NI 9204/9205/9206 Calibration Procedure

Calibrate the NI 9204, NI 9205 and NI 9206 using Calibration Executive.

Calibration Executive Procedure Features

Verify Only Verify & Adjust Manual Mode Optional Adjust

Approximate Test Time

5 minutes

Table 13. NI 9204 test times
Verify Only 3 minutes
Verify and Adjust 5 minutes
Warmup 15 minutes

Test Equipment

The following table lists the test equipment required for calibrating NI 9204/9205/9206 modules.

Table 14. Test equipment for calibrating the NI 9204/9205/9206
Instrument Recommended Model Requirements
Calibrator Fluke 5722A If this instrument is unavailable, use a high-precision voltage source with an accuracy of at least 10 ppm.
Chassis cDAQ-9178 —
Connection Accessory NI 9940 Use with NI 9204/9205/9206 modules with screw terminal.
NI 9933 Use with NI 9204/9205/9206 modules with DSUB.

Test Conditions

The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the NI 9204/9205/9206 meets published specifications.

  • Keep connections to the device as short as possible. Long cables and wires act as antennas, picking up extra noise that can affect measurements.
  • Use shielded copper wire for all cable connections to the device. Use twisted-pair wire to eliminate noise and thermal offsets.
  • Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 °C ±5 °C. The device temperature will be greater than the ambient temperature.
  • Keep relative humidity below 80%.
  • Allow a warm-up time of at least 10 minutes to ensure that the NI 9204/9205/9206 measurement circuitry is at a stable operating temperature.

Device Setup

  1. Install the NI 9204/9205/9206 in slot 8 of the cDAQ-9178 chassis. Leave slots 1 through 7 on the cDAQ-9178 chassis empty.
  2. Configure the hardware using Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).
  3. Launch the Calibration Executive procedure and complete the setup wizard.
Note If the NI 9204/9205/9206 module fails after calibration, return it to NI for repair or replacement.

Test Limit Equations

The following test limits are derived from the published specifications found in the NI 9204/9205/9206 Calibration Procedure.

Table 15. NI 9204/9205/9206 Test Limit Equations
Equation Type Equations
Accuracy TestPoints = TestValue ± (TestValue * GainError + Range * OffsetError + NoiseUncertainty)
  • GainError = ResidualAIGainError + GainTempco * (TempChangeFromLastInternalCal) + ReferenceTempco * (TempChangeFromLastExternalCal)
  • OffsetError = ResidualAIOffsetError + OffsetTempco * (TempChangeFromLastInternalCal) + INL_Error
  • NoiseUncertainty = RandomNoise * 3 / for a coverage factor of 3 Σ and averaging 100 points