Solution
It is possible to calculate the Bandwidth Requirement of your Measurement System.
The formula is as follows:
Bandwidth = Data Type · # of Channels · Sampling Rate
Here is an example to visualize it better:
Let us say we use a NI-9239 Module in Combination with a cRIO-9045, connected directly to our Host with an Ethernet Cable.
We want to perform measurements on all 4 channels available at its maximum sampling Rate, which equals 50kS/s.
If we use the DAQmx Mode for the Module, then the Data Type is most likely DBL so let us use this type going forward.
With this we now have all the necessary information to calculate the bandwidth.
Data Type = DBL = 64bits
# of Channels = 4
Sampling Rate = 50kS/s
Bandwidth = 64 · 4 · 50,000S/s = 12,800,000 bits per Second
Our cRIO-9045 features a Gigabit Ethernet Port. As such, our theoretical maximum is 1,000,000,000 bits.
Thus, we can say that there is still a lot of headroom for future expansion, as the bandwidth of the Medium is not being exceeded yet.
This formula can be applied to each Module you would like to take measurements from, and each result can be added together to get the final bandwidth that your Measurement System will generate.