WireFlow Scales Infrastructure Logging with NI Technology

A New Standard for Critical Infrastructure Data Logging

WireFlow, a Swedish provider of advanced test and measurement solutions, saw an urgent need among customers in power, industrial research, and infrastructure sectors. They needed a more reliable and scalable way to log analog sensor data continuously and to be able to make shorter high-speed recordings initiated by triggering events in challenging conditions.

Legacy systems often struggled to meet the high requirements for precision, sample rate, channel density, and robustness. WireFlow envisioned a next-generation system that could. NI hardware was used from the outset to ensure the platform was built on established technologies. Unlike many historical and centralized systems, the Lundby solution provides real distributed architecture, allowing nodes to be placed over large areas, such as power plants, while maintaining time alignment and signal integrity.

Built on NI Data Acquisition Hardware and Software

At the core of the Lundby Data Logger is a distributed network of CompactRIO and CompactDAQ chassis equipped with C Series modules suited to several input types—mostly voltage and current. A master cabinet that manages centralized control, data management, and deterministic timing coordinates the synchronized internal network that connects these enclosures.

The distributed Lundby software runs on each CompactRIO controller in the network. Each node runs autonomously and handles recording, triggering, local data storage, runtime calculations, and secure communication with other nodes and the master monitoring applications. The Lundby software has been completely developed in LabVIEW, which offers a powerful and robust API to the hardware for the Lundby software.

After data is captured, NI DIAdem can be used to process, visualize, and streamline root-cause analysis, transforming recorded measurements into insights and enabling fast generation of standardized reports.

The system supports high-speed data acquisition, up to 1 MS/s per channel, enabling the capture of fast transients and short-duration electrical events—critical in infrastructure and energy monitoring. Lundby also provides pre-triggering capabilities, which allows the system to log constantly while raising data collection rates during triggered events, which is an essential feature in infrastructure and energy applications. This type of event logging is often called disturbance recording. Each node is designed for long-term operation in an electromagnetically loud environment, with passive heat management to prevent moving parts. Built-in watchdogs, automated diagnostics, and power monitoring all contribute to reduce the need for manual intervention.

^{User Interface Screenshot}

^{The Lundby UI built with LabVIEW. Engineers can configure channels, monitor system health, and trigger data capture via an intuitive interface.}

Validated in Demanding Real-World Applications

One of the system’s most visible deployments is at a major power plant in Sweden, where the Lundby Data Logger continuously monitors environmental and operating parameters across many facilities.

The deployment had to accommodate thousands of input channels, tolerate long cable lengths with intense EMI, and ensure microsecond-accurate time synchronization between dispersed nodes. The Lundby system’s robust design and redundant architecture make it suitable for these requirements. Its microsecond-level temporal synchronization between geographically distant nodes eliminates the need for post-alignment, resulting in more efficient analysis workflows. 

 
^{Factory Acceptance Test 
Pre-deployment system validation: WireFlow engineers perform final system checks at their test lab prior to shipment to the power plant.}

This installation emphasized the system’s strengths in continuous, 24/7 operation, local offline logging, and health status reporting, delivering robust data integrity under the highest regulatory and operational standards.

Synchronized, Distributed Architecture

One of the system’s most important advantages is its capacity to synchronize data from remote nodes located throughout huge industrial sites. Using time-sensitive networking (TSN) over standard copper or fiber Ethernet, the Lundby Data Logger achieves time-aligned acquisition even with long cable runs and high EMI environments.

^{TSN Network Topology Diagram 
Synchronized across kilometers: Time-sensitive networking enables microsecond-accurate synchronization of logger nodes connected via copper or fiber Ethernet.}

Combined with robust logging redundancy and local buffering, this architecture ensures that data is captured reliably during power outages, network failures, or other disruptions—without the need for operator interaction. The ability to flexibly scale the system while maintaining high accuracy and low latency across long distances was a game-changer for customers with geographically dispersed infrastructure.

Durable Architecture for Critical Infrastructure

The Lundby Data Logger provides a unique combination of reliability, modularity, and long-term usage, which is rooted largely to its foundation on the NI modular hardware platform. Scalability is a significant feature, allowing users to easily add and remove channels and enclosures. The system guarantees synchronized, high-fidelity data acquisition with accurate timestamping, even across physically separated cabinets. The durable design, along with automated health monitoring, considerably decreases maintenance requirements. The modular hardware and ready-to-integrate NI APIs further accelerated development and deployment schedules. Furthermore, WireFlow created tailored firmware and interfaces atop the NI platform, transforming the Lundby logger into a cutting-edge, user-focused solution customized to increasing industry requirements.

Equally important to the technical strengths was our close partnership with WireFlow. The WireFlow engineering team worked in concert with NI experts during early development and field testing to ensure the system could withstand the rigors of real-world conditions. The openness of the NI platform enabled WireFlow to create its own software and monitoring interfaces while relying on NI hardware’s renowned reliability. This collaboration was critical in creating a reliable data logging solution, which is now used in some of Sweden’s most secure and regulated infrastructure sites. For the customer, the decision to work with us as their hardware provider was motivated by our long-standing market presence, availability of replacement parts, and long-term support—offering peace of mind for systems expected to run consistently for decades.

Key Takeaways

The WireFlow Lundby Data Logger, built on modular NI CompactDAQ and NI CompactRIO hardware, has proven to be a reliable and scalable solution for critical infrastructure monitoring in harsh conditions such as the major Swedish power plant. The system’s merits include precise synchronization, durable architecture, and ease of scalability, all of which reduce maintenance overhead and expedite deployment. The combination of Lundby for data acquisition and NI DIAdem software for post-processing and reporting enables a seamless workflow from sensor to decision, significantly reducing engineering time and ensuring data-driven insights.

This success is the result of our strong cooperation, which combined established hardware and software products with collaborative engineering assistance to reduce development risk. Distributed architecture, microsecond-level synchronization, sampling rates of up to 1 MS/s, and pre-triggering capabilities are among the standout features of this long-lifecycle platform, which is supported by the NI robust supply chain and software openness.

Looking ahead, WireFlow plans to further improve the Lundby system by integrating edge analytics, cloud connectivity, and predictive maintenance capabilities. The platform’s modular, open architecture allows it to adapt with customer needs while preserving the trust and performance required for safety-critical applications. This establishes WireFlow and NI technologies as long-term leaders in cutting-edge, dependable data acquisition solutions for complex infrastructure systems.

^{An NI Partner is a business entity independent from NI and has no agency or joint-venture relationship and does not form part of any business associations with NI.}