National Instruments has introduced a USB 2.0 based data acquisition system which it claims will simplify sensor and electrical measurements from the benchtop and on the production line.

The CompactDAQ system offers an eight-slot chassis that accepts I/O modules capable of measuring up to 256 channels of electrical, physical, mechanical and acoustic signals in a single system. 

The system is expected to simplify measurements including voltage, temperature, strain, sound and vibration, as well as digital I/O and switching. All modules are hot-swappable and auto-detectable for simplified setup, and offer up to 2,300Vrms of isolation to ensure PC and user safety.

The system delivers four dedicated USB signal streams for synchronous analogue and digital I/O for data-intensive applications including sound and vibration, mixed-signal automated test and high-speed data logging.

Designed to fit a small form factor measuring 25x9x9cm, the CompactDAQ system is shipped with NI-DAQmx driver software and additional measurement tools. For example, an interactive configuration and test panel utility minimises setup time, while the included configuration-based data-logging software makes it possible to record data without programming.

NI-DAQmx measurement services software also includes an open API for NI LabVIEW, C/C++, Visual Basic 6 and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET languages, as well as the DAQ Assistant, a step-by-step wizard utility from NI that automatically generates LabVIEW code.