Data Translation DT9824 User Manual

UM-23782-G

DT9824
User’s Manual

Title Page

Copyright Page

Seventh Edition
August, 2012

Data Translation, Inc.
100 Locke Drive
Marlboro, MA 01752-1192
[phone]
www.datatranslation.com
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Copyright © 2010 - 2012 by Data Translation, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Information furnished by Data Translation, Inc. is believed to be
accurate and reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by
Data Translation, Inc. for its use; nor for any infringements of
patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its
use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any
patent rights of Data Translation, Inc.

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government
is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of
the Rights in Technical Data and Computer software clause at 48
C.F.R, 252.227-7013, or in subparagraph (c)(2) of the Commercial
Computer Software - Registered Rights clause at 48 C.F.R.,
52-227-19 as applicable. Data Translation, Inc., 100 Locke Drive,
Marlboro, MA 01752.

Data Translation® is a registered trademark of Data Translation,
Inc. ISO-Channel
.NET Class Library

TM

, DT-Open LayersTM, DT-Open Layers for

TM

, DataAcq SDKTM, LV-LinkTM, and DTx-EZ

TM

are trademarks of Data Translation, Inc.

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.

Radio and Television Interference

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with CISPR EN55022 Class A and
EN61000-6-1 requirements and also with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own
expense.

Changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by Data Translation
could void your authority to operate the equipment under Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

Note: This product was verified to meet FCC requirements under test conditions that
included use of shielded cables and connectors between system components. It is important
that you use shielded cables and connectors to reduce the possibility of causing interference
to radio, television, and other electronic devices.

FCC Page

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la class A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Intended Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How this Manual is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Conventions Used in this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Where To Get Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Part 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 2: Installing the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Attaching Modules to the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Connecting Directly to the Host Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Connecting to a Self-Powered USB Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Configuring the Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 3: Wiring Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Connecting Analog Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Connecting Digital I/O Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Connecting Digital Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Connecting Digital Output Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Chapter 4: Verifying the Operation of the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Running the Quick DataAcq Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Testing Single-Value Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Testing Continuous Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Testing Single-Value Digital Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Testing Single-Value Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Part 2: Using Your Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

5

Contents

Chapter 5: Principles of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Analog Input Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Specifying a Single Analog Input Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Specifying One or More Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Specifying the Digital Input Port in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . 50

Input Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Input Ranges and Gains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

A/D Sample Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Analog Input Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Data Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Digital I/O Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Digital Input Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Digital Output Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Channel-to-Channel Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Operation Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 6: Supported Device Driver Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Data Flow and Operation Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Data Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Thermocouple and RTD Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

IEPE Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Strain Gage Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Reference Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Clocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Counter/Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Tachometers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

6

Chapter 7: Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Using the Manual Calibration Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Chapter 8: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

If Your Module Needs Factory Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Appendix A: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Analog Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Frequency Response and Input Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Digital I/O Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Regulatory Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Connector Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Contents

Appendix B: Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators . . . . . . . . . . 93

Analog Input Screw Terminals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Digital I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

USB Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

LED Status Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

7

Contents

8

This manual describes how to install and set up your DT9824 module and device driver, and
verify that your module is working properly.

This manual also describes the features of the DT9824 module, the capabilities of the device
driver, and how to program the DT9824 module using the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class
Library™ software. Troubleshooting and calibration information is also provided.

Note: For information on checking system requirements, installing the software, and
viewing the documentation, refer to the README file on the OMNI CD.

For more information on the class library, refer to the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library
User’s Manual. If you are using the DataAcq SDK or a software application to program your
device, refer to the documentation for that software for more information.

Intended Audience

This document is intended for engineers, scientists, technicians, or others responsible for
using and/or programming the DT9824 module for data acquisition operations in the
Microsoft® Windows® Windows XP, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7 operating systems. It is
assumed that you have some familiarity with data acquisition principles and that you
understand your application.

About this Manual

How this Manual is Organized

This manual is organized as follows:

• Chapter 1, “Overview,” describes the major features of the DT9824 module, as well as the
supported software and accessories for the module, and provides an overview of the
getting started procedure.

• Chapter 2, “Installing the Module,” describes how to install the DT9824 module and
configure the device driver.

• Chapter 3, “Wiring Signals,” describes how to wire signals to a DT9824 module.

• Chapter 4, “Verifying the Operation of the Module,” describes how to verify the operation
of a DT9824 module with the Quick DataAcq application.

• Chapter 5, “Principles of Operation,” describes all of the features of the module and how
to use them in your application.

• Chapter 6, “Supported Device Driver Capabilities,” lists the data acquisition subsystems
and the associated features accessible using the DT9824 Device Driver.

• Chapter 7, “Calibration,” describes how to calibrate the analog input circuitry of the
DT9824 module.

9

About this Manual

Conventions Used in this Manual

• Chapter 8, “Troubleshooting,” provides information that you can use to resolve problems
with the module and the device driver, should they occur.

• Appendix A, “Specifications,” lists the specifications of the DT9824 module.

• Appendix B, “Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators,” shows the pin
assignments for the connectors and the screw terminal assignments for the DT9824
module.

• An index completes this manual.

The following conventions are used in this manual:

• Notes provide useful information or information that requires special emphasis, cautions
provide information to help you avoid losing data or damaging your equipment, and
warnings provide information to help you avoid catastrophic damage to yourself or your
equipment.

• Items that you select or type are shown in bold.

Related Information

Refer to the following documents for more information on using the DT9824 module:

• Benefits of the Universal Serial Bus for Data Acquisition. This white paper describes why USB
is an attractive alternative for data acquisition. It is available on the Data Translation web
site (www.datatranslation.com).

• DT-Open Layers for .NET User’s Manual (UM-22161). For programmers who are
developing their own application programs using Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET, this
manual describes how to use the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library to access the
capabilities of Data Translation data acquisition devices.

• DataAcq SDK User’s Manual (UM-18326). For programmers who are developing their own
application programs using the Microsoft C compiler, this manual describes how to use
the DT-Open Layers DataAcq SDK
acquisition devices.

• DTx-EZ Getting Started Manual (UM-15428). This manual describes how to use the ActiveX
controls provided in DTx-EZ
acquisition devices in Microsoft Visual Basic® or Visual C++®.

• LV-Link Online Help. This help file describes how to use LV-Link™ with the LabVIEW™
graphical programming language to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices.

TM

to access the capabilities of Data Translation data

TM

to access the capabilities of Data Translation data

10

Where To Get Help

Should you run into problems installing or using a DT9824 module, the Data Translation
Technical Support Department is available to provide technical assistance. Refer to Chapter 8
starting on page 75 for more information. If you are outside the United States or Canada, call
your local distributor, whose number is listed on Data Translation’s web site
(www.datatranslation.com).

About this Manual

11

About this Manual

12

1

Overview

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

13

Chapter 1

Features

The DT9824, shown in Figure 1, is a high-resolution (24-bit) data acquisition module for the
Universal Serial Bus (USB).

Figure 1: DT9824 Module

Most computers have two or more USB ports that allow direct connection to USB devices. You
can expand the number of USB devices attached to a single USB port by using expansion
hubs. The DT9824 module is part of the high-power, bus-powered USB class; therefore, the
module does not require external power, but the expansion hubs do require external power.

The DT9824 module resides outside of the PC and install with a single cable to ease
installation. Modules can be “hot swapped,” or plugged and unplugged while the PC is on,
making them useful for many data acquisition applications.

The DT9824 module provides the following major features:

• USB compatibility

• ISO-Channel™ protection eliminates noise and ground loops

− ±500 V galvanic isolation channel-to-channel for all analog input signals and to the

host computer to protect signal integrity

• Four, simultaneous, 24-bit analog input channels

• Sampling frequency of up to 4800 Hz

14

• Input gains of 1, 8, 16, and 32 with an input range of ±10 V to support the following
effective ranges: ±10 V, ±1.25 V, ±0.625 V, and ±0.3125 V

• Continuously paced analog input operations

• Software-programmable trigger type (software or external digital trigger) to start analog
input operations.

• 8 opto-isolated digital input lines

• 8 opto-isolated digital output lines; the outputs are solid-state relays that operate from
±30 V at currents up to 400 mA (peak) AC or DC

• Digital I/O galvanically isolated to 250 V when using all digital input lines

• You can read the digital input port through the analog input data stream for correlating
analog and digital measurements

Overview

15

Chapter 1

Supported Software

The following software is available for use with the DT9824 module:

• DT9824 Device Driver – This software is provided on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD
that is shipped with the module. The device driver allows you to use a DT9824 module
with any of the supported software packages or utilities.

• DT9824 Calibration Utility – This software is provided on the Data Acquisition OMNI
CD-ROM. The DT9824 Calibration Utility allows you to calibrate the analog input
circuitry of the DT9824 module. Refer to Chapter 7 starting on page 69 for more
information on this utility.

• Quick DataAcq application – This software is provided on the Data Acquisition OMNI
CD that is shipped with the module. The Quick DataAcq application provides a quick
way to get up and running using a DT9824 module. Using this application, you can verify
key features of the module, display data on the screen, and save data to disk.

