Multi-platform solution for data acquisition

Abstract

Analogue data acquisition is a common task which has application in several fields such as scientific research, industry, food production, safety, and environmental monitoring. It can be carried out either using systems designed ad-hoc for a specific application or by using general-purpose Digital Acquisition Boards (DAQ). Several DAQ solutions are nowadays available on the market, however, most of them are extremely expensive and come as commercial closed products, a factor which prevents users to adapt the system to their specific applications and limits the product compatibility to few operating systems or platforms. This paper describes the design and the preliminary metrological characterization of a digital data acquisition solution based on the Teensyduino Development Board. The aim of the project is to create a hardware and software infrastructure suitable to be employed on several operating systems and that can be freely modified by the users when required. Teensyduino board is a well-known development platform which is characterized by high computing performance and USB support. Taking advantage of the Teensyduino features, the proposed system is easy to be calibrated and used, and it provides functions and performance comparable to many commercial DAQs, but at a significantly lower cost.