Chart Recorders and Strip Charts Specifications

Chart Recorder Specifications

Data Acquisition Specifications


	Analog Input Channels:		This is the maximum number of analog channel inputs. The single-ended number is specified when single-ended inputs are available as twice the number of differential inputs. Differential channels use the difference between two signals as an input; common mode is filtered out. In some systems, differential inputs are combinations of two single-ended inputs. When this is the case, twice the number of differential channels are available as single-ended inputs.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Differential Channels		Differential channels have two inputs. The signal to process is the voltage (V) difference between the two inputs. For example, if one reading is 4.93 V and the other reading is 5.16 V, the meaningful value is the 0.23 V difference between the two. Often, this applies to precision measurements where the difference between two low voltage inputs is small but critical.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

	Digital I/O Channels:		Digital or discrete channels are used for low-level on-off signals used in applications such as communication, user interface, or control.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Sampling Frequency:		Frequency of analog signal sampling and conversion to a digital value.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Resolution:		Resolution refers to the degree of fineness of the digital word representing the analog value. A ten-bit number contains 2¹⁰, or 1024, increments. A 0-10V signal could therefore be resolved into approximately 0.01V increments. A 12-bit representation would be in 2¹² (4096) increments, or divisions of 0.0024V for the same signal. Each additional bit doubles the resolution, and one bit is required for the polarity (sign) of a number.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Accuracy:		Accuracy depends on the signal conditioning linearity, hysteresis, temperature considerations, etc. It is represented here as percent full scale of measurement range.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value less than or equal to the specified value.

	Datalogger / Recorder		Unit with instrument functionality with specific capability for data storage. May be for general purpose or application-specific data acquisition.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

Signal Inputs



	Your choices are...
	DC Voltage
	DC Current
	AC Voltage
	AC Current
	Frequency		Input for varying frequency, pulse, or other specialized waveform.
	Charge		Charge is the output of a piezoelectric device. A charge signal typically requires filtering and amplification.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Sensor Inputs



	Your choices are...
	Accelerometer		Input specifically for an accelerometer, such as a piezoelectric or current-fed sensor.
	Thermocouple		Input for a thermocouple or thermocouple series.
	Thermistor		Input for thermistors and potentiometers handle variable resistance as a function of the process being measured.
	RTD		Input designed for a resistance temperature detector.
	Strain Gauge / Bridge		Input designed for a Wheatstone bridge, in full, half, or quarter bridge configurations. Strain gauges are sensors which commonly utilize Wheatstone bridges.
	LVDT / RVDT		Input for a Linear (LVDT) or Rotary (RVDT) Variable Differential Transformer.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Specialized & Other Inputs



	Your choices are...
	Encoder		Input for an encoder signal such as binary, gray, or BCD.
	Counter / Tachometer		Input from counters or tachometers are typically one signal per cycle counts.
	Timer / Clock		Input for any type of time signal.
	Relay / Switch		Input for a discrete, on/off signal from an exterior device.
	Other		Unlisted or specialized input.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Transducers & Excitation


	Voltage Excitation Supply?		Device has a voltage output that is meant to power or activate the sensor whose signal the device is receiving.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

	Current Excitation Supply?		Device has a current output that is meant to power or activate the sensor whose signal the device is receiving.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

Auxiliary Outputs



	Your choices are...
	Voltage Output		Variable voltage output such as 0-10V, ±5V, etc.
	Current Output		Variable current level output such as 0-20mA, 4-20 mA current loop, etc.
	Frequency Output		Output is a frequency or pulse signal such as AM, FM, or PWM monitoring or control.
	Timer / Counter Output		Output is a counting or timing of measured events.
	Relay Output		Switch type output; contacts are open or closed depending on the state of one or more of the inputs.
	Resistance / Potentiometer Output		Output is a variable resistance such as a potentiometer.
	Other		Unlisted or specialized output.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Environment Measurement


	Temperature Measurement Range:		Full required range of temperature measurement. Actual temperature range may vary somewhat from typical range guidelines associated with the various types.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the limits in a "From - To" range; when both are specified, matching products will cover entire range. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.

	Humidity Measurement Range:		Full required range of humidity measurement.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the limits in a "From - To" range; when both are specified, matching products will cover entire range. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.

