USB devices deliver measurement-quality data

Scientists, technicians, engineers and students can now take advantage of measurement-quality data acquisition and the convenience of USB plug-and-play technology at a lower cost

Scientists, technicians, engineers and students can now take advantage of measurement-quality data acquisition and the convenience of USB plug-and-play technology at a lower cost with the new National Instruments USB-6008 and USB-6009 data acquisition (DAQ) devices.

Starting at just £95 or Euro145 the new USB DAQ devices offer small size and easy connectivity, making them ideal for operations such as data logging and environmental monitoring.

They also are useful in academic settings and are inexpensive enough for students to purchase and use in lab experiments.

Both devices ship with free, ready-to-run data-logging software that engineers and students can use to begin taking measurements within minutes.

"I won't consider a data acquisition system unless I can be taking measurements within 60 minutes of opening the package" said Jim Mayhew, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

"Within 30 minutes of opening the box with the NI USB DAQ product, I was making measurements with it." The NI USB-6008 and NI USB-6009 DAQ devices deliver multifunction capabilities with eight channels of 12- or 14-bit analogue input, two analogue outputs, 12 digital I/O lines and one counter.

Both devices draw power from the USB bus, so they do not require an external power supply to operate.

They include removable screw terminals for direct signal connectivity, an onboard voltage reference for powering external devices and sensors, a four-layer board design for reduced noise and improved accuracy and overvoltage protection on analogue input lines up to +/-35 V.

In addition to ready-to-run data-logging software, each device includes NI-DAQmx Base measurement services driver software for programming the device in LabVIEW or C.

By combining the simplicity of USB with a low-cost design, National Instruments offers easier and more accessible measurement-quality data acquisition for applications where automated measurements have typically not been an option.

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