Data Acquisition Toolbox

Connect to data acquisition cards, devices, and modules

Data Acquisition Toolbox provides apps and functions for configuring data acquisition hardware, reading data into MATLAB and Simulink, and writing data to DAQ analog and digital output channels. The toolbox supports a variety of DAQ hardware, including USB, PCI, PCI Express^®, PXI^®, and PXI Express^® devices, from National Instruments^® and other vendors.

The toolbox apps let you interactively configure and run a data acquisition session. You can then generate equivalent MATLAB code to automate your acquisition in future sessions. Toolbox functions give you the flexibility to control the analog input, analog output, counter/timer, and digital I/O subsystems of a DAQ device. You can access device-specific features and synchronize data acquired from multiple devices.

You can analyze data as you acquire it or save it for post-processing. You can also automate tests and make iterative updates to your test setup based on analysis results.

What Is Data Acquisition Toolbox?

Apps for Data Acquisition

Interactively configure and run your data acquisition interface without writing code, then generate the equivalent MATLAB code to automate your acquisition in the future.

Analog Input Recorder App

Configure device channels, preview signals, and record analog input data in the foreground or background.

Analog Input Recorder

Acquire Data with the Analog Input Recorder

Automate Data Acquisition in MATLAB Using the Analog Input Recorder App

Analog Output Generator App

Configure device channels, define and preview signals, and generate analog output signals in the foreground or background.

Analog Output Generator

Generate Signals with the Analog Output Generator

Analog Output Generator App Overview

Signal Analyzer App

Visualize, measure, analyze, and compare signals in the time, frequency, and time-frequency domains with Signal Processing Toolbox.

Signal Analyzer

Using the Signal Analyzer App

Extract Voices from a Music Signal

Find Interference Using the Persistence Spectrum

Data Acquisition in MATLAB Without Writing Code

Audio Input and Output

Design audio test systems, acquire multichannel audio data, and generate signals using built-in or external sound cards.

Multichannel Audio

Acquire and generate audio signals using one or more channels.

Generate Audio Signals

Generating Multichannel Audio

Ford Motor Company Develops and Deploys Sound-Quality Metrics

Ford Motor Company used Data Acquisition Toolbox to perform live analysis on sound quality while calibrating their engines.

Custom UI built by Ford for detecting spark knock.

Windows Sound Cards

Use MATLAB to acquire, analyze, and generate audio data on Windows^® sound cards.

Sound Card Support

Acquire Continuous Audio Data

Sound card support.

Data Acquisition Hardware Vendors

Use data acquisition hardware from National Instruments and other vendors. Access subsystems common to different devices as well as device-specific features.

National Instruments

Acquire and analyze data from NI-DAQmx devices, including CompactDAQ, X-Series, M-Series, E-Series, USB, myDAQ, ELVIS II, and more.

National Instruments Support

Getting Started with NI Devices

Discover NI Devices

Acquire Data Using NI Devices

National Instruments support.

Measurement Computing and Data Translation

Acquire and analyze data from Measurement Computing™ and Data Translation^® DAQ devices, or write an adaptor for another DAQ vendor.

Data Translation Support

Measurement Computing Support

Getting Started with MCC Devices

Acquire Data from Multiple Channels Using MCC Devices

Data Translation support.

Educational DAQ Hardware

Explore analog circuit design with low-cost platforms like Digilent^® Analog Discovery 2™ and Analog Devices^® ADALM1000 Active Learning Module.

Digilent Analog Discovery Support

Analog Devices ADALM1000 Support from Data Acquisition Toolbox

Getting Started Acquiring Data with Digilent Analog Discovery

Estimate the Transfer Function of a Circuit Using Live Measurements

Digilent Analog Discovery 2 support.

Sensors and TDMS Files

Collect and process data directly from thermocouples, RTD devices, IEPE accelerometers and microphones, current-based sensors, and bridge-based sensors. Import data from NI™ TDMS files and analyze the data in MATLAB.

