Issue Details
Customers may be interested in using an NI 9219 universal module to monitor strain gauges in InsightCM (ICM). The NI 9219 hardware itself supports bridge-based measurements, so it is a natural question whether strain gauge channels can be configured in InsightCM.
Solution/Procedure
InsightCM supports the NI 9219 as a static module for the following measurement types only: voltage (V), current (mA), resistance (Ω), open contact, thermocouple, and RTD. Bridge-based measurement modes (quarter, half, or full bridge), which strain gauges require, are not available in InsightCM, even though the NI 9219 hardware supports them outside of InsightCM. There is currently no native strain gauge channel type in InsightCM on any supported module.
To monitor strain in InsightCM, use an external strain gauge signal conditioner:
1. Connect the strain gauge to a commercially available strain gauge signal conditioner. The conditioner provides bridge completion, excitation, and amplification, and supports quarter, half, or full bridge configurations at the conditioner.
2. Configure the conditioner to output an analog signal, typically 4–20 mA or ±10 V.
3. Wire the conditioner output to a supported static input channel in InsightCM, such as an NI 9219 channel in current (mA) or voltage (V) mode.
4. In the InsightCM channel configuration, apply linear scaling to convert the electrical signal to the desired engineering units (for example, microstrain or load units).
Note that static channels in InsightCM provide single-point trend data. This approach is suitable for quasi-static strain trending (for example, structural load or thermal growth monitoring), not for dynamic strain analysis.
Before purchasing hardware for a strain monitoring application, contact Cutsforth Support to confirm the configuration fits your measurement goals.
Related Articles
Continuous Monitoring Device Hardware for InsightCM
NI 9219 Getting Started (External Link)
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