219
the smart approach to instrumentation
TM
PC Data Acquisition Hardware
tel: 440-439-4091
fax: 440-439-4093
sales@iotech.com
www.iotech.com
Personal Daqs
TM
USB Data Acquisition Modules
Models /55 & /56
The compact Personal Daq is ideal for portable
data acquisition applications
Features
Multi-function data acquisition
modules attach to PCs via Universal
Serial Bus (USB)
Ultra low-power design requires no
external power or batteries
Can be located up to 5 meters (16.4
feet) from the PC
High-resolution, 22-bit A/D converter
Built-in cold-junction compensation
for direct thermocouple measurements
Frequency/pulse, or duty-cycle
measurements up to 1 MHz
Convenient removable screw-
terminal signal connections
500V optical isolation from PC for
safe and noise-free measurements
Programmable inputs from
31 mV
to
20V full scale
Digital I/O lines with open collector
output for direct drive applications
Expandable up to 80 channels of ana-
log and digital I/O
Up to 100 Personal Daq modules can
be attached to one PC using USB hubs,
for a total capacity of 8,000 channels
Digital calibration--no potentiom-
eters or adjustments required
Software
Personal DaqView
TM
, spreadsheet-style
software for Out-of-the-Box
TM
setup,
acquisition, & real-time display
DIAdem
-View, for post-acquisition
viewing
Drivers for Visual Basic
, Delphi
TM
, &
C++ for Windows
95/98/2000/Me,
DASYLab
& LabVIEW
The Personal Daqs are the first full-featured
data acquisition products to utilize the new
Universal Serial Bus (USB), which is built
into almost every new PC. Designed for
high accuracy and resolution, the 22-bit
Personal Daq data acquisition systems di-
rectly measure multiple channels of volt-
age, thermocouples, pulse, frequency, and
digital I/O. A single cable to the PC provides
high-speed communication and power to
the Personal Daq. No additional batteries or
power supplies are required, except when
using bus-powered hubs.
The Personal Daq modules are the first
products in a new family of low-cost,
USB-based products from IOtech.
Because of the strict power limitations of
the USB, the modules incorporate special
power-management circuitry to ensure
adherence to USB specifications.
The Personal Daqs avoid many of the
limitations of PC-Card (PCMCIA) data
acquisition devices and offer advantages
over most PC plug-in data acquisition
boards as well. The Personal Daq/55
TM
data
acquisition system offers 10 single-ended
or 5 differential analog (up to
20V full
scale) or thermocouple input channels,
16 programmable ranges, 500V optical
isolation, eight digital I/O lines, and two
frequency/pulse/duty-cycle channels.
The Personal Daq/56
TM
offers twice the I/O
capacity in the same size package.
tel: 440-439-4091
fax: 440-439-4093
220
sales@iotech.com
www.iotech.com
the smart approach to instrumentation
TM
PC Data Acquisition Hardware
Personal Daqs
TM
General Information
About USB -- the New PC Connection
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a new standard for connecting PCs to peripheral
devices such as printers, monitors and modems. USB offers several advantages over
conventional serial and parallel connections, including higher bandwidth (up to 12
Mbits/s) and the ability to provide power to the peripheral device.
USB is ideal for data acquisition applications. Since USB connections supply power,
only one cable is required to link the data acquisition device to the PC, which most
likely has at least one USB port. In addition, the USB's high-speed data transfer (from
the data acquisition device to the PC) allows for a real-time display of acquired data,
while eliminating the need for expensive memory in the acquisition device.
With the backing of Intel, Microsoft, and hundreds of other computer-related
companies, USB is quickly becoming a new universal standard. In fact, all new
computers now have USB capability.
Personal Daq/56 Block Diagram
Personal Daq with removable terminal block
Gain=
x1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128
22-bit
A/D
Power
jack
+
Expansion
port
Power
Expansion Analog Input
USB
jack
Micro-
processor
Control
circuits
Optoisolators
Activity
LED
Isolated analog power
Isolated digital power
Isolation
barrier
Local power
Power supply
20
Analog
inputs
Mux
CJC
Gain=
x1,1/5
Calibration
16
Digital I/O
4
PGIA
SE/DE
PGA
4
Frequency
inputs
Only used with bus-powered hubs
Frequency
Pulse Count
Duty-Cycle
16
16
27 k
5V
27 k
5V
-4 to +4V
The CA-179-x USB cable
To simplify attachment of signals and trans-
ducers, the Personal Daq modules feature
convenient, removable screw-terminal
input connections.
Software*
The Personal Daqs are supplied with
Personal DaqView (see p. 175), IOtech's
Windows
-based data logging applica-
tion that allows you to set up your ac-
quisition applications and save acquired
data directly to disk. The Personal Daqs
are also shipped with DIAdem
-View (see
p. 198), a post-acquisition application
that permits you to display acquired
data previously saved to a file. Drivers
for Visual Basic
, Delphi
TM
and C++ for
Windows
95/98/2000 are also included.
In addition, drivers are available for icon-
based software packages, such as
DASYLab
and LabVIEW
.
* It is recommended that Windows
98 be used as
the operating system; in most cases, Windows
95
version 4.00.95B or later (with the USB supple-
ment), will provide adequate support; Windows
NT does not provide USB support at all.