Sound and Vibration

Measure sound pressure and acceleration from IEPE microphones and IEPE accelerometers. Record data in physical units such as pascals and gravities.

Acquire Data from an Accelerometer

Acquire and Analyze Sound Pressure Data from an IEPE Microphone

Microtech Tests Implantable Blood Pressure Sensor with Ultrasound Acquisition

Automate Accelerometer Acquisition with National Instruments CompactDAQ Hardware

Strain, Pressure, and Force

Measure strain, pressure, and force from strain bridges, load cells, and other sensors and transducers.

Measure Strain Using an Analog Bridge Sensor

Acquire Bridge Measurements

Timken Improves Bearing Testing Process

Timken refined and accelerated the bearing testing process with MATLAB and related toolboxes.

A Timken tapered roller bearing tested with MATLAB.

Temperature

Measure temperature from thermocouples and resistive temperature devices (RTDs) in physical units such as degrees Celsius.

Acquire Temperature Data from a Thermocouple

Acquire Temperature Data from a Resistive Temperature Device (RTD)

University of Toronto Students Work with Space Flight Laboratory Engineers to Design and Simulate Nanosatellite Control Systems

Newport Corporation Automates Thermal Testing for Microchip Fabrication

University of Toronto students use a thermal chamber to test nanosatellite components in temperature ranges encountered in space.

Students perform thermal tests on nanosatellite components.

TDMS Files

Read, write and analyze data from industry standard NI TDMS format files. Import individual files or work with a collection of TDMS files.

TDMS Format Files

Getting Started Reading a TDMS-File

Read a Large TDMS-File into MATLAB

Write Timetable Data to TDMS-file

This display shows data extracted from a TDMS file as a timetable and augmented with the average acceleration of the sensor data using MATLAB

Timetable extracted from TDMS file and processed in MATLAB

Digital Signals

Generate and read digital signals. Use counters to count events or to measure frequency, pulse width, or position. Generate pulse trains with counter outputs.

Digital I/O Subsystems

Acquire and generate digital signals.

Acquire Digital Data Using an External Clock

Generate Signals on Both Analog and Digital Channels

Communicate with I2C Devices and Analyze Bus Signals Using Digital IO

Control Stepper Motor Using Digital Outputs

This example shows how to control a stepper motor using digital output ports.

Control a stepper motor using digital outputs.

Counter and Timer Subsystems

Acquire quadrature encoder position, count edges, measure frequencies and pulse widths, and generate pulses.

Count Pulses on a Digital Signal Using NI Devices

Measure Frequency Using NI Devices

Measure Pulse Width Using NI Devices

Generate Pulse Width Modulated Signals Using NI Devices

Measure Angular Position with a Rotary Encoder Using National Instruments DAQ Hardware

Voltage and Current

Use analog input and analog output subsystems of your DAQ device to acquire and generate voltage and current signals. Queue output data, acquire in the foreground or background, and log data to disk.

Analog Voltage Subsystems

Acquire and generate voltage signals on analog input and analog output channels of your DAQ device.

Acquire Data and Generate Signals at the Same Time

Acquire Continuous and Background Data Using NI Devices

Generate Signals on NI Devices that Output Voltage

Log Analog Input Data to a File Using NI Devices

In this example, analog voltage data is acquired continuously until the signal exceeds 1V and then stops automatically.

Acquire continuous and background voltage data.

Analog Current Subsystems

Acquire and generate current signals on analog input and analog output channels of your DAQ device.

Generate Signals on NI Devices that Output Current

Measure the Current-Voltage (I-V) Characteristics of an LED

Setting a World Speed Record with a Student-Designed Solar Electric Vehicle

Students used MATLAB models to optimize battery usage of the Sunswift eVe solar electric car.

The student-designed solar electric Sunswift eVe.

Simultaneous and Synchronized Operations

Synchronize operations with shared start triggers and shared scan clocks. Simultaneously start all devices in a session and synchronize operations on all connected devices.