A data acquisition system plays quite a vital role in the collection of data from any process that is ongoing. The data so collected provides the users with the required information so as to clearly understand the performance of the overall process along with the steps or areas that require improvement. So, it becomes extremely important to incorporate these systems into the process for better results. Now, the confusion that arises here is the choice of the system for the purpose of acquiring data. So, for the selection of the appropriate data acquisition system, considering a few of the important factors would be ideal. Please read through to find the important factors to consider at the time of setting up the data acquisition systems.
Time
First and foremost, you need to be clear about the duration of time for which you want the system to run without interruption. This time duration will make a significant impact on the choice of the hardware as well as the operating system. In an addition to this, if the processor gets stressed in continuously keeping up with the tasks, then there are high chances that the data flow might get backed up along with errors as a result of buffer overflow. The hard drives of the system are spinning which starts wearing out and also the time battery of the internal battery will stop functioning after a decade or earlier. So, the first thing to consider would be the time you want the system to run which in turn would allow you to make the right selection.
Source of Power
The next thing to consider is the source of power. You need to see whether the system will have an access to a source of power or if it needs its own power source. If the system for data acquisition has an access to the prime power, then it becomes much easier than supplying your own portable power of your own such as from a battery, solar panel, etc. The calculations of power, as well as energy utilisations, might be tricky for multi-mode operations. So, it is ideal to be conservative and take the measurements of power under the real-world conditions of operating.
Transmission of Data
The next thing to consider is the transmission of data from the system. You need to be sure whether the data acquisition system needs to transmit data remotely from the field or the plant or only local data storage is enough. This would help you in choosing the appropriate system. In an addition to this, you need to make sure whether you want the system to have the capability of storing & forwarding for the purpose of buffering the acquired data when the link is not available and continue to send when it is back online. Moreover, you need to decide on the storage you require and select the system as per that.
Access to the System
At the time of setting up a data acquisition system, you need to be clear about the fact that you need access to the system remotely for configuring it or checking its status or not. It also might happen that you need the acquisition parameters of the system to be modified for which access to the system is essential. Thus, you should be setting up a system for data acquisition that can be accessed remotely.
Data Acquiring and Processing
When you have planned to set up a data acquisition system, you need to decide beforehand whether you simply need to acquire raw data or you need the acquired data to be processed in some specific way after the acquisition process. Considering this factor is of immense importance in selecting the right system for data acquisition. If you simply need to acquire data from the process, a simple system would be sufficient. But in case you need the system to do some specialized tasks such as filtering, windowing, and other processes it would be requiring a CPU in the system to perform the tasks effectively.
Channels of Input
Finally, you need to check you channels of your input which would necessarily be a great determining factor where you need to be sure as to how your input channels look like. The driving factors to consider here are the sample rates, the channels or signals from which the data is to be acquired, the range of signals, and the synchronization. Considering all of these factors would enable you to choose the most appropriate data acquisition system.
Now, when you intend to set up a data acquisition system, you need to make sure to choose a trusted and reputed manufacturer like Gtek. With several years of experience in this field, Gtek would undoubtedly be the best choice in the case of data acquisition systems.
