Telemark  University  College  

Department  of  Electrical  Engineering,  Information  Technology  and  Cybernetics  

 
 

Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

HANS-­‐PETTER   H ALVORSEN,   2 014.10.08  

Faculty of Technology, Postboks 203, Kjølnes ring 56, N-3901 Porsgrunn, Norway. Tel: +47 35 57 50 00 Fax: +47 35 57 54 01

 
  

Table  of  Contents  

1   Introduction  ........................................................................................................................  5  

1.1   Visual  Studio  ................................................................................................................  5  

1.2   DAQ  Hardware  .............................................................................................................  6  

1.2.1   NI  USB  TC-­‐01  Thermocouple  Device  .....................................................................  7  

1.2.2   NI  USB-­‐6008  DAQ  Device  ......................................................................................  7  

1.2.3   myDAQ  ..................................................................................................................  8  

1.3   NI  DAQmx  driver  ..........................................................................................................  9  

1.4   Measurement  Studio  .................................................................................................  11  

2   Data  Acquisition  ................................................................................................................  12  

2.1   Introduction  ...............................................................................................................  12  

2.1.1   Physical  input/output  signals  ..............................................................................  13  

2.1.2   DAQ  device/hardware  ........................................................................................  13  

2.1.3   Driver  software  ...................................................................................................  14  

2.1.4   Your  software  application  ...................................................................................  14  

2.2   MAX  –  Measurement  and  Automation  Explorer  .......................................................  15  

2.3   DAQ  in  Visual  Studio  ..................................................................................................  16  

2.3.1   NI-­‐DAQmx  ...........................................................................................................  16  

2.3.2   Examples  .............................................................................................................  17  

3   My  First  DAQ  App  with  USB-­‐6008  using  DAQmx  Driver  ...................................................  18  

3.1   Introduction  ...............................................................................................................  18  

3.2   Example  .....................................................................................................................  19  

2  

 
3     Table  of  Contents    

3.2.1   Add  References  to  DAQmx  Driver  ......................................................................  20  

3.2.2   Initialization  ........................................................................................................  20  

3.2.3   Analog  Out  ..........................................................................................................  21  

3.2.4   Analog  In  .............................................................................................................  21  

3.2.5   Error?  ..................................................................................................................  22  

4   Temperature  Logging  with  TC-­‐01  Thermocouple  Device  .................................................  23  

4.1   Example  .....................................................................................................................  23  

4.1.1   Add  References  to  DAQmx  Driver  ......................................................................  23  

4.1.2   Initialization  ........................................................................................................  25  

4.1.3   Read  Temperature  Data  .....................................................................................  25  

4.1.4   Test  your  application  ..........................................................................................  25  

4.1.5   Error?  ..................................................................................................................  26  

5   Measurement  Studio  ........................................................................................................  27  

5.1   Introduction  ...............................................................................................................  27  

5.2   Templates  ..................................................................................................................  28  

5.3   Toolbox  ......................................................................................................................  28  

5.4   Logging  Temperature  Data  with  TC-­‐01  Thermocouple  Example  ...............................  29  

5.4.1   Select  Template  ..................................................................................................  30  

5.4.2   Select  Class  Libraries  ...........................................................................................  30  

5.4.3   Using  a  Timer  ......................................................................................................  32  

5.5   Logging  Temperature  Data  with  USB-­‐6008  Example  .................................................  34  

6   Control  Application  ...........................................................................................................  36  

6.1   Introduction  to  the  Example  ......................................................................................  36  

6.2   Coding  ........................................................................................................................  38  

6.2.1   Read  Level  ...........................................................................................................  40  

6.2.2   Write  Control  Value  ............................................................................................  40  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

4     Table  of  Contents    

6.2.3   Using  a  Timer  ......................................................................................................  41  

7   Trending  Data  ...................................................................................................................  43  

8   Discretization  ....................................................................................................................  45  

8.1   Low-­‐pass  Filter  ...........................................................................................................  45  

8.2   PI  Controller  ...............................................................................................................  47  

8.2.1   PI  Controller  as  a  State-­‐space  model  ..................................................................  48  

8.3   Process  Model  ...........................................................................................................  49  

8.4   Final  Application  ........................................................................................................  50  

9   OPC  ...................................................................................................................................  55  

9.1   Read  OPC  Data  ...........................................................................................................  55  

9.2   Write  OPC  Data  ..........................................................................................................  57  

9.3   Using  a  Timer  .............................................................................................................  59  

10   Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates  ..........................................................................  61  

10.1   Create  a  NI  Windows  Application  ............................................................................  61  

10.2   Create  a  NI  DAQ  Windows  Application  ...................................................................  65  

Appendix  A:  Source  Code  ........................................................................................................  71  

My  First  DAQ  App  ...............................................................................................................  71  

Control  Application  .............................................................................................................  72  

10.3   OPC  Read  .................................................................................................................  74  

10.4   OPC  Write  ................................................................................................................  74  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

1 Introduction  
In  this  Tutorial  we  will  learn  how  to  create  DAQ  (Data  Acquisition)  applications  in  Visual  
Studio  and  C#.  We  will  use  a  USB-­‐6008  DAQ  device  from  National  Instruments  as  an  
example.  In  order  to  use  DAQ  devices  from  National  Instruments  in  C#  and  Visual  Studio  we  
need  to  NI-­‐DAQmx  driver  provides  by  National  Instruments.  As  part  of  this  installation  you  
can  install  a  .NET  API.  We  will  use  this  API  to  create  a  simple  DAQ  application.  In  addition  we  
will  use  Measurement  Studio  which  is  an  add-­‐on  to  Visual  Studio  which  makes  it  easier  to  
create  more  advanced  DAQ  applications.  

In  this  Tutorial  we  end  up  with  a  control  application.  We  will  send  and  read  data  to  a  DAQ  
device,  and  we  will  create  our  own  discrete  PID  controller,  low-­‐pass  filter  and  a  discrete  
model  of  our  system.  We  will  also  read  and  write  data  to  an  OPC  server.  

You  will  find  this  document  and  lots  of  other  information  in  the  following  web  site:  

http://home.hit.no/~hansha/?tutorial=csharp_daq  

1.1 Visual   S tudio  

Microsoft  Visual  Studio  is  an  integrated  development  environment  (IDE)  from  Microsoft.  It  
can  be  used  to  develop  console  and  graphical  user  interface  applications  along  with  
Windows  Forms  applications,  web  sites,  web  applications,  and  web  services  in  both  native  
code  together  with  managed  code  for  all  platforms  supported  by  Microsoft  Windows,  
Windows  Phone,  Windows  CE,  .NET  Framework,  .NET  Compact  Framework  and  Microsoft  
Silverlight.  

For  more  information  about  Visual  Studio  and  C#,  visit  the  following  web  page:  

http://home.hit.no/~hansha/?tutorial=csharp  

Below  we  see  the  integrated  development  environment  (IDE)  in  Visual  Studio:  

5  

 
6     Introduction    

 
 

New  projects  are  created  from  the  “New  Project”  window:  

1.2 DAQ   H ardware  

In  this  Tutorial  we  will  use  different  hardware  availible  from  National  Instruments  as  
examples:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

7     Introduction    

• TC-­‐01  Thermocouple  device  

• USB-­‐6008  DAQ  Device  
• MyDAQ  

1.2.1 NI   U SB   T C-­‐01   T hermocouple   D evice  

Below  we  see  the  NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  Measurement  device.  

