You can connect a twisted pair of thermocouples to any analog input channel in differential, NRSE, or RSE mode to measure temperature.

Use onboard temperature sensing in differential mode for better wire arrangement. Refer to the Analog Input Signal Connections section for more information on differential, NRSE, and RSE mode configurations.

When measuring thermocouples, the overall temperature measurement error is the sum of three factors.

  • Cold-junction compensation (CJC) accuracy
  • Measurement error due to the analog input range absolute accuracy
  • Thermocouple error, which depends on the type of thermocouple you are using

NI recommends using a PXI or C Series thermocouple input module for taking the most accurate temperature measurements.