SMU vs. DMM

[taylorll98]

Hi! I had questions regarding when to use SMUs vs. DMMs.

My system is a tank that is filled with water undergoing rapidly rotating convection. We are using NTC thermistors to measure the temperature at the lower and upper boundaries as well as in between. We need at least 48 channels and were initially going to use SMUs to collect the data, but it seems that DMMs with multiplexers may be a more sensible option.

What are the benefits of a SMU over a DMM and vice versa? Specifically, is there anything an SMU might be able to do in this context that a DMM could not? Thanks!

[crossrulz]

The only thing you can really gain with an SMU is more control over the excitation voltage/current.  I would just stick with the DMM.

Another option would be to get a DAQ that can do resistance measurements.  Then everything is done in a single module and all measurements are done closer to each other.