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Limited Warranty
The ER-8 or ER-16 is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date
of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or
replace equipment that proves to be defective during the warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming
instructions, due to defects in materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as
evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace software
media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects during
the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted
or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the
outside of the package before any equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the
shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by warranty.
National Instruments believes that the information in this manual is accurate. The document has been carefully
reviewed for technical accuracy. In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments
reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document without prior notice to holders of this
edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National
Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE
OF
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USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
THEREOF
whether in contract or tort, including negligence. Any action against National Instruments must be brought within
one year after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in performance due
to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects,
malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner’s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation,
or maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the product; owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and
power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside reasonable control.
. CUSTOMER’S RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART
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Copyright
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or
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in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
Trademarks
LabVIEW
®
, NI-DAQ
Corporation.
Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
®
, DAQCard
TM
DAQPad
,
TM
, and SCXI
TM
are trademarks of National Instruments
WARNING REGARDING MEDICAL AND CLINICAL USE
OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS
National Instruments products are not designed with components and testing intended to ensure a level of reliability
suitable for use in treatment and diagnosis of humans. Applications of National Instruments products involving
medical or clinical treatment can create a potential for accidental injury caused by product failure, or by errors on the
part of the user or application designer. Any use or application of National Instruments products for or involving
medical or clinical treatment must be performed by properly trained and qualified medical personnel, and all
traditional medical safeguards, equipment, and procedures that are appropriate in the particular situation to prevent
serious injury or death should always continue to be used when National Instruments products are being used.
National Instruments products are NOT intended to be a substitute for any form of established process, procedure, or
equipment used to monitor or safeguard human health and safety in medical or clinical treatment.
Contents
About This Manual
Organization of This Manual.........................................................................................ix
Conventions Used in This Manual.................................................................................x
National Instruments Documentation ............................................................................xi
Customer Communication .............................................................................................xii
Chapter 1
Introduction
About the ER-8/16.........................................................................................................1-1
What You Need to Get Started ......................................................................................1-1
This manual describes the electrical and mechanical aspects of the ER-8 and ER-16 and contains
information concerning their setup, operation, and safety. Both the ER-8 and ER-16 are singlepole double-throw (SPDT) relay accessories for use with other data acquisition (DAQ) products.
The ER-8 has eight channels; the ER-16 has 16 channels.
Throughout this manual, ER-8/16 refers to either the ER-8 or ER-16, unless otherwise noted.
The ER-8/16 interfaces to any National Instruments DAQ device with digital I/O capabilities for
the Macintosh and PC/XT/AT (AT Series, Lab) computers. More specifically, the National
Instruments product families that interface with the ER-8/16 are the DIO-24, DIO-32, Lab,
E Series, MIO, DAQCards, and 1200 Series devices.
This accessory is designed for low-cost control applications in laboratory testing, production
testing, and industrial process monitoring and control.
Organization of This Manual
The ER-8/16 User Manual is organized as follows:
•Chapter 1, Introduction, describes the ER-8/16; lists what you need to get started and
optional equipment; describes software support; and explains how to unpack the ER-8/16.
•Chapter 2, Setup, describes how to set up the ER-8/16.
•Chapter 3, Signal Connections, describes the signal connections, channel connections, and
digital interface to the ER-8/16.
•Chapter 4, Theory of Operation, contains a functional overview of the ER-8/16 and explains
the operation of each functional unit making up the ER-8/16.
•Appendix A, Specifications, lists the specifications of the ER-8/16.
•Appendix B, I/O Connectors, contains the connector pinouts and pin descriptions for the
ER-8/16.
•Appendix C, Contact Protection, contains technical data on contact protection when you are
switching inductive loads.
•Appendix D, Takamisawa VE Series Relay Technical Data, contains a manufacturer data
sheet for the relay used on the ER-8/16.
•Appendix E, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to request help from
National Instruments or to comment on our products.
•The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and description of terms used in this manual,
including abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and terms.
DAQCardDAQCard refers to National Instruments cards such as the
DAQCard-500 and DAQCard-700 unless otherwise noted.
