Trial by Tyre
10 October 2008
New Multi Channel Data Acquisition Hardware: proven endurance
Bruel & Kjaer took product road testing to a literal level by driving a Corvette over its latest data analyser - LANXI - to assess its robustness. Built to conduct noise and vibration tests inside demanding environments, such as aircraft and vehicle cabins, LANXI data acquisition hardware has an incredibly tough magnesium casing, which enabled it to endure being reversed over several times by a Corvette (not recommended), proving the new model could survive rough handling and still operate perfectly.
Bruel & Kjaer created LANXI using specifications set by customers, which included the product’s need for toughness, yet also portability. Unlike most currently available analysers, which tend to be very bulky, LANXI’S magnesium case weighs just 600 grams and the slim module can easily fit inside a laptop bag, allowing users to carry it as hand luggage when travelling overseas for field work. LANXI can also withstand temperatures ranging from -10 to 50 degrees and is silent during operation (extremely useful when measuring sound) as it has self cooling vents instead of fans.
As the tests for which a data analyser is typically used can vary greatly (depending on the type of interior being analysed) the multi channel LANXI is ideal, as the one piece of hardware can perform any type of test: from simple two channels, such as resonance tests of wind turbine blades, to multi channel tests with several large rack systems used for advanced noise source identification. It also makes the testing of larger vehicles, such as aircrafts, ships and trains, much simpler. Any number of the individual modules can be placed around interior cabins, allowing analysis to be carried out in one go, unlike older systems which require multiple tests to be carried out with a single unit that’s continuously shifted to different areas.
LANXI can also be used for analysing buildings and other large structures, such as bridges or wind turbines. The whole system operates on a ‘plug and play’ concept, running Power over Ethernet (PoE) or plugged into a mains socket with one LAN cable. The same LAN cable not only transfers the data to a laptop and provides power using PoE but it also synchronises measurements between multiple, distributed A/D clocks using IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) synchronisation. Using a single cable for data transfer, power and synchronisation reduces complexity and cost when testing large structures.
Using distributed LANXI modules drastically reduces costs associated with standard analogue cables. For example, standard Category 5 LAN cable is over two hundred times less expensive than an equivalent length of six, multi-conductor microphone cables. Similarly, savings of over a hundred times can be achieved by using LAN cables in place of BNC or triaxial accelerometer cables. Besides the cost savings, reducing the length of analogue cabling versus digital, LAN cabling reduces the systems susceptibility to noise. LAN-XI’s modules are easily adapted for different microphones, probes and other accessories the user may need, by changing the front end connectors, which can be unclipped. Since its release, PULSE has provided a stable and continually evolving analysis platform, allowing customers to implement staged upgrades, rather than changing to an entirely new system each time new developments become available.
To date more than 9,500 PULSE systems have been purchased globally and are used primarily within the automotive, aerospace and telecommunication industries for research and development. PULSE LANXI system is on sale now in the UK and Ireland.
Released By
Bruel & Kjaer UK