• The quickDAQ application – An evaluation version of this .NET application is included
on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD. quickDAQ lets you acquire analog data from all
devices supported by DT-Open Layers for .NET software at high speed, plot it during
acquisition, analyze it, and/or save it to disk for later analysis.

• DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library – Use this class library if you want to use Visual
C# or Visual Basic for .NET to develop your own application software for a DT9824
module using Visual Studio 2003 or Visual Studio 2005; the class library complies with the
DT-Open Layers standard.

• DataAcq SDK – Use the Data Acq SDK if you want to use Visual Studio 6.0 and Microsoft
C or C++ to develop your own application software for a DT9824 module using Windows
XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7; the DataAcq SDK complies with the DT-Open Layers
standard.

• DTx-EZ – Use this optional software package if you want to use ActiveX controls to access
the capabilities of the DT9824 module using Microsoft Visual Basic or Visual C++;
DTx-EZ complies with the DT-Open Layers

• DAQ Adaptor for MATLAB – Data Translation’s DAQ Adaptor provides an interface
between the MATLAB Data Acquisition (DAQ) subsystem from The MathWorks and
Data Translation’s DT-Open Layers architecture.

• LV-Link – LV-Link is included on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD. Use this optional
software package if you want to use the LabVIEW graphical programming language to
access the capabilities of the DT9824 module.

Refer to the Data Translation web site (www.datatranslation.com) for more information on
the appropriate software package for your application.

standard.

16

Accessories

Tabl e 1 lists the optional accessories are available for the DT9824.

Table 1: Optional Accessories Available for the DT9824

Accessory Description

STP37 The STP37 permits easy screw terminal

connections for accessing the digital I/O
signals on a DT9824 module.

EP333 The EP333 is a 2-meter shielded cable with

two 37-pin connectors that connects the
STP37 screw terminal panel to the digital I/O
connector of the module.

Overview

EP380 Single rack-mount kit for mounting one

DT8824 instrument module into a 1U rack.

EP379 Dual Rack-mount kit for mounting two

DT8824 instrument modules side by side into
a 1U rack.

17

Chapter 1

Install the Module

(see Chapter 2 starting on page 21)

Wire Signals

(see Chapter 3 starting on page 29)

Verify the Operation of the Module

(see Chapter 4 starting on page 37)

Getting Started Procedure

The flow diagram shown in Figure 2 illustrates the steps needed to get started using the
DT9824 module. This diagram is repeated in each getting started chapter; the shaded area in
the diagram shows you where you are in the getting started procedure.

Figure 2: Getting Started Flow Diagram

18

Part 1: Getting Started

2

Installing the Module

Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Attaching Modules to the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Configuring the Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

21

Chapter 2

Install the Module and Configure the Device

Driver (this chapter)

Wire Signals

(see Chapter 3 starting on page 29)

Verify the Operation of the Module

(see Chapter 4 starting on page 37)

22

Unpacking

Open the shipping box and verify that the following items are present:

• DT9824 module

• EP365 USB cable

• Data Acquisition OMNI CD-ROM

If an item is missing or damaged, contact Data Translation. If you are in the United States, call
the Customer Service Department at [phone], ext. 1323. An application engineer will
guide you through the appropriate steps for replacing missing or damaged items. If you are
located outside the United States, call your local distributor, listed on Data Translation’s web
site (www.datatranslation.com).

Installing the Module

23

Chapter 2

EP365 Cables

DT9824

Modules

Host Computer

USB Ports

Attaching Modules to the Computer

You can attach a DT9824 module to the host computer in one of two ways:

• Connect directly to a USB port of the host computer, described on page 24. Use this
method if one or two DT9824 modules are sufficient for your application.

• Connect to one or more self-powered USB hubs, described on page 25. Use this method if
your application requires more than two DT9824 modules connected to the host
computer.

You must install the device driver before connecting your DT9824 module(s) to the host
computer.

Note: The DT9824 module is a low-power device (using less than 500 mA); therefore, it does
not require an external power supply.

Connecting Directly to the Host Computer

Generally, host computers have two or more USB ports. These ports are completely
independent. To connect a DT9824 module directly to a USB port of the computer, do the
following:

1. Attach one end of the EP365 cable, which is shipped with the DT9824 module, to the USB

port on the module.

2. Attach the other end of the EP365 cable to one of the USB ports on the host computer, as

shown in Figure 3.

The operating system automatically detects the USB device and starts the Found New Hardware
wizard.

Figure 3: Attaching the DT9824 Module Directly to the Host Computer

3. For Windows Vista

:

24

a. Click Locate and install driver software (recommended).

The popup message "Windows needs your permission to continue" appears.

b. Click Continue.

The Windows Security dialog box appears.

c. Click Install this driver software anyway.

For Windows XP:

a. Click Next and/or Finish as required in the wizard.

Once the firmware is loaded, the wizard restarts to initiate the firmware to accept commands.

b. Click Next and/or Finish again.

Note: Windows 7 finds the device automatically.

4. Repeat these steps to attach another DT9824 module to the host computer, if desired.

Note: You can unplug a module, and then plug it in again, if you wish, without causing

damage. This process is called hot-swapping.

Your application may take a few seconds to recognize a module once it is plugged back in.

Connecting to a Self-Powered USB Hub

Installing the Module

Self-powered USB hubs are USB hubs that are powered by their own external power supply.
The practical number of DT9824 modules that you can connect to a single USB port depends
on the throughput you want to achieve.

Note: The bandwidth of the USB Ver. 1.1 bus is 12 Mbits/second. For each DT9824 module,
the maximum sample rate is 4800 Samples/s x 4 bytes per samples x 5 channels (4 analog
input channels and the digital input port). Therefore, if you want to achieve full throughput
on each module, you should connect no more than four DT9824 modules to a single USB Ver.

1.1 port.

To connect a DT9824 module to a self-powered USB hub, do the following:

1. Attach one end of the EP365 cable to the DT9824 module and the other end of the EP365

cable to a self-powered USB hub.

2. Connect the power supply for the self-powered USB hub to an external power supply.

3. Connect the hub to the USB port on the host computer using another EP365 cable.

The operating system automatically detects the USB device and starts the Found New Hardware
wizard.

4. For Windows Vista

:

a. Click Locate and install driver software (recommended).

The popup message "Windows needs your permission to continue" appears.

b. Click Continue.

The Windows Security dialog box appears.

c. Click Install this driver software anyway.

25

Chapter 2

EP365 Cable

Self-Powered

USB Hubs

Host Computer

DT9824 Module

Power Supply

for Hub

DT9824 Module

DT9824 Module

EP365 Cables

EP365 Cables

EP365 Cable

DT9824 Module

For Windows XP:

a. Click Next and/or Finish as required in the wizard.

Once the firmware is loaded, the wizard restarts to initiate the firmware to accept commands.

b. Click Next and/or Finish again.

Note: Windows 7 finds the device automatically.

5. Repeat these steps until you have attached the number of hubs and modules that you

desire. Refer to Figure 4.

The operating system automatically detects the USB devices as they are installed.

Figure 4: Attaching DT9824 Modules to the Host Computer Using Self-Powered USB Hubs

Note: You can unplug a module, and then plug it in again, if you wish, without causing
damage. This process is called hot-swapping.

Your application may take a few seconds to recognize a module once it is plugged back in.

26

Configuring the Driver

Note: In Windows 7 and Vista, you must have administrator privileges to run the Open
Layers Control Panel. When you double-click the Open Layers Control Panel icon, you may
see the Program Compatibility Assistant. If you do, select Open the control panel using
recommended settings. You may also see a Windows message asking you if you want to run
the Open Layers Control Panel as a "legacy CPL elevated." If you get this message, click Yes.

If you do not get this message and have trouble making changes in the Open Layers Control
Panel, right click the DTOLCPL.CPL file and select Run as administrator. By default, this file
is installed in the following location:

Windows 7 and Vista (32-bit)
C:\Windows\System32\Dtolcpl.cpl

Windows 7 and Vista (64-bit)
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Dtolcpl.cpl

Installing the Module

To configure the DT9824 device driver, do the following:

1. If you have not already done so, power up the host computer and all peripherals.

2. From the Control Panel, double-click the Open Layers Data Acquisition Control Panel

icon.

The Open Layers dialog box appears.

3. If you want to rename the module, click Edit Name; otherwise, go to step 5.

4. Enter a new name for the module, and then click OK.

Note: This name is used to identify the module in all subsequent applications.

5. When you are finished configuring the module, click Close.

6. Close the Control Panel.

27

Chapter 2

28

3

Wiring Signals

Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Connecting Analog Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Connecting Digital I/O Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

29

Chapter 3

Install the Module

(see Chapter 2 starting on page 21)

Wire Signals

(this page)

Verify the Operation of the Module

(see Chapter 4 starting on page 37)

30

Preparing to Wire Signals

Analog Input Channels

Digital I/O Connector

The front panel of the DT9824 module, shown in Figure 5, contains four analog input channels
with screw terminal connectors for connecting analog input signals. The rear panel of the
DT9824 module, shown in Figure 6, has a 37-pin digital I/O connector for attaching 8
opto-isolated digital input signals and 8 opto-isolated digital output signals.

