Nicolet, an instrument maker noted for fast sampling rates and long memory, has a new offering on the market. Since 1972, when the company introduced the digital oscilloscope to the electronics industry, Nicolet has pioneered a number of innovations in waveform recording equipment. In 1975, the company put the first floppy disk drive in a scope, followed in 1977 with the first GPIB interface. Nicolet also was the first to use bubble memory in a scope, an innovation they would probably rather forget. In 1988, the company introduced the first Microsoft Windows™-based transient recorder.
Nicolet’s recorders can be found in a variety of applications¾ from military to medical to commercial to industrial. The newest entry is a continuation of, and yet a departure from, other recorders designed by the company. It’s billed as a replacement for conventional oscillographic recorders and instrument tape recorders. Named Odyssey, the instrument is actually a data acquisition system. But more than that, it also includes a built-in full-fledged Pentium PC.
Before developing Odyssey, Nicolet interviewed many of its customers from around the world to find out some of the shortcomings of present-day recorders. What the company discovered was not surprising. Customers want multiple input channels, fast sampling rates and a lot of built-in data analysis capabilities.
Odyssey features a 100-kS/s sampling rate on each of the 32 analog channels and 32 digital channels. Each channel has a digital signal processor (DSP) which performs digital filtering and real-time calculations on the incoming data. The calculations may be displayed as a trace or numerically, used as a trigger source or stored to disk. The DSPs can also do a number of other functions, such as change the acquisition rate on any channel when a programmed threshold has been reached or change the recording rate when an upper or lower setpoint has been reached for a calculated parameter. The calculated parameter could be last peak value, rms value, mean, frequency, duty cycle, etc.
The memory length for each channel is 200 MS, offering over 30 min recording time at the 100-kS/s rate. The memory length is extended if fewer channels are recording. Up to 1,000 MS of memory is available on one channel.
Other key features of the system include real-time scrolling displays, even with other applications running; a separate 16-bit digitizer per channel; built-in analysis and custom report generation; and networking for printers, file servers and remote control.
Waveform data is displayed in real-time as it is recorded. The display speed and channel settings may be changed while recording. Acquired waveform data can be reviewed at a constant rate forward or backward, or manually scrolled with the VCR-like jog/shuttle knob. The zoom feature helps pinpoint selected areas of the waveform data. Different recordings can be compared using the split-screen feature of the instrument, and a search function is available to find desired events.
Optional software is available for post-acquisition analysis and report generation. With the software, you can combine text, waveform plots, numeric tables and technical drawings into a full-color page layout without any file importing or translation.
With the built-in Pentium PC, other engineering applications can be run while Odyssey is recording. Data can be sent to a file server or other location with the built-in Ethernet interface. Also, the instrument can be controlled remotely via a modem or Ethernet. Two standard ISA expansion slots are available for accessory cards. Odyssey is priced from $20,900. Nicolet Instrument Technologies, (608) 276-6172.
Copyright 1996 Nelson Publishing Inc.
July 1996