I have been looking for a portable data acquisition device that is
>relatively low cost without any success.
>If you needed one, what would you buy?
>I have also looked for data acquisition accessories for PDAs, pocket
>computers and laptops and again find little to buy that doesn't cost
>significant money.
>If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate them.
>Finally, I have spent considerable time looking for information in
>Google without success. If you are aware of any sites that have
>circuits and software for a homebuilt solution, I would be interested
>in hearing about them.
>Thanks TMT
| I have been looking for a portable data acquisition device that is | relatively low cost without any success.
"Portable data acquisition device" is pretty general, but...
You might look into USB memory sticks that can plug directly into a laptop, if that's what you mean by portable. Otherwise, if you're talking about some sort of microcontroller system, you might look into something like this:
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--
MT
To reply directly, take every occurrence of the letter 'y' out of my
address.
I've used their 8 bit starter kit with a laptop before, and now they have a 10 bit version. 4 channels of 10 bit at 240 Hz total for $25 with software. Powers off the serial port, which might be a problem - my ibm thinkpad 760 would only give about 4 V, not the >7 V that it wanted, so I added a battery to help out.
-- Regards, Carl Ijames carl.ijames at verizon.net
Please define "data". What kind of data? Supposed you want to capture some electronic signal, what is it? Voltage? Resistance? Light? "Counts"? Atmospheric Terpene levels? Seismic events?
Please define "acquisition". Entering via keyboard? Electronic capture?
Supposed you want volts, what scale? Microvolts? Kilovolts? What resolution (dynamic range) of the scale, what precision and what accuracy do you need?
At what frequency do you need to acquire? Is it once a day, or in the MHz range? How long do you acquire? How is the acquisition supposed to be started: Trigger on an event, by timetable, by hand, ... ?
How is the device supposed to be operated? Under continuous supervision, or at best one service visit per year?
How is the device supposed to store data? "On-chip", or is there permanent connection to a computer?
Btw, I'm not joking here. The better you describe what you want, the better are your chances to get a suitable answer.
Generally anything that communicates over RS232, and many things that interface via parallel port. And PCMCIA, GPIB, USB, IrDA, ...
Even better: There is a kit around to convert a Gameboy into a DSO.
HTH,
- Joerg
--
joerg dot hau at swissonline dot ch * Lausanne, Switzerland
http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/joerg.hau/
"All standard disclaimers apply".
remove the obvious from my address to reply
Anything that has a parallel port can get digital data easily, with simple and cheap hardware.
The game port can get a slo, simple low res analog input. Sound cards accept analog data in the audio freqs.
BTW, if you want it cheap, then you have to make compromises in its complexity. So if others ask you to narrow your choices, and you can't do that, then expect it to be expensive.
He reminds me of the "Deep Thought" computer in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. We'll give you the answer you want, but it'll take 7.6 million years. So come back in a few millenia to see how we're doing. ;-)
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The question is "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"
... and still it would help us to help you if you were able to tell us _what_ these uses are. The more detailed the question, the better are your chances that the response is useful ;-)
I daresay that this is because it is still not clear enough what you are looking for.
I contradict. How and where have you been searching?
Look for the right keywords: "data acquisition" is probably way too broad ... I would not call a DSO a "data acquisition device" but by its real name, i.e. a Digital Storage Oscilloscope. The issue is similar to looking for details of a BMW R80GS motorcycle by googling for "transportation" ;-)
If you look for things like "parallel port data logger", "gameboy oscilloscope", "bitscope", "PC thermometer", "gameport data logger", "seismic detector" etc., you will find quite some material. And do not forget the application notes that are available on the websites of semiconductor manufacturers involved in DAQ hardware.
Cheers + HTH,
- Joerg
--
joerg dot hau at swissonline dot ch * Lausanne, Switzerland
http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/joerg.hau/
"All standard disclaimers apply".
remove the obvious from my address to reply
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