Instrumentation
Engineers Handbook
DECEMBER 2005
Prepared by Vehicular
Instrumentation/Transducer Committee Telemetry
Group Range Commanders Council
Published by Secretariat
Range Commanders Council
U.S. Army White Sands Missile
Range, New
Mexico 88002-5110
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES........................................vi
LIST OF TABLES...................x
PREFACE.................................xi
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS..xiii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION...................................1-1
1.1 Description of an Instrumentation
System.....................1-1
1.2 Typical Instrumentation System.1-2
1.3 Signal Sources and Sensor Selection
Criteria..................1-3
1.4 Signal
Conditioning....................................1-4
1.5 Data Collection and PCM
Formats.....................................1-5
1.6 Calibration.....................................1-5
1.7 Telemetering.......1-6
1.8 Recording.......................1-7
1.9 References for Chapter 1..............................................1-8
CHAPTER 2 TYPICAL INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM (BROAD
OVERVIEW)..2-1
2.1 Typical Vehicular
System...................................2-1
2.2 Typical Laboratory
System......................................2-8
2.3 References for Chapter 2.................................2-12
CHAPTER 3 SIGNAL
SOURCES..............................................3-1
3.1 The Starting Point...................3-1
3.2 Strain Gages............3-1
3.3
Thermocouples.............................................3-19
3.4 Resistive Temperature Devices
(RTD).......................................3-23
3.5 Hall Effect
Devices.......................................3-25
3.6 Angular Position Sensors (Synchros and 3-26
3.7 Rotational Speed...................3-35
3.8 Photodetectors/Photodiodes..............................................3-40
3.9 Piezoelectric (PE) Transducers...3-42
3.10 Electric Current
Transducers..........................3-46
3.11 Anemometers....3-49
3.12
Actinometers...................................................3-52
3.13 Pitot-Static
Systems........................................3-52
3.14 Aeronautical Radio INCorporated (ARINC)
429.........................................3-64
3.15
MIL-STD-1553...............................................3-74
3.16 Serial Communications...................................3-82
3.17 RS-422..............3-84
3.18 Gyroscopes........3-86
3.19 References for Chapter
3.................................3-90
iii
CHAPTER 4 SIGNAL CONDITIONING...........................4-1
4.1 Introduction.........4-1
4.2 Analog Signal
Conditioning..............................4-1
4.3 Filtering...............4-5
4.4 Sampling
Theory...............................................4-6
4.5 Wheatstone
Bridge............................................4-9
4.6 Digital Signal
Conditioning............................4-11
4.7 Conclusion........4-17
4.8 References for Chapter
4.................................4-18
CHAPTER 5 FLOW AND LEVEL MEASUREMENT...5-19
5.1 The Flow Pioneers..........................................5-19
5.2 Flow Sensor
Selection.....................................5-25
5.3 Accuracy vs.
Repeatability............................5-29
5.4 Differential Pressure Flowmeters....................5-30
5.5 Venturi Tubes and Flow Tubes.......................5-40
5.6 Pitot Tubes........5-44
5.7 Variable Area
Flowmeters..............................5-50
5.8 Mechanical
Flowmeters..................................5-56
5.9 Turbine
Flowmeters........................................5-65
5.10 Electronic
Flowmeters....................................5-72
5.11 Vortex
Flowmeters..........................................5-77
5.12 Ultrasonic
Flowmeters....................................5-84
5.13 Mass Flowmeters............................................5-90
5.14 References for Chapter
5...............................5-107
CHAPTER 6 PULSE CODE MODULATION (PCM)
FORMATS................................6-1
6.1 Introduction.........6-1
6.2 Definitions...........6-1
6.3 Class I and Class II PCM..................................6-4
6.4 Calculating the Parameter Sample Rate............6-4
6.5 Building a PCM Format (An Example)............6-5
CHAPTER 7
CALIBRATION..............................................7-1
7.1 Definition and Need for Calibration.................7-1
7.2 Calibration
Types..............................................7-1
7.3 Sample Transducer Calibration Procedure
Format.........................................7-3
7.4 Static and Dynamic
Calibration........................7-4
7.5 Check Channels...............................................7-10
7.6 Sample Pitot Static
Calibration.......................7-13
7.7 Conclusions.......7-14
7.8 References.........7-15
CHAPTER 8 TELEMETRY TRANSMISSION AND
RECEPTION.............................8-1
8.1 Introduction.........8-1
8.2 Telemetry
System..............................................8-1
8.3 Transmission
Channel.......................................8-8
iv
8.4 Receiving
Station..............................................8-9
8.5 Link Analysis....8-11
8.6 Eb/No..................8-12
8.7 References for Chapter
8.................................8-14
CHAPTER 9 RECORDERS AND RECORDING..............9-1
9.1 Introduction.........9-1
9.2 Recording Systems (Pros and Cons).................9-1
9.3 Data Types and Bit
Rates..................................9-8
9.4 Multi-stream File
Formats..............................9-10
9.5 Record Time Versus Storage Media...............9-13
9.6 Conclusion........9-15
9.7 References for Chapter 9.................................9-17
CHAPTER 10 PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS............10-1
10.1 Introduction.......10-1
10.2 Piezoelectric (PE)
Transducers.......................10-1
10.3 Baud Rate and Bits per
Second.......................10-5
10.4 Timing Issues and the Instrumentation
System............................................10-7
10.5 Pitot Static Installation Considerations...........10-8
10.6 Connection to the MIL-STD-1553 Bus........10-11
10.7 Recorders and
Recording..............................10-14
>>>>TO<<<<
Table 3-1. Standard Pitot-Static Models (Part 1 of
3)......3-59
Table 3-2. Standard Pitot-Static Models (Part 2 of
3)......3-59
Table 3-3. Standard Pitot-Static Models (Part 3 of
3)......3-60
Table 3-4. ARINC 419
Topologies..................................3-65
Table 3-5. ARINC Specification
Parts.............................3-66
Table 3-6. Output Signal
Tolerances................................3-70
Table 3-7. ARINC 429
Word...........................................3-71
Table 3-8. Information Identifier......................................3-72
Table 5-1. Flowmeter Evaluation
Table...........................5-27
Table 5-2. Orientation Table For Flow
Sensors...............5-28
Table 5-3. Element
Comparisons.....................................5-33
Table 6-1. Developing The PCM
Format...........................6-6
Table 6-2. Developing The PCM Format
(Cont.)..............6-7
Table 6-3. Developing The PCM Format
(Cont.)..............6-7
Table 6-4. Developing The PCM Format
(Cont.)..............6-8
Table 6-5. Developing The PCM Format
(Cont.)..............6-8
Table 6-6. Developing The PCM Format
(Cont.)..............6-8
Table 7-1. Sample Calibration Procedure
Format..............7-4
Table 7-2. Sample Three Point Static Sensitivity of an
Accelerometer...........................7-5
Table 7-3. Sample Single Amplitude Single Frequency
Accelerometer Sensitivity........7-7
Table 7-4. Sample Acoustic Sensitivity of Pressure
Transducer.....................................7-8
Table 9-1. Mechanical Disk Vs. Solid-State Flash Disk....9-8
Table 9-2. Reel Size Vs. Record
Time.............................9-14
Table 9-3. Record Times of Various
Equipment..............9-16
Table 10-1. Bus Coupler
Information..............................10-12