 
We  will  give  code  examples  of  how  to  use  this  device  in  C#.  Since  this  is  a  DAQmx  supported  
device  from  National  Instruments,  the  programing  structure  will  be  the  same  as  for  NI  
USB-­‐6008.    

1.2.2 NI   U SB-­‐6008   D AQ   D evice  

NI  USB-­‐6008  is  a  simple  and  low-­‐cost  multifunction  I/O  device  from  National  Instruments.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

8     Introduction    

The  device  has  the  following  specifications:  

• 8  analog  inputs  (12-­‐bit,  10  kS/s)  

• 2  analog  outputs  (12-­‐bit,  150  S/s)  
• 12  digital  I/O  
• USB  connection,  No  extra  power-­‐supply  neeeded  
• Compatible  with  LabVIEW,  LabWindows/CVI,  and  Measurement  Studio  for  Visual  
Studio  .NET  
• NI-­‐DAQmx  driver  software    

The  NI  USB-­‐6008  is  well  suited  for  education  purposes  due  to  its  small  size  and  easy  USB  
connection.  

1.2.3 myDAQ  
NI  myDAQ  is  a  simple  and  intuitive  DAQ  device  from  National  Instruments.  NI  myDAQ  have  
Analog  Inputs  (AI),  Analog  Outputs  (AO),  Digital  Inputs  (DI)  and  Digital  Outputs  (DO).  

 
Specifications:  

• Two  Differential  Analog  Input  and  Analog  Output  Channels  (200  ks/s,  16  bit,  +/-­‐  10  
Volts)    
• Eight  Digital  Input  and  Digital  Output  Lines  (3.3  Volt  TTL-­‐Compatible)    
• +5  ,  +15,  and  -­‐15  Volt  Power  Supply  Outputs  (up  to  500m  Watts  of  Power)    
• 60  Volt  Digital  Multimeter  (DMM)  for  Measuring  Voltage,  Current,  and  Resistance  

In  addition  to  traditional  I/O,  the  myDAQ  have  a  built-­‐in  Digital  Multimeter.  The  myDAQ  can  
also  be  used  as  a  Power  Supply.  Using  the  built-­‐in  software  the  myDAQ  can  also  be  used  as  
an  Oscilloscope  and  Function  Generator.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

9     Introduction    

When  you  plug  in  the  device  in  the  USB  connection  on  your  PC,  the  following  will  pop-­‐up  
automatically  (NI  ELVISmx  Instrument  Launcher):  

 
Note!  You  need  to  install  the  NI  ELVISmx  driver  software  first  

If  you  click  on  the  DMM  button,  the  built-­‐in  Digital  Multimeter  will  appear:  

1.3 NI   D AQmx   d river  

National  Instruments  provides  a  native  .NET  API  for  NI-­‐DAQmx.  This  is  available  as  a  part  of  
the  NI-­‐DAQmx  driver  and  does  not  require  Measurement  Studio.  

Note!  In  order  to  install  the  DAQmx  API  for  C#,  make  sure  to  select  “.NET  Support”  when  
installing  the  DAQmx  driver.  

This  application  uses  the  C#  API  included  in  the  NI  DAQmx  driver,  so  make  sure  that  you  
have  installed  the  NI  DAQmx  driver  in  advance.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

10     Introduction    

During  the  installation  makesure  to  select  “Custom”:  

 
Next,  make  sure  that  you  select  .NET  Framework  X.x  Support  for  the  version  of  .NET  that  
yourversion  of  Visual  Studio  id  using:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

11     Introduction    

1.4 Measurement   S tudio  

C#  is  a  powerful  programming  language,  but  has  few  built-­‐in  features  for  measurement  and  
control  applications.  Measurement  Studio  is  an  add-­‐on  to  Visual  Studio  which  makes  it  
easier  to  create  such  applications.  With  Measurement  Studio  we  can  implement  Data  
Acquisition  and  a  graphical  HMI.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

2 Data  Acquisition  
2.1 Introduction  
The  purpose  of  data  acquisition  is  to  measure  an  electrical  or  physical  phenomenon  such  as  
voltage,  current,  temperature,  pressure,  or  sound.  PC-­‐based  data  acquisition  uses  a  
combination  of  modular  hardware,  application  software,  and  a  computer  to  take  
measurements.  While  each  data  acquisition  system  is  defined  by  its  application  
requirements,  every  system  shares  a  common  goal  of  acquiring,  analyzing,  and  presenting  
information.  Data  acquisition  systems  incorporate  signals,  sensors,  actuators,  signal  
conditioning,  data  acquisition  devices,  and  application  software.    

So  summing  up,  Data  Acquisition  is  the  process  of:  

• Acquiring  signals  from  real-­‐world  phenomena  

• Digitizing  the  signals  
• Analyzing,  presenting  and  saving  the  data  

The  DAQ  system  has  the  following  parts  involved,  see  Figure:  

 
The  parts  are:  

• Physical  input/output  signals  

• DAQ  device/hardware  
• Driver  software  
• Your  software  application  (Application  software)  

12  

 
13     Data  Acquisition    

For  an  Introduction  to  Data  Acquisition,  see  this  webcast:  

http://zone.ni.com/wv/app/doc/p/id/wv-­‐169  

2.1.1 Physical   i nput/output   s ignals  

A  physical  input/output  signal  is  typically  a  voltage  or  current  signal.  

2.1.2 DAQ   d evice/hardware  

DAQ  hardware  acts  as  the  interface  between  the  computer  and  the  outside  world.  It  
primarily  functions  as  a  device  that  digitizes  incoming  analog  signals  so  that  the  computer  
can  interpret  them  

A  DAQ  device  (Data  Acquisition  Hardware)  usually  has  these  functions:  

• Analog  input  
• Analog  output  
• Digital  I/O  
• Counter/timers  

We  have  different  DAQ  devices,  such  as:  

• “Desktop  DAQ  devices”  where  you  need  to  plug  a  PCI  DAQ  board  into  your  
computer.  The  software  is  running  on  a  computer.  
• “Portable  DAQ  devices”  for  connection  to  the  USB  port,  Wi-­‐Fi  connections,  etc.  The  
software  is  running  on  a  computer  
• “Distributed  DAQ  devices”  where  the  software  is  developed  on  your  computer  and  
then  later  downloaded  to  the  distributed  DAQ  device.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

14     Data  Acquisition    

2.1.3 Driver   s oftware  

Driver  software  is  the  layer  of  software  for  easily  communicating  with  the  hardware.  It  forms  
the  middle  layer  between  the  application  software  and  the  hardware.  Driver  software  also  
prevents  a  programmer  from  having  to  do  register-­‐level  programming  or  complicated  
commands  in  order  to  access  the  hardware  functions.  

