How to be a Successful LabVIEW Consultant?

Not long ago, the most successful LabVIEW consultants were those who were the most proficient at it. However, the number of knowledgeable consultants has changed and the difference between an outstanding and an average consultant is more than just their proficiency in LabVIEW.
The data acquisition systems are becoming more and more complex, thus, those who focus only on their knowledge are left behind the competition in LabVIEW consulting.
The trending areas of LabVIEW usage are divided in two parts: hardware and enterprise systems.  Hardware interface systems are using LabVIEW as their software environment, and a successful consultant needs not only to know the software; experience in electrical or mechanical engineering is very valuable in this situation. The LabVIEW consultant’s role in building hardware interface systems is not only to implement the software. They need to try to avoid potential risks and crashes and to make sure the whole systems functions flawlessly. It is obvious that engineers who have no experience with hardware whatsoever will fail to successfully accomplish this task.
The second trending area mentioned in this article is collaborating with enterprise systems. In this case, the LabVIEW application will be needed to work with web services, databases, and manufacturing systems. Just like consultants involved in creation of hardware systems are required to have some knowledge in that area, with enterprise systems, a good consultant will understand how databases function, be fluent in other programming languages and know about current web technologies.
The problems usually occur during implementation of the LabVIEW application with technologies outside the consultant’s field of expertise. If they are familiar with the technology, it’s much easier to overcome and avoid possible problems and risks.
You want the best for your project, of course, and that’s why we highly recommend that you hire the best consultants possible. ReadyDAQ’s experts are leaders in the LabVIEW consulting as well as experienced with other technologies. Contact them today!

Temperature Measurement 101

People have always been kind of… obsessed with temperature measurement. Even without technologies, Philosophers and scientists have tried to set up a standard model of temperature measurement. Since we plan to focus on this area in near future, it is reasonable to star with the basics, and this article will explain just that. We present to you the basics of temperature measurement.
There are so many methods that have been developed, but most of them are based on the same principle – take a physical property that reacts with temperature and measure it.
The most famous device of this kind is glass thermometer. It is a simple tube filled with mercury or other liquid that reacts to changes in temperature. When the temperature gets higher, the liquid would expand and the temperature is determined by measuring its volume. The theoretical base of this and all other temperature measuring devices is zeroth law of thermodynamics which states that two systems that have the same temperature as the third one also have the same temperature as each other. Please note that this is only simplified explanation of this statement.
Other devices used for the same purpose are thermocouples, pyrometers, thermistors, RTDs, infrared, and the one we’re most interested in – temperature data logger, but we’ll talk about them in future articles.
There are eight types of units used for telling the temperature, those are Kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit, Romer, Newton, Delisle, Rankine, and Reaumur.  They are all able to tell temperatures ranging from absolute zero to temperature of the Sun.
Important thing to note is that when measuring something, the temperature of the instrument must be the same as the measured material or object in order to get a true result.
Follow ReadyDAQ’s blog to learn more about temperature measurement, especially about temperature data loggers.

Data Loggers on the Market

Data loggers are widely used, but what are the current leaders in the field? Take a look at the list we’ve prepared for you
UNI-T UT352
This is a pretty easily used sound meter with options for detecting A-weighted and C-weighted noise measurements. Beside that it can detect sound in two different modes, fast and slow. Fast mode has the resolution of 120 milliseconds and slow mode resolution is one second. UT352 allows you to gather highest and lowest detected sound volume and it also has the ability to store 60 measurements. Everything is displayed on lcd screen with very bright backlight.
Onset UX100-01
Practical and small temperature and humidity data logger, it has a temperature accuracy of 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity accuracy is +-0.2%. Relative humidity range is of 1 to 95% non-condensing and it has ability to store 84000 measurements. One of the key features of this device is LCD screen which gives you real time feedback. There are two main logging modes, statistics which allows you to record min max avg. and SD, and burst mode where device starts to record with faster sampling rate, after particular threshold.
Fluke 345
This device can view waveforms, evaluate harmonics, evaluate power, capture inrush and log measurements. It combines clamp meter, power quality meter, and oscilloscope and data logger into one portable tool. With these you can evaluate most of the circuit in your building. Harmonics is growing issue with today’s electrical systems and the fluke 345 is the ideal tool for troubleshooting them.
Kestrel 4500
If you have it in your pocket you can never get lost because it has a compass. Also includes temperature data logger and propeller which is calibrated so it can tell you the speed and temperature of the wind, head wind speed, minimum average and max temperature, humidity, heat index, dew point, wet bulb, barometric pressure altitude and density altitude.
While you’re dealing with hardware, you don’t need to worry about data acquisition software. ReadyDAQ offers the best data logger software that is available for you today!

