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test&measurementZONE Products for the week of November 19, 2007
Agilent Technologies Says…
Expanded USB-Based DAQ Family Features More Standalone, Modular Solutions that Enable Scalable Systems
Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced new products to its USB-based data acquisition (DAQ) family of standalone, modular solutions, enabling customers to create more flexible, scalable systems.
The Agilent DAQ family's standalone, modular capability accompanies a wide range of multifunction DAQ and digital input-output devices, providing a convenient expansion of up to 384 channels when used with the Agilent U2781A modular chassis. With the capability to hold different function modules, the chassis helps users achieve synchronization across devices and applications.
Whatever the configuration, each DAQ device offers quick, easy setup with USB and its bundled software, allowing users to begin performing measurements in no time. With the included IVI-driver, users can also choose to automate measurement and control with Agilent VEE or any other popular application development environments.
The Agilent USB DAQ family:
- The Agilent U2500A Series simultaneous-sampling multifunction DAQ devices cater to phase-sensitive applications.
- The Agilent U2300A Series multifunction DAQ devices offer high sampling rates up to 3 MSa/s per channel for electro-mechanical applications that require electrical and physical measurements.
- Agilent's U2100A and U2600A Series isolated digital input-output devices are optimized to work with various sensors and actuators for seamless machine control and automation.
- The Agilent U2781A six-slot modular instrument chassis provides channel expansion for the U2300A, U2500A and U2600A Series modules.
- Agilent's U2802A thermocouple input device works with the U2355A/U2356A DAQ models for temperature measurements.
"In almost every industry, demand is rising for solutions that are scalable to expanding systems and evolving needs," said Ee Huei Sin, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Basic Instruments Division. "Our USB DAQ devices provide not only the flexibility that today's industry demands, but also solutions that are simple, affordable and easily integrated."
Further Information
Agilent's U2300A Series provides a high sampling rate and high analog input up to 64 channels. Each U2500A Series device has a dedicated ADC that eliminates transmission delays, enabling precise acquisition of phase information.
The 64-input U2600A Series and 32-input U2100A Series devices provide high input/output voltage up to 35 V, with an isolation voltage of up to 1,500 Vrms. The U2802A thermocouple input device operates with a U2355A or U2356A DAQ device for voltage or temperature measurements up to 10 V. The U2781A chassis provides simultaneous and star trigger bus synchronization for the modules that have been slotted into it.
The bundled Agilent Modular Instruments Measurement Manager software allows easy out-of-box configuration, acquisition and generation of simple function or arbitrary waveforms. In addition to Agilent VEE, the DAQ devices are compatible with LabVIEW and Microsoft Visual Studio.
EN-Genius Says…
Agilent's latest wares underscore USB's utility in a variety of plug-and-play and hot-swap applications. Right now, Universal Serial Bus 2.0 provides a rather healthy 480-Mbit/s bandwidth in the PC peripherals environment. However, plans for USB v3.0 are being hammered out, as we speak, with indications it will support gosh-awesome 4.8-Gbit/s data rates. Agilent is positioning itself nicely, eh?
 These modules also reflect a growing trend in industry to implement cost-effective modular and networked data acquisition and control systems. Keep in mind that many system implementers aren't design engineers, either. Instead, they're setting up and running more or less ready-to-go systems on the factory floor. Straightforward programming and plug-and-play capabilities can make life easier for these folks when it comes time to cobble together subsystems and troubleshoot them.
Finally, the stylish packaging in these Agilent products is snazzy (notwithstanding similarity to competing data-acq instrumentation products, especially those of National Instruments).
Both Basic and High-Density Data-Acq
Regardless of how they look, these U2300A modules should serve both basic and high-density data-acq systems, and as the press statement (above) points out, these configurations can accommodate literally hundreds of channels (that's made easier by means of Agilent's U2781A chassis and the bundled Measurement Manager software).
 The U2300A products come in four models. In operation, they support up to 3 Msample/s sampling rates for a single channel, slowing to 1 Msample/s for multiple channels. Even at the slower rates, this relatively fast sampling can help zero-in on fleeting and intermittent signals. The architecture should also come in handy if you're dealing with high-density analog I/O, especially in environments where disparate input ranges and sampling requirements are encountered.
