In today’s space and flight test ground stations, the ability to record this PCM data stream into a convenient data recorder has powerful benefits, including the elimination of costly and resolutionlimited programmable D/A converters, which have commonly been needed in order to make the PCM data analog again for display and acquisition by recorders that commonly have only analog inputs.

There is a further requirement to extract the time code from this PCM stream and use it to synchronize the data to real-world events, not to mention any analog data coming in parallel (often from tape recorders, when space mission data are replayed from a variety of recorders for further analysis). Today’s “convergence” data acquisition instruments can do all of this, and more, including recording multiple video data streams at the same time, when required.

Acquisition Without Boundaries

And don’t think that this technology convergence has positive benefits only for high-end applications in testing cars and aircraft. Data acquisition knows no boundaries, and there are more factories and power plants than all of the other types combined. Can you imagine the testing of pressure relief devices in power plants? This testing is essential and even mandated by safety protocols, and yet continues to be problematic in many cases. The simple addition of synchronized video acquisition, so that the test engineers and technicians can watch the valve start to leak fluid or gas, in perfect sync with the pressure and temperature outputs from the test stand, improves throughput and repeatability in all areas (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Pressure relief valve testing using video and analog inputs at the same time.