News and New Products

Data-acquisition system features GPS time stamps

By Warren Webb -- EDN, 9/25/2003

Symmetric Research has introduced a line of low-cost data-acquisition boards combining multichannel, 24-bit ADC performance with accurate GPS time stamping of acquired analog data. The four-channel, 24-bit PAR4CH data-acquisition system has a converter-per-channel architecture (Picture). The device dedicates an ADC chip to each channel, this eliminating the crosstalk and settling problems commonly associated with multiplexed systems. Connecting to a standard PC parallel port, the system also includes a 2-Mbyte memory buffer to ensure no data loss during PC or network latencies.

Users can program continuous acquisition rates from 0.1 Hz to 5 kHz, and the device directly stores the results to hard disk. For applications requiring accurate time-stamping of acquired data, an optional GPS timing module easily connects to the four-channel system, providing 10-μsec accuracy along with other GPS parameters, such as location and satellite count. Each system includes software support for both GUI- and console-mode applications along with source-code and user libraries. Software drivers are available for Windows 2000/XP and Linux. Prices start at $150 for a single-channel system, $550 for the PAR4CH, and $400 for the GPS timing module.

Symmetric Research, 1-702-341-9325, www.symres.com.