Data Acquisition Laboratory

The essential element to automate your system for data collection and analysis is termed as the data acquisition. The data acquisition system is the process of making measurement of physical event and storing them in some logical fashion. Having a formal background in engineering or science is helpful but the best way to learn is by implementing the system with hardware and software components. The popularity and acceptance of computer-based instrumentation has created a need to provide the students in engineering technology with a training course based on the aforementioned technology. This type of training can be introduced as an integrated required course for all the disciplines of Engineering Technology (Civil, Electronics, Mechanical, and Chemical Engineering Technology). In an effort to introduce the students to this computer-based instrumentation technique, the Department of Engineering Technology at Savannah State University has developed a course titled as Data Acquisition System. This paper will discuss the course outline, laboratory equipment and an example to illustrate the application of data acquisition system. This paper will also report on the hardware and LabView virtual instrument software developed by National Instruments.