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Test & Measurement

Oscilloscope, AWG and fast Digital I/O cards stream to hard disks at 200 MBytes/s

23rd April 2007

Strategic Test

ES Admin

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Datasheet

Strategic Test has just published an Application Note that describes how to optimize the configuration of a host PC to obtain the fastest streaming to or from hard disks when using Digitizer or Arbitrary Waveform Generator PCI cards. Continous gap-free streaming of up to 200 MBytes per second is possible using COTS motherboards, RAID controller and fast S-ATA hard disks.

For example, such a system would make it possible to record or generate a single 200 MSample per second analog signal with 8-bit resolution for up to 1 hour, or a 10 MSample/s signal for 20 hours. According to the company, the only other products currently offering this performance are based on high-end disk controllers costing at least $8000.

The document provides benchmarks of tests carried out using Strategic Test’s UltraFast™ cards with a variety of PC motherboards and outlines some of the technical problems that can be encountered and possible solutions. This information can also be useful to users of other manufacturer’s. Until now such information was not publicly available. The application note can be downloaded from the company website: http://www.strategic-test.com/library/