Although thermocouples are the most commonly used temperature sensor in test applications, a close second is the resistance-temperature detector, or RTD. RTDs operate on the principle that the resistivity of a metal is proportional to its temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the resistivity.

A jet engine is the very definition of “mission-critical.” A critical failure could cause a serious accident that endangers hundreds of lives. To prevent this from happening, manufacturers perform extensive testing on jet engine components, systems, and manufacturing processes.

Jet engine tests involve subjecting the unit under test to extreme temperatures, jets of water, simulated hail, severe vibration, and other harsh conditions. Sometimes test engineers even slam chicken carcasses against engines to simulate bird strikes. These tests can be very costly and take years to develop. Engineers must measure many different parameters during these tests, including temperature, flow, pressure, rotation, strain, and vibration.

For multi-channel data acquisition systems, getting the correct readings in the correct timed order is crucial. System designers have two options for acquiring data in a deterministic fashion. They can use a real-time operating system (RTOS), that has a known buffer delay/ processing order or acquire data with a time-stamp for every sample and use precise hardware triggers and an accurate clock.

EXLab Express is a powerful, easy to use, plug and play data acquisition software package that allows users of the EX1401 Thermocouple/Voltage Measurement Instrument to acquire data without programming. But, not only is it powerful and easy to use, it's free!