LabVIEW 7.1 Data Acquisition hot to get started...

[fabian9]

Hi there,
I'm very new to all this LabVIEW stuff so I apologize in advance for boring you with a couple of newbie questions regarding data acquisition.

I need to do some very basic data acquisition. I need to measure five different pressures and temperatures at different points in an engine. (ie 10 channels?) What do I need in order to do this? I believe my supervisor is using SC-68 boards for most of the data acquisition he does in other projects, would this work for both temperatures and pressures? Also, is it possible to send information to say an actuator using this board, to for example make an engine start or something similar to that? It would probably be good if there is some room to expand, in case I want to add more channels later on.

Once I have a suitable board for the DAQ, what else do I need in order to connect it to my PC?

As you can tell, I'm totally confused as to what I need in order to get going with data acquisition. There is just so much stuff out there so it's really hard for me to find out what it is that I need essentially.

Thanks a lot,

Fabian

[fabian9]

This is what I've come with so far, I don't know if I'm on the right track or not so if anybody could help me out a little it'd be much appreciated.

I get an SCB-68 to which I'll connect my sensors, the SCB-68 is then connected to a signal processor, which in turn is connected to my computer using an E-Series DAQ card. is that correct? How many sensors can I connect to the SCB-68? Do I need one for every thermocouple? What about pressure readings I need to take?

Thanks a lot,

Fabian

[pallen]

Hi Fabian,


Your SCB-68 is really just a connector block.  Basically just a set of terminals for you to connect your devices to.  Your E-Series card is where the real data acquisition happens.

SCB-68 info here: https://www.ni.com/en-us/support/model.scb-68.html

E-Series here: 

Your SCB-68 connector block can handle a number of devices. 

How you make your pressure readings will depend on the device you're using to measure pressure.

http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=250&message.id=37171&requireLogin=False
http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=250&message.id=28451&requireLogin=False

A couple of resources to keep in mind:  That little search box on ni.com!  Want to learn more about pressure transducers, just type it into the search.  Tons of great info there.  

Have a look at the Example Finder in LabVIEW too.  You may not find all the code you need for your application.  But you might find something that will help shine a little light on something you don't understand.  

These forums are also a great way of finding out what you need.  Always try searching them first before you make your post.  Chances are there's someone out there that was having the same trouble.  

When you do post a question, try to be as specific as possible.  Include code too.  Even if it's not great code and you're not really sure what you're doing, it gives the folks on the board something to work with and it shows that you're putting effort into trying to find the answer.  You'll find you get a lot more responses on the board that way.  

Good luck with your project.  

[fabian9]

Hi Patrick,

thanks a lot for your help. I did try to search the forums and on NI.com, but it just confused me even more. lol need to seriously acquaint myself with this stuff before even thinking of acquiring some data!

Cheers,

Fabian