TIERA
Sound & Vibration

Accelerometer & DAQ Selection 101

Choose the right sensor and analyzer for the job — IEPE vs charge, sensitivity, bandwidth, dynamic range and sample rate.

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The best analysis in the world cannot rescue data taken with the wrong sensor. Accelerometer & DAQ Selection 101 teaches you to specify the measurement chain — sensor and analyzer — so it fits the machine and the fault you are hunting. You will learn how a piezoelectric accelerometer turns motion into a signal, why IEPE and charge-mode sensors suit different environments, and how sensitivity and bandwidth decide what you can and cannot see.

From there the course covers the practical limits that trip beginners up: the mounted-resonance frequency that caps a sensor’s usable range, the difference between a high-sensitivity sensor for low-speed machines and a wide-band sensor for bearings and gears, and the DAQ side — what 24-bit dynamic range buys you and how sample rate ties back to the frequencies you want to measure. You will finish able to walk into a store or a datasheet and choose a sensor and analyzer on purpose rather than by habit, including using TEDS so each sensor carries its own calibration.

What you'll be able to do
  • Choose between IEPE and charge-mode accelerometers
  • Match sensitivity and bandwidth to the measurement
  • Understand 24-bit dynamic range and sample rate
  • Respect the mounted-resonance limit of a sensor
  • Use TEDS to keep sensor data self-describing
Curriculum
  1. 01 How an accelerometer works — the piezoelectric element
  2. 02 IEPE (constant-current) vs charge-mode — when to use each
  3. 03 Sensitivity, bandwidth and the usable frequency range
  4. 04 The mounted resonance and its roll-off limit
  5. 05 DAQ essentials — 24-bit dynamic range and sample rate
  6. 06 TEDS, calibration and matching sensor to analyzer