Wiring Signals

Figure 5: Analog Input Connectors of the DT9824 (Front Panel)

Figure 6: Digital I/O Connector of the DT9824 (Rear Panel)

31

Chapter 3

Keep the following recommendations in mind when wiring signals to the DT9824 module:

• Follow standard ESD procedures when wiring signals to the module.

• Use individually shielded twisted-pair wire (size 14 to 26 AWG) when using the DT9824
module in highly noisy electrical environments.

• Separate power and signal lines by using physically different wiring paths or conduits.

• To avoid noise, do not locate the DT9824 module and cabling next to sources that produce
high electromagnetic fields, such as large electric motors, power lines, solenoids, and
electric arcs, unless the signals are enclosed in a mumetal shield.

• Prevent electrostatic discharge to the I/O while the DT9824 module is operational.

• Connect all unused analog input channels to analog ground.

• When first installing the module, try wiring the signals as follows:

− Wire a function generator or a known voltage source to analog input channel 1 using

the differential configuration.

− Wire a digital input to digital input line 0.

− Wire a digital output to digital output line 0.

− Then, run the Quick DataAcq application (described in Chapter 4 starting on page 37)

to verify that the module is operating properly.

Once you have determined that the module is operating properly, wire the signals
according to your application’s requirements.

32

Connecting Analog Input Signals

1
+

3
–

2

No

Connect

4

GND

Vin +Vin –

Analog Input Channel

– +

1243

Shield

*Pin 2 is no connect

You can connect analog input signals to the DT9824 module in the differential configuration
only. Figure 7 shows the numbering of the screw terminal blocks for analog input connections.

Figure 7: Screw Terminal Block Numbering for Analog Input Connections

Wiring Signals

Figure 8 shows how to connect voltage inputs to the DT9824.

Figure 8: Connecting Voltage Inputs

Note: For best accuracy when connecting voltage inputs, use twisted-pair wires with a
dead-ended shield connected to pin 4 of the screw terminal block.

33

Chapter 3

EP333 Cable Assembly

STP37

Connect the EP333 Cable to the Digital I/O Connector of

DT9824 Module and to the STP37

Connecting Digital I/O Signals

To make digital I/O connections easier, you can use the optional STP37 screw terminal panel
and EP333 cable with your DT9824 module. Connect the STP37 to the digital I/O connector of
the module as shown in Figure 9:

34

Figure 9: Connecting the STP37 to the DT9824 Module

Figure 10 shows the layout of the STP37 screw terminal panel and lists the assignments of

each screw terminal.

Wiring Signals

J1

2

21

3

22

4

23

5

24

6

25

7

26

8

27

9

28

36

17

35

16

34

15

33

14

32

13

31

12

30

11

29

10

120181937

TB2

TB4

TB3

TB5

TB1

Digital Input 1+

Digital Output 7

Digital Input 1

−

Digital Input 2+

Digital Input 2

−

Digital Input 3+

Digital Input 3

−

Digital Input 4+

Digital Input 4

−

Digital Input 5+

Digital Input 5

−

Digital Input 6+

Digital Input 6

−

Digital Input 7+

Digital Input 7

−

Not Connected

Not Connected

Digital Output 7

Digital Output 6

Digital Output 6

Digital Output 5

Digital Output 5

Digital Output 4

Digital Output 4

Digital Output 3

Digital Output 3

Digital Output 2

Digital Output 2

Digital Output 1

Digital Output 1

Digital Output 0

Digital Output 0

Digital Input 0+

Digital Input 0−

External Trigger +

Not Connected

External Trigger –

DIN 0 +

DIN 1 +

TTL Outputs

DT9824

Digital I/O Connector

DIN 0 –

DIN 1 –

1 kΩ*

+5 V*

*1 kΩ pull-up to +5 V required for TTL outputs.

pin 21

pin 1

pin 20

pin 2

Figure 10: STP37 Screw Terminal Panel

Connecting Digital Input Signals

Figure 11 shows how to connect digital input signals (lines 0 and 1, in this case) to the digital

I/O connector on the DT9824 module.

Figure 11: Connecting Digital Inputs

35

Chapter 3

Digital Out 0

Digital Out 0pin 10

120 V AC

or 240 V AC

Relay

Motor

10 A

Fuse

NeutralHot

30V DC @ 400 mA

+ *

–

pin 29

DT9824

Digital I/O Connector

*Output can switch AC or DC.

Controlled by

Software

Connecting Digital Output Signals

The digital output lines on a DT9824 module act as solid-state relays. The customer-supplied
signal can be ±30 V at up to 400 mA (peak) AC or DC.

You can use the digital output lines of the module to control solid-state or mechanical relays or
high-current electric motors. Figure 12 shows how to connect digital output signals to line 0 of
the module to control a motor relay.

Figure 12: Switching up to 30 V at 400 mA

36

4

Verifying the Operation

of the Module

Running the Quick DataAcq Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Testing Single-Value Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Testing Continuous Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Testing Continuous Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Testing Single-Value Digital Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Testing Single-Value Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

37

Chapter 4

Install the Module and

Configure the Device Driver

(see Chapter 2 starting on page 21)

Wire Signals

(see Chapter 3 starting on page 29)

Verify the Operation of the Module

(this chapter)

You can verify the operation of a DT9824 module using the Quick DataAcq application. The
Quick DataAcq application allows you to do the following:

• Acquire data from a single analog input channel or digital input port

• Acquire data continuously from one or more analog input channels using an oscilloscope,
strip chart, or Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) view

• Output data from a single digital output port

• Save the input data to disk

This chapter describes how to install and run the Quick DataAcq application.

38

Running the Quick DataAcq Application

The Quick DataAcq application is installed automatically when you install the driver
software.

To run the Quick DataAcq application, do the following:

1. If you have not already done so, power up your computer and any attached peripherals.

2. Click Start from the Task Bar.

3. Browse to Programs|Data Translation, Inc| DT-Open Layers for

Win32|QuickDataAcq.

The main menu appears.

Note: The Quick DataAcq application allows you to verify basic operations on the board;
however, it may not support all of the board’s features.

For information on each of the features provided, use the online help for the Quick DataAcq
application by pressing F1 from any view or selecting the Help menu. If the system has
trouble finding the help file, navigate to C:\Program Files\Data Translation\Win32\
dtdataacq.hlp, where C: is the letter of your hard disk drive.

Verifying the Operation of the Module

39

Chapter 4

Testing Single-Value Analog Input

To verify that the module can read a single analog input value, do the following:

1. Connect a voltage source, such as a function generator, to analog input channel 1

(differential mode) on the DT9824 module. Refer to page 33 for information on connecting
analog input signals.

2. In the Quick DataAcq application, choose Single Analog Input from the Acquisition

menu.

3. Select the appropriate DT9824 module from the Board list box.

Note: Once you select the module, the LED on the module turns green.

4. In the Channel list box, select an index of 0 to select analog input channel 1.

5. In the Range list box, select the range for the channel.

The default is ±10 V.

6. Select Differential.

7. Click Get to acquire a single value from analog input channel 1.

The application displays the value on the screen in both text and graphical form.

40

Testing Continuous Analog Input

To verify that the module can perform a continuous analog input operation, do the following:

1. Connect known voltage sources, such as the outputs of a function generator, to analog

input channels 1 and 2 on the DT9824 module (using the differential configuration). Refer
to page 33 for more information on connecting analog input signals.

2. In the Quick DataAcq application, choose Scope from the Acquisition menu.

3. Select the appropriate DT9824 module from the Board list box.

Note: Once you select the module, the LED on the module turns green.

4. In the Sec/Div list box, select the number of seconds per division (.1 to .00001) for the

display.

5. Click Config from the Toolbar.

6. From the Config menu, select ChannelType, and then select Differential.

7. From the Config menu, select Range, and then select Bipolar.

The default is Bipolar.

Verifying the Operation of the Module

8. From the Scope view, double-click the input range of the channel to change the input

range of the module: ±10 V, ±1.25 V, ±0.625 V, or ±0.3125 V.

The display changes to reflect the selected range for all the analog input channels on the module.

9. In the Trigger box, select Auto to acquire data continuously from the specified channels or

Manual to acquire a burst of data from the specified channels.

10. Click Start from the Toolbar to start the continuous analog input operation.

The application displays the values acquired from each channel in a unique color on the oscilloscope
view.

Note: When the module is performing a continuous Scope or FFT operation, the LED on
the module turns green (the resulting color may appear yellow).

11. Click Stop from the Toolbar to stop the operation.

41

Chapter 4

Testing Single-Value Digital Input

To verify that the module can read a single digital input value, do the following:

1. Connect a digital input to digital input line 0 of port A on the DT9824 module. Refer to

page 35 for more information on connecting digital inputs.

2. In the Quick DataAcq application, choose Digital Input from the Acquisition menu.

3. Select the appropriate DT9824 module from the Board list box.

Note: Once you select the module, the LED on the module turns green.

4. Select digital input port A by clicking Port A.

5. Click Get.

The application displays the value of each digital input line in port A on the screen in both text and
graphical form.

42

Testing Single-Value Digital Output

To verify that the module can output a single digital output value, perform the following
steps:

1. Connect a digital output to digital output line 0 of port B on the DT9824 module. Refer to

page 36 for more information on connecting digital outputs.