221
the smart approach to instrumentation
TM
PC Data Acquisition Hardware
tel: 440-439-4091
fax: 440-439-4093
sales@iotech.com
www.iotech.com
Personal Daqs
TM
Expansion
Personal Daq Expansion
Both the Personal Daq/55 and
Personal Daq/56 can be easily expanded
with one of two available snap-on expan-
sion modules, bringing the total capacity up
to 60 analog or thermocouple channels, 32
digital I/O lines, and 4 frequency input
channels. Furthermore, USB hubs can be
used to create multi-unit systems contain-
ing up to 100 Personal Daq modules at-
tached to a single PC. Using this strategy, a
multi-unit Personal Daq system can provide
up to 8,000 analog and digital I/O lines.
See the chart to the right for available
channel capacity.
A Personal Daq and a PDQ module simply plug together for additional channel capacity
Personal Daq/56 + PDQ2
Personal Daq/56 + PDQ1
Personal Daq/55 + PDQ2
Personal Daq/55 + PDQ1
PDQ2 Expansion Module
PDQ1 Expansion Module
Personal Daq/56
Personal Daq/55
4
4
2
2
-
-
4
2
Freq/Pulse Inputs
Personal Daq and Expansion System Channel Capacities
Product or System
30 DE, 60 SE
20 DE, 40 SE
25 DE, 50 SE
15 DE, 30 SE
20 DE, 40 SE
10 DE, 20 SE
10 DE, 20 SE
5 DE, 10 SE
Volts/TC Inputs
16
32
8
24
-
16
16
8
Digital I/O
PDQ10
TM
DIN-rail Mounting
Adapter
The PDQ10 allows one Personal
Daq or PDQ module to be DIN-
rail mounted. The Personal Daq
or PDQ module simply snaps
into the PDQ10.
PDQ11
TM
4-port Powered Hub
Add up to four USB devices to
your system with this easy plug-
and-play expansion hub. This
hub provides full USB power to
additional devices. Hubs can be
cascaded for additional ports.
PDQ12
TM
USB Extender Cable
Each PDQ12 adds 16 ft. to the
length of your USB cable. Up
to five of these plug-and-play
active cables can be cascaded,
for a total cable length of 96 ft.
(when added to a passive 16 ft.
USB cable).
PDQ13
TM
PCI to Dual USB Card
The PDQ13 adds two USB ports
to your desktop PC, and plugs
into your PC's PCI slot.
tel: 440-439-4091
fax: 440-439-4093
222
sales@iotech.com
www.iotech.com
the smart approach to instrumentation
TM
PC Data Acquisition Hardware
Personal Daqs
TM
Example Systems & Specifications
Example Systems
As a USB product, the Personal Daq data acquisition system can be located up to
five meters (16.4 feet) from the PC, allowing it to reside close to the point of
measurement for improved accuracy and reduced noise. If USB hubs are used as
repeaters between USB cable segments, the Personal Daq can be located up to 30
meters (98.4 feet) from the PC.
USB
Personal Daq
PDQ Module
Direct Connection to Computer USB Port(s)
Connection to Powered USB-Hub
Four Personal Daqs (with optional PDQ modules) are connected to ports of a USB hub,
requiring an external power source
Two Personal Daqs (with optional PDQ modules) are connected by cable to each of the
computer's USB ports, requiring no external power source
USB
Personal Daq
PDQ Module
USB Hub
Power Adapter
223
the smart approach to instrumentation
TM
PC Data Acquisition Hardware
tel: 440-439-4091
fax: 440-439-4093
sales@iotech.com
www.iotech.com
IOtech's Personal Daq product line is supported by three levels of software, allowing you to choose the package
that best fits your application and your skill level.
Icon-Based
DASYLab
Drivers
A complete set of language drivers and
documentation are included with the
Personal Daq for developing custom
applications using programming lan-
guages like Visual Basic
, C++, and
Delphi
TM
for Windows
95/98/2000/
Me; C and Pascal for DOS; and
LabVIEW
. The drivers are easy to
use and provide both high- and low-
level control of the hardware.
If your application requirements go
beyond the scope of Personal DaqView,
DASYLab software offers a greater de-
gree of flexibility and customization.
You can teach yourself DASYLab in a
matter of days, without the weeks of
training required for some other
icon-based application-development
software. See p. 194 for a full
description.
Personal DaqView graphical data acqui-
sition and display software is included
with Personal Daq systems. Using the
software's spreadsheet-style interface, you
can easily set up your application and
begin taking data within minutes. Op-
tional Personal DaqView Plus
TM
software
offers enhanced capabilities, while
optional Personal DaqViewXL
TM
soft-
ware allows Personal DaqView to ex-
ecute from within Microsoft
Excel. A
Plus version is also available. See p. 176
for a full description.
DIAdem
Included free with Personal DaqView, DIAdem
-View is a
powerful tool for reviewing and analyzing previously ac-
quired data. Its interactive display, data management, and
data reduction tools provide easy inspection of even the
biggest files. Optional DIAdem modules can be added to
provide post-acquisition viewing and analysis services for any
data collection software, or can be operated seamlessly from
within Personal DaqView. See p. 198 for a full description.
Out-of-the-Box
TM
Personal DaqView
TM
3 Levels of Software Support
for Personal Daqs
TM
PDF 
ZIP