Test & Measurement: Eight-Channel Strain Gain System Plugs Into PC Ethernet Port

The lastest member of a family of high-speed, portable, PC-based data-acquisition systems is the StrainBook/616. The eight-channel strain measurement system can be expanded in eight-channel increments up to 64. If a larger system is needed, multiple StrainBooks can be combined and synchronized. Unlike instruments that measure only static strain, the StrainBook's 16-bit, 1-MHz analog-to-digital converter covers a wide application range, sampling from minutes to microseconds. Selected channels are scanned at 1 µs per channel, and built-in simultaneous sampling guarantees that the time skew between channels is less than 100 ns. The unit connects to the host PC via its Ethernet port. It also comes with WaveView. This graphical setup, acquisition, and display software that requires no user programming. A wide range of bridge, pressure transducer, and load cell designs are supported using either standard, three-wire, or six-wire Kelvin connections. The StrainBook/616 costs $5999, and the WBK16 expansion options go for $4499. Both are available from stock.