Personal Daq/50 Series
USB Data Acquisition Modules
Models /54, /55, & /56Features• Multifunction data acquisition­modules attach to PCs via Universal­Serial Bus (USB 1.1 & 2.0 compatible)• Ultra low-power design requires noexternal power or batteries• Can be located up to 5 meters (16.4feet) from the PC• High-resolution, 22-bit A/D converter
offers reading rates from 1 to 80 Hz• Built-in cold-junction compensation for
direct thermocouple measurements• Frequency/pulse, or duty-cycle­measurements up to 1 MHz*
• Convenient removable screwterminal signal connections• 500V optical isolation from PC for safeand noise-free measurements• Programmable inputs from ±31 mV
to ±20V full scale• Digital I/O lines with open collector
output for direct drive applications*• Expandable up to 80 channels of analog and digital I/O*
• Up to 100 Personal Daq modules can be
attached to one PC using USB hubs, fora total capacity of 8,000 channels• Digital calibration­—no potentiometers or adjustments requiredSoftware• Personal DaqView Out-of-the-Box
spreadsheet-style software for setup,­acquisition, and real-time display• PostView included for post-acquisition
data viewing• Support for Visual Basic®, C/C++,DASYLab®, and NI LabVIEW®
• Supported Operating Systems:
Windows® 7/Vista®/XP SP2 and SP3
Designed for high accuracy and resolution,
the 22-bit Personal Daq data acquisition
systems directly measure multiple channels of voltage, thermocouples, pulse,
frequency, and digital I/O*. A single cableto the PC provides high-speed communication and power to the Personal Daq. No
additional batteries or power supplies arerequired in most applications**.
The Personal Daq modules are a family oflow-cost, USB-based products from IOtech.
Because of the strict power limitations ofthe USB, the modules incorporate special
power-management circuitry to ensure
Measurement Computing

adherence to USB specifications.
The Personal Daqs avoid many of thelimitations of PC-Card (PCMCIA) dataacquisition devices. The Personal Daq/54
data acquisition system offers 10 singleended or 5 differential analog (up to±20V full scale), or thermocouple input
channels. The P­ ersonal Daq/55 offers 10
single-ended, or 5 differential analog (upto ±20V full scale) or thermocouple inputchannels, 16 programmable ranges, 500V
optical i­ solation, eight digital I/O lines, andtwo frequency/pulse/duty-cycle channels.
The ­Personal Daq/56 offers twice the I/O­capacity of the Personal Daq/55, in thesame size package.
To simplify attachment of signals and transducers, the Personal Daq modules feature
convenient, removable screw-­
terminal­input connections.

The compact Personal Daq is ideal for portabledata acquisition applications* The Personal Daq/54 does not have frequency, digital I/O, or expansion capability** In rare instances an external power source is required when PC-supplied power is inadequate(508) 946-5100

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Personal Daq/50 Series
General Information

Personal Daq/56 Block Diagram

Power
jack†

Power supply+–Isolation
barrier
Isolated analog power
Isolated digital power

Local power
USB
jack

Personal Daq with removable terminal block

Software
The Personal Daqs are supplied with
­P ersonal DaqView, IOtech’s Windows ®based data logging application thatallows you to set up your acquisition
applications and save acquired data
directly to disk. The Personal Daqs arealso shipped with ­P ostView, a postacquisition application that permits
you to display acquired data previously
saved to a file. Drivers are available foricon-based software ­p ackages, such as
DASYLab® and NI LabVIEW®.

Controlcircuits

Microprocessor

Activity
LED

Optoisolators
165V
27 k�

16
Digital I/O

165V

4Frequency
inputs

27 k�

4

Gain=
x1,1/520
Analoginputs

CJC

Mux

SE/DE

PGIA

Frequency
Pulse Count
Duty-Cycle

Expansion
port

Gain=
x1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128
PGA

22-bitA/DPower-4 to +4V
Expansion Analog InputCalibration† Only used if PC cannot supply adequate power

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Personal Daq/50 Series
Expansion

Personal Daq Expansion
Both the Personal Daq/55 and the
Personal Daq/56 can be easily expandedwith one of two available snap-on expansion modules, bringing the total capacity
up to 60 analog or thermocouple channels, 32 digital I/O lines, and 4 frequency
input channels. Furthermore, USB hubs
can be used to create multi-unit systems
containing up to 100 Personal Daq modules attached to a single PC. Using thisstrategy, a multi-unit Personal Daq system
can provide up to 8,192 analog and digital
I/O lines.
See the chart to the right for available
channel capacity.
Note: No expansion available for P­ ersonal Daq/54.

