Picture adding data acquisition capabilities to your own PC as readily as plugging in a mouse or a keyboard. Just connect a compact data acquisition module to your own pc (you do not even have to power-down), install the provided computer software, and connect your sensor right to the module. In moments, and with state-of-the-art precision, you're getting data: temperature, strain, sound level, anything you'll need. And you've done this without development, without checking your own PERSONAL computer, without even thinking about IRQs, board settings, electricity requirements, or connection schemes.
A pipe-dream? Not any more. This comfort and energy are available now, thanks to the USB, a serial expansion bus, and into a growing variety of USB compatible smart home function modules. Together, USB bus and segments greatly simplify the way that people perform data acquisition on Computers.
USB: A Really Common Bus for Pc Peripherals
Nowadays, virtually all pc and laptop PCs on the market provide USB ports. USB plug-ins for existing PCI Bus machines can readily be added. Equally important, these Hardware ports have complete software support below the most popular personal computer operating systems, including Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP.
Are just 1 or 2 USB ports enough? Expandability is another USB strong point. Up to 127 devices can connect to an individual interface concurrently, using expansion modems and cable units which are widely available at low cost.
Hardware 2.0 Improvements
The first standards for USB, version 1.1, featured 12 Mb/s (megabits per second) data throughput, which is fine for average-speed applications, including most data acquisition uses, although maybe not rapidly enough to support video, imaging, and highest-speed data acquisition applications. This technical limit was resolved using a new version of the USB standards. In April 2000, the Hardware 2.0 Advocate Group released the final USB 2.0 specification. USB 2.0 surpasses the prior version's speed buffer with 40 times the bandwidth: 480 Mb/s. Improvements such as bigger packet size and new transport modes make high speed transactions more effective. As higherperformance Hardware add-ons are more widespread, 2.0's added bandwidth will allow it to be possible to connect more USB peripherals, supporting multi tasking software operations without slow-downs. USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed USB) is completely compatible with USB 1.1 (Initial USB), and uses the same wires and connectors.
Simple Setup Since ease of use was primary within the creation of the USB, many characteristics are designed in to make Hardware devices one of the simplest to install. To start, USB gadgets are true "plug-and-play". There is absolutely no setting of address lines, interrupts, or configuration jumpers. The host COMPUTER immediately identifies a peripheral when it's plugged in, and searches for the software required to use it. The first time a system is used, the consumer is prompted to set up the drivers and program, a process that takes only a couple of moments. Easy setup means USB peripherals could be discussed between computers, even between notebook and pc models.
Hardware devices are also outside to the computer -- there's no urgent need to open the computer to put in them. This external location also provides efficiency advantages for sound-sensitive devices like usb data logging peripherals: They are away from the computer's noisy motherboard and power materials, and nearer to the receptors they will be calculating.
Hot swappable Hardware devices are designed to get installed or removed as the computer is working. Add-ons no longer have to clutter the workspace when they're not needed. Simply plug these devices in, use that, then eliminate it when completed.
Add-ons can either be powered by the USB or from an external energy resource. Being driven from the Hardware is most convenient, but, because only small energy is available, a device must normally be created from the ground up for USB operation learn more.
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