Development of a high speed data acquisition system based on LabVIEW(R) and VXI(R)

The collection of high speed, multi-channel test data in a VXI environment can be challenging, especially when the number of input channels is large and data processing is required for analysis of the test data. This paper describes a data acquisition system which was designed to acquire performance data on the Minuteman III MK12/W62 Re-entry Vehicle Nuclear Weapon Sub-System, as the Sub-System is functionally tested in a simulated flight test environment. The testing requires the simultaneous measurement of 53 channels of digital and analog data with a cumulative data capture rate of 100 kHz. The data is used to evaluate the reliability of the test specimen, using a post-processing algorithm. To further complicate the acquisition and post-test processing, the signals under measurement are interrelated in that some signals act as triggering events for other signals. The solution presented in this paper is a VXI-based data acquisition instrument operating with a PC running a LabVIEW(R) application while using an MXI interface for data transfer between the VXI and PC buses. The software element of this system uses a uniquely developed data analysis tool. The analysis tool, named Data Score/sup TM/, is programmed in a scripting language to allow test engineers the ability to define signal interrelations and data processing algorithms. The graphical user interface provides a flexible ability to view either post-test or archived data.