Driver  software  from  National  Instruments:  NI-­‐DAQmx  

2.1.4 Your   s oftware   a pplication  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  
15     Data  Acquisition    

Application  software  adds  analysis  and  presentation  capabilities  to  the  driver  software.  Your  
software  application  normally  does  such  tasks  as:  

• Real-­‐time  monitoring  
• Data  analysis  
• Data  logging  
• Control  algorithms  
• Human  machine  interface  (HMI)  

In  order  to  create  your  DAQ  application  you  need  a  programming  development  tool,  such  as  
Visual  Studio/C#,  LabVIEW,  etc..  

2.2 MAX   –   M easurement   a nd   A utomation  

Explorer  
Measurement  &  Automation  Explorer  (MAX)  provides  access  to  your  National  Instruments  
devices  and  systems.  

With  MAX,  you  can:  

• Configure  your  National  Instruments  hardware  and  software    

• Create  and  edit  channels,  tasks,  interfaces,  scales,  and  virtual  instruments    
• Execute  system  diagnostics    
• View  devices  and  instruments  connected  to  your  system    
• Update  your  National  Instruments  software    

In  addition  to  the  standard  tools,  MAX  can  expose  item-­‐specific  tools  you  can  use  to  
configure,  diagnose,  or  test  your  system,  depending  on  which  NI  products  you  install.  As  you  
navigate  through  MAX,  the  contents  of  the  application  menu  and  toolbar  change  to  reflect  
these  new  tools.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

16     Data  Acquisition    

2.3 DAQ   i n   V isual   S tudio  

We  can  create  DAQ  applications  with  or  without  Measurement  Studio.  In  both  situations  you  
need  the  NI-­‐DAQmx  driver  library.  

2.3.1 NI-­‐DAQmx  
National  Instruments  provides  a  native  .NET  API  for  NI-­‐DAQmx.  This  is  available  as  a  part  of  
the  NI-­‐DAQmx  driver  and  does  not  require  Measurement  Studio.  

In  general,  data  acquisition  programming  with  DAQmx  involves  the  following  steps:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

17     Data  Acquisition    

• Create  a  Task  and  Virtual  Channels  

• Start  the  Task  
• Perform  a  Read  operation  from  the  DAQ  
• Perform  a  Write  operation  to  the  DAQ  
• Stop  and  Clear  the  Task.  

Data  acquisition  in  text  based-­‐programming  environment  is  very  similar  to  the  LabVIEW  
NI-­‐DAQmx  programming  as  the  functions  calls  is  the  same  as  the  NI-­‐DAQmx  VI’s.  

Using  NI-­‐DAQmx  in  Text  Based  Programming  Environments:  

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5409#toc4  

2.3.2 Examples  
Examples  installed  as  part  of  NI-­‐DAQmx:  

The  location  of  examples  will  depend  on  the  version  of  Visual  Studio  and  is  listed  in  the  
following  Developer  Zone  Article:  Using  NI-­‐DAQmx  in  Text  Based  Programming  
Environments.  The  most  common  location  is:  
C:\Documents  and  Settings\All  Users\Documents\National  Instruments\NI-­‐DAQ\Examples\DotNET<.NET  Framework  Version>\  

Newest  examples  for  .NET  x.x  and  Visual  Studio  20xx:  

C:\Documents  and  Settings\All  Users\Documents\National  Instruments\NI-­‐DAQ\Examples\DotNETx.x\  

Sub-­‐folders  named  CS  contain  C#  examples.  These  examples  install  with  NI-­‐DAQmx.  
Measurement  Studio  is  not  required  to  install  the  class  libraries  or  the  examples.  

Note!  If  the  paths  above  do  not  exist,  be  sure  you  have  .NET  support  installed  for  NI-­‐DAQmx.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

3 My  First  DAQ  App  with  

USB-­‐6008  using  DAQmx  
Driver  
We  will  create  a  simple  application  in  Visual  Studio  that  uses  a  NI  USB-­‐6008  DAQ  device.  

3.1 Introduction  
This  application  uses  the  C#  API  included  in  the  NI  DAQmx  driver,  so  make  sure  that  you  
have  installed  the  NI  DAQmx  driver  in  advance.  You  don’t  need  Measurement  Studio  to  
create  this  application.  

Start  Visual  Studio  and  create  a  new  Windows  Forms  application.  

We  will  create  the  following  application  in  Visual  Studio  2010  and  C#:  

18  

 
19     My  First  DAQ  App    

 
The  User  Interface  looks  like  this:  

 
We  start  by  connecting  the  Analog  In  and  Analog  Out  wires  together  (a  so  called  Loopback  
test).  

When  we  click  the  “Write  Data”  button,  the  value  entered  in  the  text  box  “Analog  Out”  will  
be  written  to  the  DAQ  device.  If  we  have  connected  the  Analog  In  and  Analog  Out  wires  
together  we  will  read  the  same  value  in  the  “Analog  In”  textbox  when  we  push  the  “Get  
Data”  button.  

3.2 Example  
We  will  go  through  the  different  parts  of  the  code  in  detail.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

20     My  First  DAQ  App    

3.2.1 Add   R eferences   t o   D AQmx   D river  

This  application  uses  the  C#  API  included  in  the  NI  DAQmx  driver,  so  make  sure  that  you  
have  installed  the  NI  DAQmx  driver  in  advance.  

We  need  to  add  the  following  Assembly  references:  

• NationalInstruments.Common  
• NationalInstruments.DAQmx  

We  add  References  by  right-­‐clicking  the  References  node  in  the  Solution  Explorer:  

 
When  we  have  added  the  necessary  References,  the  Solution  Explorer  will  look  like  this:  

3.2.2 Initialization  
We  need  to  add  the  following  Namespaces:  
using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.DAQmx;

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

21     My  First  DAQ  App    

3.2.3 Analog   O ut  
We  implement  the  code  for  writing  to  the  Analog  Out  channel  in  the  Event  Handler  for  the  
“Write  Data”  button:  

private void btnWriteAnalogOut_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

Task analogOutTask = new Task();

AOChannel myAOChannel;

myAOChannel = analogOutTask.AOChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ao0",
"myAOChannel",
0,
5,
AOVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelWriter writer = new

AnalogSingleChannelWriter(analogOutTask.Stream);

double analogDataOut;

analogDataOut = Convert.ToDouble(txtAnalogOut.Text);

writer.WriteSingleSample(true, analogDataOut);

3.2.4 Analog   I n  
We  implement  the  code  for  reading  data  from  the  Analog  In  channel  in  the  Event  Handler  for  
the  “Get  Data”  button:  

private void btnGetAnalogIn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ai0",
"myAIChannel",
AITerminalConfiguration.Differential,
0,
5,
AIVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtAnalogIn.Text = analogDataIn.ToString();

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

22     My  First  DAQ  App    

3.2.5 Error?  
If  your  application  runs  without  error  that’s  fine,  but  perhaps  you  get  the  following  error:  

   
In  order  to  fix  the  problem,  open  the  Properties  for  your  project:  

 
Make  sure  to  select  “.NET  Framework  X”  in  the  “Target  framework”  drop-­‐down  menu.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

4 Temperature  Logging  with  

TC-­‐01  Thermocouple  Device  
In  this  example  we  will  use  a  NI  TC-­‐01  USB  Thermocouple  device.  

