Counter and Timer Input and Output

Acquire counter data and generate pulses with National Instruments™ devices

Before you use counter channels, see Hardware Discovery and Setup.

Functions

`addinput`	Add input channel to device interface (Since R2020a)
`addoutput`	Add output channel to device interface (Since R2020a)
`removechannel`	Remove channel from device interface (Since R2020a)
`resetcounters`	Reset hardware scan count for all counter inputs (Since R2020a)

Topics

Analog and Digital Counters
Use digital and analog counters to count clock and external events.
Acquire Counter Input Data
Acquire edge counts from a device.
Generate Pulse Data on a Counter Channel
Generate pulses on counter/timer device channels.
Acquire Digital Data Using a Counter Output Channel as External Clock
Acquire digital data using a counter output channel to generate clock pulses.

Featured Examples

Count Pulses on a Digital Signal Using NI Devices

Determine the rate of rotation of an Anaheim Automation motor controller by counting the number of rising edges in the signal. The controller returns hall effect pulses (square waves) that serve as frequency feedback for motor rotation speeds.

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Measure Frequency Using NI Devices

Measure frequency to determine rate of flow of fluid using a flow sensor. The sensor generates a digital signal with frequency that correlates to the rate of flow of fluid.

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Measure Pulse Width Using NI Devices

Measure the width of an active high pulse. A sensor is used to measure distance from a point: the width of the pulse is correlated with the measured distance.

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Generate Pulse Width Modulated Signals Using NI Devices

Generate a pulse width modulated signal to drive a stepper motor.

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Measure Angular Position with an Incremental Rotary Encoder

Acquire angular position data using an incremental rotary encoder and a multifunction data acquisition (DAQ) device with the Data Acquisition Toolbox quadrature encoder measurement functionality.

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