DACS: Data Acquisition and Control System
DACS is a modular system for the control and data acquisition of experimental set-ups, pilot plants or test series. The idea is to offer scientists and engineers the possibility to carry out flexible experiments quickly and without great costs.
The system consists of control and data acquisition software and electronic components that are connected via Ethernet. Almost all types of sensors (pressure, temperature, pH etc.) or devices (e.g. HPLC pumps, mass flow controllers, valves etc.) can be connected to this system. Proprietary systems can also be integrated. Whether 0-20 mA, 0-10 V, RS232/485 or Ethernet, components can be integrated into DACS.
The DACS software enables the recording and saving as well as the graphical and numerical display of all data that is recorded. A major advantage of DACS is the simple and intuitive creation of programme sequences, which can also be saved, edited and recalled at any time.
In principle, the programming interface consists of two menus: Action and Event. All commands of the connected units are implemented in the Action menu. If you now select a command, you can select a corresponding condition for this command from the Event menu.
Example: A Zeta piston pump is connected to a system. It is to start a certain pressure and wait until it is constant within a certain pressure window. Then the programme should continue to run. Here one selects the command "Hold pressure" of the pump from the action menu and then selects the "moving average" condition from the event menu: If the pressure (e.g. 550 bar) is within a window of +/- 0.8% of the applied pressure over a certain number of data points (e.g. 150 = 150 seconds), the condition is fulfilled and the next programme point is used.
There is a wide range of programming options to choose from. And/or conditions, loops and more (or even customer-specific wishes) make it easier to carry out experiments and tests and ensure results in a short time.