Calibrating TB-9212 Using Calibration Executive

Calibrate the TB-9212 with mini-TC or the TB-9212 with screw terminal using Calibration Executive.

For more information on these terminal block variants, refer to the TB-9212 Calibration Procedure on ni.com/docs.

Calibration Executive Procedure Features

Verify Only Verify & Adjust Manual Mode Optional Adjust

Approximate Test Time

18 minutes

Test Equipment

The following table lists the test instruments required for calibrating the TB-9212 terminal blocks.

Table 27. Test equipment for calibrating the TB-9212
Instrument Recommended Model Requirements
Thermocouple Calibrator Ectron 1140A If this instrument is unavailable, use a high precision thermocouple source with an accuracy of ≤0.06 °C and an output impedance of ≤10 Ω.
C Series Module NI-9212 An NI-9212 module that is verified to be within product specifications.
Chassis cDAQ-9178 —
Barrier Strip Assembly Thermocouple Wire TT-E-24-SLE-100 E-type SLE 24 AWG, 20 m to 30 m.
Mini Thermocouple Connector Omega SMPW-E-M E-type, must fit the output terminal of the thermocouple calibrator.
Thermocouple Barrier Strips Omega BS16A 8 channels.
Thermocouple Barrier Strip Jackets (x8) Omega BSJ-E E-type, 8 channels.
Thermocouple Spade Lugs (x32) Omega SLCH-20 16 lugs of chromel to match the E-type wires.
Omega SLCO-20 16 lugs of constantan to match the E-type wires.
Spade-Lug Crimping Tool Omega CRIMPING TOOL-P Must effectively crimp the spade lugs with the 24 AWG wire.
Mini Thermocouple Connector (x8) Omega SMPW-U-M U type
Note This instrument is required only for the TB-9212 with mini-TC. Refer to the Barrier Strip Assembly figure.

Test Conditions

The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the TB-9212 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.
  • Verify that all connections to the device are secure.
  • Use thermocouple wire for all cable connections to the TB-9212.
  • 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 15 minutes to ensure that the NI-9212 measurement circuitry is at a stable operating temperature.

Device Setup

  1. Make sure the cDAQ-9178 power source is not connected.
  2. Connect the cDAQ-9178 to the system safety ground.
    1. Attach a ring lug to a 14 AWG (1.6 mm) wire.
    2. Connect the ring lug to the ground terminal on the side of the cDAQ-9178 using the ground screw.
    3. Attach the other end of the wire to the system safety ground.
  3. Install the NI-9212 in slot 8 of the cDAQ-9178 chassis. Leave slots 1 through 7 of the cDAQ-9178 chassis empty.
    Note When multiple NI-9212 measurement devices are configured, you may have the option to calibrate multiple TB-9212 terminal blocks in a single session. Because only one measurement device can configured as an instrument for the session, each terminal block must be connected to the selected measurement device during its calibration session.
  4. Connect the cDAQ-9178 chassis to your host computer.
  5. Connect the power source to the cDAQ-9178 chassis.
  6. Launch Measurements & Automation Explorer (MAX).
  7. Right-click the device name and select Self-Test to ensure that the device is working properly.

Barrier Strip Assembly

Figure 2.  Barrier Strip Assembly for TB-9212 with Screw Terminal (a) and TB-9212 with mini-TC (b)

Test Limit Equations

The following test limits are derived from the published specifications.

Table 28. TB-9212 Test Limit Equations
Equation Type Equation
Temperature Accuracy

ErrorLimits = abs(Tempchannel - TempCJC)

Temperror(TTC, TCJ) = ErrorLimits

Temperror(TTC, TCJ) = TE * [VMEASURED(TTC, TCJ) + VError_MODULE(TTC) + VE(TCJ + TCJ_err)] - TTC

  • TTC = Thermocouple Temperature, 0 °C
  • TCJ = Typical Cold Junction Temperature, 23 °C
  • VMEASURED(TTC, TCJ) = VE(TTC) - VE(TCJ)
  • VError_MODULE(TTC) = Voltage Error Limit at TTC
  • TCJ_err = Temperate error range, ±5 °C