Contemporary data acquisition systems are almost always electronic. They are also almost always designed to process multiple input channels at once. The data acquisition system market continues to grow every year.

The process of data acquisition involves the sampling and converting of electrical or physical phenomenon or property into data and inputting the data into a computer. Examples of such phenomena and properties include voltage, current, sound, fluid flow, gas pressure, force, temperature, and light intensity.

When it comes to software programs used by data acquisition systems, there are several options available. Pascal, Lisp, BASIC, C++, LabVIEW, and Java are commonly used programming languages in this domain. Pascal and Lisp were historically popular in the early days of data acquisition due to their simplicity and ease of use. BASIC, a beginner-friendly language, was also widely utilized for data acquisition applications. As technology advanced, C++ became a prominent choice due to its efficiency, control, and extensive libraries for hardware interfacing. LabVIEW, a visual programming language, gained popularity for its intuitive graphical interface, making it easy to create complex data acquisition systems. Java, known for its platform independence, has also found application in data acquisition, offering flexibility and portability across different operating systems.

There are a variety of ways by which researchers may collect data. Two of the most common methods of data acquisition are personal computer (PC) data acquisition and universal serial bus (USB) data acquisition. Another major type of data acquisition system is the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

PC data acquisition is a term that covers all data acquisition systems and devices that require a connection to a host computer to properly download collected information and generally operate. Most data acquisition systems employ some sort of PC method.

USB data acquisition, the other common method of data acquisition, technically employs PC data acquisition, because the USB device works by plugging directly into a host computer. USB data acquisition, however, is still a method of its own. It uses the USB device, which is a serial bus that today is a staple for connecting and maintaining conversation between data acquisition devices and their host controllers, which are usually computers.

USB data acquisition systems feature many attractive characteristics, such as higher bandwidth (up to twelve megabytes per second) and the ability to provide power to peripheral devices. In addition, because USB devices are used as a power supply, they only need one cable in order to be linked to a computer, usually via a USB port.

SCADA systems are complex systems that use a myriad of devices and programming to control, handle, and command systems. With them, operators can oversee large multiple sites dispersed over long distances. However, experts are concerned that they can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.

To supervise and control processes, they use a mix of devices and software, including computer ports (serial ports, USB ports, parallel ports, etc.), graphical user interfaces, and networked data communications. To interface with machinery or process plants, SCADA systems can also use devices like discrete PID controllers or programmable logic controllers (PLC). To perform real-time calculations, they use remote terminal units (RTUs) and networked modules connected to actuators and sensors out on the field.

Signal conditioning circuitry, also called signal conditioners, provide similar conversion services, but they work one step down the line by converting the signals provided by the sensors into a more digestible form that are easier to convert into digital values.

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