Glossary
G-2
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National Instruments Corporation
B
bit
one binary digit, either 0 or 1
bus
the group of conductors that interconnect individual circuitry in a computer.
Typically, a bus is the expansion vehicle to which I/O or other devices are
connected.
C
C
Celsius
channel
pin or wire lead to which you apply or from which you read the analog or
digital signal. Analog signals can be single-ended or differential. For digital
signals, you group channels to form ports. Ports usually consist of either
four or eight digital channels.
D
D/A
digital-to-analog
DAC
D/A converter
DAQ
data acquisition—(1) collecting and measuring electrical signals from
sensors, transducers, and test probes or fixtures and inputting them to a
computer for processing; (2) collecting and measuring the same kinds of
electrical signals with A/D and/or DIO boards plugged into a computer, and
possibly generating control signals with D/A and/or DIO boards in the
same computer
DC
direct current
device
(1) a plug-in data acquisition board, card, or pad that can contain multiple
channels and conversion devices. Plug-in boards, PCMCIA cards, and
devices such as the DAQPad-1200, which connects to your computer
parallel port, are all examples of DAQ devices.
DIO
digital input/output
