1. Start with the measurement objective
Define whether the system is intended for troubleshooting, acceptance testing, product development, online monitoring or NVH measurement. The objective determines which signals must be measured together and what evidence must be retained.
- Machine or product under test
- Fault or performance question
- Highest useful frequency
- Number of simultaneous points
- Required test duration
2. Define sensors and input type
Confirm sensor sensitivity, IEPE power requirement, expected signal level, connector, cable length and environmental rating.
- IEPE accelerometer
- Voltage input
- Microphone
- Tachometer or encoder
- Temperature or process input
3. Choose sample rate from bandwidth
Select the acquisition sample rate from the required analysis bandwidth and anti-alias filter. Do not use the maximum available rate automatically.
- Highest required signal frequency
- Anti-alias filter response
- Storage and transfer load
- Processing update rate
4. Choose record length from FFT resolution
Frequency resolution is determined by sample rate divided by FFT length. A finer resolution requires a longer time record. The engineer should see both resolution and record duration before starting acquisition.
- Required separation between spectral components
- Minimum stable operating duration
- Window and averaging
- Update interval
5. Confirm synchronization and phase needs
Simultaneous sampling is important for phase, cross-channel comparison, structural measurements and transient events.
- Channel-to-channel timing
- Tachometer alignment
- Triggering
- Shared clock
6. Verify software and data retention
The software must retain calibrated time data when post-processing is expected. Confirm project structure, export formats, reports and whether the complete recorded signal remains available after acquisition stops.
- Raw time data
- FFT and derived units
- Project metadata
- CSV or engineering export
- Report generation
7. Review deployment environment
Portable, laboratory and plant systems have different requirements for enclosure, power, connectors, network, storage and cybersecurity.
- Portable enclosure
- Industrial cabinet
- Local PC
- Plant server
- Remote dashboard