4.1 Example  
We  vill  create  the  following  simple  application:  

4.1.1 Add   R eferences   t o   D AQmx   D river  

We  need  to  add  the  following  Assembly  references:  

23  

 
24     Temperature  Logging      

• NationalInstruments.Common  
• NationalInstruments.DAQmx  

We  add  References  by  right-­‐clicking  the  References  node  in  the  Solution  Explorer:  

 
When  we  have  added  the  necessary  References,  the  Solution  Explorer  will  look  like  this:  

 
The  dlls  are  normally  to  find  here:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

25     Temperature  Logging      

4.1.2 Initialization  
We  need  to  add  the  following  Namespaces:  
using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.DAQmx;

4.1.3 Read   T emperature   D ata  

Enter  the  following  code  lines:  
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.DAQmx;

namespace TC01_DAQ_Example
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}

private void btnGetData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
Task temperatureTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = temperatureTask.AIChannels.CreateThermocoupleChannel(
"Dev1/ai0",
"Temperature",
0,
100,
AIThermocoupleType.J,
AITemperatureUnits.DegreesC,
25
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(temperatureTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString();

}
}
}

4.1.4 Test   y our   a pplication  

Run  your  application.  When  clicking  the  button,  you  should  now  retrieve  data  from  the  
temoerature  device.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

26     Temperature  Logging      

4.1.5 Error?  
If  your  application  runs  without  error  that’s  fine,  but  perhaps  you  get  the  following  error:  

   
In  order  to  fix  the  problem,  open  the  Properties  for  your  project:  

 
Make  sure  to  select  “.NET  Framework  X”  in  the  “Target  framework”  drop-­‐down  menu.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

5 Measurement  Studio  
5.1 Introduction  

 
C#  is  a  powerful  programming  language,  but  has  few  built-­‐in  features  for  measurement  and  
control  applications.  Measurement  Studio  is  an  add-­‐on  to  Visual  Studio  which  makes  it  
easier  to  create  such  applications.  With  Measurement  Studio  we  can  implement  Data  
Acquisition  and  a  graphical  HMI.  

 
Measurement  Studio  for  Visual  C#  .NET  provides:  

• Managed  .NET  controls  for  creating  rich  Web  and  Windows  GUIs  
• Multithreaded  API  for  data  acquisition  
• Instrument  control  APIs  
• Analysis  libraries  designed  for  engineers  and  scientists  

27  

 
28     Measurement  Studio    

5.2 Templates  
Measurement  Studio  has  several  Templates  that  make  it  easier  to  build  DAQ  applications.  

5.3 Toolbox  
Below  we  see  the  Toolbox  in  Visual  Studio  that  is  installed  with  Measurement  Studio:    

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

29     Measurement  Studio    

 
 

In  addition  to  the  Toolbox,  Measurement  Studio  also  installs  the  following  menu  item:  

5.4 Logging   T emperature   D ata   w ith   T C-­‐01  

Thermocouple   E xample  
In  this  example  we  will  use  a  NI  TC-­‐01  USB  Thermocouple  device.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

30     Measurement  Studio    

5.4.1 Select   T emplate  

In  this  example,  we  will  select  the  “NI  windows  Application”  Template  in  the  “New  Project”  
window  .  

5.4.2 Select   C lass   L ibraries  

Next  we  select  the  Class  Libraries  we  want  to  include.  In  our  case  we  need  at  least  to  select  
the  “DAQmx  Library”.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

31     Measurement  Studio    

 
When  we  click  “Finish”  an  empty  project  will  be  created  for  us.  We  are  now  ready  to  create  
our  own  application.  

We  start  by  creating  a  simple  User  Interface:  

 
When  we  click  the  “Read  Temp”  button,  the  Temperature  data  shall  be  shown  in  the  “Temp  
Data”  TextBox.  

In  the  event  Handler  for  the  “Read  Temp”  button,  we  create  the  following  code:  
private void btnReadTempData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

32     Measurement  Studio    

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateThermocoupleChannel(
"Dev1/ai0",
"Temperature",
0,
100,
AIThermocoupleType.J,
AITemperatureUnits.DegreesC,
25
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString();

Then  we  can  test  our  application:  

5.4.3 Using   a   T imer  

Improvements:  We  should  use  a  “Timer”  in  order  to  read  Temperature  data  at  specific  
intervals  instead  of  pushing  a  button  each  time  we  need  data.  

 
We  drag  in  a  Timer  component  from  the  Toolbox.  First,  we  need  to  start  the  Timer:  
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

timer1.Start();
}

Next,  we  need  to  specify  the  interval.  We  can  do  that  in  the  Properties  window:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

33     Measurement  Studio    

 
In  the  Timer  Event  we  write  the  code  for  reading  the  Temperature:  
private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateThermocoupleChannel(
"Dev1/ai0",
"Temperature",
0,
100,
AIThermocoupleType.J,
AITemperatureUnits.DegreesC,
25
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString("0.0");

Finally,  we  test  the  application:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

34     Measurement  Studio    

5.5 Logging   T emperature   D ata   w ith   U SB-­‐6008  

Example  
In  this  example  we  will  log  temperature  data  using  the  USB-­‐6008  device.  

 
In  addition  we  will  use  a  Pt-­‐100  sensor  that  we  connect  to  one  of  the  Analog  Input  channels  
on  the  USB-­‐6008  device:  

 
The  Output  from  this  device  is  between  1-­‐5V  that  illustrates  a  temperature  between  0  and  
100  degrees  Celsius.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

35     Measurement  Studio    

 
The  procedure  and  code  is  identical  as  the  previous  example,  except  a  small  part  as  shown  
below:  
private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ai0",
"myAIChannel",
AITerminalConfiguration.Differential,
1,
5,
AIVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString("0.0");

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

6 Control  Application  
6.1 Introduction   t o   t he   E xample  
In  this  example  we  will  use  Measurement  Studio  to  create  a  simple  control  application.  We  
will  control  the  level  in  a  water  tank  using  manual  control.  The  process  is  as  follows:  

 
In  this  example  we  will  use  a  small-­‐scale  laboratory  process  called  LM-­‐900  Level  System:  

36  

 
37     Control  Application    

We  want  to  control  the  level  in  the  water  tank  using  a  pump  on  the  inflow.  We  will  read  the  
level  using  our  USB-­‐6008  DAQ  device  (Analog  In)  and  write  the  control  signal  (Analog  Out)  to  
the  DAQ  device.  

 
The  Analog  Out  (control  signal)  will  be  a  signal  between   0 − 5𝑉   and  the  Analog  In  (Level)  
will  be  a   0 − 5𝑉   signal  that  we  need  to  scale  to   0 − 20𝑐𝑚.  

We  will  create  the  following  application:  

 
We  will  use  a  “Slider”  to  manually  adjust  the  control  signal  and  a  Tank  to  indicate  the  level  in  
the  real  process.  

In  this  example  we  will  use  the  “Slide”  control  and  “Tank”  control  that  comes  with  
Measurement  Studio.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

38     Control  Application    

6.2 Coding  
Start  a  New  Project  in  Visual  Studio:  

 
Select  the  “NI  Windows  Application”  Template  in  the  “Measurement  Studio”  node.  

