Calibrating NI R Series Using Calibration Executive

Calibrate the NI 7841R/7842R/7845R/7846R/7847R/7851R/7852R/7853R/7854R/7855R/7856R/7857R/7858R/7867R/7868R and the PXIe-7861/7862 using Calibration Executive.

Calibration Executive Procedure Features

Verify Only Verify & Adjust Manual Mode Optional Adjust

Approximate Test Times

Table 128. Test Times for All Devices
Device Verify Only Verify & Adjust Warmup
NI 784x/785x 5 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes
PXIe-7861/7862 10 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes
NI 7867R/7868R 10 minutes 20 minutes 15 minutes

Test Equipment

Table 129. Test Equipment for Calibrating the NI 7841R/7842R/7845R/7846R/7847R/7851R/7852R/7853R/7854R/7855R/7856R/7857R/7858R/7867R/7868R and the PXIe-7861/7862
Required Instrument Recommended Model Requirements
Calibrator Fluke 5700A/5730A If this instrument is unavailable, use a calibrator that is accurate to 10 ppm.
DMM NI 4070, PXIe-4080 If this instrument is unavailable, use a multiranging 6 1/2-digit DMM with an accuracy of 40 ppm.
Counter Agilent 53132A, Agilent 53220A If this instrument is unavailable, use a counter that is accurate to 0.01%.
Chassis PXI-1042, PXI-1042Q Use with PXI modules.
PXIe-1062Q Use with PXI Express modules.
Low thermal Copper EMF Plug-in Cable Fluke 5440A-7002 Do not use standard banana cables.
DAQ Accessory NI SCB-68 Shielded I/O connector block with 68 screw terminals for easy signal connection to 68- or 100-pin R Series devices.
NI CB-68LP, NI CB-68LPR, NI TBX-68 Low-cost termination accessories with 68 screw terminals for easy connection of field I/O signals to 68-pin R Series devices.
Shielded MIO Cable NI SHC68-68-RMIO High-performance shielded cable for R Series devices.

Test Conditions

The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the NI R Series device meets published specifications:
  • Keep connections to the R Series device short. 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 between 18 and 28°C. The device temperature will be greater than the ambient temperature.
  • Keep relative humidity below 80%.
  • Allow a warm-up time of at least 15 minutes to ensure that the measurement circuitry of the device is at a stable operating temperature.
  • (PXI/PXI Express) Ensure that the PXI/PXI Express chassis fan speed is set to HIGH and that the empty slots contain filler panels. For more information about maintaining adequate air circulation in your PXI/PXI Express chassis, refer to the Maintain Forced-Air Cooling Note to Users document available at ni.com/docs.

Device Setup

The device must be configured in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) to communicate with the NI R Series Multifunction RIO driver.

Complete the following steps to configure the device in MAX:
  1. Install the NI R Series Multifunction RIO driver software. driver software.
  2. Power off the computer or chassis that will hold the device and install the device in an available slot.
  3. Power on the computer or chassis and launch MAX.
  4. In the left pane of MAX, expand Devices and Interfaces»NI-RIO Devices to locate your device. Note the Resource Name for this device (for example, R100).
    Note When a RIO device is configured with MAX, it is assigned a Resource Name. This Resource Name is used to communicate with the device during calibration.
  5. Launch the Calibration Executive procedure and complete the setup wizard.

Test Limit Equations

The following test limits are derived from the published specifications:
Table 130. NI R Series Test Limit Equations
Equation Type Equation
Analog Input TestLimits = TestValue ± [TestValue * GainError (% of Reading) + Offset (µV) + Noise and Quantization (µV)]
Analog Output TestLimits = TestValue ± [TestValue * GainError (% of Reading) + Offset (µV)]
Counter TestLimits = TestValue ± [TestValue * Accuracy (ppm)]