What's Included with the NI USB-TC01?

Overview

Taking measurements with the USB-TC01 is easy. Here is what is included in the box:

Contents

The USB-TC01

The USB-TC01 connects your PC to a thermocouple. The device plugs into any standard PC USB port, and you can take measurements from any type J, K, R, S, T, N, E and B thermocouple. The standard subminiature thermocouple connector makes it easy to swap out different thermocouples.


Figure 1. The USB-TC01 measures thermocouples with your PC.

 

NI InstantDAQ Technology

The USB-TC01 features NI InstantDAQ technology that automatically loads software for viewing and logging data after connecting the device to your computer. No prior driver installation is necessary. Simply plug the device into your USB port and the USB-TC01 Launch Screen is loaded from built-in memory on the device. 

The Launch Screen displays the current thermocouple reading and lets you configure the thermocouple type and temperature units. You can log data with the Temperature Logger application, open and customize the Temperature Logger source code in NI LabVIEW, or learn other ways to do more with the USB-TC01.

Figure 2. The USB-TC01 Launch Screen is automatically loaded once you connect the device to your computer.

 

Temperature Logger

Directly from the USB-TC01 Launch Screen you can load the USB-TC01 Temperature Logger. With the Temperature Logger you can configure your sampling interval, graph live measurements from your USB-TC01 and log data with timestamps to a text file.

 

Figure 3. Using the USB-TC01 Temperature Logger you can graph and log your data.

 

Thermocouple

You can purchase the USB-TC01 with a thermocouple or use your own. Thermocouples are inexpensive temperature sensors that you can use to measure wide temperature ranges. Choose from two thermocouple options: an exposed-tip junction and a grounded probe. The exposed-tip junction thermocouple offers the best response time, which is ideal for measuring rapid temperature changes. The grounded probe thermocouple is enclosed by a metal sheath and is ideal for measuring corrosive gases and liquids.

J-Type Exposed-Junction ThermocoupleJ-Type Grounded Probe Thermocouple

 

Four Free Ready-to-Run Applications

In addition to the USB-TC01 Temperature Logger application that is built-in to the device, you can also download the following applications to expand the functionality of your device.

Alarm Generator
Display a message or system beep if the signal is above or below the threshold.

Limit Logger
Start or stop logging data if the signal is above or below a user-specified limit.

Scheduled Logger
Schedule times to start and stop logging data.

Spreadsheet Logger
Log data to a spreadsheet file that can be opened with Microsoft Excel.

 

Support for Building Your Own Applications with LabVIEW

LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment used by millions of engineers and scientists. Using intuitive graphical icons and wires that resemble a flowchart, you can build your own custom applications for the USB-TC01. Simply drag and drop controls and graphs to create custom user interfaces, and graphically wire together function blocks to define your own software functionality for logging data, alarming, triggering, reporting, and performing real-time data analysis.


Figure 4. LabVIEW applications consist of a Front Panel (left) for your user interface and a Block Diagram (right) where you graphically configure software functionality.

 

Next Steps

See Pricing and Specifications for the USB-TC01

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