In  the  window  that  appears  next,  select  the  Libraries  you  want  to  include:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

39     Control  Application    

 
We  create  the  User  Interface  above  in  Visual  Studio,  and  it  looks  like  this:  

 
For  the  read  and  write  operations  we  have  created  a  simple  Class  with  two  methods:  
public class DaqData
{

public double ReadDaqData()

{
...
}

public void WriteDaqData(double analogDataOut)

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

40     Control  Application    

{
...
}
}
 

More  about  the  ReadDaqData()  and  WriteDaqData()  methods  below.  

6.2.1 Read   L evel  

The  ReadDaqData()  method  handles  the  logic  for  reading  from  the  DAQ  device:  
public double ReadDaqData()
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ai0",
"myAIChannel",
AITerminalConfiguration.Differential,
0,
5,
AIVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

return analogDataIn;
}

6.2.2 Write   C ontrol   V alue  

The  WriteDaqData()  method  handles  the  logic  for  writing  to  the  DAQ  device:  
public void WriteDaqData(double analogDataOut)
{

Task analogOutTask = new Task();

AOChannel myAOChannel;

myAOChannel = analogOutTask.AOChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ao0",
"myAOChannel",
0,
5,
AOVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelWriter writer = new

AnalogSingleChannelWriter(analogOutTask.Stream);

writer.WriteSingleSample(true, analogDataOut);

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

41     Control  Application    

6.2.3 Using   a   T imer  

In  the  previous  example  (“My  First  DAQ  App”)  we  was  reading  and  writing  to  the  DAQ  device  
when  clicking  a  button,  but  in  an  ordinary  application  this  is  not  a  good  solution.  In  order  to  
read  and  write  data  on  regular  intervals  we  will  use  a  “Timer”.  

In  the  “Components”  toolbox  we  find  the  “Timer”  Control:  

 
In  the  Properties  window  we  can  specify  the  Interval  (“Sampling  Time”)  in  milliseconds.  

 
We  can  start  the  timer  with  the  following  code:  
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

timer1.Start();
}

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

42     Control  Application    

In  the  Timer  Event  we  create  the  main  logic  in  our  application.  We  call  the  ReadDaqData()  
and  WriteDaqData()  methods,  updates  the  GUI,  etc.  
private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

DaqData myDaqData = new DaqData();

//Read Data
double analogDataIn;

analogDataIn = myDaqData.ReadDaqData();

if (analogDataIn < 0)
analogDataIn = 0;
if (analogDataIn > 5)
analogDataIn = 5;

//Scaling:
analogDataIn = analogDataIn * 4; //0-5V -> 0-20cm

tank.Value = analogDataIn;

txtLevelValue.Text = analogDataIn.ToString("0.00");

//Write Data

double analogDataOut;

analogDataOut = sliderControl.Value;

myDaqData.WriteDaqData(analogDataOut);

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

7 Trending  Data  
Now  we  want  to  extend  our  application  with  functionality  for  viewing  historical  data  using  a  
trend  plot.  

Below  we  see  the  new  user  interface:  

 
In  this  example  we  will  use  the  “WaveformGraph”  control  in  Measurement  Studio.  

The  source  code  is  the  same  as  in  the  previous  example,  except  for  one  new  line  of  code  in  
the  Timer  Event:  
waveformGraph.PlotYAppend(analogDataIn);

The  “WaveformGraph”  control  has  lots  of  functionality  you  can  set  in  the  Properties  window  
or  clicking  the  Smart  Tag  Anchor  (little  arrow  in  the  upper  right  corner  of  the  control).  

 
Below  we  see  the  Properties  window  (left  side)  and  the  Smart  Tag  Panel  (right  side)  for  the  
WaveformGraph  control:  

43  

 
44     Trending  Data    

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

8 Discretization  
The  next  improvements  to  our  application  would  be  to  implement  a  Low-­‐pass  Filter  in  order  
to  remove  the  noise  from  the  signal  when  reading  the  level.  Another  improvement  would  be  
to  replace  the  manual  control  with  a  PI  controller  that  do  the  job  for  us.  Finally  it  would  be  
nice  to  have  a  mathematical  model  of  our  water  tank  so  we  can  simulate  and  test  the  
behavior  of  the  real  system  without  connect  to  it.  

So  we  need  to  create  discrete  versions  of  the  low-­‐pass  filter,  the  PI  controller  and  the  
process  model.  We  can,  e.g.,  use  the  Euler  Forward  discretization  method:  
𝑥!!! − 𝑥!
𝑥≈  
𝑇!

or  the  Euler  Backward  discretization  method:  

𝑥! − 𝑥!!!
𝑥≈  
𝑇!

  𝑇!   is  the  Sampling  Time.  

8.1 Low-­‐pass   F ilter  

The  transfer  function  for  a  first-­‐order  low-­‐pass  filter  may  be  written:  

𝑦(𝑠) 1
𝐻 𝑠 = =  
𝑢(𝑠) 𝑇! 𝑠 + 1

Where   𝑇!   is  the  time-­‐constant  of  the  filter,   𝑢(𝑠)   is  the  filter  input  and   𝑦 𝑠   is  the  filter  
output.  

Discrete  version:  

It  can  be  shown  that  a  discrete  version  can  be  stated  as:  

𝒚𝒌 = 𝟏 − 𝒂 𝒚𝒌!𝟏 + 𝒂𝒖𝒌  

Where  

𝑻𝒔
𝒂=  
𝑻𝒇 + 𝑻𝒔

45  

 
46     Discretization    

Where   𝑇!   is  the  Sampling  Time.  

It  is  a  golden  rule  that   𝑇! ≪ 𝑇!   and  in  practice  we  should  use  the  following  rule:  

𝑇!
𝑇! ≤  
5
Proof:  

Given:  

𝑦 1
=  
𝑢 𝑇! 𝑠 + 1

This  gives:  

𝑇! 𝑠 + 1 𝑦 = 𝑢  

𝑇! 𝑠𝑦 + 𝑦 = 𝑢  

Inverse  Laplace  gives:  

𝑇! 𝑦 + 𝑦 = 𝑢  
!! !!!!!
We  use  the  Euler  Backward  discretization  method,   𝑥 ≈ !!
,  which  gives:  

𝑦! − 𝑦!!!
𝑇! + 𝑦! = 𝑢!  
𝑇!

Then  we  get:  

𝑇! 𝑦! − 𝑦!!! + 𝑦! 𝑇! = 𝑢! 𝑇!  

𝑇! 𝑦! − 𝑇! 𝑦!!! + 𝑦! 𝑇! = 𝑢! 𝑇!  

𝑦! (𝑇! + 𝑇! ) =     𝑇! 𝑦!!! + 𝑢! 𝑇!  

This  gives:  

𝑇! 𝑇!
𝑦! = 𝑦!!! + 𝑢  
𝑇! + 𝑇! 𝑇! + 𝑇! !

For  simplicity  we  set:  

𝑇!
≡ 𝑎  
𝑇! + 𝑇!

This  gives:  

𝑦! = (1 − 𝑎)𝑦!!! + 𝑎𝑢!  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

47     Discretization    

𝑇!
𝑎=  
𝑇! + 𝑇!

