Data Acquisition (DAQ) and Control from Microstar Laboratories

Multi-Channel Filtering

One Command Applies Digital Filtering to Multiple Signal Channels

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Screenshot showing how one command applies embedded digital filtering to multiple data channels.

Bellevue, WA, April 7, 2016 -- Microstar Laboratories, Inc., maker of Data Acquisition Processor (DAP) systems for PC-based high-performance measurement applications, incorporates completely configurable multi-channel digital filtering support into the DAPL 3000 operating system. The DAPL 3000 system runs in the embedded real-time environment of the xDAP family of data acquisition subsystems.

Simple Digital Filtering Configuration

Accurate sampling of signals will preserve the fidelity of both the signal information you want and the noise that you don't want. Digital filtering can be effective at suppressing the noise components, but the complications of diverting the data to some kind of complex library or application environment to accomplish this can be prohibitive. Using the embedded filtering features of the DAPL 3000 system, you don't need any additional software packages – the DAPL 3000 system already provides these services. Simply route the raw data through the filtering “on the fly”, delivering clean, already-filtered data directly to your application.

This kind of capability has been in the DAPL system for over two decades, but only on a channel-by-channel basis. In this version, that capability is extended so that the multiple channels digitized simultaneously by the xDAP system can be processed concurrently by a single processing task. One command tells your configuration what kind of filtering you want, and then one command applies it.

What? You Aren't A Digital Filtering Specialist?

Specialists are not required. You can use the Filter Designer in the Development Studio for DAPL (DAPstudio) software from Microstar Laboratories to design the xDAP system filtering interactively. Use the controls to adjust filter cutoff locations, selectivity, and transition shapes. Understanding the digital filtering theory can be helpful, but isn't required, because after each adjustment you can immediately apply the adjusted settings to live data, comparing the filtered data stream superimposed on the original signal data, to see both intended effects and unintended side effects, until you obtain best results. Then you can export the configuration commands from DAPstudio to a script that can be used in any other software application environment of your choosing.

Platform Support

The filtering capabilities are included in the DAPL 3000 system, part of the DAPtools Software provided with each purchase of an xDAP data acquisition system from Microstar Laboratories. DAPtools Software supports Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows Server on the PC host system.

Resources

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Editorial Overview

Microstar Laboratories announces that DAPtools software, for xDAP data acquisition systems, incorporates extensions that support digital filtering on multiple channels in parallel using a single configured task. This allows transfer of digitally filtered, completely preprocessed data directly to application software, without the need for any additional software libraries or environments. This software is provided with each new xDAP system; upgrades also are available for existing users.

Note to the Editor:

Microstar Laboratories suggests this text as a caption for the available image:

One command applies embedded digital filtering to multiple data channels on an xDAP system.

Microstar Laboratories, Inc. claims Microstar Laboratories, Data Acquisition Processor, DAP, xDAP, DAPtools, DAPstudio, DAPL, and DAPL 3000 as trademarks. Microsoft has registered Windows as a trademark. Other organizations may claim – or may have registered as trademarks – other trade names, logos, and service marks that appear in this document but not in the list above.

Microstar Laboratories makes it a practice to use an appropriate symbol at the first occurrence of a trademark or registered trademark name in a document, or to include trademark statements like this with the document.