The Micro-Measurements brand of Vishay Precision Group Inc - industry experts in the design, development, and manufacture of resistive-foil sensors for high-precision strain and high-stress measurements – has launched its StrainSmart 9000 dynamic data acquisition software. The software allows for the simultaneous sampling of up to 48 channels, at speeds of up to 50,000 samples per second, with fast, easy setup and minimal-to-no downtime.

 

Traditionally, the inherent complexities of dynamic test setups and programming, as well as repetitive manual measurement tasks, have created up to days, or weeks, of unwanted downtime. With StrainSmart 9000, it is now possible to perform accurate, real-time data recording, analysis, display and export within just minutes of software setup, with one-touch autobalance and post-processing data filtering.

 

Designed for ease of use by students, engineers and scientists alike, StrainSmart 9000 offers an intuitive, complete turnkey Windows based software platform for accurate, dynamic data acquisition, reduction, download, and display. The software easily translates end-user concepts into application-specific needs, with assured data accuracy through automatic error checking and calibration. 

 

A ‘verify’ tool at setup allows the end-user to perform early error and omission pre-arm checks. Bridge excitation functions may be easily disabled for a complete pre-test noise evaluation scan. Visual representations provide instant access to hardware wiring and configuration validation data, with choice of either local or remote real-time display viewing.

 

Channel settings within StrainSmart 9000 are performed automatically from sensor properties, largely without manual intervention. Direct calculations of engineering units, including strain gage rosette principal and failure criteria stresses, along with input shunt calibration and user-defined assignments, are possible. Sensor-specific input assignments of strain gages, thermocouples, and other sensing types offer ease of mathematical data manipulation.

 

Individual strain gage engineering data entry is also possible, with automatic error corrections for transverse sensitivity, Wheatstone bridge nonlinearity, and lead wire resistance. Parameters, such as thermal output, gage factor variation with temperature, and thermal coefficient of gage factor, are easily corrected via the assignment of a temperature sensor.

 

Unique signal visualisation algorithms within StrainSmart 9000 provide in-depth insights, including full graphical representations of channel assignments, for reduced potential connection errors. Individual test setups and common parameters may be stored and saved by the end-user for later reuse. Larger data sets may be exported to multiple files automatically, as either ASCII text files, .csv files, or Microsoft Excel documents.

 

StrainSmart 9000 is designed for seamless and direct compatibility with the Micro-Measurements System 9000 data acquisition system, as well as both Micro-Measurements and other industry strain gages (strain gauges), strain gage- based transducers, thermocouples, temperature sensors, high-level voltage sensors, and piezoelectric sensors. The software is now available as a no-charge upgrade for customers with legacy software versions. 

 

As it is site-licensed, StrainSmart 9000 may be installed on an unlimited number of PCs within the same facility or department. Typical applications include experimental stress analysis; electronics drop testing; printed circuit board (PCB) and finished product component reliability and subassembly testing; engine vibration monitoring; and fatigue life testing. The StrainSmart 9000 software system can further support virtually any dynamic data acquisition task, in which the simultaneous sampling of up to 48 channels, at speeds of up to 50,000 samples per second, is required. 

 

Micro-Measurements, a Vishay Precision Group Inc (VPG) brand, is dedicated to the development, manufacture, and marketing of resistive-foil sensors for high-precision strain measurement.