When acquiring data in a measurement task that requires multi channel data to be collected in a manner suited to different measurement types .

Let's say you are faced with a measurement task where some channels measure vibration on a fixed frequency range at a sample rate of 2kHz and others are measuring temperature say every 10 seconds. If all your channels are locked together  using the same the data acquisition set up, you must choose the vibration set up for all channels. This is just fine for the vibration analysis, but you are taking a way too much data for your temperature channels.

The solution is to set your Corvus system up with two processes one sampling at 2kHz and the one shot every 10 seconds. You just allocate the relevant channels to their measurement process. The measurement system needs to be able to synchronise all processes so that the data can be displayed live or recorded and played back with all channel data with the correct timing.

There are two levels of Corvus:

A system where up to 8 processes can be defined in a single data acquisition station situated remotely (over the Ethernet) up to 100m away from the workstation running Corvus. The channel count is limited only by the capability of the hardware. The data acquisition station can be positioned close to the measurement points reducing cable lengths and thus improving the signal quality.

Data Acquisition hardware: National Instruments PXIe-1082 portable 8 Slot rack with PXIe-8840 controller. A combination of up to 8 different Data Acquisition card types. Analog channel count 128.

Computer: Any PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above. 

A system where up to 6 remote data acquisition stations each running up to 8 processes can be defined. Each data acquisition station can be situated remotely (over the Ethernet) up to 100m away from the workstation running Corvus. The channel count is limited only by the capability of the hardware. The data acquisition stations can be positioned close to the measurement points reducing signal cable lengths and thus improving the signal quality.

Data Acquisition hardware: 6 x National Instruments PXIe-1082 portable 8 Slot racks with PXIe-8840 controller. A combination of up to 8 different Data Acquisition card types per rack. Analog signal channel count 768

Computer: Any PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above. 

This is a highly portable entry level system.You just need Corvus Lite,a Notebook PC and a compact National instruments USB-9234 4 channel data acquisition module and your ready to start measuring.

The USB-9234 has a switchable IEPE constant current supply built in which enables you to connect a wide range of sensors eg. Dytran Accelerometers, directly to the BNC inputs.

This is a very powerfull analyser with recording direct to disk whils displaying real time data in a wide range of plot formats.

Data Acquisition hardware: National Instruments USB-9234.

Computer: Any Portable PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above (Must support at least 1 USB port, Ethernet or Wireless). 

An extremely flexible portable system. You can add up to 32 channels as required to suite your measurement task, or you can mix 2 module types in one compaq Daq chassis as Corvus Lite supports 2 Processes.

Data Acquisition hardware: National Instruments cDAQ-9178 for USB control or cDAQ-9189 for Ethernet control. Up to 8 NI-9234 4 channel modules or a second type of CDAQ module.

Computer: Any Portable PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above (Must support at least 1 USB port, Ethernet or Wireless). 

A powerful rotating machinery analysis system that you can take to site and attach up to 32 dynamic channels or split into two processes and measure dynamic signals such as vibration and a second process for slow changing machine condition signals. Machine runups and rundown can be analysed and at the same time streamed direct to disk so that no data is lost and the data replayed for re-analysis later.

Data Acquisition hardware: National Instruments cDAQ-9178 for USB control or cDAQ-9189 for Ethernet control. Up to 8 NI-9234 4 channel modules or a second type of CDAQ module.

Computer: Any Portable PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above (Must support at least 1 USB port, Ethernet or Wireless). 

Corvus options: Option 1- Ring Buffer, Option 3- Streamed Data Storage,  Option 18-Rotor Analysis Toolkit, 

This is a feature which allows you to remotely station the data acquisition hardware and perform analysis and carry out setting up procedures over the internet. With this setup you to leave the Corvus data aquisition hardware next to a machine, visualise and store signal data from your office. This example uses a single slot chassis, but a multi-slot chassis could also be utillised for a higher channel count.

Data Acquisition hardware: National Instruments cDAQ-9181 for Ethernet control. One NI-9239 4 channel modules connected to a Shuttle bare bones PC.

Computer: Any Portable PC running Windows 7 SP1 or above connected to the Internet. 

Corvus options: Will operate with any of the standard Corvus options 

Data is acquired and stored in a cyclic function on disk memory until a ring buffer trigger event is registered. A triggered event could be manual, timed or a channel alarm amplitude level crossing or skyline alarm. Then a predefineable posttrigger timer is decremented to zero and then stops the data storage. Thus the ringbuffer can be divided in pre- and posttrigger domains. Data recorded before the start of the posttrigger counter is in the pretrigger domain, data recorded after the start of the counter is in the posttrigger domain. The size (time) of the pre- and posttrigger domain can be set by the user from 1s to 1h each. Ring buffer trigger events can be generated manually or when signal alarms are detected.

Allows you to create timing or a sequence of conditions to trigger and control data storage.The example below utillises two methods of data storage to store data during an alarm event.The trigger event shown is a simple level crossing alarm indicated by a red line. The measured data is displayed as a black solid trace.In this case when the channel alarm level is exceeded a ring buffer storage with a preand post time of 5 seconds is triggered, a one shot measurement is made at the maximumvalue of the measurement period. After the maximum value no further trigger will occureuntill the signal value falls below the arlarm threshhold level where the ring buffer storage function will be initialised ready for the next event.

The standard Corvus software uses a block mode storage method. This method is satisfactory for a wide range of applications but there can be a small break in the data stored between blocks. If unbroken data streaming is required then the Streamed Data Storage is the answer. This is also the case on certain types of data acquisition tasks, typical examples are Rotor Speed Tracking (Order Analysis) and Speed Triggering.

Allows you to quickly set up and carry out impact Modal testing. A pre-configured Impact Test Panel will display Transfer Function, Phase and Coherence. Overload monitoring and acceptance of the last impact performed gives you the ability to decide to include your last result in the average. A full curve fitting and damping calculation function is available and export to popular modal packages is available.

One of the most advanced software packages when carrying out order tracking. A very special Campbell diagram is available which allows you to display frequency components in "needle" form a much more accurate method than the traditional circle method. Curve fitting of resonances allows stress/strain calculations. Full machine order tracking is included with bode plots and waterfall display.