Torque sensor and Labview for load measurement and replication

[Surfmase]

Hi,

I'm researching torque sensors and how to use them with labview in planing for an intended expansion of my R&D testing capabilities.  I have USB-6000 and USB-6210 devices, and intend to use the 6210 for this application mostly because I'm hopefully going to use a torque sensor which also has an encoder. This means I need the 2 counters to receive the TTL encoder signals, right?  I've been looking at Futek TRS605, Burster 8661, Magtrol TS series, and some others.  Most offer output signals +/-5VDC or +/-10VDC.  It appears either will work with my hardware, should I have a preference?  Some sensors offer USB connection instead of VDC like the Burster 8661.  What does it mean that they have drivers for Labview, and would this affect my choice of outputs?  Some sensors do not have an amplified signal, but show a property like 1mV/V.  How do I know if my hardware will work with with this signal?  And how would I relate this signal to a torque value?  What is an appropriate power supply for the sensor, could I use a simple wall-plug power supply with corresponding voltage?

My idea is to use the torque sensor to determine actual loading patterns on a drive mechanism in real applications, then to replicate these loading patterns using a brake for motor validation and lifetime testing. I.e. simulating the starting torque of a system over varius duty cycles, for example 4 s on, 2 s off for a period of 6 min, then 4 min off.  All while gathering temperature readings, torque and speed from torque sensor and motor current from its controller.  This requires creating an output signal with Labview to control the braking torque.  I see there is a simple function generator in the examples, but I will need something more advanced. Of course some simplification is expected. How challenging would this be for a beginner? What approaches should I investigate for generating the output function?  I'm also concerned about how to integrate the counter signal into the cluster.  I would like to use speed and torque to know the output power of a certain application.

https://www.ni.com/docs/de-DE/bundle/usb-6210-specs/page/specs.html

https://www.mts.ch/public/upload/assets/4760/8661_EN.pdf?fp=1

Thanks

[Surfmase]

If I'm not mistaken, neither of my devices support analog outputs.  Can I use the digital out with additional hardware to signal this device?  Is an SSR the best choice?

[RIObotics]

Hi friend,

You have about 10 different questions in your original post.  It would be murder for anyone to try to answer them all.

Just get a device with analog output.  No need to re-invent the wheel.  It would make life so much easier for you.

[Surfmase]

Hey,

Thanks for your suggestion.  Great news for me! I misstyped, I have USB 6001 not 6000, so I do have 2 AOs.

Yes, lots of questions indeed.  But, if one would die whilst attempting to answer them, would that not technically be suicide? hmm tough one.  Although one would not be required to answer all, one single answer to any would be a good start.

Let's focus on the torque sensor to pair with USB 6210

Should I choose 5V or 10V amplifier signal? why?

Thanks

[santo_13]

The choice of 5V or 10V depends on your DAQ AI range - ideally maximize the use of AI range so you get the best resolution and accuracy.

Your 6001 uses +/-10V input, so, go with 10V sensor

[JB]

As shown in this screenshot of the USB-6210 specifications, the AI input range is configurable :

Input range

±0.2 V, ±1 V, ±5 V, ±10 V

By defining the AI range of the acquisition card according to the output of the torque meter, the choice of a model with ±5V or ±10V will have almost no influence on the measurement accuracy.

As long as you mentioned a Swiss supplier, take a look at Transmetra's DR2112 or DR2112R torque meters.

Due to the low number of pulses per revolution (CPR) of the encoders of the torque meters, we usually buy models without this option and integrate an E6 encoder from US Digital with a CPR offering good angular resolution in our assembly.

[Surfmase]

Hello JB,

This is exactly what I was getting at with my question.  Thanks for your answer.  Thanks for the tip, I live in CH, so I'll check with Transmetra too.  I don't necessarily need high resolution from the encoder.  I only want to get an idea of the speed curve while starting and also maybe calculate output power.

[Surfmase]

I don't have everything yet, but I have the sensors and wanted to get started.  I want to record torque, speed and current using tdms file.

I can get the speed from a frequency measurement of the encoder signal.  But I have no idea how to record this as a tdms file.  How can I create a "channel" for the timestamps of the implicit counter

I can read the speed using an analog signal from the motor controller, but when I try to write all 3 waveforms to a tdms file I end up with multiple Untitled columns, nothing meaningful.  Where are they coming from? The charts are displaying the 3 channels as expected.  I also tried the split/merge signal functions instead of index/build array with the same results.

Any other general suggestions?

Thanks