2. In the Quick DataAcq application, choose Digital Output from the Control menu.

3. Select the appropriate DT9824 module from the Board list box.

Note: Once you select the module, the LED on the module turns green.

4. Select digital output port B by clicking Port B.

5. Click the appropriate bits to select the type of signal to write from the digital output lines.

If the bit is selected, a high-level signal is output from the digital output line; if the bit is
not selected, a low-level signal is output from the digital output line. Optionally, you can
enter an output value in the Hex text box.

Verifying the Operation of the Module

6. Click Send.

The application outputs and displays the value of each digital output line of digital port B on the
screen in both text and graphical form.

43

Chapter 4

44

Part 2: Using Your Module

45

Chapter

46

5

Principles of Operation

Analog Input Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Digital I/O Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

47

Chapter 5

Figure 13 shows a block diagram of the DT9824 module.

48

Figure 13: Block Diagram of the DT9824 Module

Analog Input Features

This section describes the following features of the analog input (A/D) subsystem on the
DT9824 module:

• Analog input channels, described on page 49

• Input resolution, described on page 50

• Input ranges and gains, described on page 50

• A/D sample clock sources, described on page 50

• Analog input conversion modes, described on page 51

• Triggers, described on page 51

• Data formats, described on page 52

• Data transfer, described on page 53

• Error conditions, described on page 53

Analog Input Channels

Principles of Operation

The DT9824 module supports four, simultaneous, analog input channels, configured
differentially. Refer to Chapter 3 for more information on wiring to the analog input channels.

The DT9824 module can acquire data from a single analog input channel or from a group of
analog input channels. In hardware analog input channels are numbered 1 to 4; in software,
the index of a channel is zero-based. Therefore, to access channel 1, specify an index of 0 in
software. Similarly, to access channel 4, specify an index of 3 in software.

Specifying a Single Analog Input Channel

The simplest way to acquire data from a single analog input channel is to use a single-value
analog input operation using software; refer to page 51 for more information about
single-value operations.

You can also specify a single channel using the analog input channel list, described next.

Specifying One or More Analog Input Channels

You can read data from one or more analog input channels using an channel-gain list. Because
the DT9824 module features simultaneous sampling, the order of the channels in the
channel-gain list does not matter. You cannot specify the same channel more than once in the
list.

Using software, specify the index (0 to 3) of the analog input channels that you want to
sample. Refer to page 51 for more information about the supported conversion modes.

49

Chapter 5

Specifying the Digital Input Port in the Analog Input Channel List

Using the DT9824 module, you can also read the digital input port (all 8 digital input lines) in
the analog input stream by specifying a channel index of 4 the channel-gain list. This feature is
particularly useful when you want to correlate the timing of analog and digital events. You
can enter channel 4 anywhere in the channel-gain list.

The digital input port is treated like any other channel in the analog input channel list;
therefore, all the clocking, triggering, and conversion modes supported for analog input
channels are supported for the digital input port, if you specify them this way.

Input Resolution

The analog input resolution of the DT9824 module is fixed at 24 bits.

Input Ranges and Gains

The DT9824 module supports an input range of ±10 V. In addition, you can choose from up to
4 gains (1, 8, 16, or 32). Tab l e 2 lists the supported gains and effective input range of each input
range on the DT9824 module.

Choose the gain that has the smallest effective range that includes the signal you want to
measure. For example, if the range of your analog input signal is ±1.05 V, specify a range of
±10 V for the A/D subsystem and use a gain of 8 for the channel; the effective input range for
this channel is then ±1.25 V, which provides the best sampling accuracy for that channel.

You can either specify the gain as part of the single-value operation. If you want to clock A/D
conversions, specify the gain for the channel entry in the channel-gain list.

A/D Sample Clock

The DT9824 module provides an internal A/D sample clock with a minimum sampling
frequency of 4.7 Hz and a maximum sampling frequency of 4800 Hz. All channels that are
specified in the channel-gain list are sampled simultaneously at the specified sampling
frequency.

Table 2: Effective Input Ranges

Gain Input Range

1 ±10 V

8 ±1.25 V

16 ±0.625 V

32 ±0.3125 V

50

As a guideline, the sampling frequency of the DT9824 should be a least 2.5 times the highest
input signal frequency that you are trying to measure. For example, to accurately sample a
400 Hz signal, it is recommended that you specify a sampling frequency of at least 1000 Hz.

The actual frequency that the module can achieve may be slightly different than the frequency
you specified due to the accuracy of the clock. You can determine the actual clock frequency
using software.

Triggers

A trigger is an event that occurs based on a specified set of conditions. The DT9824 module
supports the following trigger sources:

• Software trigger – A software trigger event occurs when you start the analog input

• External trigger – An external digital trigger occurs when the DT9824 module detects

Principles of Operation

operation (the computer issues a write to the module to begin conversions). Using
software, specify the trigger source as a software trigger.

either a falling-edge or rising-edge on the External trigger line. The edge-type is
software-programmable.

The external trigger connection is a differential input, allowing for TTL-level or switch
connections. The positive side is pulled up to +5 V. If you are using the external trigger to
detect a contact closure, ensure that you configure the polarity of the external trigger for a
falling-edge (high-to-low) transition.

Analog Input Conversion Modes

The DT9824 module supports the following conversion modes:

• Single-value operations are the simplest to use but offer the least flexibility and
efficiency. Using software, you can specify the range, gain, and index of the analog input
channel, and acquire the data from that channel. The data is returned immediately. For a
single-value operation, you cannot specify a clock source, trigger source, or buffer.

Single-value operations stop automatically when finished; you cannot stop a single-value
operation.

• Continuous mode takes full advantage of the capabilities of the DT9824 module. You can
specify a trigger source and buffer using software. (Refer to page 53 for more information
on buffers.)

You can stop a continuous operation by performing either an orderly stop or an abrupt
stop using software. In an orderly stop, the module finishes acquiring the data, stops all
subsequent acquisition, and transfers the acquired data to host memory; all subsequent
triggers are ignored. In an abrupt stop, the module stops acquiring samples immediately;
the acquired data is not transferred to host memory, and all subsequent triggers or
retriggers are ignored.

The conversion rate is determined by the frequency of the A/D sample clock; refer to page

50 for more information on the A/D sample clock.

DT9824 modules use an 8 kSample input FIFO for storing data from each of up to 5 enabled
input channels (analog input indices 0 to 3, and the digital input port, index 4).

51

Chapter 5

Initial trigger event occurs

Chan 0

Chan 1

Chan 2

Input

Sample

Clock

Data is acquired continuously

Chan 3

Chan 0

Chan 1

Chan 2

Chan 3

Chan 0

Chan 1

Chan 2

Chan 3

Chan 0

Chan 1

Chan 2

Chan 3

Chan 4 Chan 4 Chan 4 Chan 4

One sample from each of the enabled input channels is called a scan. In software, you specify
the number of scans that you want to acquire in the input buffer.

You can specify one of the following wrap modes for the input buffer in software:

• Continuous wrap mode – Use this mode if you want the input operation to continue
indefinitely. In this case, when the end of the input buffer is reached, the operation wraps
to the beginning of the input buffer overwriting the oldest scan data with the latest scan
data.

• No wrap mode – Use this mode if you want the input operation to stop automatically
when the number of scans specified has been acquired.

Figure 14 illustrates continuous wrap mode using a channel list with five entries: analog input

channel indices 0, 1, 2, 3, and the digital input data (index 4). In this example, data is acquired
simultaneously on all channels on each clock pulse of the input sample clock. Data is acquired
continuously until all the queued buffers have been filled or you stop the operation.

Figure 14: Continuous Wrap Mode

Data Format

The DT9824 module uses offset binary data encoding for the ±10 V bipolar range.

Note: When the DT9824 is above range, the value FFFFFFh (plus full-scale) is returned.
When the DT9824 module is below range, the value 000000h (minus full-scale) is returned.

52

Principles of Operation

In software, the analog input value is returned as a code. To convert the code to voltage, use
the following formulas:

LSB = FSR

Vin = Code * LSB + Offset

where,

• LSB is the least significant bit.

• FSR is the full-scale range. For the DT9824, the full-scale range is 20.

• N is the input resolution (24 bits).

• Vin is the analog voltage.

• Code is the raw count used by the software to represent the voltage.

• Offset is the actual minus full-scale value. The minus full-scale value is –10 V.

For example, if the software returns a code of 2010 for the analog input operation, determine
the analog input voltage as follows:

LSB = 20

Vin = 2010 * 0.00000119 + –10.0

N

2

16777216

= 0.00000119 V

Vin = –9.998 V

Data Transfer

The DT9824 module transfers data to a user buffer that you allocate in the host computer.
Keep the following recommendations in mind when allocating user buffers for continuous
analog input operations on the DT9824 module:

• Allocate a minimum of two user buffers.

• Specify the width of the buffer as 4 bytes.

Data is written to the allocated buffers continuously until no more empty buffers are available
or you stop the operation. The data is gap-free.

