Final Self Evaluation

This is my final self evaluation of my blog.  I feel confident in my blog content and the number of blogs I have posted.  In total, I have posted twelve (12) blogs including two (2) video posts.  My blogging style has not really evolved over the course of the semester.  I have pretty much kept the same tone, slowly increasing the multimedia content in my blogs.  The major difficulty I have encountered is trying to come up with new material to write about every week.  Improvements I would make to my blog would include more interactive posts that I did not have the time for.  My blogs did not effectively educate the public, as I did not have any listeners or followers.  Not sure what happened there.

Goodbye Blog

This will be my last post (besides the final self evaluation post that will be posted next).  I would like to thank my vast number of readers (which is zero) for turning in.  It breaks my heart to inform all my readers that i will not (ever) be starting up another blog.  I hope you all have learned a lot from what I have to offer.

Thanks again.

Analyzing the World with Data Acquisition Systems

Data acquisition systems, or DAQ systems, are the the next generation of tools built for analyzing the world around us.  DAQ systems are an essential engineering tool that allow physical conditions to be converted into electrical signals, which can then be analyzed by a computer.

To start off simple we can look at a simple system, such as a digital thermostat.  Just like the old school thermometers on the wall that you adjust with a lever or dial, a digital thermostat controls the temperature with a digital controls utilizing data acquisition.  First, a temperature sensor produces a signal that is analyzed by the DAQ system.  The DAQ system analyzes the current temperature then adjust the heater or ac to establish the set temperature.

Larger DAQ system record multiple temperatures and pretty much any other type of sensor that produces an electrical signal.  Below is an image of a few type of DAQ systems by National Instruments.

National Instruments is the industry leader in test system and automation.