Data acquisition system for unsteady aerodynamic investigation.

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of a microprocessor-based high-speed digital data acquisition and reduction system suitable for use in time varying signal analysis as encountered in unsteady aerodynamic investigation. A microprocessor, flexible disk drive and an analog-to-digital conversion module were the main components which were integrated to form a 32 channel 12 bit resolution data acquisition system capable of 1000 Hz sampling rate and permanently storing over 250,000 bytes of data on magnetic diskette. Subsequent to the data logging process, the same system was capable of serving as a general purpose computer utilizing the popular BASIC scientific programming language. The system was qualified for accuracy and functional performance through a series of controlled exercises, and was then applied to an actual investigative task to further determine its utility and value.