USB data acquisition devices sample at 625kS/s

USB data acquisition (DAQ) devices with 18-bit analogue input accuracy at sampling rates up to 625kS/s offer enhanced analogue output channels with programmable range and offset settings.

National Instruments (NI) has introduced its M Series USB data acquisition (DAQ) devices with 18-bit analogue input accuracy at sampling rates up to 625kS/s.

The NI USB-6281 and USB-6289 feature an 18-bit ADC, which provides a 4x increase in resolution over traditional 16-bit devices, equivalent to more than 5.1/2 digits of resolution for DC measurements.

These devices also offer enhanced analogue output channels that feature programmable range and offset settings.

In addition to standard screw terminal or mass termination connectivity options, board-only OEM versions are also available for integration with embedded systems and include 34- and 50-pin insulation-displacement connectors (IDC) for easy board mating.

* Data sampling accuracy - to ensure accuracy at all available sampling rates, these devices incorporate the NI-PGIA 2 custom amplifier and NI-MCal self-calibration to minimise settling time and guarantee maximum accuracy.

An onboard lowpass filter can be programmatically enabled to further improve measurement accuracy by eliminating high frequency noise.

With the NI USB-628x devices, engineers can deliver an absolute accuracy of 980 uV at a range of +/-10V and 28 microV at a range of +/-100 mV at a sampling rate of up to 625kS/s.

The USB-6281 features 16 single-ended (SE) and eight differential input (DI) analogue input channels, two analogue output channels and 24 digital I/O (DIO) channels.

The USB-6289 features 32 SE and 16 DI analogue input channels, four analogue output channels and 48 DIO channels.

Both devices offer 18-bit analogue inputs at up to 625kS/s (500kS/s when scanning) and 16-bit analogue output at 833kS/s.

High-accuracy USB-628x devices also provide enhanced waveform generation.

Engineers can now define custom offset and range settings for analogue output and maximise the 16 bits of output resolution around a fixed DC offset to generate a more accurate representation of small signals and increase the accuracy of analogue waveforms.

High-accuracy NI M Series multifunction DAQ devices are ideal for applications including device test and characterisation and for sensor and signal measurements requiring instrument-class accuracy.

Applications that can now benefit from the higher accuracy include the following.

* Scientific instrumentation such as geological monitoring.

* Materials analysis.

* Environmental sensing.

* Calorimetry.

* Optics.

* Spectroscopy.

* Structural sensing and gas detection.

* Medical device instrumentation.

* USB-628x devices are also ideal for electronics characterisation and research.

Unlike typical multifunction USB data acquisition devices, NI M Series USB DAQ devices incorporate NI signal streaming, a patent-pending technology that provides multiple bidirectional high-speed data streams over USB.

NI signal streaming, combined with the error correction, noise rejection, power management and power distribution inherent to the USB protocol, yields a flexible, secure and reliable bus.

Without NI signal streaming, a multifunction data acquisition device can sustain only a single high-speed data stream, effectively making it a single-function device.

The new USB-628x devices are shipped with NI-DAQmx driver software and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress LE, an interactive measurement workbench for quickly acquiring, analysing and presenting data without additional programming.

The NI-DAQmx driver also provides time-saving features such as code generation for both the LabVIEW graphical development environment and text-based languages such as ANSI C/C++, C#, Visual Basic .NET and Visual Basic 6.0; more than 3,000 measurement examples; device simulation; and connection diagrams.

* About National Instruments - National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications.

NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3% of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, NI has more than 4,500 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries.

For the past nine years, 'Fortune' magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.

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