Sensors Expo West: Data acquisition on a Palm

San Jose, Calif. - Datastick Systems announced the DAS-1245 Data Acquisition System combined with a snap-on module and Connection Pro software permits high-speed data acquisition and analysis at sample rates up to 400 samples per second by using a capture-and-review mode.

By Control Engineering Staff May 29, 2002

San Jose, Calif. Datastick Systems announced the DAS-1245 Data Acquisition System combined with a snap-on module and Connection Pro software permits high-speed data acquisition and analysis at sample rates up to 400 samples per second by using a capture-and-review mode. Datastick Connection 2.0 software provides measurement and monitoring in real time at rates from 12 samples per second to 1 sample every 12 hours.

The DAS-1245 hardware module snaps onto Palm handhelds that use the Universal Connector (m125, m130, m500, m505, m515, i705), and forms a portable, integrated unit. It provides 4 input channels of 12-bit analog-to-digital conversion, one digital input channel, and a switchable power outlet for powering sensors.

With either software package, users can record sophisticated scientific and industrial measurements such as temperature, pressure, vibration, rates of acceleration, etc., and display them on a Palm OS handheld, monitoring up to all five input channels simultaneously.

With Connection 2.0, data is collected and displayed in real time and can be viewed in any of four different modes: numeric, bar chart, line graph vs. time, and a gauge view – with needle and dial – with numerous user-adjustable features. The software allows users to compensate for a sensor’s non-linear response curve.

Connection Pro has a different feature set, best suited for high data-acquisition rates. Rather than display the input data in real time, the software achieves a much higher sampling rate, because the software dedicates the full power of the Palm handheld’s CPU to reading measurements. When recording is complete, the user can review any time slice of the data recorded without having to export the data to another application or device. The user interface features take advantage of the Palm OS user interface by allowing the user to move up and down as well as zoom in and out to see overall patterns and nuances of a captured analog signal.

‘By providing two different software packages, we’re able to satisfy two distinctly different sets of requirements without compromising one set of features to accommodate the other,’ explained Steve Sabram, Datastick’s president.

Either software package allows all five channels to be displayed simultaneously, and each display channel can be labeled for quick identification. Users can save channel configurations for a particular sensor suite, and quickly load the necessary settings when swapping out different sensor arrays. Data can be downloaded to a personal computer for further analysis and long-term storage using Palm’s HotSync technology.

The company has also entered into a software licensing and development agreement with Oceana Sensor Technologies, Inc. to develop a software interface exclusively for Oceana. As a result, Oceana’s ICHM(r) 20/20 (Intelligent Component Health Monitoring) System will communicate with the Datastick Connection software suite via Bluetooth wireless technology.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk Gary A. Mintchell, senior editor gmintchell@cahners.com