A Personal Daq and a PDQ module simply plug together for additional channel capacity

Personal Daq and Expansion System Channel Capacities
Product or System
Personal Daq/54
Personal Daq/55
Personal Daq/56
PDQ1 Expansion Module
PDQ2 Expansion Module
Personal Daq/55 + PDQ1
Personal Daq/55 + PDQ2
Personal Daq/56 + PDQ1
Personal Daq/56 + PDQ2Volts/TC Inputs*

Digital I/O

Freq/Pulse Inputs

5 DE, 10 SE
5 DE, 10 SE
10 DE, 20 SE
10 DE, 20 SE
20 DE, 40 SE
15 DE, 30 SE
25 DE, 50 SE
20 DE, 40 SE
30 DE, 60 SE—
81616—
24
83216—
24——
2244* TC inputs are differential only

Measurement Computing

PDQ10PDQ12DIN-rail Mounting Adapter

USB Extender Cable

The PDQ10 allows one Personal Daq orPDQ module to be DIN-rail mounted. The
Personal Daq or PDQ module simply snaps
into the PDQ10.

Each PDQ12 adds 16 ft. to the length of yourUSB cable. Since the extender cable cannot
provide adequate power, a TR-2U will be
required for the Personal Daq/50 Series(508) 946-5100

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Personal Daq/50 Series
Example Systems

Example Systems
As a USB product, the Personal Daq data acquisition system can be located up to fivemeters (16.4 feet) from the PC, allowing it to reside close to the point of measurement
for improved accuracy and reduced noise. If USB hubs or USB-powered extension cables
are used as repeaters between USB cable segments, the Personal Daq can be located up
to 30 meters (98.4 feet) from the PC.

Direct Connection to Computer USB Port(s)PDQ expansion module
Personal Daq
USB

Two Personal Daqs (with optional PDQ modules) are connected by cableto each of the computer’s USB ports, requiring no external power source

Connection to Powered USB-Hub

PDQ11
USB hub

PDQ expansionmodule
Personal Daq

USB

Power adapter

Four Personal Daqs (with optional PDQ modules) are connected
to ports of a USB hub, requiring an external power source

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Personal DaqView
Out-of-the-Box Software

Personal DaqView*, IOtech’s included Out-of-the-Box graphical dataacquisition software, is an easy-to-use yet powerful application. Itallows users to configure a test, and display or record data within

143minutes, without programming. Together with included PostView
post-acquisition viewer software, Personal DaqView offers the most­functionality of any included software of its kind.

526
Personal DaqView lets the user:

4Acquire analog, frequency, and digital I/O channels to disk
in real time
View real-time analog, frequency, and digital I/O using
extensive charting and metering displays

1

Select one of any Personal Daqs connected to the system2

Set up, configure and display analog, frequency, counter,and digital I/O channels in real time5

3

Easily and quickly configure acquisition parameters such as
trigger events, stop events, and acquisition scan rates

6

1

2

4View acquisition status at a glance, including triggered
time/date, acquisition progress, as well as acquisition­destination file

3

56
The Analog Input screen allows the user to:1

Easily configure analog input channels such as voltage andtemperature measurements

2

View channels through both a physical channel d­ escription
or a user-defined channel description

3

Select the minimum measurement duration for a channel
on a per-channel basis

4

Display real-time readings of active or enabled channels

5

Apply scale and offset for real-time mX+b operation

6

Have the spreadsheet automatically “grow” as more c­ hannels
are added to the system* Supported Operating Systems: Windows® 7/Vista®/XP SP2 and SP3

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Personal DaqView
Out-of-the-Box Software
Custom Real-Time Displays
Personal DaqView allows the creation ofcustomized real-time displays using builtin display options, including digital, dial
meter, bar graph, and strip chart displays.
No programming is required — simply
point, click, and drag desired display­options to create a custom screen.

241

3

5

The Frequency/Pulse Input screen allows the user to:

Dial Meter
Personal DaqView allows up to 32
channels to be shown in a dial display
format. Each dial indicates instantaneous levels, as well as peak holdand trends.

1

Easily configure counter channels as frequency, pulse counting, totalized, or duty
cycle inputs

2

View channels through both a physical channel description or a user-definedchannel description3

Set counter input signal debounce, input frequency range, and counter edge
sensitivity on a per-channel basis

4

Display active or enabled frequency/counter channels in real time5

Apply scale and offset values for real-time mX+b operation

1

Strip Chart2

3

Display up to 16 smooth-scrolling strip
charts of data, all of which scroll atthe same rate, and define a full-scale
range for each individual channel,
as well as adjust the scroll rate to 14
different speeds.