Error Conditions

The DT9824 module can report an A/D overrun error if the A/D sample clock rate is too fast.
The error occurs if a new A/D sample clock pulse occurs while the ADC is busy performing a
conversion from the previous A/D sample clock pulse. The host computer can clear this error.
To avoid this error, use a slower sampling rate.

53

Chapter 5

Digital Input

+

-

2.2K

Digital I/O Features

The DT9824 module provides 8 digital input lines and 8 digital output lines that you can use
to control external equipment, including solid-state or mechanical relays.

This section describes the following digital I/O features of the DT9824 modules:

• Digital input lines, described below

• Digital output lines, described on page 54

• Channel-to-channel isolation, described on page 55

• Resolution, described on page 55

• Operation modes, described on page 55

Digital Input Lines

The DT9824 module features eight, isolated, digital input lines.

Digital inputs operate from +3 to +28 V DC, with a switching time of 2 ms maximum. Figure

15 shows the digital input circuitry; a 2.2 kΩ resistor is used in series with the LED in the

opto-isolator input.

Figure 15: Digital Input Circuitry

A digital line is high (switch is closed) if its value is 1; a digital line is low (switch is open) if its
value is 0.

Digital Output Lines

The DT9824 module features eight, latched and isolated digital output lines. The outputs are
solid-state relays that operate at ±30 V and 400 mA peak (AC or DC). Switching time is 2 ms
maximum.

Figure 16 shows the digital output circuitry.

54

Figure 16: Digital Output Circuitry

Digital outputs resemble a switch; the switch is closed if the state of the digital output line is 1,
and the switch is open if the state of the digital output line is 0. On power up or reset, the
digital outputs are open.

Channel-to-Channel Isolation

The DT9824 module includes channel-to-channel isolation of up to 250 V between digital I/O
lines. If you require greater channel-to-channel isolation, use every other digital line. This
reduces the number of digital I/O lines, but provides channel-to-channel isolation of 500 V
(one channel can be +250 V while the adjacent channel can be –250 V).

Principles of Operation

Resolution

The DT9824 module provides a resolution of eight bits for the digital input port to
accommodate the eight isolated digital input lines and a resolution of eight bits for the digital
output port to accommodate the eight isolated digital output lines. These lines are organized
as isolated, dedicated ports. You cannot configure port resolution through software.

Operation Modes

The following digital I/O operation modes are supported for the DT9824 module:

• Single-value operations are the simplest to use but offer the least flexibility and
efficiency. You use software to specify the digital input or output port (the gain is
ignored). Data is then read from or written to the corresponding digital I/O lines.

• Continuous digital input takes full advantage of the capabilities of the DT9824 module
using the analog input clock source, conversion mode, and buffer. The analog input
sample clock then paces acquisition of the analog input channels as well as the digital
input port; refer to page 50 for more information about specifying the digital input port in
the analog input channel-gain list.

55

Chapter 5

56

6

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

Data Flow and Operation Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Thermocouple and RTD Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

IEPE Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Strain Gage Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Reference Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Clocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Counter/Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Tachometers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

57

Chapter 6

The DT9824 Device Driver provides support for the analog input (A/D), digital input (DIN),
and digital output (DOUT) subsystems. For information on how to configure the device
driver, refer to page 27.

Table 3: DT9824 Subsystems

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Total Subsystems on Module 1011000

The tables in this chapter summarize the features available for use with the DT-Open Layers
for .NET Class Library and the DT9824 module. The DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library
provides properties that return support information for specified subsystem capabilities.

The first row in each table lists the subsystem types. The first column in each table lists all
possible subsystem capabilities. A description of each capability is followed by the property
used to describe that capability in the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library.

Note: The following tables include the capabilities that can be queried. However, some
capabilities may not be supported by your device. Blank fields represent unsupported
options.

For more information, refer to the description of these properties in the DT-Open Layers for
.NET Class Library online help or DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library User’s Manual.

58

Data Flow and Operation Options

Table 4: Data Flow and Operation Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Single-Value Operation Support
SupportsSingleValue Ye s Ye s Ye s

Simultaneous Single-Value Output Operations

SupportsSetSingleValues

Continuous Operation Support
SupportsContinuous Ye s Ye s

Continuous Operation until Trigger

SupportsContinuousPreTrigger

Continuous Operation before & after Trigger

SupportsContinuousPrePostTrigger

Waveform Operations Using FIFO Only

SupportsWaveformModeOnly

Simultaneous Start List Support
SupportsSimultaneousStart Ye s

Supports Programmable Synchronization Modes

SupportsSynchronization

Synchronization Modes

SynchronizationMode

Interrupt Support

SupportsInterruptOnChange

Output FIFO Size

a

FifoSize

Auto-Calibrate Support
SupportsAutoCalibrate Ye s

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

a. The input FIFO holds 8 kSamples.

59

Chapter 6

Buffering

Table 5: Buffering Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Buffer Support
SupportsBuffering Ye s

Single Buffer Wrap Mode Support

SupportsWrapSingle

Inprocess Buffer Flush Support
SupportsInProcessFlush Ye s

Triggered Scan Mode

Table 6: Triggered Scan Mode Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Triggered Scan Support

SupportsTriggeredScan

Maximum Number of CGL Scans per Trigger
MaxMultiScanCount 100

Maximum Retrigger Frequency
MaxRetriggerFreq 000

Minimum Retrigger Frequency
MinRetriggerFreq 000

Data Encoding

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Binary Encoding Support
SupportsBinaryEncoding Ye s

Twos Complement Support

SupportsTwosCompEncoding

Returns Floating-Point Values

ReturnsFloats

a. The DT9824 uses offset binary encoding for the ±10 V range.

Table 7: Data Encoding Options

a

Ye s Ye s

60

Channels

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

Table 8: Channel Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Number of Channels
NumberOfChannels 5

SE Support
SupportsSingleEnded Ye s Ye s

SE Channels
MaxSingleEndedChannels 011

DI Support
SupportsDifferential Ye s

DI Channels
MaxDifferentialChannels 500

Maximum Channel-Gain List Depth
CGLDepth 500

Simultaneous Sample-and-Hold Support

SupportsSimultaneousSampleHold

Channel-List Inhibit

SupportsChannelListInhibit

a. You can acquire data from four analog input channels (indices 0 to 3) and the digital input port (index 4).

a

0110 0

Gain

Table 9: Gain Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Programmable Gain Support
SupportsProgrammableGain Ye s

Number of Gains
NumberOfSupportedGains 411

Gains Available
SupportedGains 1, 8, 16, 32 1 1

61

Chapter 6

Ranges

Table 10: Range Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Number of Voltage Ranges
NumberOfRanges 1 000 0 0

Available Ranges
SupportedVoltageRanges ±10 V

Current Output Support

SupportsCurrentOutput

Resolution

Table 11: DT9824 Resolution Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Software Programmable Resolution

SupportsSoftwareResolution

Number of Resolutions
NumberOfResolutions 10110 0

Available Resolutions
SupportedResolutions 24 8 8

62

Thermocouple and RTD Support

Table 12: Thermocouple and RTD Support Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Thermocouple Support

SupportsThermocouple

RTD Support

SupportsRTD

Resistance Support

ReturnsOhms

Voltage Converted to Temperature in Hardware

SupportsTemperatureDataInStream

Supported Thermocouple Types

ThermocoupleType

Supported RTD Types

RTDType

Supports CJC Source Internally in Hardware

SupportsCjcSourceInternal

Supports CJC Channel

SupportsCjcSourceChannel

Available CJC Channels

CjcChannel

Supports Interleaved CJC Values in Data Stream

SupportsInterleavedCjcTemperaturesInStream

Supports Programmable Filters

SupportsTemperatureFilters

Programmable Filter Types

TemperatureFilterType

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

IEPE Support

Table 13: IEPE Support Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Software Programmable AC Coupling

SupportsACCoupling

Software Programmable DC Coupling

SupportsDCCoupling

Software Programmable External Excitation Current Source

SupportsExternalExcitationCurrentSrc

Software Programmable Internal Excitation Current Source

SupportsInternalExcitationCurrentSrc

Available Excitation Current Source Values

SupportedExcitationCurrentValues

63

Chapter 6

Strain Gage Support

Table 14: Strain Gage Support Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Strain Gage Support

SupportsStrainGage

External Excitation Voltage

SupportsExternalExcitationVoltage

Internal Excitation Voltage

SupportsInternalExcitationVoltage

Shunt Calibration

SupportsShuntCalibration

Voltage Excitation Per Channel

SupportedPerChannelVoltageExcitation

Minimum Excitation Voltage

MinExcitationVoltage

Maximum Excitation Voltage

MaxExcitationVoltage

Triggers

Table 15: Trigger Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Software Trigger Support
SupportsSoftwareTrigger Ye s Ye s Ye s

