How Many Encoders Can I Measure with My cDAQ Chassis?

Issue Details

I want to measure multiple encoders in my system. How many encoders can I measure with a CompactDAQ Chassis? If there is a limit, can I expand the number of encoders in one chassis?

Solution

To measure an encoder with a CompactDAQ system, the first thing to check is the number of counters available to the system and the number of counters you will need.

Each Counter Input Encoder Task in the DAQmx API uses one counter per an encoder measurement. 

Generally an NI CompactDAQ Chassis has four built-in counters, so four encoders can be measured by a single CompactDAQ chassis.

To expand the number of encoders in a single CompactDAQ system, you can use the NI-9361. The NI-9361 has 8 built-in counters in a module.  While this expands the number of counters available to the system, the number of encoders you can connect to the module depends on the type of measurement you want to take.

Additional Information

Legacy or new products can have fewer or more counters than 4. Check the cDAQ Chassis Specification of the model you use before calculating the number of encoders your system can measure.