Which NI-DAQmx devices are compatible?▾
DaqExpert is compatible with the full NI-DAQmx lineup: USB-6000/6001/6002, USB-6210/6211, cDAQ-9171/9174/9178, C Series modules, PXI chassis. Any device recognized in NI MAX is supported. DaqExpert reads tasks you've already configured in NI MAX — no reconfiguration needed.
Do my existing IEPE/ICP sensors work without modification?▾
Yes. DaqExpert supports standard IEPE (Integrated Electronics Piezo-Electric) / ICP sensors which represent 90% of the industrial accelerometer market (PCB Piezotronics, Kistler, Brüel & Kjær, etc.). IEPE power supply is handled by the NI modules. You don't need to buy proprietary sensors.
How many channels can I acquire simultaneously?▾
That depends on your NI hardware. A cDAQ-9178 with eight 4-channel modules gives you 32 channels. DaqExpert supports multi-device setups — you can chain multiple chassis to exceed that limit. The GPU rendering engine handles 6 simultaneous live charts without any performance degradation.
Can I use displacement sensors (eddy current, proximity probes)?▾
Yes, if the signal is analog 0–10V or ±10V compatible with your NI modules. Eddy-current proximity probes (Bently Nevada-style) are commonly used for orbit analysis. DaqExpert supports X/Y channel pairs for orbit plots and SMax calculation.
Is WattsOn 3-phase power metering supported?▾
Yes. DaqExpert includes a Modbus TCP interface for WattsOn meters (600A CTs, 120V PTs). Active power P, reactive Q, apparent S, power factor, and harmonics up to the 11th order are available as virtual channels in real-time charts.
What operating system does DaqExpert run on?▾
DaqExpert is a WPF .NET application for Windows 10 (64-bit) and Windows 11. It requires the NI-DAQmx runtime (installed with NI drivers) and a DirectX 11-capable GPU for SciChart GPU rendering. Virtual machines are not recommended for high-frequency acquisition.
Do I need a vibration analysis expert to use DaqExpert?▾
No. DaqExpert is designed for maintenance technicians. The AI provides plain-language diagnostics. ISO 10816 thresholds are pre-configured. For advanced analyses (Campbell, envelope), 2–3 hours of guided onboarding is enough to become fully autonomous. Support is included from day one.
How long does it take to get up and running?▾
Typically 2–4 hours: download and install DaqExpert, connect your NI hardware (already recognized in NI MAX), configure acquisition tasks, launch acquisition, verify signals. Subsequent updates are automatic in the background. No integration project, no project team needed.
Can I manage multiple machines (projects) in a single installation?▾
Yes. DaqExpert has full multi-project support. Each project isolates its own configuration: NI task, channel list, virtual channels (Keyphasor, SMax, power), filters, panel layout, and report templates. Switching projects takes a few seconds. Perfect for monitoring multiple turbines or pumps from a single PC.
Is my interface layout saved between sessions?▾
Yes. The complete layout (panel positions and sizes, chart types, Y-axis ranges, filters, selected channels) is persisted per project. When you reopen DaqExpert, you get exactly the configuration from your last session — no reconfiguration needed.
What vibration analysis types are available?▾
Real-time: FFT (amplitude/dB spectrum), Time Waveform, Time History, Trending (RMS/Mean/Peak-to-Peak), XY Orbit, 3-phase power.
Post-acquisition (TDMS files): Campbell Diagram (waterfall frequency vs. RPM), Envelope Analysis (demodulation, bearing faults BPFI/BPFO/BSF/FTF), Spectrogram (time-frequency heatmap), Order Tracking, advanced statistics (Kurtosis, Crest Factor, Skewness).
How does bearing fault detection (envelope analysis) work?▾
Envelope analysis isolates the high-frequency band where bearing impact events occur. It extracts the envelope of this signal and computes its spectrum. Characteristic fault frequencies (BPFI = inner race, BPFO = outer race, BSF = ball, FTF = cage) appear clearly in this spectrum when a fault is present — typically 3 to 8 weeks before catastrophic failure.
What is a Campbell Diagram and what is it used for?▾
A Campbell Diagram (waterfall or cascade) displays successive FFT spectra as a function of rotational speed (RPM). It shows how resonance frequencies evolve with speed, identifies structural natural frequencies, and reveals critical resonance crossings during startup or shutdown. Essential for diagnosing variable-speed turbines.
Can I analyze TDMS files without the NI hardware connected?▾
Yes. The DataAnalysis module loads previously recorded TDMS files and provides all post-acquisition analyses (Campbell, envelope, spectrogram, orbit, statistics) in offline mode. Great for office-based analysis, comparing datasets from different sessions, or performing post-mortem investigations after an incident.
How does the AI detection work for hydro-electric turbines?▾
The AI continuously analyzes vibration signals from your bearings and compares them against the applicable ISO 10816 / 20816 normative zones (A=normal, B=acceptable, C=monitor, D=critical). It accounts for turbine type (Francis, Kaplan, Pelton, Propeller), blade count, guide vane count, nominal speed, and installation configuration (vertical/horizontal). When an anomaly is detected, a clear alert with description is displayed so a technician can act before failure occurs.
How do I generate a professional report after an analysis?▾
Every chart has a "Send to Report" button that auto-captures the graph and inserts it into your active report. The report editor provides blocks: cover page, free text, statistics tables, pass/fail checklists, signature lines. The final report exports to Word (.docx) for polishing or directly shares as PDF.
Is there a free trial?▾
There are two ways in. First, a free logger — forever: acquire, view live and record to TDMS / CSV / Excel with no licence and no time limit. Second, a 30-day full trial with every module unlocked (commissioning, analysis, reporting and the AI assistant), no credit card required. At the end of the trial, license only the modules you use or keep using the free logger at no cost.
Can I add modules later, or drop ones I don't use?▾
Yes. Licensing is per feature, so you license only the modules you actually use and can add more whenever your needs grow — each module unlocks as soon as its licence is applied, with no reinstall. And whatever you license, the free logger (acquire, view live, record to TDMS / CSV / Excel) always keeps working at no cost.
Are software updates included?▾
Yes. Updates — new features, bug fixes and performance improvements — come at no extra cost with any licence, and even the free logger stays up to date. DaqExpert automatically checks for updates at startup and installs them in the background, so you're always on the latest version.
Is the license per workstation or per user?▾
Per installation (per workstation) — a licence unlocks the modules you've chosen on that machine. It is not a per-seat subscription and there is no monthly per-user fee. Need to cover several machines or a whole team? We offer multi-installation licensing — get in touch and we'll set it up.
Is my acquisition data sent to your servers?▾
No. Acquisition data (TDMS signals, analyses) stays exclusively on your local machine or internal network. Only minimal anonymized information transits to our servers (for example, the software version for update checks and aggregated usage statistics without any identification). These communications can be fully disabled for on-premise or air-gapped deployments.
Do you offer a fully on-premise deployment?▾
Yes. DaqExpert can run entirely within your internal network with no internet connection — no data leaves your network. This suits sensitive industrial environments (defense, nuclear, chemical). Get in touch and we'll help you set it up.