Research was undertaken to gain a better understanding of Control Engineering subscribers’applications and needs regarding Data acquisition hardware or software.
Research was undertaken to gain a better understanding of Control Engineering subscribers’ applications and needs regarding Data acquisition hardware or software.
Executive Summary
Among those specifying, recommending, and/or buying Data Acquisition hardware or software, 77% do so for in-plant requirements and 43% buy for OEM needs.
Thirty-two percent of respondents said SCADA is their primary application for DAQ hardware and software, followed by testing and diagnostics with 23%.
On average, respondents need their data acquisition system to collect 6,941 variables per minute.
Over half of respondents report 16 bit resolution is adequate for their data acquisition needs.
Over one-fifth of respondents said 1% to 3% of their data acquisition applications use wireless technology.
Fifty-three percent of those surveyed use Networked PLC data acquisition platforms.
Seven in ten respondents use Windows XP as their data acquisition operating system.
Of those survey participants who use networks for implementing data acquisition applications, seventy-eight percent use Ethernet TCP/IP.
Rockwell Automation tops the list of data acquisition hardware manufacturers purchased from in the past 12 months. Twenty-five units of data acquisition hardware was the average number each survey participant purchased during the past 12 months. The average spending per respondent in the past year was $127,936.
Over half of respondents report their purchases of data acquisition hardware will grow in the next 12 months, while only 3% expect a decline. o Respondents purchasing behaviors of data acquisition hardware have remained the same in the past two years and should do so for the next two.
The most important factors under consideration when selecting data acquisition hardware are ease of use, availability, and technical support.
External rack/module and USB are the most preferred form factors for data acquisition hardware.
Sixty-five percent of those surveyed say their data acquisition applications require remotely located I/O.
On average, respondents typically require 61 I/O points at each remote location.
Data Acquisition Product Research