The Digital Input/Output screen allows the user to:

Measurement Computing

1

Read the curent state of all digital input channels

2Manually set the state of each digital output channel

3

Set the default power-up state for each digital output channel(508) 946-5100

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Personal DaqView
Out-of-the-Box Software
Chart
Personal DaqView software provides advanced
charting capabilities, including multiple
traces per chart, multiple chart groups, andsupport for up to 100 Personal Daq devices
attached to one PC.
•Allows display groups to be created forcustomized viewing•

Supports up to 100 Personal Daqdevices

Personal DaqView provides display of multiple channels in one chart

XL Integration
XL integration allows Personal DaqView to
execute seamlessly from within ­Microsoft®
Excel’s tool palette. Acquired measurements
are inserted directly into an Excel® spreadsheet in real time.
•Allows formula creation on acquireddata•Provides control of acquisition fromspreadsheet

Personal DaqView allows display of collected data with Excel and software package charts

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Personal Daq/50 SeriesSpecifications

Personal Daq Speed vs. Resolution
Speed Designation

Measurement
Duration(per channel)

Slowest, 50/60 Hz rejection
Slow, 50 Hz rejection
Slow, 60 Hz rejection
Medium, 50 Hz rejection
Medium, 60 Hz rejection
MediumFast
Fastest available

610 ms
370 ms
310 ms
130 ms
110 ms
40 ms
20 ms
12.5 ms

Maximum Aggregate Rate*

Resolution

Volts
Thermocouple
1 channel
10 channels
30 channels
1 channel
10 channels
30 channels
scans/sec sec/scan scans/sec sec/scan scans/sec sec/scan scans/sec sec/scan scans/sec sec/scan scans/sec sec/scan
1.65002.71003.24007.75009.170025.6400
47.6200
66.6700

0.60610.36900.30860.12900.10910.03900.02100.01500.16500.27200.32600.78600.93302.69005.35007.87006.06063.6765
3.06751.2723
1.07180.37170.18690.12710.05500.09080.1086
0.26230.31130.8993
1.79532.652518.1818
11.0132
9.20813.81243.2123
1.11200.5570
0.37701.58002.54002.99006.49007.460015.6300
22.2200
25.6400

0.63290.39370.33440.15410.13400.06400.04500.03900.16400.26900.32000.75700.89202.38004.24005.68006.0976
3.71753.12501.32101.12110.42020.23580.1761

0.05470.09000.10740.25580.30220.8271
1.52912.109718.2815
11.11119.31103.90933.30911.20900.65400.4740

22
22
22
21
21
19
1715

* Continuous calibration disabled

Specifications
GeneralNote: No expansion available for P­ ersonal Daq/54.
Isolation: 500V from PC
Power Requirements: Powered from USB, or from an
optional external +6 to +16 VDC when PC cannot
provide adequate power
Environment: 0 to 50 ˚C, 0 to 95% RH, nono ndensing; relatively still air environmentc­­recommended for thermocouple measurements
AC Common Mode Rejection
Personal Daq/54: >100 dB @ 50/60 Hz
Personal Daq/55, /56: >120 dB @ 50/60 Hz
Channel-to-Channel Crosstalk: <-110 dB (DC to100 Hz; up to 10k Ohm source resistance)
Accuracy: 0.02% of reading, +0.004% of range(exclusive of noise)
Input Offset Voltage
Personal Daq/54: <30 µV
Personal Daq/55, /56: <20 µV
Input Resistance: 10M Ohm (SE), 20M Ohm (DE)Cold-Junction Accuracy
Personal Daq/54: ±0.7 ˚C (15 to 35 ˚C)Personal Daq/55, /56: ±0.5 ˚C (15 to 35 ˚C)Dimensions: 182 mm W x 92 mm D x 45 mm H
(7.1” x 3.6” x 1.6”)
Input Voltage Ranges
Differential

Single-Ended-20V to +20V

-10V to +20V

-10V to +10V

-10V to +10V

-5V to +5V-5V to +5V-4V to +4V-4V to +4V-2.5V to +2.5V-2.5V to +2.5V-2V to +2V-2V to +2V-1.25V to +1.25V-1.25V to +1.25V-1V to +1V-1V to +1V-625 mV to +625 mV-625 mV to +625 mV-500 mV to +500 mV-500 mV to +500 mV-312 mV to +312 mV-312 mV to +312 mV-250 mV to +250 mV-250 mV to +250 mV-156 mV to +156 mV-156 mV to +156 mV-125 mV to +125 mV-125 mV to +125 mV-62 mV to +62 mV-62 mV to +62 mV-31 mV to +31 mV-31 mV to +31 mV