[End  of  Proof]  

8.2 PI   C ontroller  
A  PI  controller  may  be  written:  
!
𝐾!
𝑢 𝑡 = 𝑢! + 𝐾! 𝑒 𝑡 + 𝑒𝑑𝜏  
𝑇! !

Where   𝑢   is  the  controller  output  and   𝑒  is  the  control  error:  

𝑒 𝑡 = 𝑟 𝑡 − 𝑦(𝑡)  

Laplace:  

𝐾!
𝑢 𝑠 = 𝐾! 𝑒 𝑠 + 𝑒 𝑠  
𝑇! 𝑠

Discrete  version:  

We  start  with:  
!
𝐾!
𝑢 𝑡 = 𝑢! + 𝐾! 𝑒 𝑡 + 𝑒𝑑𝜏  
𝑇! !

In  order  to  make  a  discrete  version  using,  e.g.,  Euler,  we  can  derive  both  sides  of  the  
equation:  

𝐾!
𝑢 = 𝑢! + 𝐾! 𝑒 + 𝑒  
𝑇!

If  we  use  Euler  Forward  we  get:  

𝑢! − 𝑢!!! 𝑢!,! − 𝑢!,!!! 𝑒! − 𝑒!!! 𝐾!

= + 𝐾! + 𝑒  
𝑇! 𝑇! 𝑇! 𝑇! !

Then  we  get:  

𝑲𝒑
𝒖𝒌 = 𝒖𝒌!𝟏 + 𝒖𝟎,𝒌 − 𝒖𝟎,𝒌!𝟏 + 𝑲𝒑 𝒆𝒌 − 𝒆𝒌!𝟏 + 𝑻 𝒆  
𝑻𝒊 𝒔 𝒌

Where  

𝑒! = 𝑟! − 𝑦!  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

48     Discretization    

We  can  also  split  the  equation  above  in  2  different  pars  by  setting:  

∆𝑢! = 𝑢! − 𝑢!!!  

This  gives  the  following  PI  control  algorithm:  

𝒆𝒌 = 𝒓𝒌 − 𝒚𝒌  

𝑲𝒑
∆𝒖𝒌 = 𝒖𝟎,𝒌 − 𝒖𝟎,𝒌!𝟏 + 𝑲𝒑 𝒆𝒌 − 𝒆𝒌!𝟏 + 𝑻 𝒆  
𝑻𝒊 𝒔 𝒌

𝒖𝒌 = 𝒖𝒌!𝟏 + ∆𝒖𝒌  

This  algorithm  can  easily  be  implemented  in  C#.  

8.2.1 PI   C ontroller   a s   a   S tate-­‐space   m odel  

Given:  

𝐾!
𝑢 𝑠 = 𝐾! 𝑒 𝑠 + 𝑒 𝑠  
𝑇! 𝑠
!
We  set   𝑧 = ! 𝑒 ⇒ 𝑠𝑧 = 𝑒 ⇒ 𝑧 = 𝑒  

This  gives:  

𝑧 = 𝑒  

𝐾!
𝑢 = 𝐾! 𝑒 + 𝑧  
𝑇!

Where  

𝑒 = 𝑟 − 𝑦  

Discrete  version:  

Using  Euler:  
𝑧!!! − 𝑧!
𝑧≈  
𝑇!

Where   𝑇!   is  the  Sampling  Time.  

This  gives:  
𝑧!!! − 𝑧!
= 𝑒!  
𝑇!

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

49     Discretization    

𝐾!
𝑢! = 𝐾! 𝑒! + 𝑧  
𝑇! !

Finally:  

𝒆𝒌 = 𝒓𝒌 − 𝒚𝒌  

𝑲𝒑
𝒖𝒌 = 𝑲𝒑 𝒆𝒌 + 𝒛  
𝑻𝒊 𝒌

𝒛𝒌!𝟏 = 𝒛𝒌 + 𝑻𝒔 𝒆𝒌  

This  algorithm  can  easily  be  implemented  in  C#.  

8.3 Process   M odel  

The  level  tank:  

 
A  very  simple  (linear)  model  of  the  water  tank  is  as  follows:  

𝐴! ℎ = 𝐾! 𝑢−𝐹!"#  

or  

1
ℎ= 𝐾 𝑢−𝐹!"#  
𝐴! !

Where:  

• ℎ   [cm]  is  the  level  in  the  water  tank  

• 𝑢   [V]  is  the  pump  control  signal  to  the  pump  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

50     Discretization    

• 𝐴!   [cm2]  is  the  cross-­‐sectional  area  in  the  tank  

• 𝐾!   [(cm3/s)/V]  is  the  pump  gain  
• 𝐹!"#   [cm3/s]  is  the  outflow  through  the  valve  (this  outflow  can  be  modeled  more  
accurately  taking  into  account  the  valve  characteristic  expressing  the  relation  
between  pressure  drop  across  the  valve  and  the  flow  through  the  valve).  

We  can  use  the  Euler  Forward  discretization  method  in  order  to  create  a  discrete  model:  
𝑥!!! − 𝑥!
𝑥≈  
𝑇!

Then  we  get:  

ℎ!!! − ℎ! 1
= 𝐾 𝑢 −𝐹  
𝑇! 𝐴! ! ! !"#

Finally:  

𝑻𝒔
𝒉𝒌!𝟏 = 𝒉𝒌 + 𝑲 𝒖 −𝑭  
𝑨𝒕 𝒑 𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕

8.4 Final   A pplication  

We  extend  our  Control  Application  with  a  discrete  PI  controller,  a  discrete  Low-­‐pass  filter  
and  a  discrete  process  model,  so  we  can  switch  between  the  real  process  and  a  simulator.  

Our  User  Interface  is  as  follows:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

51     Discretization    

 
Below  we  see  the  Project  and  Solution  in  Visual  Studio:  

 
Below  we  will  show  and  describe  the  important  parts  of  the  code.  

PI  Controller:  

We  create  a  new  Class  for  our  PID  algorithm,  by  right-­‐click  in  the  Solution  Explorer  
(Add→New  Item…)  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

52     Discretization    

 
The  Add  New  Item  window  appears:  

 
Select  the  Class  Item  and  a  proper  Name,  e.g.  “PidController”.  

The  PidController  Class  is  as  follows:  

class PidController
{

public double r; //Reference Value

public double Kp; //Proportional Gain for PID Controler
public double Ti; //Integral Time for PID Controler
public double Ts; //Sampling Time

private double z; //Internal variable

public double PiController(double y)

{
double e; // Error between Reference and Measurement

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

53     Discretization    

double u; // Controller Output

//PID Algoritm
e = r - y;
u = Kp * e + (Kp / Ti) * z;
z = z + Ts * e;

return u;
}

We  then  initialize  the  PidController  Class:  

PidController pidControl = new PidController
{
Ts=0.1,
r=5,
Kp=0.8,
Ti=15
};

Finally  we  use  the  controller:  

private void ControlSystem()
{

//Write Control Value

if (switchController.Value == true) //Use Manual Control

{

controllerOutput = sliderControl.Value;

}
else // Use PID Control
{

controllerOutput = pidControl.PiController(levelMeasurement);

//Scaling
controllerOutput = controllerOutput / 4; //0-20cm -> 0-5V

//Set boundaries
if (controllerOutput < 0)
controllerOutput = 0;
if (controllerOutput > 5)
controllerOutput = 5;
}

myDaqData.WriteDaqData(controllerOutput); //Write to DAQ

Low-­‐pass  Filter:  

We  create  the  Low-­‐pass  Filter  as  a  separate  Class  to:  

class Filter
{

public double yk;

public double Ts;
public double Tf;

public double LowPassFilter(double yFromDaq)

{

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

54     Discretization    

double a;
double yFiltered;

a = Ts / (Ts + Tf);

yFiltered = (1 - a) * yk + a * yFromDaq;
yk = yFiltered;

return yFiltered;

}
}

We  then  initialize  the  filter:  

Filter filter = new Filter
{
Ts = 0.1,
Tf = 2
};

Finally  we  use  the  filter:  

// Lowpass filtering the Measure Value due to noise
levelMeasurement = filter.LowPassFilter(levelMeasurement);

Discrete  Model:  

We  do  the  same  for  the  discrete  model.  

