Data Acquisition System Examples (and How to Automate Each One)

The fastest way to design a data acquisition system is to start from a working example close to your need, then adapt it. Below are common data acquisition system examples across temperature, voltage, current, and mixed-signal logging, with the configuration each one needs. For every example, you will also see how TestFlow automates the setup directly from the datasheet.

Example 1: Multi-channel temperature logging

A classic data acquisition example is logging temperature across many points, such as a thermal soak on a board or an enclosure.

• •Hardware: a switch and measure unit like the DAQ970A or 34972A with thermocouple or RTD channels.
• •Config: sensor type per channel, scan interval, and total duration.
• •Output: timestamped temperature per channel, with min, max, and average.

Example 2: Voltage rail monitoring

Monitoring several DC rails on a board during operation.

• •Hardware: a DMM or DAQ with enough channels, or a multiplexed measurement.
• •Config: DC voltage ranges per rail, sample rate, and pass and fail limits.
• •Output: logged voltages with limit checks flagged.

Example 3: Current draw profiling

Capturing current over a test cycle to characterize power consumption.

• •Hardware: a source measure unit or a DMM with a current shunt.
• •Config: current range, integration time, and trigger aligned to the cycle.
• •Output: a current-over-time profile.

Example 4: Mixed-signal capture

A real test often mixes signals: a power supply driving a device, a DMM measuring a rail, and a scope capturing a waveform, all in sequence.

• •Hardware: multiple instruments, often from different vendors.
• •Config: a sequence that sets the supply, measures the rail, and triggers the capture.
• •Output: a combined dataset across instruments.

The hard part: turning an example into a running system

Each example above is straightforward to describe and slow to build. You configure channels, write SCPI for each instrument, handle timing, and build logging and export. Mixed-signal setups are worse because every vendor has its own command set. This is where most of the engineering time goes.

Automating each example with TestFlow

TestFlow takes any of these examples from datasheet to running acquisition.

• •Datasheet-driven setup. Upload the datasheet for your DAQ unit, DMM, or supply, and TestFlow builds the channel configuration and acquisition sequence.
• •Vendor-neutral. Mixed-signal examples with instruments from different vendors run in one workflow.
• •Repeatable. Each example becomes a saved workflow that runs identically every time.
• •Open execution. Runs use the TestFlow runner or the cloud runner on GitHub.

Start from your example

Pick the example closest to your test, grab the datasheet for the main instrument, and let TestFlow build the acquisition workflow for you.

Start free at testflow.io and turn a data acquisition example into a running system in minutes.