Getting Started with Data Acquisition Toolbox

Data Acquisition Toolbox™ provides apps and functions for configuring data acquisition hardware, reading data into MATLAB^® and Simulink^®, and writing data to DAQ analog and digital output channels. The toolbox supports a variety of DAQ hardware, including USB, PCI, PCI Express^®, PXI^®, and PXI-Express devices, from National Instruments^® and other vendors.

The toolbox apps let you interactively configure and run a data acquisition session. You can then generate equivalent MATLAB code to automate your acquisition in future sessions. Toolbox functions give you the flexibility to control the analog input, analog output, counter/timer, and digital I/O subsystems of a DAQ device. You can access device-specific features and synchronize data acquired from multiple devices.

You can analyze data as you acquire it or save it for post-processing. You can also automate tests and make iterative updates to your test setup based on analysis results.

Tutorials

• Data Acquisition Session
  

  Relational overview of data acquisition session components and supported vendors.

• Acquire Data with the Analog Input Recorder
  

  Use the Analog Input Recorder app to visualize and record analog input signals.

• Generate Signals with the Analog Output Generator
  

  Use the Analog Output Generator app to define and produce analog output signals.

About Data Acquisition

• Data Acquisition System
  

  Typical components that compose a data acquisition system

• Analog Input Subsystem
  

  Hardware subsystem that converts (digitizes) real-world sensor signals into numbers your computer can read

• Making Quality Measurements
  

  Maximizing precision and accuracy, minimizing noise, and matching the sensor range to the hardware range

Featured Examples

Getting Started with NI Devices

Get started with NI devices from the command line using the session based interface.

Open Script

Getting Started with MCC Devices

Get started with MCC devices from the command line using the session-based interface.

Open Script

Getting Started Acquiring Data with Digilent® Analog Discovery™

Acquire analog input voltage data (at a sampling rate of 300kHz). The dynamic range of the incoming signal is -2.5 to 2.5 volts. You will use the session-based interface with the Digilent Analog Discovery hardware.

Open Script

Getting Started Generating Data with Digilent® Analog Discovery™

Generate analog output voltage data (at a rate of 300kHz). The output voltage-range of the outgoing signal is -5.0 to +5.0 volts. You will use the session-based interface with Digilent Analog Discovery hardware.

Open Script