Practical Issues

How do you run a 20 hr experiment?

Take a measurement every 2 minutes

How do you measure 1000 parts/day?

Be cost effective

How do you measure the pressure of an explosion?

How take measurements of extraterrestrial objects?

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Automate Data Collection

Eliminate need for human intervention
Human limitations
speed
resolution

Response to measurements
System adjustments (active control)

Additional components
Potential for introducing artifacts

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Typical Measurement System Layout

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component
AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current
Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Sensor

Interface with
physical
phenomena

Generalized Sensor Model

Latent information parameter
(energy from system)

Output
Sensor
Use ELECTRIC signals
(volt, current, resistance, f)

Interrogating input
Example:

Observed value
Strain Gage

High pressure
port

Diaphragm

+
-

Deflection

Vi

R1
Vo
R3

Gary L. Solbrekken,

R2

R4

Typical Measurement System Layout

Data transmission

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component
AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current

Sensor

Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Analog Data Transmission

Electric signals are carried by wires
Susceptible to noise electric and magnetic

Amps and filters help, but are limited

Protect signal during transmission
Short runs
Clean up environment

Shield cabling

Good Design
DMM

Shield reduces electric noise

Twisting reduces mag. noise
Avoid

Sensor

Bad Design
DMM

Sensor
Possible ground loop
Gary L. Solbrekken,

Typical Measurement System Layout

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component

Multiple inputs

AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current

Sensor

Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Multiplexer (MUX)
Output signal
(to DMM)
Input signals
(from sensors)

Controller bus
(tells MUX which switch [channel or address] to close)
Allows multiple sensors to be measured by the same DMM cost effective
Gary L. Solbrekken,

Typical Measurement System Layout

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component

Signal preparation

AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current

Sensor

Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Gary L. Solbrekken,

Signal Conditioning DMM?

Amplification (gain)
Allows wide range of signal level
Better resolution of low level signals
Output = signal*gain
+

Signal
-

Filtering

gain

Output
-

Remove periodic noise

Most common is 60 Hz and multiples
Raw signal

gain
+

=
f
Gary L. Solbrekken,

10

Typical Measurement System Layout

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component
AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current

Sensor

Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Communication
Gary L. Solbrekken,

11

Interface Bus
Backbone of automated data collection
Allows components to communicate
Addressing
Data

Common protocols (define connectors/pins):

Ethernet
IEEE 488 (GPIB)
8 bit data in parallel
5 bit addressing

RS-232
Serial data
Gary L. Solbrekken,

12

Typical Measurement System Layout

Controller (CPU)
Often in same component
AT bus
Interface card
DMM
Data
bus
Address
bus

Conditioning
(Amp and
filter)

Sensor
MUX

Sensor
Sensor

+
Power supply
Output is voltage/current

Sensor

Servo motor
Output is shaft rotation

Gary L. Solbrekken,

13

Data Collection Controller

Directs measurement process
Equipment configurations
Measurement triggers
Data control on bus
Data storage

Software program
ExceLinx, C, Fortran, Labview, VEE, etc.

Gary L. Solbrekken,

14