The Hydra Data Acquisition Unit (DAU)

Introduction

Links To Other Notes On The Hydra

Setting The Hydra And The Computer To Communicate
General Computer Operation
Commands For A Single DC Voltage Measurement
Programming The Hydra in C (Console Applications)
Programming The Hydra In C++ (GUI/Visual Applications)
Programming The Hydra In Visual Basic
Programming The Hydra in LabView
Why Use The Hydra?

        The Hydra Data Acquisition Unit - the DAU - is an IEEE-488 instrument that can be used for measurements of:

Temperature (0C)
DC Voltage
AC Voltage
Resistance
Frequency
        Here is a photo of the Hydra.

        The Hydra is a versatile instrument.  Not only does it measure the variables in the table above, it can be used in several different ways.

It can be used manually - much like a voltmeter or a DVM.
It can be controlled remotely by a computer using several different programming environments, including:
   C/C++ - including Visual versions
   Visual Basic
   LabView
        Other features of the Hydra include the following.
It can take measurements on 21 channels.
It can take burst measurements.