CHAMELEON – Turnkey Data Acquisition Solution
A simple, out-of-the-box, intuitive DAQ system with scalability to 1000+ channels.
PVI developed Chameleon – A powerful and intuitive data acquisition program – to take full advantage of DAQ hardware from NI (National Instruments)
Chameleon’s unique architecture provides flexibility with an easy-to-use interface. Whether configuring basic or high channel count systems, Chameleon provides the same intuitive interface allowing you to expand your system in any direction while using the same user-friendly software tools.
Chameleon offers compatibility with a wide variety of NI controllers and data acquisition modules so you can configure a system to meet your specific application requirements. Have your system up and running in minutes, acquiring static and dynamic signals at multiple sample rates from a variety of sensor types.
Chameleon PXI version 1.8.3 has been modified to enable high speed data acquisition above 2M/samples per second. Certain features and functions of Chameleon had to be modified to enable this much higher speed than normal. For more information on the modifications as well as the hardware used in making these changes, CLICK HERE.
Features:
- Out-of-the-box setup and operation
- Mixed sensor configurations including microphones, accelerometers, bridge sensors, thermocouples, RTD’s, current sensors, and more
- Data visualization, multiple traces and graphs, with live or pre-recorded data
- Data export to popular file formats for post-test analysis
- Channel alarms with visual, audible or digital output indicators
Hardware Platforms:

PXI, PXI Express

CompactDAQ (cDAQ)
Controls the timing, synchronization, and data transfer between NI C Series I/O modules and an external host.
CompactDAQ feature USB, Ethernet, or WiFi connectivity and come in multiple slot counts to provide the right amount of I/O for various applications. cDAQ hardware is ideal for applications where cost and hardware size is important.
Chameleon is ideal for use in a variety of test applications such as:
- Structural, Acoustic, and Wind-tunnel testing (strain and bridge)
- Thermal testing
- Dynamic testing (vibration and acoustics)
- Mixed sensor applications
Contact us for more information and to download a trial of Chameleon software.
Scalability | Multiple acquisition boards and multiple chassis |
Signal Types | Voltage, IEPE, strain, bridge-based, thermocouple, RTD, current, resistance |
Hardware Platform | NI PXI and PXI Express (PXIe), NI CompactDAQ (cDAQ), and FieldDAQ |
Synchronization | Inter-channel skew as low as 5 ns |
Sampling Rate | From less than 1 S/s up to 204 kS/s |
A/D, D/A Conversion | 24-bit with up to 118 dB dynamic range |
Coupling | AC or DC |
External Timing Source | GPS, IEEE 1588, IRIG-B |
Calibration Certificate Included | NIST-traceable |
- Analog or digital triggering with pre-triggering
- Strain and bridge sensor calibration (offset and gain adjustment)
- Virtual channels editable on-the-fly while recording
- Channel alarms with visual, audible or digital output indicators
- On-the-fly data logging rate update
- Automatic re-triggering setting with incremental data file naming
- Live or post-acquisition data visualization with multiple graphs and multiple traces per graph
- Playback of recorded data through analog output boards
- Data export to popular file formats, such as .mat, .csv, UFF, NI DIAdem
PVI Systems offers multiple levels of integration including mounting the system in a cabinet, patch panel integration, UPS backups, multiple monitor setups, and more.
PVI Systems offers many options for accessories, including:
- Sensors (Accelerometers, Strain Gauges, Bridge-based Sensors, Thermocouples, and more)
- Patch Panels
- Rack Mounted System
- UPS Backup
- RAID Arrays
- Multiple Monitors
Visit our Chameleon website:

Chameleon Monitors Environmental Conditions During Product Transport
Strain Testing on Gulfstream GIII Cargo Door
PVI Systems developed a testing system to collect data to validate the Finite Element Model (FEM) on a modified Gulfstream GIII.
Testing Anti-Ram Barrier Protection System
Chameleon is DAQ solution for full-scale testing of anti-ram barriers.
Data Acquisition for Shooter Detection System
Time-synchronized data for a firing range.
Chameleon for University Lab Testing Data Acquisition
Chameleon turnkey data acquisition platform used to configure and acquire time synchronized data from a distributed network of ethernet CompactDAQ chassis.