We  have  created  a  Class  and  a  LevelTankModel  Method  that  we  use  in  our  simulation:  
levelMeasurement = model.LevelTankModel(controllerOutput);

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

9 OPC  
In  order  to  communicate  with  an  OPC  Server  we  can  use  the  DataSocket  API  that  is  part  of  
the  Measurement  Studio.  We  use  the  Matrikon  OPC  Simulation  Server.  

9.1 Read   O PC   D ata  

Below  we  will  go  through  a  very  simple  example.  We  will  read  one  value  from  the  OPC  
Server  each  time  we  click  a  button.  

Visual  Studio  Project:  

 
Code:  

We  define  a  DataSocket  object:  

DataSocket dataSocket = new DataSocket();

Next,  We  Connect  to  the  OPC  Server:  

string opcUrl;
opcUrl = "opc://localhost/MATRIKON.OPC.Simulation/Bucket Brigade.Real4";

55  

 
56     OPC    

if (dataSocket.IsConnected)
dataSocket.Disconnect();

dataSocket.Connect(opcUrl, AccessMode.Read);

Finally,  we  Read  OPC  Data:  

private void btnReadOpc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
dataSocket.Update();

txtReadOpcValue.Text = dataSocket.Data.Value.ToString();
}
 

We  test  the  Application  using  the  Matrikon  OPC  Explorer:  

 
 

SelectUrl:  

We  can  use  the  SelectUrl  method  if  we  want  to  pick  the  OPC  item  from  a  list  of  available  
servers  (both  local  servers  and  network  servers)  and  items.  
dataSocket.SelectUrl();

The  SelctUrl  method  will  pop  up  the  following  window:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

57     OPC    

9.2 Write   O PC   D ata  

We  use  the  same  DataSocket  API  here.  

Visual  Studio  Project:  

Below  we  will  go  through  a  very  simple  example.  We  will  write  one  value  to  the  OPC  Server  
each  time  we  click  a  button.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

58     OPC    

Code:  

We  define  a  DataSocket  object:  

DataSocket dataSocket = new DataSocket();

Next,  We  Connect  to  the  OPC  Server:  

string opcUrl;
opcUrl = "opc://localhost/MATRIKON.OPC.Simulation/Bucket Brigade.Real4";

if (dataSocket.IsConnected)
dataSocket.Disconnect();

dataSocket.Connect(opcUrl, AccessMode.Write);

Finally,  we  Write  OPC  Data:  

private void btnWriteOpc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

double opcValue = 0;

opcValue = Convert.ToDouble(txtWriteOpcValue.Text);

dataSocket.Data.Value = opcValue;

dataSocket.Update();
}

We  test  the  Application  using  the  Matrikon  OPC  Explorer:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

59     OPC    

9.3 Using   a   T imer  

We  can  use  a  timer  in  order  to  read  values  “continuously”,  i.e.  at  specific  intervals.  

In  the  “Components”  toolbox  we  find  the  “Timer”  Control:  

 
In  the  Properties  window  we  can  specify  the  Interval  (“Sampling  Time”)  in  milliseconds.  

 
 

We  can  start  the  timer  with  the  following  code:  

public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

timer1.Start();
}

In  the  Timer  Event  we  create  the  code  in  order  to  read  data  at  this  specific  interval.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

60     OPC    

private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

…
…

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

10   Using  Measurement  
Studio  Templates  
In  order  to  use  the  NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  Measurement  device  with  C#  we  need  to  
have  the  DAQmx  driver  and  the  DAQmx  API  for  C#  installed.  In  order  to  install  the  DAQmx  
API  for  C#,  make  sure  to  select  “.NET  Support”  when  installing  the  DAQmx  driver.  

 
C#  is  a  powerful  programming  language,  but  has  few  built-­‐in  features  for  measurement  and  
control  applications.  Measurement  Studio  is  an  add-­‐on  to  Visual  Studio  which  makes  it  
easier  to  create  such  applications.  With  Measurement  Studio  we  can  implement  Data  
Acquisition  and  a  graphical  HMI.  

You  don’t  need  to  use  the  Measurement  Studio  to  create  an  application  where  you  use  the  
NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  Measurement  device,  but  it  is  easier.  

Here  we  will  use  Visual  Studio  and  the  Measurement  Studio  Add-­‐in  to  create  some  DAQ  
examples  where  we  get  temperature  data  from  the  NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  
Measurement  device.  

10.1 Create   a   N I   W indows   A pplication  

In  this  example,  we  will  select  the  “NI  windows  Application”  Template  in  the  “New  Project”  
window.  

61  

 
62     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
Note!  The  “New  Project”  window  may  look  different  on  your  computer,  it  depends  on  what  
features  you  have  installed  and  which  version  or  edition  of  Measurement  Studio  you  are  
using.  

Next  we  select  the  Class  Libraries  we  want  to  include.  In  our  case  we  need  at  least  to  select  
the  “DAQmx  Library”.  

 
When  we  click  “Finish”  an  empty  project  will  be  created  for  us.  We  are  now  ready  to  create  
our  own  application.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

63     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

We  start  by  creating  a  simple  User  Interface:  

 
When  we  click  the  “Read  Temp”  button,  the  Temperature  data  shall  be  shown  in  the  “Temp  
Data”  TextBox.  

In  the  event  Handler  for  the  “Read  Temp”  button,  we  create  the  following  code:  
private void btnReadTempData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateThermocoupleChannel(
"Dev1/ai0",
"Temperature",
0,
100,
AIThermocoupleType.J,
AITemperatureUnits.DegreesC,
25
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString();

Then  we  can  test  our  application:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

64     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

Improvements:  We  should  use  a  “Timer”  in  order  to  read  Temperature  data  at  specific  
intervals  instead  of  pushing  a  button  each  time  we  need  data.  

 
We  drag  in  a  Timer  component  from  the  Toolbox.  First,  we  need  to  start  the  Timer:  
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

timer1.Start();
}

Next,  we  need  to  specify  the  interval.  We  can  do  that  in  the  Properties  window:  

 
In  the  Timer  Event  we  write  the  code  for  reading  the  Temperature:  
private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateThermocoupleChannel(
"Dev1/ai0",
"Temperature",
0,
100,
AIThermocoupleType.J,
AITemperatureUnits.DegreesC,
25
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtTempData.Text = analogDataIn.ToString("0.0");

Finally,  we  test  the  application:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

65     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
 

10.2 Create   a   N I   D AQ   W indows   A pplication  

Note!  This  option  is  only  availible  if  you  to  have  either  the  Professional  or  Enterprise  version  
of  the  Measurement  Studio  software.  

