Test and Measurement: Know It All

Chapter Sampling

Hardware characteristics such as nonlinearity, response times, and susceptibility to noise can have important consequences in a data-acquisition system. They often limit performance and may necessitate countermeasures to be implemented in software. A detailed knowledge of the transfer characteristics and temporal performance of each element of the data acquisition and control (DA&C) system is a prerequisite for writing reliable interface software. The purpose of this chapter is to draw your attention to those attributes of sensors, actuators, signal conditioning, and digitization circuitry that have a direct bearing on software design. While precise details are generally to be found in manufacturer' literature, the material presented ...