Operator's Manual for the Ballistic Data Acquisition System (BDAS)

Abstract

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) purchased hardware and software from National Instruments, Inc., to improve its existing data collection system in support of ballistic testing of military systems. The hardware and software have been configured with a personal computer to create a stand-alone, computer-controlled, data acquisition system with real-time data display. The data acquisition system is called "BDAS," an acronym for ballistic data acquisition system. The first priority was to establish a reliable capability that met ARL's existing and near future needs. ARL is already planning improvements for EDAS: 1) to add the capability to measure accelerometers and strain gauges, and 2) to move the instrumentation into the field to reduce the length of the signal cables. The purpose of this manual is to provide the intended user with a basic understanding of how to set up and use this system, not to document the actual software coding. This report describes how to use the EDAS software to properly configure the data collection channels, to create and calibrate probe files, to use the system to verify data channels and probes before testing, and to acquire and save test data.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416264

Entities

People

  • Brian G. Smith

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accelerometers
  • Acquisition
  • Calibration
  • Computer Programming
  • Computers
  • Data Acquisition
  • Data Displays
  • Digital Information
  • Directories
  • Gages
  • Instrumentation
  • Measurement
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Military Research
  • Personal Computers
  • Procedures (Computers)
  • Strain Gages

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Computer Science.