60 Second Spotlight on Iain Gordan, Axiometrix Solutions
Ahead of the Instrumentation, Analysis and Testing Exhibition on 29 April, we caught up with Iain Gordan to hear his thoughts on how data acquisition has evolved over the past 40 years.
Please briefly explain your current role.
My primary role is pre-sales application and product support. Making sure our customers get the most appropriate solutions for their projects.
Looking back over the last 40 years, what was the biggest "aha" moment in data acquisition technology?
The switch from analogue recording to digital recording is probably the most profound technology jump.
What’s one piece of legacy technology you never thought would become obsolete?
My little shunt resistor kit for strain gauge installation testing and calibration.
All the strain gauge modules from imc (and most other vendors) now have internal shunt resistors.
Not sure that they are actually “obsolete” but I can’t remember when I last used my external resistors (but they are always in my toolbox, just in case!)
What’s your favourite “old-school” data acquisition tool that you still think fondly of?
SoMat 2100. This was the first ‘modern’ modular data acquisition system that I had access to.
It also paved the way to the SoMat eDAQ and eDAQ Lite before I jumped ship to the imc CRONOS family about 15 years ago.
What was the most significant shift—going digital or moving to wireless communication systems?
Easy – Going digital. The relative ease of setting up experiments. The ability to easily modify, save and reuse configurations. The ability for anyone to easily analyse the data with modern data analysis tools.
Wireless communications are fantastic but would not be much use if we were all still recording data on paper charts.
How has the role of the engineer changed with advancements in data acquisition?
Yes, the role of a dedicated instrumentation engineer seems to have diminished. This is probably a result of transducers now becoming transmitters with integrated signal conditioning electronics. The requirement for someone to calculate the gain and range of the signal, solder in resistors, configure the input circuit and manually calibrate amplifiers is largely redundant.
Most modern data acquisition systems allow the user to simply select the input type and add a sensor sensitivity. The system then takes care of any internal amplifier routing and gain factors.
Today, the first tools I make sure I am carrying are a charged up laptop and ethernet cable. Thirty years ago it would have been a multimeter, a pot trimmer and probably a portable soldering iron.
What fundamental principles of data acquisition have stood the test of time?
Properly install the right sensor, with the right range in the right place.
Sample the data at an appropriate sample rate for the signal to be measured.
Do everything possible to get good quality, clean data. Removing spikes, drift and noise might be possible but it is much better to avoid any problems with the raw data from the outset.
Do you think today’s engineers have it easier or harder than 40 years ago?
The ease of use of modern sensors and data acquisition systems coupled with the vast amount of information and support available to anyone with access to the internet suggests that it should be easier today.
In reality, that ease of use often leads to huge channel counts and test schedules that need to be managed against ever more stringent deadlines.
What excites you most about the future of data acquisition and signal analysis?
The fact that there is a future for data acquisition and analysis systems.
People have been telling me for about the last 25 years that physical measurement and testing is dead. While it is certainly true that simulation tools and virtual engineering come on leaps and bounds, the requirements for acquisition systems and analysis software seems as strong as ever.