Not mentioned in Agilent's press statement is the fact that its U2300A modules can operate in either polling or continuous modes. The latter has the ability to acquire data continuously after a trigger. Speaking of triggering, U2300s can respond to immediate triggering (none), analog/external digital triggering, (SSI)/star (System Synchronous Interface) triggering, or master/slave triggering schemes.
Arbitrary Waveform Generation
Two analog output channels also provide dc levels, but are also capable of generating waveforms such as sine, square, triangle, and sawtooth waveshapes, as well as noise. The U2300A Series also supports arbitrary waveform generation, too. You can generate almost any waveform using the Measurement Manager software, or SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instrumentation) commands.
For their part, Agilent U2500A modules, packing dedicated data converters, enable simultaneous signal acquisition, which is just the ticket for phase-sensitive non-MUX’d measurements (this was discussed by Data Translation's Tim Ludy in a recent EN-Genius TechNote).
Agilent U2500A Series simultaneous sampling modules comprise three models: the U2531A, U2541A, and U2542A. These deliver up to four channels with resolutions of 14- or 16-bits.
The U2531A can sample at up to 2-Msample/s for each channel at 14 bits. U2541A and U2542A modules sample a bit more slowly, but at 16-bit resolution. They operate at rates to 250-ksample/s and 500-ksample/s, respectively, for each channel.
Direct Drive
For digital I/O control, Agilent's U2100A Series of modules can be used. These can directly drive many kinds of heavy components such as relays, actuators, and valves. They can also serve as a system interface to typical sensors such as thermistors, RTDs, thermocouples, and light-sensitive detectors.
Agilent offers three models. Its U2121A is a 16-terminal digital I/O module. The U2122A is a 32-terminal digital input module, and the U2123A is the 32-terminal digital output counterpart. All of these SCPI-, IVI-C-, and IVI-COM-compatible USB modules are optically isolated, providing 1.5-kV (rms) isolation.
If you're not familiar with these standards, the IVI Foundation http://www.ivifoundation.org/ defines two architectures for IVI drivers. IVI-C is based on the ANSI C standard. IVI-COM is based on Microsoft COM (Component Object Model). Some folks contend IVI-C drivers offer advantages over IVI-COM drivers.
Back to the U2121A and U2123A modules: they also feature programmable power-up features to thwart glitches. The programmable power-up state lets you pre-configure the state of all output lines to a desired state on power-up. That known-state operation can ensure reliable and proper manipulation of critical automation components such as motors or valves. Additional digital filtering also cleans up noise pulses.
The U2121A and U2123A modules also include watchdog timers. Fail-safe features let you set output lines to a known state in the event of a software failure, a driver crash, or loss of USB communications. If an output is a critical line, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic valve in an automated production system, these fail-safe attributes might spell the difference between success and disaster.
Last in this new product line-up is Agilent's U2802A thermocouple module, for which (unfortunately) there is no data sheet available on the company Web site at this time. In any case, it's a 31-channel conditioning subsystem that converts low voltage thermocouple signals into output voltages that are more for data conversion. It's typically used with a U2355A or U2356A data-acq module.
In use, the U2802A's channels can be independently configured for thermocouple or voltage inputs (it can handle up to 10 V). This module also includes thermistor cold-junction compensation, and has open thermocouple detection. The U2802A can accommodate type J, K, R, S, T, N, E and B thermocouples, which are attached to a built-in isothermal terminal block.
Last, but by no means least, Agilent's modules are compatible with many existing development environments. That compatibility can cut the time it takes to actually use these items. These modules can be viewed as building blocks, with programming using SCPI commands. Right now, these products can be used with Agilent VEE and Agilent T&M Toolkit, Microsoft Visual Studio.NET, C, C++, Visual Basic 6, National Instruments LabVIEW, and The Mathworks MATLAB.
These USB DAQ devices have been available worldwide since November 13, 2007, except in the Americas, where they will be available on January 28, 2008. Prices are:
- U2300A starts at $1,033;
- U2500A starts at $1,500;
- U2600A starts at $420;
- U2100A starts at $403;
- U2781A starts at $1,180; and
- U2802A starts at $1100.
Product Pages/Data Sheet Links
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