Design and Testing of Lightning DAQ

The Low-Frequency Radio Lab [1] at Georgia Tech designed a global very low frequency (VLF) receiver system to remotely detect magnetic fluctuations caused by VLF waves. These waves are generated from extreme weather events before and after reflection from the D region of the ionosphere. To reduce costs and improve durability, the research replaced the existing commercial National Instruments data acquisition (DAQ) device used in the VLF system with a custom DAQ. The redesign maintained the same characteristics as the previous DAQ while decreasing parts costs and simplifying the GPS-locked timing hardware. Live data collection tests compared the previous receiver system to the redesigned FPGA and ADC-based system, resulting in nearly identical readings from both devices and confirming the redesigned system’s accuracy. Overall, the successful VLF receiver redesign showed savings of $3000-$5000, paving the way for scalable deployment of stronger lightning receiver networks.