DR WHO? Yes, it is an unusual name. But DrDAQ is just one of a whole host of data acquisition devices currently available from the respected UK company Pico Technology.

Pico Technology has been manufacturing PC-based (hence "virtual") instruments for data acquisition since 1991. PC-based test and data acquisition equipment is quickly emerging as the most cost-effective approach to high quality instrumentation. DrDAQ is a perfect case in point. Here’s why.

What is a data logger?

Generally, data loggers provide a means of making and storing real-world measurements over a period of time. With the right type of transducer (or sensor), any kind of physical quantity can be measured – temperature, pressure, radiation, acceleration, etc.

Having made and stored (logged) the measurements, we must then be able to display them in an easily understandable way. This means charting and graphing the data, and perhaps performing mathematical manipulations as well.

Actually, the term "data logger" describes only part of what DrDAQ can do. For example, it can also display measurements in real time on an oscilloscope-like display.