Parallel Data Acquisition (Trigger & Continuous)

[David Huggins]

I would like to use my DAQ 6052E and LabView 6.1 to setup a continuous acquistion on channel 2 (gamma counter) whilst enabling channel 0 to analogue trigger channel 1. Is it possible to do this with H/W timing, or do I need to follow the semaphore example and flip-flop between channel 0/1 & channel 2?

[aasenjo]

Hello,

If you are already acquiring data from one channel then the hardware resources have already been configured and it is not possible to setup a different acquisition until the first one is finished.

I would suggest that instead of having a hardware analog trigger you basically configure your application to continuously acquire data from both channels and simply discard the data from channel 1 that does not meet certain condition or criteria. Monitoring and discarding data from channel 1 while acquiring both channels will allow you to obtain a similar effect to having a hardware analog triggered acquisition and a continuous one running simultaneously.

I hope this helps,

Alejandro Asenjo
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[David Huggins]

Thanks for your response - My customer has expressed dismay that this wonderful, modern LabView/DAQpad solution can't do something he remembers doing as a PhD student with a rack full of data acquistion equipment and a simple FORTRAN program. Of course, it would be impossible to put his Vintage test system into a helicopter like we have to do with this one!

Cheers,

[aasenjo]

🙂

You may already know this but it would be good to make the customer understand that the limitation is more on the hardware side than in the software side. Another way to accomplish it is to have 2 DAQ boards (Pads); this way one would perform continuous acquisition while the other one waits for the trigger.

Sounds like an exciting application, good luck with the project.

Alejandro