Finding Max DMM Sample Speed

Example Graph of DMM Data

With the DMM set to it's smallest aperture setting, (0.001PLC in this case), DCV, Fixed Range, Auto Zero OFF, and Rel OFF, you can capture the maximum amount of possible samples per second.

 DMM DC Voltage Settings

With a signal generator set to output at a fixed frequency you can measure the output with the DMM and verify the samples/second. In this case I used an SDM4065A and an SDG7102 outputting a 10Hz sine wave at 200mVpp.

In the Acquire menu on the DMM, set Acquire to Continue, Trigger Setting to Auto.

DMM Acquire Settings

To capture the sample, hit the Save Readings button, then give your file a name. Once you have named your file hit Enter.

Name the File

After selecting Enter, hit the Save Readings button again. This will begin the sampling and should take a few seconds to complete. Once done you should see a popup stating "Readings saved successfully".

Success popup

Transfer the file to your PC and open the file in Excel. To graph the data, select some data from the rightmost column and using the Insert menu at the top, select the Recommended Charts button.

Recommended Charts Button

In the Chart menu select Scatterplot and then OK. This should create a small graph in your spreadsheet. Next we need to add the correct amount of points to graph. 

Right click on the graph and choose Select Data...

Select Data

This will bring up the Edit Series window. In the Series Y Values, change the last value after the $ to how many samples you want to graph. Since the SDM4065A should take 50,000 samples per second max, I entered 50000 here. Once you have entered your desired value, hit OK.

Edit Number of Samples

After expanding the graph, you can see in the image below that there are 10 complete sine waves visible in the 50,000 samples, which corresponds to the 10Hz signal input. This verifies that the maximum sample rate is indeed 50,000 samples/s. 

Finished Graph With 50,000 Samples