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Analog Specifications

Frequency Measurements

Each channel is configurable for single-ended or differential, volts, or thermocouple inputs.
Personal Daq/54, /55: 10 single-ended, 5 differential;
volts or TC channels
Personal Daq/56: 20 single-ended, 10 differential;
volts or TC channels
Input Voltage Range: Software programmable on a
per-channel basis
Thermocouple Type: J, K, T, E, R, S, B, N14G, &N28G
Thermocouple Accuracy (˚C) 1, 2
TC Type
Temp Range (˚C)
Accuracy (˚C)
J-100 to +700±1.1
K-200 to +1200±1.2
T-100 to +400±1.1E-100 to +500±1.0
R+400 to +1400±2.5
S+400 to +1400±2.6
B+700 to +1400±3.3N-100 to +700±1.5(/55 and /56 only)

1. Thermocouple accuracy includes cold-junction compensation
error of ±0.5 ˚C
2. Assume an acquisition speed of 610 ms per measurement

Over-Voltage Protection: ±45V relative toanalog COM
Common Mode Rejection
Personal Daq/54: 100 dB @ 60 Hz
Personal Daq/55, /56: 120 dB @ 60 Hz
Channel-to-Channel Crosstalk: 120 dB(0 to 100 Hz)
Gain Accuracy: 0.01% (after calibration, 15˚to 35 ˚C),
5 ppm/˚C gain drift
Input Impedance: 10M Ohm (SE), 20M Ohm (DE)Bias Current: <1 nA (0 to 35 ˚C)Measurement Speed: Each channel can have a different measurement speed and resolution. Channels
can be programmed to be scanned in any order.

(508) 946-5100

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Personal Daq/55: 2 frequency/pulse input channels
Personal Daq/56: 4 frequency/pulse input channels
Operating Modes: Pulse count, totalize, duty-cycle,and frequency
Frequency Response: DC to 1 MHzInput Range: ±15V, Schmitt-trigger inputs,<1.3V (low), >3.8V (high)Pull-Up Resistor: 27k Ohm to +5V for switch orrelay sensing
Debouncing: None, 0.8, 3.2, or 13 mSec.
Totalize: Up to 2^32 counts/scanFrequency & Duty-Cycle Resolution: 7 digits. Actual
resolution depends on scan rate. At 10 scans/s,
resolution is 5 digits (10 ppm); at 1 scan/s, 6 digits(1 ppm).

Digital I/O (/55 and /56 only)
Each I/O line is individually programmable as inputor output.
Personal Daq/55: 8 digital I/O linesPersonal Daq/56: 16 digital I/O lines
Each I/O line includes an open-collector driver witha 27k Ohm pull-up resistor to +5V for output, anda Schmitt-trigger input buffer.
Over-Voltage: +20V for up to 1 minute
Input
Voltage Range: 0 to +15V
Thresholds: <1.3V (low), >3.8V (high)OutputVoltage Range: 0 to +5V with no external pull-up
resistor; 0 to +15V with external pull-up
Maximum Sink Current: 150 mA/output continuous, 500 mA output peak (<100 µs), 150 mA total
continuous (per bank of 8 outputs)
Output Resistance: 10 Ohms max
Updates: Outputs may be changed arbitrarily at any
time under program control

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Personal Daq/50 Series
Ordering Information
Ordering Information

Accessories & Cables

Description
Part No.
22-bit data acquisition system including
Personal DaqView and PostView
software; support for Visual Basic®,
C/C++, DASYLab®,and NI LabVIEW®
Personal Daq/54			
Personal Daq/55			
Personal Daq/56
Expansion module, with
20 volts/TC inputs and 16 digital I/O
PDQ1
Expansion module, with40 volts/TC inputs
PDQ2
DIN-rail mounting adapter
for Personal Daq
PDQ10
Powered 4-port USB hub
with one USB cable
PDQ11
USB-powered extension cable, 16 ft.
PDQ12Measurement Computing

Description
USB cable, 1 meter
USB cable, 3 meters
USB cable, 5 meters
Terminal block
External power supply, 90 to 264 VAC;
requires additional cable		USA version		European version

SoftwarePart No.
CA-179-1
CA-179-3
CA-179-5
CN-153-12

Description
Icon-based data acquisition,
graphics, control, & analysis
with Personal Daq driverPart No.
DASYLab

TR-2U
CA-1
CA-216

Thermocouples
E-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F) 1 m
E-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F) 2 m
J-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F 1 m
J-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F) 2 m
K-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F) 1 m
K-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 482 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 900 ˚F) 2 m
T-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 260 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 500 ˚F) 1 m
T-type thermocouple wire, fiberglass(0 ˚C to 260 ˚C, 32 ˚F to 500 ˚F) 2 m(508) 946-5100

9745690-E001
745690-E002
745690-J001
745690-J002
745690-K001
745690-K002
745690-T001
745690-T002

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