INSTITUTE:- UIE

DEPARTMENT:-MECHATRONICS
ENGINEERING
SENSORS, TRANSDUCERS AND DATA ACQUISTION, MTT-202
TOPIC: FINITE AND CONTINUOUS BUFFERED
ACQUISITION
By Dr. Balaka Biswas (Associate Professor)

CHAPTER-5 ANALOG INPUT and DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER

OUTPUT
 SENSORS,
TRANSDUCERS
AND DATA
ACQUISITION
Course Outcomes
CO Title Level
Number

CO1 Understand the fundamental concepts and Understand

classification of numerous sensors and  
transducers.
CO2 Understand the concept of Data Acquisition Analyzing
hardware and software
CO3 Apply the concept and methods of Triggering Analyzing
and Synchronization in Data Acquisition
CO4 Understand the concepts of Analog Input and Understand 
Output architecture in NI-DAQ system
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 LECTURE OBJECTIVES AND
OUTCOMES
OBJECTIVES:
• To make students familiar with the basics of finite and buffered
acquisition of data points and use of circular buffer.

OUTCOMES:
• The student will able to understand the basic concepts of finite and
continuous buffered acquisition.

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Computer Aided DAQ system

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Data Acquisition Technique
 Finite buffered acquisition refers to the
acquisition of a specific, predetermined
number of data samples. When the
specified number of samples has been
written out, the generation stops.
 Continuous acquisition refers to the
acquisition of an unspecified number
of samples. Instead of acquiring a set
number of data samples and
stopping, a continuous acquisition
continues until you stop the
Input
 PFI <0..5> operation. Continuous
• RTSI <0..7> acquisition is also referred to as double-
Real time system Integration
• PXI_STAR buffered or circular-buffered acquisition.
 Finite Buffered Acquisition Flowchart
• A buffered acquisition acquires a set number of
points at a specified rate.
• Use the DAQmx Timing VI to configure the
timing and buffer for the device.
• Use the DAQmx Start Task VI to start the
acquisition.
• The DAQmx Read VI waits until all the samples
on each channel are available before returning the
data and moving on.
 The DAQmx Stop Task VI stops the task and
frees the resources assigned to the device.
 The Error Handler VI displays any errors that
occurred during the process.
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 Finite Buffered Acquisition
• With Block diagram

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 CONTINUOUS BUFFERED
ACQUISITION
• The first three steps of this flowchart are identical to
the first three steps of the buffered acquisition
flowchart.
• Configure a device with the DAQmx Timing VI, start
the acquisition with the DAQmx Start Task VI, and
prepare to read the data with the DAQmx Read VI.
• Because you acquire data continuously, you need to
read data continuously. Place the DAQmx Read VI in a
loop. The loop completes when an error occurs or when
you stop the loop from the front panel. Every time the
loop runs, the DAQmx Read VI returns data.
• When the loop ends, the DAQmx Stop Task VI stops
the tasks and unassigns the resources.
• The Simple Error Handler VI displays any errors that
occurred during the process.

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 CONTINUOUS BUFFERED
ACQUISITION

With continuous operations, if the user program does not read data out of the PC buffer fast enough to
keep up with the data transfer, the buffer could reach an overflow condition, causing an error to be
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generated.
 CIRCULAR BUFFER
A circular buffer is similar to a regular buffer, but when you get
to the end of a circular buffer, instead of stopping, you start
over at the beginning. When the DAQmx Start Task VI starts
the acquisition, the PC buffer starts to fill with data. The
acquisition occurs inside the While Loop.
When the number of samples per channel in the PC buffer is
equal to the number of samples per channel to read, the
DAQmx Read VI transfers that number of samples per channel
from the PC buffer to the LabVIEW buffer. The DAQmx Read VI
sets a flag called the current sample position, so it can
continue reading where it left off.
Meanwhile, the PC buffer continues to fill with data. The
DAQmx Read VI continues transferring data from the PC buffer
to the LabVIEW buffer while the PC buffer fills. When the end
of data mark reaches the end of the PC buffer, the new data is
written at the beginning of the buffer. The difference between
the end of samples mark and the current sample position is
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equal to the number of available samples per channel
 OVERWRITE AND OVERFLOW
ERROR
Overwrite Error
• The most common error you might encounter when performing a circular buffered
acquisition is the overwrite error. The overwrite error occurs when the end of
samples mark catches up to the current sample position and you overwrite data.
The problem occurs when LabVIEW does not read data from the PC buffer
quickly enough.
Overflow Error
• Another error you might encounter with a continuous buffered acquisition
involves overflowing the FIFO buffer on the device. Overflow error is not as
common as overwriting the PC buffer, and it is not as easy to correct. The problem
occurs when the FIFO buffer does not empty fast enough.
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 REFERENCES
1. http://www.n4iqt.com/dallasis4/labview_7.0_daq_course.pdf
2. Signal Conditioning & Pc-Based Data Acquisition Handbook: A Reference on
Analog & Digital Signal Conditioning for Pc-Based Data Acquisition (https://
www.amazon.in/Signal-Conditioning-Pc-Based-Acquisition-Handbook/dp/0
965678903
)
3. Practical Data Acquisition for Instrumentation and Control Systems https://
www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780750657969/practical-data-acquisition-f
or-instrumentation-and-control-systems
4. Data Acquisition HandBook https
://www.mccdaq.com/pdfs/anpdf/Data-Acquisition-Handbook.pdf
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 SUMMARY OF LEC-4
1. Studied about Finite Buffered Acquisition flowchart and block
diagram.
2. Studied about Continuous Buffered Acquisition flowchart and block
diagram.
3. Learnt about Circular Buffer and different types of error associated
with it.

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