Data Acquisition Toolbox™ 2.12

Product Description

• Data Acquisition Toolbox Key Features
• Supported Hardware Devices and Vendors
• Working with Data Acquisition Toolbox
• Controlling Your Acquisition
• Performing Data Acquisition in Simulink

Controlling Your Acquisition

Data Acquisition Toolbox supports a wide range of functions for controlling your acquisition. For example, you can set event information, evaluate the acquisition status, define triggers and callbacks, preview data while the device is running, and perform analysis on-the-fly. The toolbox also supports several hardware-specific properties that can be displayed and customized to your specifications.

Managing Data

Functions are provided for previewing and extracting your data for analysis. The toolbox streams data into MATLAB or Simulink in double-precision floating-point format, enabling you to work with the data just as you would with any other matrix in MATLAB or Simulink. You can also stream in data using a native hardware format.

Logging Data

Functions are available for logging data to disk, memory, or both while the analog input object is running. You can log data, events, and errors. In addition, functions are provided for extracting data from toolbox-generated log files.

Using SoftScope

SoftScope is a graphical user interface for selecting and configuring data acquisition sources in MATLAB and then acquiring, viewing, and analyzing data using a familiar, oscilloscope-like interface. SoftScope lets you quickly verify hardware operation and perform live data analysis using a library of built-in measurement functions. You can extend SoftScope with your own analysis functions and export data from SoftScope to the MATLAB workspace.


Two channels of live audio data displayed and analyzed using the SoftScope software oscilloscope interface. A few lines of code let you acquire two seconds of data from a data acquisition board, calculate the frequency components of the data, and plot the results in MATLAB. Click on image to see enlarged view.

Incorporating Events and Callbacks

Most data acquisition tasks are initiated by events. An event occurs at a specific time after a condition is met. Event types supported by Data Acquisition Toolbox include:

• Start and stop
• Number of samples acquired
• Errors
• Triggers
• Number of samples output

Events may result in one or more callbacks. In MATLAB, all the preceding event types execute an M-file function that you specify.

Handling Errors

Data Acquisition Toolbox provides a consistent set of error and warning messages. If a hardware error message is not handled by the toolbox in MATLAB or Simulink, an "external error" is reported with the vendor-specific hardware error message.

Converting Engineering Units

Data Acquisition Toolbox automatically converts acquired data into values that represent specific engineering units (for example, volts or Newtons). The toolbox directly supports linear scaling and offsets. In addition, you can use MATLAB to apply nonlinear calibration curves. You can set engineering unit conversions for each data channel.

Evaluating Your Acquisition

You can evaluate the status of your acquisition and the available data acquisition resources, including installed hardware, hardware drivers, and adaptors, by displaying:

• Device object and channel status
• Hardware information
• Data acquisition engine information

Acquisition and resource evaluation involves displaying:

• Device object and channel status
• Hardware information
• Data acquisition engine information

A script illustrating the four steps of a typical MATLAB data acquisition session: creation, configuration, acquisition, and clean-up. A few lines of code let you acquire 2 seconds of data from a data acquisition device (in this case, a sound card), process the acquired data, and visualize the results. Click on image to see enlarged view.