User Interface


	User Interface
	Your choices are...
	None		No user input or programmability; "black box" style of storage for download or processing elsewhere.
	Front Panel & Display		Integral controls, keypad, and/or display on the panel of the unit.
	Touch Screen		The device's visual display screen is contact sensitive to allow direct input.
	Hand-held / Remote Programmer		Interface unit specifically meant to hold in hand while entering program parameters; may include remote programming.
	Computer Programmable		Device is interfaced to a separate supervisory or host computer.
	Other		Any unlisted user interface method.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Computer Connection


	Connection to Host
	Your choices are...
	Direct Backplane Interface		The circuit board installs directly into a computer motherboard or backplane.
	RS232		Interface between data terminal equipment and data communications equipment employing serial binary data interchange.
	RS422		RS422 is a balanced serial interface for the transmission of digital data. It was designed for greater distances and higher Baud rates than RS232.
	RS485		RS485 is a balanced serial interface for the transmission of digital data. The advantage of a balanced signal is the greater immunity to noise. The difference between RS422 and RS485 is that RS485 can be transformed into a multi-point application.
	USB		Universal Serial Bus. The standard serial bus for low-to-medium speed peripheral device connections to Personal Computers, including keyboards, mice, modems, printers, joysticks, audio functions, monitor controls, etc.
	IEEE 1394 (Firewire®)		A companion to USB, IEEE 1394 is a very high-speed serial bus (400 Megabit - 1 Gigabit). It was designed to replace all external high-speed peripheral connections to personal computers, including hard disks, CD-ROM's, DVD's, graphics cards, high-speed scanners, direct video, monitors, etc.
	GPIB (IEEE 488, HPIB)		GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus) is designed to connect computers, peripherals and laboratory instruments so that data and control information can pass between them. It is also known as IEEE 488 or HPIB, and is electrically equivalent to IEC 625 bus.
	SCSI		SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a parallel interface standard used by Apple Macintosh computers, PCs, and many UNIX systems for attaching peripheral devices to computers.
	TTL		Transistor-transistor logic, a common type of digital circuit in which the output is derived from two transistors. More commonly, however, TTL is used to designate any type of digital input or device.
	Parallel Interface		A channel capable of transferring more than one bit simultaneously; parallel communication protocols include GPIB / IEEE-488 / HPIB Protocol.
	Ethernet		A local-area network (LAN) protocol developed by Xerox Corporation in cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976. Ethernet uses a bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. The Ethernet specification served as the basis for the IEEE 802.3 standard, which specifies the physical and lower software layers. Ethernet uses the CSMA/CD access method to handle simultaneous demands. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards.
	Modem		Modulator-demodulator. A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms.
	Radio / Telemetry		Communication from data acquisition device to host or storage unit via radio transmission.
	Other		Unlisted, specialized, or proprietary communication configuration.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

	Transmission Rate:		Transmission speed in bits per second.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Web Enabled?		Device contains hardware and software protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) or Web Access Protocol (WAP) for being addressable to, or a node of, the World Wide Web for remote monitoring or communication.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

Software


	Application Software Included?		Included compatible software for control or for monitoring data acquisition or signal conditioning from a supervisory or host computer.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

Memory and Storage


	RAM / On-board Memory:		Random access memory; capacity of memory for control software or function / program loading.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Data Storage:		Capacity for data storage, typically with a hard drive.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

Application


	Application
	Your choices are...
	General Lab & Industrial		General laboratory and industrial data acquisition systems. Special hardening against weather, shock, extreme heat, and other unusual conditions not necessary.
	Environmental		Designed for use in environmental applications such as groundwater monitoring or pollution measurement.
	Vehicular		Applications for vehicular motion, including provisions for factors such as high speed, shock, etc.
	Marine		Designed for use in water or salt water applications.
	Aerospace / Military		Designed for use in aviation, aerospace, or other military or defense applications, including associated technical or military standards.
	Seismic / Geotechnical		Designed for use in seismic applications such as earthquake or volcano research, or industries such as mining.
	Weather / Meteorology		Designed to handle weather or atmospheric data; may include weatherproofing.
	Medical / Biomedical		Designed for use in medical, biomedical, pharmaceutical, or surgical applications.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

Environment


	Operating Temperature:		Full required range of ambient operating temperature.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the limits in a "From - To" range; when both are specified, matching products will cover entire range. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.

	Vibration Rating:		Maximum vibration that the device can withstand and still meet performance specifications.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

	Shock Rating:		Maximum shock that the device can withstand and still meet performance specifications.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.

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