Switching application guide for T&M engineers building data acquisition systems

Pickering Electronics has released the latest in its series of educational application guides for engineers building test and measurement systems: 'How Data Acquisition Benefits from Reed Relays'. This comprehensive application guide, written by an expert subject matter expert, describes why Reed relays are the ideal switching technology for most data acquisition (DAQ) applications.

In DAQ applications, measurements must be taken from a diverse range of transducer and sensor types, including temperature, pressure, movement, sound, and proximity. Many produce an electrical signal in response to a condition, such as a PV cell reacting to light or a Hall effect sensor reacting to the presence of a magnetic field. In other cases, the sensor's fundamental property or characteristic changes relative to its environment, as with an RTD or a dielectric sensor used to measure moisture content.

The outputs or properties of the transducers are then conditioned into signals for feeding into data logging instrumentation or to act as inputs into closed-loop control circuitry. Multiple sensors or transducers are often employed; for example, several RTDs might be used to measure temperature in different locations. However, having a signal conditioning circuit for each sensor is usually impractical. Instead, it is more efficient to poll the sensors. Moreover, common signal conditioning circuitry can be used with different sensor types – and the circuitry's gain and filtering can be controlled to make best use of the sensors' range.

"Our new application guide is a valuable resource for both experienced and new T&M engineers looking to master switching in DAQ systems," said Rob King, product development manager at Pickering Electronics. "It covers everything from the basics of data acquisition to specific advantages of reed relays, providing insights into selecting the best relay technology for your needs."