PLACID data acquisition systems provide multi-channel simultaneous sampling for acoustic and vibration measurement applications. The range covers 4, 8, and 16-channel configurations, all using 24-bit sigma-delta ADC converters with hardware anti-aliasing filters for accurate signal capture from DC to the measurement bandwidth. Every input channel provides selectable IEPE (ICP) current supply for direct connection of PLACID measurement microphones and preamplifiers, or any compatible IEPE sensor.
All PLACID DAQ systems use simultaneous sampling across all channels — there is no multiplexing. This means there is no inter-channel phase error, which is essential for measurement techniques that depend on phase relationships between channels: transfer function measurement, intensity measurement, beamforming, and modal analysis. Simultaneous sampling is a fundamental requirement for these applications, and it is a feature of every model in the PLACID DAQ range.
All DAQ systems are compatible with PLACID PQ Analyst software for real-time acoustic and vibration analysis, including octave band analysis, FFT, time history, and sound power measurement routines. An open SDK is provided for Python, C#, C++, and MATLAB integration, enabling custom data acquisition workflows and direct integration with third-party analysis environments. The SDK uses a simple TCP/IP protocol that works over USB and Ethernet without driver installation on most platforms.
PLACID DAQ systems are validated as part of the complete PLACID measurement chain. When used with PLACID-calibrated microphone sets, the combined system sensitivity — microphone, preamplifier, and DAQ input — is characterised and documented. This means your uncertainty budget can account for DAQ input noise and gain tolerance as measured components rather than estimated nominal values, which reduces the total system measurement uncertainty and strengthens the defensibility of compliance test reports.