We  start  by  creating  a  “New  Project”  from  Visual  Studio.  In  the  “New  Project”  window  we  
select  “Visual  C#”  »  “Measurement  Studio”,  and  then  select  the  “NI  DAQ  Windows  
Application”  Template  that  is  part  of  the  Measurement  Studio.  

 
Note!  The  “New  Project”  window  may  look  different  on  your  computer,  it  depends  on  what  
features  you  have  installed  and  which  version  or  edition  of  Measurement  Studio  you  are  
using.  

Next,  we  need  to  go  through  different  steps  in  a  wizard.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

66     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

In  the  first  step  we  select  “Create  a  new  project  task”:  

 
In  the  next  step  we  select  the  measurement  type,  and  since  the  NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  
Measurement  device  is  for  reading  Temperature  values,  we  need  to  select  “Acquire  Signals”.  

 
In  the  “Acquire  Signals”  node  we  first  select  “Temperature”  and  then  select  
“Thermocouple”.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

67     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
Next  we  need  to  select  the  physical  channel(s).  Since  the  NI  USB-­‐TC01  Thermocouple  
Measurement  device  has  only  one  channel  available,  we  need  to  select  “ai0”  (Analog  In,  
Channel  0).  

 
Next  we  can  set  different  Properties,  such  as  “Input  Range”,  “Acquisition  Mode”,  
“Thermocouple  Type”,  etc.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

68     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
 

Finally  we  see  a  Preview  of  the  User  Interface  before  it  is  automatically  generated  by  the  
Measurement  Studio:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

69     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
When  we  click  “Finish”,  the  Solution,  the  Project  and  User  Interface  will  be  automatically  
created.  

 
Figure  1:  Visual  Studio  Generated  Solution  

Finally  we  can  test  the  Application:  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

70     Using  Measurement  Studio  Templates    

 
With  this  approach  we  get  a  “flying  start”  and  we  can  change  the  code  as  we  please.  The  
drawback  with  this  approach  is  that  the  code  that  is  automatically  generated  is  a  little  bit  
“messy”.  

So  actually,  this  is  not  a  method  I  will  recommend  to  use.  

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

Appendix  A:  Source  Code  

In  this  Appendix  the  complete  source  code  for  all  the  examples  will  be  listed.  

My   F irst   D AQ   A pp  
The  code  for  this  application  is  as  follows:  
using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.DAQmx;
using NationalInstruments.UI;
using NationalInstruments.UI.WindowsForms;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace MyFirstDAQApp
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}

private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

private void btnGetAnalogIn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ai0",
"myAIChannel",
AITerminalConfiguration.Differential,
0,
5,
AIVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

txtAnalogIn.Text = analogDataIn.ToString();

71  

 
72     Appendix  A:  Source  Code    

private void btnWriteAnalogOut_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

Task analogOutTask = new Task();

AOChannel myAOChannel;

myAOChannel = analogOutTask.AOChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ao0",
"myAOChannel",
0,
5,
AOVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelWriter writer = new

AnalogSingleChannelWriter(analogOutTask.Stream);

double analogDataOut;

analogDataOut = Convert.ToDouble(txtAnalogOut.Text);

writer.WriteSingleSample(true, analogDataOut);

}
}
 

Control   A pplication  
The  code  for  this  application  is  as  follows:  
using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.DAQmx;
using NationalInstruments.UI;
using NationalInstruments.UI.WindowsForms;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace Control_Application
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

timer1.Start();
}

private void timer1_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

DaqData myDaqData = new DaqData();

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

73     Appendix  A:  Source  Code    

//Read Data
double analogDataIn;

analogDataIn = myDaqData.ReadDaqData();

if (analogDataIn < 0)
analogDataIn = 0;
if (analogDataIn > 5)
analogDataIn = 5;

//Scaling:
analogDataIn = analogDataIn * 4; //0-5V -> 0-20cm

tank.Value = analogDataIn;

txtLevelValue.Text = analogDataIn.ToString("0.00");

//Write Data

double analogDataOut;

analogDataOut = sliderControl.Value;

myDaqData.WriteDaqData(analogDataOut);

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
Application.Exit();
}
}

/// <summary>
/// Reading and Writing Data from DAQ Device
/// </summary>
public class DaqData
{

public double ReadDaqData()

{

Task analogInTask = new Task();

AIChannel myAIChannel;

myAIChannel = analogInTask.AIChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ai0",
"myAIChannel",
AITerminalConfiguration.Differential,
0,
5,
AIVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelReader reader = new

AnalogSingleChannelReader(analogInTask.Stream);

double analogDataIn = reader.ReadSingleSample();

return analogDataIn;
}

public void WriteDaqData(double analogDataOut)

{

Task analogOutTask = new Task();

AOChannel myAOChannel;

myAOChannel = analogOutTask.AOChannels.CreateVoltageChannel(
"dev1/ao0",

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

74     Appendix  A:  Source  Code    

"myAOChannel",
0,
5,
AOVoltageUnits.Volts
);

AnalogSingleChannelWriter writer = new

AnalogSingleChannelWriter(analogOutTask.Stream);

writer.WriteSingleSample(true, analogDataOut);

}
}

}
 

10.3 OPC   R ead  

using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.Net;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace OPC_Read
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
DataSocket dataSocket = new DataSocket();

public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

string opcUrl;
opcUrl = "opc://localhost/MATRIKON.OPC.Simulation/Bucket Brigade.Real4";

if (dataSocket.IsConnected)
dataSocket.Disconnect();

dataSocket.Connect(opcUrl, AccessMode.Read);
}

private void btnReadOpc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

dataSocket.Update();

txtReadOpcValue.Text = dataSocket.Data.Value.ToString();
}
}
}

10.4 OPC   W rite  

using NationalInstruments;
using NationalInstruments.Net;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

75     Appendix  A:  Source  Code    

using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace OPC_Write
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{

DataSocket dataSocket = new DataSocket();

public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();

string opcUrl;
opcUrl = "opc://localhost/MATRIKON.OPC.Simulation/Bucket Brigade.Real4";

if (dataSocket.IsConnected)
dataSocket.Disconnect();

dataSocket.Connect(opcUrl, AccessMode.Write);
}

private void btnWriteOpc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

double opcValue = 0;

opcValue = Convert.ToDouble(txtWriteOpcValue.Text);

dataSocket.Data.Value = opcValue;

dataSocket.Update();
}
}
}

Tutorial:  Data  Acquisition  in  C#  

  

Telemark  University  College  

Faculty  of  Technology  

Kjølnes  Ring  56  

N-­‐3914  Porsgrunn,  Norway  

www.hit.no  

Hans-­‐Petter  Halvorsen,  M.Sc.  

Telemark  University  College  

Faculty  of  Technology  

Department  of  Electrical  Engineering,  Information  Technology  and  Cybernetics  

E-­‐mail:  hans.p.halvorsen@hit.no  

Blog:  http://home.hit.no/~hansha/