There are three clear benefits to this synchronization capability:

• You can create large scale systems - with virtually no limit to the number of total channels, from individual systems
• The individual systems can be used separately from the large scale system... so you can split up a large system into many smaller ones and handle multiple tests at once
• Or put them all together and make one large scale system!

Direct sync

If your systems are in the same room, they can typically be synced together directly. An option available for nearly all DEWETRON systems is an ORION-SYNC interface, which allows the A/D cards to be directly synced in master/slave relationship. In addition, the software option called DEWE-NET is used to allow one system to control the other. You can set up one of your measuring instruments as the master, or use a separate computer. There is a large amount of flexibility in how the systems can be configured.

Absolute time reference

In addition to being synced to each other, your systems can be synced to an absolute time reference - this can be either GPS or IRIG time code. Both interfaces are available from DEWETRON via the options GPS-CLOCK-INT and IRIG-CLOCK-INT. External versions of these options are also available.

With DEWE-NET your DAS can be controlled remotely with ease of use you couldn't imagine before. DEWE-NET is the core of building distributed data acquisition system or large scale data acquisition system where you have multiple systems located either together or distributed across different locations even over large distance. IRIG and GPS time together with Sync-clock technology will take care that data will stay synchronized, no matter how long the acquisition runs.

DEWE-NET supports three basic operation modes:

• 1:1 mode
• x:1 mode
• 1:x mode

With these three modes almost any application can be covered. From single channel expansions over remote control to distributed measurements over hundreds of kilometers - everything is possible.

1:1 mode - Single measurement system & single client

1:1 mode works with single measurement system and single client. In this mode there are two types of operation: full remote control and data view only. In full remote control the client computer acts like a master of the measurement system. When control clients changes to the setup screen, the measurement system also changes to setup screen.

However, in the "view only" mode, the measurement system acquires data, while the client computer can connect to it and view the "live" data... but it can not control the measuring system. A "view client" can look but not touch.

x:1 mode - Multiple measurement system & single client

Multiple measurement systems and single client are used in case of distributed measurements or too high acquisition rates to be managed by a single measurement unit. The measurement systems have to be clocked synchronized either with hardware clock (one unit is the clock master, the others are slaves) or with the external clock source which is either IRIG or GPS.

All measurement systems have to run with same acquisition rate. In this case only one connection option is possible - the client is always the master. It starts and stops the measurement on all units in the measurement network. At any time the client has access to view mode - but only to one measurement system (one-to-one connection like in single measurement system & single client configuration). Additional view devices are possible, but they can access only a single measurement system.

1:x mode -Single measurement system & multiple clients

The third network configuration is to have a single measurement system controlled by one 'master' client and additional 'view' clients. The master client is able to change the measurement system setup, storing strategy, start and stop measurements, and many more. The view clients are only allowed to take a few channels from measurement unit (up to the bandwidth limitation) and view and store the data on their local hard disk.