The Challenge:

To develop a flexible data monitoring tool for evaluation of commercial refrigeration systems, enabling the analysis of many data channels to ease the design and development process.

The Solution:

Ball Systems created a measurement and logging system using NI PXI RT instrumentation in conjunction with a host PC application capable of measuring temperatures, pressures, power usage, and a variety of other process variables. The monitor logs data to file as well as displaying the past 24 hours of trends, including custom calculated values.

Features:

• Fully customizable viewer allows users to load an image of the UUT and place indicators where measurements are made.
• Custom calculations using NIST reference database.
• Flexible data channel assignment allowing any acquisition type.
• On the fly trend analysis displaying minimum, maximum, and average, for all visible channels in the currently selected range.
• Multiple file spanning, logs to CSV file for configurable time length to keep file size under control on long test runs.
• Customizable plot profiles allow user to create channel groups which can be saved and reloaded for improved data viewing experience.
• Notes entry to save user comments to file.

Benefits:

• Customizable viewer allows hot or cold spots to be easily located.
• System flexibility allows testing of any model with the same software.
• Networking of the test systems allow host application convenient access to any RT system from other locations.
• Custom configurations can be saved to file to reduce setup time.
• Reduced time needed to analyze new refrigerator case designs.

Hardware:

Ball Systems maintains an expansive array of in-house equipment and immediately available platforms; reducing development time to meet critical customer deadlines. Specific components leveraged in developing the solution above included:

• NI PXIe-1078, 9-slot 3U PXI express chassis
• NI PXIe-8101 Celeron 575 2.0 GHz real-time embedded SW
• NI PXI-6221 (16 analog inputs, 24 digital I/O, 2 analog outputs)
• NI PXI-6238, Iso (Cur: 8 AI, 2 AO; 30V: 6 DI, 4 sourcing DO)
• NI PXIe-4353 32-ch thermocouple input
• NI TB-4353 Isothermal terminal block for PXIe-4353