External Positive TTL Trigger Support
SupportsPosExternalTTLTrigger Ye s

External Negative TTL Trigger Support
SupportsNegExternalTTLTrigger Ye s

External Positive TTL Trigger Support for Single-Value Operations

SupportsSvPosExternalTTLTrigger

External Negative TTL Trigger Support for Single-Value Operations

SupportsSvNegExternalTTLTrigger

Positive Threshold Trigger Support

SupportsPosThresholdTrigger

Negative Threshold Trigger Support

SupportsNegThresholdTrigger

Digital Event Trigger Support

SupportsDigitalEventTrigger

64

Reference Triggers

Table 16: Reference Trigger Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

External Positive TTL Trigger Support

SupportsPosExternalTTLTrigger

External Negative TTL Trigger Support

SupportsNegExternalTTLTrigger

Positive Threshold Trigger Support

SupportsPosThresholdTrigger

Negative Threshold Trigger Support

SupportsNegThresholdTrigger

Digital Event Trigger Support

SupportsDigitalEventTrigger

Sync Bus Support

SupportsSyncBusTrigger

Analog Input Channels Supported for the Threshold Trigger

SupportedThresholdTriggerChannels

Post-Trigger Scan Count Support

SupportsPostTriggerScanCount

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

Clocks

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Internal Clock Support
SupportsInternalClock Ye s

External Clock Support

SupportsExternalClock

Simultaneous Input/Output on a Single Clock Signal

SupportsSimultaneousClocking

Base Clock Frequency
BaseClockFrequency 4800 Hz 0 0

Maximum Clock Divider
MaxExtClockDivider 1.0 1.0 1.0

Minimum Clock Divider
MinExtClockDivider 1.0 1.0 1.0

Maximum Frequency
MaxFrequency 4800 Hz 0 0

Minimum Frequency

MinFrequency 4.7 Hz 0 0

Table 17: Clock Options

65

Chapter 6

Counter/Timers

Table 18: Counter/Timer Options

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Cascading Support

SupportsCascading

Event Count Mode Support

SupportsCount

Generate Rate Mode Support

SupportsRateGenerate

One-Shot Mode Support

SupportsOneShot

Repetitive One-Shot Mode Support

SupportsOneShotRepeat

Up/Down Counting Mode Support

SupportsUpDown

Edge-to-Edge Measurement Mode Support

SupportsMeasure

Continuous Edge-to-Edge Measurement Mode Support

SupportsContinuousMeasure

High to Low Output Pulse Support

SupportsHighToLowPulse

Low to High Output Pulse Support

SupportsLowToHighPulse

Variable Pulse Width Support

SupportsVariablePulseWidth

None (internal) Gate Type Support

SupportsGateNone

High Level Gate Type Support

SupportsGateHighLevel

Low Level Gate Type Support

SupportsGateLowLevel

High Edge Gate Type Support

SupportsGateHighEdge

Low Edge Gate Type Support

SupportsGateLowEdge

Level Change Gate Type Support

SupportsGateLevel

Clock-Falling Edge Type

SupportsClockFalling

Clock-Rising Edge Type

SupportsClockRising

Gate-Falling Edge Type

SupportsGateFalling

Gate-Rising Edge Type

SupportsGateRising

Interrupt-Driven Operations

SupportsInterrupt

66

Tachometers

DT9824 A/D D/A DIN DOUT C/T TACH QUAD

Tachometer Falling Edges

SupportsFallingEdge

Tachometer Rising Edges

SupportsRisingEdge

Tachometer Stale Data Flag

SupportsStaleDataFlag

Supported Device Driver Capabilities

Table 19: Tachometer Options

67

Chapter 6

68

7

Calibration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Using the Manual Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

69

Chapter 7

Overview

DT9824 modules are calibrated at the factory and should not require calibration for initial use.
We recommend that you check and, if necessary, readjust the calibration of the analog input
circuitry on the DT9824 modules every six months using the DT9824 Calibration Utility,
described in this chapter.

To calibrate the 24-bit A/D offset and A/D gain circuits on your module, you must use a
precision voltage standard, such as the Krohn-Hite Model 523 or equivalent.

70

Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure

Note: Ensure that you let the DT9824 module warm-up for a minimum of 1 hour before
calibrating it.

Auto-calibration is the easiest to use and is the recommended calibration method. To
auto-calibrate the analog input subsystem, do the following:

1. From the Automatic Calibration area at the bottom of the window, select the channel to

calibrate from the Type o f Cal i bra t ion drop-down list box.

2. Click the Start button.

The utility prompts you to connect 0 V to the channel to calibrate the offset at different gain
settings and at different frequencies.

When calibrating 0 V, it is preferred that you connect a dead-short wire to the channel rather than
supplying 0 V through the voltage source.

3. Ensure that you supply the correct voltage to the selected channel, and then click OK.

The utility prompts you to connect various voltages to the channel to calibrate the gain at different
gain settings and at different frequencies.

Calibration

4. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the remaining A/D channels on the module, following the

on-screen prompts.

Note: At any time, you can click Restore Factory Settings to reset the A/D calibration
values to their original factory settings. This process will undo any auto or manual calibration
settings.

71

Chapter 7

Using the Manual Calibration Procedure

Note: Ensure that you let the DT9824 module warm-up for a minimum of 1 hour before
calibrating it.

If you want to manually calibrate the analog input circuitry instead of auto-calibrating it,
perform the following steps:

1. Select the A/D channel to calibrate (at the top of the window).

2. Select the frequency to use for the calibration (100 or 1200). If you select 100, the chopper

is enabled for the A/D converter at frequencies equal to or lower than 960 Hz. If you
select 1200, the chopper is disabled for the A/D converter at frequencies greater than
960 Hz.

3. Adjust the offset for the selected channel as follows:

a. Select the gain to apply to the channel (1, 8, 16, or 32).

b. To calibrate to 0 V, connect a dead-short wire to the selected channel.

The actual voltage is continuously returned in the AD Voltage text box. Since this number is
constantly changing, a Running Average value is also displayed.

c. If desired, click the Reset button under the Running Average edit box to reset the

running average.

d. Once the Running Average value has settled, adjust the offset by entering values in

the Offset edit box, or by clicking the up/down buttons until the Running Average
value matches 0 V.

e. Repeat steps 3a to 3d, selecting the next gain in the list, until the offset values are

calibrated for each gain setting.

4. Adjust the gain for the selected channel as follows:

a. Select the gain to apply to the channel (1, 8, 16, or 32).

b. Apply the appropriate voltage, shown in Tab le 20 , for the selected gain.

Table 20: Voltages for Calibrating the Gain

Gain Voltage to Apply

1 9.60000 V

8 1.20000 V

16 0.60000 V

32 0.30000V

72

c. If desired, click the Reset button under the Running Average edit box to reset the

Running Average value.

Calibration

d. Once the Running Average value has settled, adjust the gain by entering values in the

Gain edit box, or by clicking the up/down buttons until the Running Average value
matches the value you applied.

e. Repeat steps 4a to 4d, selecting the next gain in the list, until the gain values are

calibrated for each gain setting.

5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the remaining frequency until the offset and gain values are

calibrated for each frequency for the selected channel.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for the remaining A/D channels that you want to calibrate.

Note: At any time, you can click Restore Factory Settings to reset the A/D calibration

values to their original factory settings. This process will undo any auto or manual calibration
settings.

73

Chapter 7

74

8

Troubleshooting

General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

If Your Module Needs Factory Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

75

Chapter 8

General Checklist

Should you experience problems using the DT9824 module, follow these steps:

1. Read all the documentation provided for your product. Make sure that you have added

any “Read This First” information to your manual and that you have used this
information.

2. Check the OMNI CD for any README files and ensure that you have used the latest

installation and configuration information available.

3. Check that your system meets the requirements stated in the README file on the OMNI

CD.

4. Check that you have installed your hardware properly using the instructions in

Chapter 2.

5. Check that you have installed and configured the device driver properly using the

instructions in Chapter 2.

6. Search the DT Knowledgebase in the Support section of the Data Translation web site (at

www.datatranslation.com) for an answer to your problem.

If you still experience problems, try using the information in Tab le 21 to isolate and solve the
problem. If you cannot identify the problem, refer to page 76.

Table 21: Troubleshooting Problems

Symptom Possible Cause Possible Solution

Module is not recognized You plugged the module into

your computer before
installing the device driver.

Module does not respond. The module configuration is

incorrect.

The module is damaged. Contact Data Translation for technical support;

Intermittent operation. Loose connections or

vibrations exist.

The module is overheating. Check environmental and ambient temperature;

Electrical noise exists. Check your wiring and either provide better

From the Control Panel > System > Hardware >
Device Manager, uninstall any unknown devices
(showing a yellow question mark). Then, run the
setup program on your OMNI CD to install the USB
device drivers, and reconnect your USB module to
the computer.

Check the configuration of your device driver.

refer to page 78.

Check your wiring and tighten any loose
connections or cushion vibration sources.

consult the module’s specifications on page 89 of
this manual and the documentation provided by
your computer manufacturer for more information.

shielding or reroute unshielded wiring.

76

Table 21: Troubleshooting Problems (cont.)

Symptom Possible Cause Possible Solution

Troubleshooting

Device failure error
reported.

Data appears to be
invalid.

Computer does not boot. The power supply of the

The DT9824 module cannot
communicate with the
Microsoft bus driver or a
problem with the bus driver
exists.

The DT9824 module was
removed while an operation
was being performed.

An open connection exists. Check your wiring and fix any open connections.

A transducer is not connected
to the channel being read.

The module is set up for
differential inputs while the
transducers are wired as
single-ended inputs or vice
versa.

computer is too small to
handle all the system
resources.

