Inspired by receiving a batch of suspiciously weak “N52 grade” magnets one of our editors realized this would be a great opportunity to demonstrate MonoDAQ-U-X’s versatility as a measuring device by using it to measure the magnet pull force. The objective was to accurately and repeatedly measure the maximum pulling force that needs to be applied for two magnets to …
Lithium battery destructive safety testing
A feasibility study was conducted to find if a lithium-ion battery would safely shut down in the event of a short circuit. The MonoDAQ-U-X’s configurable front end enabled us to easily control and precisely log the data of a lithium battery destructive safety test. The subject of our experiment was a commercial 18650 lithium-ion cell. We were interested in the …
Using 4..20mA current output sensors with MonoDAQ-U-X
Introduction Simple to use and able to send signals over large distances the 4..20mA current output sensors have long been standard in the industry. Most commonly used for measuring pressure and temperature but available in countless varieties they are a widespread and very useful tool. Since the sensors output current while most microcontrollers can only directly measure voltage this has …
Using MonoDAQ-U-X with Raspberry Pi
Whether you are doing measurements on a remote site or keeping your brand new Macbook safe sometimes using a full-size computer to take measurements with the U-X is just not practical or economical. So let’s take a look at using the affordable but very capable Raspberry Pi to log data from the U-X. While X3 is not supported on Linux …
Processing MonoDAQ-U-X data in python on Raspberry Pi
Python is one of the most popular programming languages and for good reason, it is incredibly versatile and a very powerful tool for data processing. Let’s take a look at how to use python running on a Raspberry Pi to receive and process data from the MonoDAQ U-X. Before starting with python make sure you have completed the first part …
Remote temperature measurement with MonoDAQ-U-X
Introduction Structural analysis of an exhibition hall requires temperature measurement to complement the strain, acceleration and inclination measurements. Temperature is measured on multiple points across the roof to help distinguish between mechanical and thermal loads. Low cost temperature sensors (AD592) were used to measure the temperature and MonoDAQ-U-X was used to acquire the analog signal and bring it into a …
Can bridge collapses be prevented by continuous structural monitoring?
Wikipedia list of bridge failures features 110 entries from year 2000 onwards, including several high-profile ones like the Genoa viaduct disaster. The recent accident again prompts the question: how could it happen in 21st century with the present bridge structural monitoring abilities of the industry? Bridge building has been evolving for thousands of years, with the oldest parts of bridges …
Polcevera viaduct: a premature end of a milestone of the Italian engineering heritage
By F. Marzullo, G. Sforza Following the collapse of the stack n°9 of the viaduct on the Polcevera, which caused a huge disaster on august 14th2018, we want to elaborate on the situation surrounding an artifact of great engineering importance that only now, albeit in a terrible way, has reached an enormous reputation. After a technical description, addressed above all to …
Single board computer power consumption and heatsink temperature
Power consumption is a very important characteristic of single-board computers (Raspberry Pi, Latte Panda) since they are oftenly powered off batteries in mobile applications. MonoDAQ-U-X data acquisition device allows precise measurement of voltage and current while the data is displayed in user-friendly DEWESoft software. Additionaly also the temperature can be monitored to analyze the relation between the CPU load, power …
Avoiding Disaster: Bridge Monitoring With a Network of High-Performance Triaxial MEMS Accelerometers
On August 14, 2018, the Morandi bridge in Genoa suddenly collapsed during a rainstorm, sending vehicles and rubble plunging 150 feet into the river below and resulting in 43 fatalities. The Morandi bridge had been in operation since 1967 and its failure reignited concern about the condition of bridges and other infrastructure in Europe, the US, and elsewhere. The US, …
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