This book serves as a practical guide for practicing engineers who need to design embedded systems for high-speed data acquisition and control systems. A minimum amount of theory is presented, along with a review of analog and digital electronics, followed by detailed explanations of essential topics in hardware design and software development. The discussion of hardware focuses on microcontroller design (ARM microcontrollers and FPGAs), techniques of embedded design, high speed data acquisition (DAQ) and control systems. Coverage of software development includes main programming techniques, culminating in the study of real-time operating systems. All concepts are introduced in a manner to be highly-accessible to practicing engineers and lead to the practical implementation of an embedded board that can be used in various industrial fields as a control system and high speed data acquisition system.

This book describes the fundamentals of data acquisition systems, how they enable users to sample signals that measure real physical conditions and convert the resulting samples into digital, numeric values that can be analyzed by a computer. The author takes a problem-solving approach to data acquisition, providing the tools engineers need to use the concepts introduced. Coverage includes sensors that convert physical parameters to electrical signals, signal conditioning circuitry to convert sensor signals into a form that can be converted to digital values and analog-to-digital converters, which convert conditioned sensor signals to digital values. Readers will benefit from the hands-on approach, culminating with data acquisition projects, including hardware and software needed to build data acquisition systems.

Racecar data acquisition used to be limited to well-funded teams in high-profile championships. Today, the cost of electronics has decreased dramatically, making them available to everyone. But the cost of any data acquisition system is a waste of money if the recorded data is not interpreted correctly. This book, updated from the best-selling 2008 edition, contains techniques for analyzing data recorded by any vehicle's data acquisition system. It details how to measure the performance of the vehicle and driver, what can be learned from it, and how this information can be used to advantage next time the vehicle hits the track. Such information is invaluable to racing engineers and managers, race teams, and racing data analysts in all motorsports. Whether measuring the performance of a Formula One racecar or that of a road-legal street car on the local drag strip, the dynamics of vehicles and their drivers remain the same. Identical analysis techniques apply. Some race series have restricted data logging to decrease the team’s running budgets. In these cases it is extremely important that a maximum of information is extracted and interpreted from the hardware at hand. A team that uses data more efficiently will have an edge over the competition. However, the ever-decreasing cost of electronics makes advanced sensors and logging capabilities more accessible for everybody. With this comes the risk of information overload. Techniques are needed to help draw the right conclusions quickly from very large data sets. In addition to updates throughout, this new edition contains three new chapters: one on techniques for analyzing tire performance, one that provides an introduction to metric-driven analysis, a technique that is used throughout the book, and another that explains what kind of information the data contains about the track.

This comprehensive new handbook is a one-stop engineering reference covering data converter fundamentals, techniques, and applications. Beginning with the basic theoretical elements necessary for a complete understanding of data converters, the book covers all the latest advances made in this changing field. Details are provided on the design of high-speec ADCs, high accuracy DACs and ADCs, sample-and-hold amplifiers, voltage sources and current reference,noise-shaping coding, sigma-delta converters, and much more.

Introduction to Data Acquisition & Control; Analog and Digital Signals; Signal Conditioning; The Personal Computer for Real Time Work; Plug-in Data Acquisition Boards; Serial Data Communications; Distributed & Standalone Loggers/Controllers; IEEE 488 Standard; Ethernet & LAN Systems; The Universal Serial Bus (USB); Specific Techniques; The PCMCIA Card; Appendix A: Glossary; Appendix B: IBM PC Bus Specifications; Appendix C: Review of the Intel 8255 PPI Chip; Appendix D: Review of the Intel 8254 Timer-Counter Chip; Appendix E: Thermocouple Tables; Appendix F: Numbers Systems; Appendix G: GPIB (IEEE-488) Mnemonics & their Definition; Appendix H: Practical Laboratories & Demonstrations; Appendix I: Command Structure & Programming.

The second edition of this highly successful text focuses on the major changes that have taken place in this field in recent times. Data Acquisition Techniques Using PCs, Second Edition, recognises that data acquisition is the core of most engineering and many life science systems in measurement and instrumentation. It will prove invaluable to scientists, engineers, students and technicians wishing to keep up with the latest technological developments. - Teaches the reader how to set up a PC-based system that measures, analyzes, and controls experiments and processes through detailed design examples - Geared for beginning and advanced users, with many tutorials for less experienced readers, and detailed standards references for more experienced readers - Fully revised new edition discusses latest programming languages and includes a list of over 80 product manufacurers to save valuable time