Check your cabling and wiring and tighten any
loose connections.

Ensure that your DT9824 module is properly
connected.

Check the transducer connections.

Check your wiring and ensure that what you specify
in software matches your hardware configuration;
the A/D configuration should be differential.

Check the power requirements of your system
resources and, if needed, get a larger power
supply; consult the module’s specifications on page

89 of this manual.

77

Chapter 8

Technical Support

If you have difficulty using the DT9824 module, Data Translation’s Technical Support
Department is available to provide technical assistance.

To request technical support, to go our web site at http://www.datatranslation.com and click
on the Support link.

When requesting technical support, be prepared to provide the following information:

• Your product serial number

• The hardware/software product you need help on

• The version of the OMNI CD you are using

• Your contract number, if applicable

If you are located outside the USA, contact your local distributor; see our web site
(www.datatranslation.com) for the name and telephone number of your nearest distributor.

78

If Your Module Needs Factory Service

If your module must be returned to Data Translation, do the following:

1. Record the module’s serial number, and then contact the Customer Service Department at

[phone], ext. 1323 (if you are in the USA) and obtain a Return Material
Authorization (RMA).

If you are located outside the USA, call your local distributor for authorization and
shipping instructions; see our web site (www.datatranslation.com) for the name and
telephone number of you nearest distributor. All return shipments to Data Translation
must be marked with the correct RMA number to ensure proper processing.

2. Using the original packing materials, if available, package the module as follows:

− Wrap the module in an electrically conductive plastic material. Handle with ground

protection. A static discharge can destroy components on the board.

− Place in a secure shipping container.

3. Return the board to the following address, making sure the RMA number is visible on the

outside of the box.

Customer Service Dept.
Data Translation, Inc.
100 Locke Drive
Marlboro, MA 01752-1192

Troubleshooting

79

Chapter 8

80

A

Specifications

Analog Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Digital I/O Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Regulatory Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Connector Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

81

Appendix A

Analog Input Specifications

Tabl e 22 lists the specifications for the A/D subsystem on the DT9824 module.

Table 22: A/D Subsystem Specifications

Feature DT9824 Specifications

Number of analog inputs 4 Differential

Number of gains 4 (1, 8, 16, 32)

Resolution 24 bits

Data encoding Offset binary

Coupling DC

Sample frequency per channel 4.7 Hz to 4800 Hz

System accuracy @ 10 Hz
(full-scale = 10 V)

Gain = 1:
Gain = 8:
Gain = 16:
Gain = 32:

0.001%

0.002%

0.003%

0.005%

System accuracy @ 100 Hz
(full-scale = 10 V)

Gain = 1:
Gain = 8:
Gain = 16:
Gain = 32:

System accuracy @ 1200 Hz
(full-scale = 10 V)

Gain = 1:
Gain = 8:
Gain = 16:
Gain = 32:

System accuracy @ 4800 Hz
(full-scale = 10 V)

Gain = 1:
Gain = 8:
Gain = 16:
Gain = 32:

Nonlinearity (integral)

Gain = 1:
Gain > 1:

Differential linearity ±1.0 LSB (no missing codes)

Input range

Gain = 1:
Gain = 8:
Gain = 16:
Gain = 32:

0.001%

0.002%

0.003%

0.006%

0.001%

0.002%

0.004%

0.007%

0.001%

0.003%

0.005%

0.010%

±5 ppm full-scale maximum
±15 ppm full-scale maximum

±10 V
±1.25 V
±0.625 V
±0.3125 V

82

Table 22: A/D Subsystem Specifications (cont.)

Feature DT9824 Specifications

Offset drift versus temperature

≤ 600Hz:

> 600Hz:

Offset drift versus time 25 nV/1000 hours typical

Gain drift versus temperature ±10 ppm/°C

Gain drift versus time 10 ppm/1000 hours typical

Input impedance
Power off:
Power on:

50 nV/°C
150 nV/°C

3 k

Ω

10 MΩ// 3 kΩ in series with 4700 pF

Specifications

Input bias current

Input noise (@10 Hz sample rate; gain of 1) 3.6

System noise See Table 23 and Figure 18 on page 85

Analog input filter 10 kHz

Common mode rejection @ 10 Hz > –150 dB @ 50 Hz and 60 Hz

Common mode voltage ±500 V maximum (operational)

Maximum input voltage ±40 V maximum (protection)

Channel-to-channel offset ±10 μV

Effective number of bits (ENOB)
@10 Hz with a 1 Hz, ±9.9 V sine wave input 21 bits typical

Channel crosstalk

Input coupling DC

Isolation voltage ±500 V to computer ground

Channel-to-channel isolation ±500 V

ESD protection

Arc:
Contact:

≤ ±1 nA

μV rms = 23.6 μV pp or < 1.5 ppm

(see Figure 17 on page 84)

–150 dB @ 1 kHz

8 kV
4 kV

Internal reference 1.25 V ±0.001 V

–3 dB point (low pass)

Sample rate less than or equal to 600 Samples/s
Sample greater than 600 Samples/s

Internal clock ±100 ppm maximum (typical initial ±25 ppm)

Warm-up time 1 hour

a. Refer to page 85 for more information about the frequency response, input bandwidth, and correction factors.
b. This clock is derived from the crystal oscillator. The specification includes initial tolerance, power supply variations,

temperature drift, and 1 year stability.

a

f −3 dB = 0.24 x fADC

−3 dB = 0.23 x fADC

f

b

83

Appendix A

Noise

Figure 17 shows the maximum noise measurement at 10 Hz with a gain of 1.

Figure 17: Maximum Noise Measurement During Typical Usage at 10 Hz with a Gain of 1

Figure 23 shows the typical RMS noise, in microvolts, of the DT9824 at sampling rates of

10 Samples/s, 100 Samples/s, 960 Samples/s, and 4800 Samples/s and gains of 1, 8, 16, and

32.

Table 23: DT9824 System Noise

Gain 10 Samples/s 100 Samples/s 960 Samples/s 4800 Samples/s

13.6

80.7

16 0.6

32 0.4

μVrms 12.0 μVrms 25.0 μVrms 63.0 μVrms

μVrms 2.0 μVrms 4.2 μVrms 11.0 μVrms

μVrms 1.8 μVrms 2.8 μVrms 7.5 μVrms

μVrms 1.3 μVrms 2.3 μVrms 6.5 μVrms

Figure 18 shows this data in graphical form.

84

Figure 18: System Noise Specification

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

10 100 960 4800

uVrms

Data Rate, SPS

DT9824 System Noise

Gain = 1

Gain= 8

Gain= 16

Gain= 32

Specifications

Frequency Response and Input Bandwidth

Each channel of the DT9824 includes a dedicated 24-bit Sigma-Delta A/D converter. The
ultra-low noise and accuracy of these converters is achieved using an oversampling
Sigma-Delta modulator followed by a multi-order Sinc filter and a digital low-pass
filter/decimator.

The filter response has a gentle rolloff from DC with a 3 dB signal bandwidth that is
determined by the user-selected sampling rate, shown in Tab le 24 .

Table 24: −3 dB Bandwidth

Sampling Frequency −3 dB Bandwidth Point

Less than or equal to 600 Samples/s 0.24 x sample rate

Greater than 600 Samples/s 0.23 x sample rate

85

Appendix A

–3 dB point = 1104 Hz

Figure 19 shows the frequency response using a sampling rate of 4800 Samples/s.

Figure 19: Frequency Response of the DT9824 When Using a Sampling Rate of 4800 Samples/s

As you can see, the frequency response of the DT9824 gently rolls off from DC due to the
filtering of the Sigma-Delta A/D converter. You can use software to apply a correction factor
to the acquired data to compensate for the filter response of the A/D converter. The correction
factor depends on the input frequency of the signal you are trying to measure and the
sampling rate of the DT9824. Tabl e 25 shows the gain correction factors for typical input
frequencies and sampling rates.

86

Specifications

Table 25: Gain Correction Factors

Sampling Rate of the DT9824

Frequency

of the Input

Signal (Hz)

DC 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000

2 1.257 1.035 1.006 1.002 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000

10 – 3.456 1.168 1.056 1.001 1.001 1.000 1.000

50 – – – – 1.038 1.017 1.006 1.001

60 – – – – 1.055 1.024 1.008 1.001

100 – – – – 1.167 1.068 1.023 1.003

200 – – – – 2.087 1.304 1.095 1.011

500 – – – – – 6.040 1.791 1.073

1000 – – – – – – – 1.325

2000 – – – – – – – 3.158

10

Samples/s

25

Samples/s

60

Samples/s

100

Samples/s

600

Samples/s

960

Samples/s

1600

Samples/s

4800

Samples/s

87

Appendix A

Digital I/O Specifications

Tabl e 26 lists the specifications for the digital input (DIN) and digital output (DOUT)

subsystems on the DT9824 module.

