Is this the right DAQ board to buy?

[Dennis_Knutson]

That site requires registration. Could you just attach the manual?

[hrh1818]

Here is some infomation I extracted from an Ircon pdf for an Ultimax-209 handheld pyrometer.

Accessories
Datalogging Software UX-SW40N (license) for UX-10P, 20P or 40P and digital cable †
Datalogging Software UX-SW50N (license) for UX-50P, 60P or 70P and digital cable †
Digital Cable, 2 m (6 ft.) long, 2.5mm micro phone plug x D-SUB 9-pin connector
Analog Cable, 2 m (6 ft.) long, 2.5mm micro phone plug x alligator clips

This information raises a bunch of additinal questions.  Like one does Jimmy have the datalogging software?
 The word accesory to me means it is an additional option one can buy.   Else where in the PDF it says the
software runs on a Windows PC and the data is downloaded to a PC.  We don't know what the format of the
data is and if Labview software can replace Ircon's software.  Just what does Jimmy want to do with the data
after it is downloaded from the pyrometer

Howard

[Jimykid86]

Hello,

Thank Howard.  I should have been more careful about reading the manual.  Anyway, it seems like since I don't have an NI daq board with its data-logging software, I should consider IRCON's datalogging software.  Can I then export the data to labview?  BTW, I need to plot temperature vs. current.  I hope I got everything now: Psc-232, rs232 to usb adapter, and this data logging software.  Anyway, thank you guys so far.

Jimmy

[Ray.R]

Msg Deleted

Message Edited by JoeLabView on 05-29-2008 09:46 PM

[Dennis_Knutson]

Whether or not you can export the data to LabVIEW is a question you need to ask the vendor. My guess is that any data created by their logger would not be available in real-time. That means that you would not be able plot one versus the other very easily. For controlling both at the same time, talking to both with LabVIEW is probably the best approach and logging data in LabVIEW is trivial.

Please just attach the manual. Registration usually puts you on a mailing list and I get enough junk mail as it is.

[Jimykid86]

Hello,

Dennis, I attach the ircon pdf for the handheld thermometer.  I will ask IRCON if the data extracted the instrument can be used in real-time with labview.

Jim

[Dennis_Knutson]

That is not a manual. It's a sales brochure. Basically worthless, I'm afraid.

[RavensFan]

One problem is that what you attached isn't a manual, it's just a sales brochure.

Now the specs do say it has "real time temperature measuring mode".  Hopefully the real user's manual (or perhaps an advanced version of the user's manual) would provide the commands you would need to know to read the temperature.

If not, a possibility would be to use their software to display the real time data and use a serial port spy program to capture the data stream going to and from the device.  Then replicate that in LabVIEW code.

EDIT:  Oops.  Dennis got his reply in about the quality of the attachment while I was writing mine.

Message Edited by Ravens Fan on 05-29-2008 10:42 PM

[hrh1818]

Here is some more information I extracted from the Ircon sales brochure for the
Ultimax UX-20P. 

ULTIMAX Plus model has the power to store
temperature data in its internal memory. Select one of
two modes: “Manual Mode” to store temperature data
every time the “measure” button is pushed; or “Time
Interval Mode” to store up to 1,000 data points
continuously at one second intervals (500 data points
continuously at one second intervals for models UX
50P, 60P, and 70P). Datalogging is useful for gathering
temperature data for predictive maintenance or
continuous time interval data for process or testing
applications. The stored temperature data can be
viewed on the ULTIMAX Plus display or downloaded to
a PC with ULTIMAX Plus data analysis software. This
software provides a real-time trending function and
allows you to graph, display, store, and analyze the
logged data or export it directly to a Microsoft® Excel
spreadsheet.

The software appears to lack the capability for external software to request a reading
 and have the pyrometer return data.  .This makes it hard to implement a set and read
mode of operation.   The next question is what type of profile des Jimmy want the
 current to follow during an experiment?   If it was something simple like a ramp than
you could start logging data the same time you start the ramp and use the time at which
the ramp reaches a predetermined maximum value to truncate the temperature data file
to produce a plot ot temperature versus current.

Howard

[Jimykid86]

Basically, the current will be increased until the sample in the ultra high vaccum (UHV) reaches a certain temperature.  Before we need two people to do it: one looks at the pyrometer and the other increases the current on the power supply.  Now they want to use Labview to increase the current and see the temperature all on computer.  It is a pretty cool application to me since I never work with a process control before.  Anyway, if the datalogging software doesn't cost that much, it is good to own it anyway.

Jimmy