Emerson Introduces Entry-Level Data Acquisition Hardware and Open-Source Plug-In Framework
To provide engineering teams with accessible, high-precision telemetry options for benchtop and production testing environments, Emerson has expanded its instrument portfolio with a series of cost-effective data acquisition systems. This hardware rollout introduces two compact CompactDAQ Ethernet chassis alongside a versatile, high-density analog input module. Simultaneously, the company has launched a dedicated open-source development initiative to enable seamless field customizations, lowering the barrier to entry for precise sensor validation, manufacturing quality tracking, and comprehensive signal conditioning without overextending operational budgets.
While complex industrial workflows focus heavily on real-time control via programmable logic controllers, end-of-line quality validation and laboratory research require specialized platforms to isolate, transform, and log precise physical parameters. The newly released cDAQ-9187 and cDAQ-9183 chassis address this structural requirement by serving as budget-friendly, rugged backplanes for distributed test setups. Designed to perform reliably across severe thermal windows spanning from -40 °C up to 70 °C, both variants utilize a single high-performance Ethernet port featuring native Time-Sensitive Networking protocol support. This advanced networking framework enables precise, deterministic clock synchronization across prolonged physical distances, allowing operators to deploy chassis near remote sensor arrays while streaming noise-free data back to centralized processing units.
The eight-slot cDAQ-9187 provides extensive physical configuration flexibility for mid-sized test cells, whereas the ultra-compact four-slot cDAQ-9183 targets space-constrained control panels and mobile instrumentation workbenches. Both models provide full compatibility with the existing C Series ecosystem, accepting any combination of analog inputs, digital lines, high-frequency counters, and specialized timing modules. To match these chassis, the introduction of the cost-effective NI-9204 analog input module delivers dense instrumentation monitoring, accommodating up to 16 single-ended channels or 8 differential voltage connections. Engineered with a true 16-bit analog-to-digital converter and a maximum sampling speed of 250 kS/s, the module integrates a programmable gain amplifier that allows field technicians to dynamically scale input sensitivities from ±10 V down to ±0.2 V per channel to capture minute voltage variations.
On the software side, the launch of an open-source GitHub repository for the no-code NI FlexLogger data logging platform shifts how system integrators handle custom instrumentation logic. The repository houses a collaborative library of community-driven add-ons and hardware extensions, empowering engineers to share application-specific data formatting tools and custom sensor scaling plugins. This open ecosystem eliminates the need for expensive proprietary software overhauls, providing immediate access to agile asset tracking assets that capture early component degradation trends before manufacturing defects accumulate on the final assembly line.
The release of these compact test and measurement tools complements a broader market migration toward decoupled, software-defined industrial topologies. For multi-site manufacturing complexes looking to standardize their hardware procurement, blending these specialized data logging chassis with central plant control topologies ensures complete operational visibility. Whether routing local workbench diagnostics or linking field instrumentation layers to overarching processing nodes with high-reliability architectures like anEmerson automation framework, deploying flexible testing platforms gives production teams the analytical precision required to protect high-value manufacturing assets and streamline daily factory workflows.
Written by: Terence Vance, a senior test and measurement engineer with over 14 years of technical expertise specializing in distributed data acquisition topologies, signal conditioning architecture, and open-source industrial software plugin development.