Table 26: Digital I/O Specifications

Feature DT9824 Specifications

Number of digital I/O lines 16 (8 Isolated Inputs,

8 Isolated Outputs)

Number of ports 2, 4-bit (1 In, 1 Out)

Inputs

Input type:
High input voltage:
Low input voltage:
High input current:
Low input current:
Termination:

Outputs

Output type:
Output driver:
High output:
Low output:
Breakdown voltage:
Contact impedance:

DC
+3 to +28 V
< +1.5 V

Ω resistor to 1.2 V

2.2 k

2.2 kΩ resistor to 1.2 V
Series 2.2 k

Solid-state relay
CMOS
± 30 V

0.4 V @ 400 mA
± 60 V

Ω

1

Ω

Isolation voltage

To computer ground:
Channel to channel

a. Determined by the pin spacing in the 37-pin digital connector. For greater

channel-to-channel isolation, use every other digital I/O line; using every
other digital I/O line allows ±500 V isolation channel-to-channel.

±500 V
±250 V

a

88

Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications

Tabl e 27 lists the power, physical, and environmental specifications for the DT9824 module.

Table 27: Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications

Feature DT9824 Specifications

Power
+5 V Standby:
+5 V Enumeration:
+5 V Power ON:

Power Consumption:

Physical Dimensions

Width:
Length:
Height:
Weight:

Environmental
Operating temperature range:
Storage temperature range:
Relative humidity:

500 μA maximum
100 mA maximum (75 mA typical)
500 mA maximum (420 mA typical)
425 mA current draw

8.380 inches (212.85 mm)

9.319 inches (236.7 mm)

1.720 inches (43.69 mm)
31 ounces (880 g)

0° C to 55° C

–25° C to 85° C

To 95%, noncondensing

Specifications

89

Appendix A

Regulatory Specifications

The DT9824 module is CE-compliant. Table 28 lists the regulatory specifications for the
DT9824 module.

Table 28: Regulatory Specifications

Feature Specifications

Emissions (EMI) FCC Part 15, Class A

EN55011:2007 (Based on CISPR-11, 2003/A2, 2006)

Immunity EN61326-1:2006

Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use

EMC Requirements
EN61000-4-2:2009
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) 4 kV contact discharge,
8 kV air discharge, 4 kV horizontal and vertical coupling planes

EN61000-4-3:2006
Radiated electromagnetic fields, 3 V/m, 80 to 1000 MHz;
3 V/m, 1.4 GHz to 2 GHz; 1 V/m, 2 GHz to 2.7 GHz

EN61000-4-4:2004
Electrical Fast Transient/Burst (EFT) 1 kV on data cables

EN61000-4-6:2009
Conducted immunity requirements, 3 Vrms on data cables
150 kHz to 80 MHz

RoHS (EU Directive 2002/95/EG) Compliant (as of July 1st, 2006)

Safety UL, CSA

90

Connector Specifications

Tabl e 29 lists the cable and connector specifications for the DT9824 module.

Table 29: DT9824 Cable and Connector Specifications

Feature DT9824 Specifications

USB cable 2-meter, Type A-B, USB cable

Data Translation part#17394 or AMP part# 974327-1

4-position Screw terminal block Header: Phoenix Contact 1803293

Plug: Phoenix Contact 1803594

37-pin Digital I/O connector

Connector on module:
Mating connector:

37-pin D, AMP part# 5747847-4
AMP/Tyco part# 5-747916-2

Specifications

91

Appendix A

92

B

Connector Pin Assignments and

LED Status Indicators

Analog Input Screw Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Digital I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

USB Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

LED Status Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

93

Appendix B

43 2 1

Analog Input Screw Terminals

Figure 20 shows the terminal blocks for each analog input channel on the DT9824 module.

Figure 20: Screw Terminals of the Analog Input Channels

Tabl e 30 summarizes the screw terminal assignments.

Table 30: Screw Terminal Assignments for the Analog Input Channels

Screw Terminals Signal Description

1 Analog Input +

2 Not Connected

3 Analog Input –

4 Analog Ground

94

Digital I/O Connector

119

2037

Figure 21 shows the pin locations of the digital I/O connector on the DT9824 module.

Figure 21: Digital I/O Connector

Tabl e 31 lists the pin assignments of the digital I/O connector.

Table 31: Digital I/O Connector Pin Assignments

Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description

1 Digital Input 0 + 20 Digital Input 0 –

Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators

2 Digital Input 1 + 21 Digital Input 1 –

3 Digital Input 2 + 22 Digital Input 2 –

4 Digital Input 3 + 23 Digital Input 3 –

5 Digital Input 4 + 24 Digital Input 4 –

6 Digital Input 5 + 25 Digital Input 5 –

7 Digital Input 6 + 26 Digital Input 6 –

8 Digital Input 7 + 27 Digital Input 7 –

9 Not Connected 28 Not Connected

10 Digital Output 0 29 Digital Output 0

11 Digital Output 1 30 Digital Output 1

12 Digital Output 2 31 Digital Output 2

13 Digital Output 3 32 Digital Output 3

14 Digital Output 4 33 Digital Output 4

15 Digital Output 5 34 Digital Output 5

16 Digital Output 6 35 Digital Output 6

17 Digital Output 7 36 Digital Output 7

18 External Trigger + 37 External Trigger –

19 Not Connected

Note: The outer shell of the connector provides the cable shield to chassis ground.

95

Appendix B

1

2 3

4

USB Connector

Figure 22 shows the pin locations of the USB connector on the DT9824 module.

Figure 22: USB Connector

Tabl e 32 lists the pin assignments of the digital I/O connector.

Table 32: USB Connector Pin Assignments

Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description

1 USB +5 V 3 USB Data +

2 USB Data – 4 USB Ground

96

LED Status Indicators

Each DT9824 module has a single bi-color LED that indicates the status of the module, as
described in Tabl e 33.

Table 33: LED Status Indicators on the DT9824 Module

Color of the LED Status Description

Green Module is powered

Blinking amber Module is acquiring data

Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators

97

Appendix B

98

Index

Index

A

A/D sample clock 50
A/D subsystem, specifications
A/D trigger
accessories
administrator privileges
analog input features

A/D sample clock
adding a digital input port to the channel list
channel list
channels
conversion modes
data format
data transfer
differential channels
error conditions
gain
input ranges
resolution
specifications
testing continuous operations
testing single-value operations
triggers
wiring voltage inputs

application wiring

digital inputs
digital outputs
voltage inputs

applications

Quick DataAcq
quickDAQ

51

17

50

49

49

51

52

53

33

53

50

50

50

82

51

33

35

36

33

16

16

82

27

41

40

B

base clock frequency 65
BaseClockFrequency
binary encoding
buffers

60

inprocess flush

65

52, 60

60

50

calibration
CGLDepth
channel list

for analog input channels
for digital input port

channel type

differential

single-ended
channel-gain list depth
channels

analog input

digital I/O

number of
clocks

base frequency

internal

maximum external clock divider

maximum throughput

minimum external clock divider

minimum throughput
connecting signals

digital inputs

digital outputs

voltage inputs
connecting to the host computer

directly

using a self-powered USB hub
connector J1 pin assignments
continuous analog input
continuous digital input
continuous wrap mode
conversion modes

digital I/O

single-value analog input
conversion rate
counter/timer

channels

clock sources
customer service

70

61

49

50

61

61

61

49

54

61

65

65

65

65

35

36

33

24

97

59

55

52

51

55

51

51

61

65

79

65

65

25

C

C/C++ programs 16
cables

EP333

34

EP365

24, 25

D

DAQ Adaptor for MATLAB 16
data encoding
data flow modes

continuous analog input

single-value

60

59

59

99

Index

data transfer 53
DataAcq SDK
description of the functional subsystems

A/D

49

digital I/O
device driver
differential channels
digital I/O features

adding a digital input port to the analog input

channel list
channel-to-channel isolation
connecting input signals
connecting output signals
lines

54

operation modes
resolution
specifications
testing input operations
testing output operations

digital trigger
DT9824 Calibration Utility
DT9824 Device Driver
DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library
DTx-EZ

16

54

16

61

50

55

35

36

55

55

88

42

43

51

16

16

16

16

E

encoding 52
environmental specifications
EP333 cable
EP365 cable
EP379 dual rack-mount kit
EP380 single rack-mount kit
errors, analog input
external clock divider

maximum
minimum

external digital trigger

negative
positive

17, 34
24, 25

53

65

65

64

64

89, 91

17

17

51

F

factory service 79
features
FIFO, input
formatting data
frequency

14

51

52

base clock
internal A/D clock
internal A/D sample clock

65

65

65

internal C/T clock
internal retrigger clock

65

60

G

gain

actual available
analog input
number of
programmable

61

50

61

61

H

help 75
help, online
high drive digital outputs
hot-swapping

39

36

25, 26

I

inprocess buffers 60
input configuration
input FIFO

FIFO, input
input ranges
internal clock

51

50

33

59

65

J

J1 connector pin assignments 97

L

LabVIEW 16
LED status indicator
legacy CPL elevated
LV- Li nk

16

97

27

M

MATLAB 16
MaxDifferentialChannels
MaxExtClockDivider
MaxFrequency
MaxMultiScanCount
MaxRetriggerFreq
MaxSingleEndedChannels
mechanical relays, controlling
MinExtClockDivider
MinFrequency
MinRetriggerFreq

65

60

65

60

61

65

60

61

36

65

100