8 Fundamental Consulting Practices - Part 2

In previous article, we’ve discussed some of the fundamental consulting practices and steps that make a great consulting expert. Today, we will continue our discussion and give your another four amazing tips.
Implementation assistance
Although some would argue that this is actually the job for a manager, a successful consulting is complete only when the changes and solutions have been implemented the right way. It may be a painful process for a company, and they need your hand with it. Get involved, they hired you for your skills!
Shaping the corrective actions
Once you’ve finished implementation of correcting actions, it’s important to set some rules, boundaries and shape the look of those actions. You are not going to be around them forever, they must be aware of what will the solution bring them and how to keep doing what you’re currently doing.
Teaching
Now we’re talking about value that lasts. You don’t want to be called for the same problem over and over again, that’s why you need to help your client learn how to handle the situation on their own. Do not worry that you will lose a client if they can solve the problem on their own, leave a good impression and you will have new clients coming at your door due to recommendations from the current one.
Improvement
How do we call it when a company is organized to be effective? It’s organizational effectiveness, and this is your final goal.  Many businesses will change the way they work due to your intervention. Because of that, the effectiveness they had before may be lost, and you need to make sure they’re back on track. You cannot manage a whole company, and you can’t be there for them forever. What you can do is improve the current business model they have and adapt it to the new situation.
Consultants are there to save the day, work towards being the best in what you do.
Finding a consultant, however, is sometimes a painful task, you want the best for your project. ReadyDAQ has skilled LabVIEW consultants in its ranks and they are ready to deploy the solution to you. Contact them today and ask for a quote!

8 Fundamental Consulting Practices – Part 1

Consulting is a huge business, the market is demanding, but competition is fierce. To be among the best, you need to follow some guidelines in order to provide the best possible solutions for your clients. Are you on the right path? This article will try to get you closer to it, and it’s only the first part!
Information
Probably the biggest reason why companies ask for consulting is that they need information. The problem is, the clients are not certain what information they do need, so the conversation may sound a bit awkward at moments.
Problem-solving
Will your client know what to do with the information alone? Probably not, otherwise they wouldn’t need you in the first place. That’s why you’re responsible (and you’ll probably be asked for) to provide a solution to their problem. It’s not always easy. You’re not a wizard with a magic stick that can solve any problem, but your knowledge and experience is something they lack, use it to provide the solution.
Diagnosis
More often than not, you will receive a call from a client in need for your skills, but they are not aware of the problem. Again, you need to step in and use the knowledge and skills you poses to conduct a research and get to the bottom of the problem. After that, everything’s easier.
Recommendations
No, we don’t mean testimonials from your previous clients, although they are very welcome. This step talks about recommending a proper action that needs to be taken to prevent the problems from occurring in the first place. It is your responsibility to do as much as possible, and only the best consultants are able to do such things.
LabVIEW consultants are hard to find, yet, ReadyDAQ has an amazing team of LabVIEW experts that will support you through your project. We’re not done here, this is only part one. Stay tuned for the part of fundamental consulting practices.

What does it take to be a Great Expert?

Do you want to be the organization that is called in times of need? Being a great expert means that you need to stand out among the sea of experts in the field. Being a professional​ LabVIEW expert takes a lot of knowledge, experience and dedication to your work. Here are five most important qualities that will make you a great expert.
Be an expert
Seems pretty obvious, but you can’t call yourself an expert unless you are an expert, right? You need to strive to reach the top in your niche and work on staying there. Choose a specific niche and that balances between being narrow enough so you can actually have vast knowledge in the field, and broad enough to provide you with plenty of clients.
Experience and education
Your words must be backed-up by your track record – experience, researches, education, and training. Having a title is amazing, but not always enough. List all your speeches, conferences, publications as well as every article where you were quoted or mentioned.
Confidence
The qualities we’ve mentioned so far are necessary, but fall in shadow if you’re not reliable. Your clients need to trust you, therefore you have to build an outstanding reputation for what you’re doing.
Availability
Can your client reach you outside business hours, during weekends or holidays? If your answer is yes, you’re doing a great job! More often than not, people will need assistance or an advice in the middle of the night. Be prepared!
Answering
Holding conferences, giving speeches and presenting ideas is all great, but most of the times you will be asked for help will require you to give a precise, specific answer. Sure, clients love to hear all you have to say about the topic, but you need to develop a skill to address specific questions and provide the best possible solutions.
ReadyDAQ has professional LabVIEW experts in its ranks that are known as leaders in their fields of expertise. Get in touch with them today, and find a solution for your business!

Is Your Data Safe?

It’s important to keep safe things of some value for us, but, how secure is your data? Most data loggers offer amazing security measure, all you need to do is to apply them.
Security Code
The first and basic level of the safety is the security code. The regular code like the one you have on your cellphone or credit card’s PIN code, it restricts the access to those without it. One great thing about it is that most manufacturers offer you to set-up different codes for different levels of access. That way, your employees can have access just to read measurements, while you can have total control of the device.
TLS
TLS is available on almost all devices (or at least on those you should buy) as it’s an industry standard. It works similar to security of websites with sensitive information (banks, online shops). To establish a connection, authentication is required, and all content is encrypted. It is virtually impossible to breach TLS, well, almost, unless you set your password to be “123456” or “password.”
PakBus Encryption Key
The easily breakable security code has evolved into PakBus Encryption Key. With it, all communication to the data logger has to be encrypted as well as authenticated. It secures both direct and IP connection.
These are not the only solutions for safely storing your data, but they are the best and highly recommended. If you want to feel extra safe, you can use all three levels of security to have a device that is impossible to get into without your permission. Keep in mind, however, that if you lose your passwords, none will be able to unlock your device.
Last but not least, these measures of security do not concern physical security of your device. The data stored may still be downloaded by a person with physical access to the device, of course, with right knowledge and equipment.