For Explorers&Designers: USB bus-powered DAQ module

USB-7202 mulifunction Test&Measurement Module

USB bus-powered DAQ module with eight, 16-bit analog inputs and eight digital I/O lines; for Message-Based DAQ - Designed for OEMs
Key Highlights
8 channels of 16-bit analog input
100 kS/s max total throughput (200 kS/s Burst Mode), 50 kS/s on any one channel
8 digital I/O lines
One 32-bit event counter
Simultaneous sampling (1 A/D converter per input)
Stackable 3.55" x 3.75" board dimensions
Simple messaging protocol
Develop on one computing platform, deploy on many with out-of-the-box support for Windows® and Linux®
Small software footprint
Included accessories: USB cable and a CD containing the MC7000 DAQ Software API, USB-7000 Series Firmware Architecture, a Windows® installer file (msi), and a Zip file containing installation files for Linux® operating systems
Read "Message Based DAQ" Whitepaper

Product Specifications - PDF printable

Product User's Manual - PDF printable

Overview taken from www.mccdaq.com

The USB-7202 is part of the USB-7000 series of data acquisition products, designed specifically for Message-based DAQ (MBD), Measurement Computing’s new O/S-independent protocol that allows DAQ devices to be programmed with simple text-based messages.MBD is a well-defined protocol that permits the programming of DAQ devices using simple text-based messages. The MBD protocol greatly simplifies driver and application development, because all DAQ operations are programmed through a common command interface, which is composed of a consistent, extensible firmware interface and an open-source, cross-platform API.The USB-7202 has eight single-ended 16-bit analog inputs and provides one A/D converter per channel, allowing simultaneous sampling over all 8 inputs.

The USB-7202 offers continuous single-channel sample rates up to 50 kS/s, and multiple-channel continuous sampling rates up to 100 kS/s total. A burst mode is also provided which allows four channels to be sampled at 50 kS/s each, total aggregate up to 200 kS/s, for up to 32,768 total samples. Input ranges of ±10V, ±5V, ±2V and ±1V are software selectable, and each channel may be set at any of the four ranges, independent of other channels. It also includes a 32-bit event counter. Included accessories: USB cable and a CD containing the MC7000 DAQ Software API, USB-7000 Series Firmware Architecture, a Windows® installer file (msi), and a Zip file containing installation files for Linux operating systems

More products: www.mccdaq.com

Books Recommendation: Computational methods for electric power systems

Wondered about how to analyze,compute critic parameter and to model mathematiclly of a system serving various kinds of decision making?
Some of the latest books drive attention for both researcher & engineeris in those areas.

1. Computational methods for electric power systems
By Mariesa Cro

below is abstracted Book overview
The sheer size of today's power grid and the increasingly stressed conditions under which power systems operate demand the use of computers for analysis and simulations. Yet commercial software packages often fail or give erroneous results when used to simulate stressed systems. To correctly interpret the results, it is therefore imperative that power engineers understand the underlying numerical algorithms of the software.Computational Methods for Electric Power Systems provides a comprehensive study of the various computational methods that form the basis of many analytical studies of power systems. It presents the analytical background of the algorithms used in many commercially available software packages, thereby enabling readers to make more informed decisions in their use of the software and correctly interpret their results. The book furnishes a well-balanced discussion of the theory and applications of the algorithms and supports them with instructional examples and illustrations.As more and more demands are placed on the nation's power systems, predicting and updating the operating status of a network through systems analysis becomes increasingly important. This book builds the background necessary to successfully perform that analysis and prepares readers to cope with any difficulties they may encounter in practice.

Brief comment.
I have completed reading this book and find a quite clear structure of compuation methods towards traditional analysis and plan towards optimization or decision making.
Aslo, some of the related books can be a deepening minds for study&research.

2. Applied mathematics for restructured electric power systems: optimization ... By Joe H. Chow, Felix F. Wu, James A. Momoh
Book overview
Applied Mathematics for Restructured Electric Power Systems: Optimization, Control, and Computational Intelligence consists of chapters based on work presented at a National Science Foundation workshop organized in November 2003. The theme of the workshop was the use of applied mathematics to solve challenging power system problems. The areas included control, optimization, and computational intelligence. In addition to the introductory chapter, this book includes 12 chapters written by renowned experts in their respected fields. Each chapter follows a three-part format: (1) a description of an important power system problem or problems, (2) the current practice and/or particular research approaches, and (3) future research directions. Collectively, the technical areas discussed are voltage and oscillatory stability, power system security margins, hierarchical and decentralized control, stability monitoring, embedded optimization, neural network control with adaptive critic architecture, control tuning using genetic algorithms, and load forecasting and component prediction. This volume is intended for power systems researchers and professionals charged with solving electric and power system problems.

3. New Computational Methods in Power System Reliability
By David Elmakias
Book overview
Power system reliability is in the focus of intensive study due to its critical role in providing energy supply to the modern society. This book is not aimed at providing the overview of the state of the art in power system reliability. On the contrary, it describes application of some new specific techniques: universal generating function method and its combination with Monte Carlo simulation and with random processes methods, Semi-Markov and Markov reward models and genetic algorithm. The book can be considered as complementary to power system reliability textbooks. It is suitable for different types of readers. It primarily addresses practising reliability engineers and researchers who have an interest in reliability and performability analysis of power systems. It can also be used as a textbook for senior undergraduate or graduate courses in electrical engineering.

Some of the books can be previewed on Google Books or Amazon website.

Free information about current transformer application

"Many times, the designer wishes to generate a DC signal from an AC current transformer for input to a PLC or data acquisition system, or even as part of a current or motor controller. Creating DC from an AC source creates problems with diode voltage drops and the variances over temperature and current. The following circuit provides an accurate method for creating this DC signal."

CRMagnetics provide very good reference material about current transformer (CT) on the web, with clear illustration of circuits and some computation methods.

Find more application guide from CR MAGNETICS
http://www.crmagnetics.com/newprod/applist.asp

Free software for unit converter as isslustrated in the above graph.
From CR MAGNETICS, INC.
http://www.crmagnetics.com/newprod/freesoftware.asp

It is quite useful for beginnners and engineers.