1200 Series1200 Series refers to the National Instruments DAQPad-1200 and
DAQCard-1200 unless otherwise noted.
NBNB refers to the NuBus Series computers.
NI-DAQNI-DAQ is used in this manual to refer to the NI-DAQ software for
Macintosh and PC compatibles unless otherwise noted.
MacintoshMacintosh refers to all Macintosh II, Macintosh Quadra, and Macintosh
Centris computers except the Centris 610 unless otherwise noted.
PCPC refers to PC/XT/AT and IBM PS/2, models 25 and 30, computers.
Port APort A is used in this manual to refer to port A or port 0 (as in your
NI-DAQ manuals).
Port BPort B is used in this manual to refer to port B or port 1 (as in your
NI-DAQ manuals).
Port CPort C is used in this manual to refer to port C or port 2 (as in your
NI-DAQ manuals).
Port DPort D is used in this manual to refer to port D or port 3 (as in your
NI-DAQ manuals).
Abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and terms are listed in the
Glossary.
National Instruments Documentation
The ER-8/16 User Manual is one piece of the documentation set for your DAQ system. You
could have any of several types of manuals, depending on the hardware and software in your
system. Use the different types of manuals you have as follows:
•Your DAQ hardware user manuals—These manuals have detailed information about the
DAQ hardware that plugs into or is connected to your computer. Use these manuals for
hardware installation and configuration instructions, specification information about your
DAQ hardware, and application hints.
•Software manuals—Examples of software manuals you may have are the LabVIEW and
LabWindows/CVI manual sets and the NI-DAQ manuals. After you set up your hardware
system, use either the application software (LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI) manuals or the
NI-DAQ manuals to help you write your application. If you have a large and complicated
system, it is worthwhile to look through the software manuals before you configure your
hardware.
•Accessory installation guides or manuals—If you are using accessory products, read the
terminal block and cable assembly installation guides or accessory device user manuals.
They explain how to physically connect the relevant pieces of the system. Consult these
guides when you are making your connections.
Customer Communication
National Instruments wants to receive your comments on our products and manuals. We are
interested in the applications you develop with our products, and we want to help if you have
problems with them. To make it easy for you to contact us, this manual contains comment and
configuration forms for you to complete. These forms are in Appendix E, Customer
This chapter describes the ER-8/16; lists what you need to get started and optional equipment;
describes software support; and explains how to unpack the ER-8/16.
About the ER-8/16
Thank you for buying the National Instruments ER-8/16. The ER-8 consists of eight isolated
single-pole double-throw (SPDT) or form C relay channels. The ER-16 consists of 16 isolated
SPDT or form C relay channels. The ER-8/16 can serve as a controller or switcher in laboratory
testing, production testing, and industrial-process monitoring and control applications. The
ER-8/16 operates with full functionality with most National Instruments digital I/O products. It
also interfaces with the Lab and MIO boards using the SC-205X Series cable adapters. The
ER-8/16 has onboard screw terminals for easy wire attachment. You can also build a 32-channel
ER system by daisy-chaining two ER-16s.
Detailed ER-8/16 specifications are in Appendix A, Specifications.
What You Need to Get Started
To set up and use your ER-8/16, you will need the following:
ER-8 or ER-16
ER-8/16 User Manual
Your DIO-24, DIO-32, Lab, E Series, MIO, DAQCard, or 1200 Series device and
documentation
SC-205X Series cable adapter if you are using a Lab or MIO board
Interface cable (different for DIO-24 and DIO-32 devices, DAQCards, and SC-205X Series
adapters)
You can use the following National Instruments products with your ER-8/16.
•Any National Instruments DAQ device with digital I/O capability
•SC-2050 cable adapter with NB1 cable
•SC-2051 cable adapter with NB1 cable
•SC-2052 cable adapter with NB1 cable
•SC-2053 cable adapter with NB1 cable
•SC-2054 48-channel kit with NB5 cable
•SC-2054 96-channel kit with NB5 cable
•SC-2055 cable adapter with NB1 cable
•NB7 cable assembly
•SH6850 shielded cable
•R6850 ribbon cable
•R1005050 ribbon cable
•Type NB5 cable
For more information about optional equipment available from National Instruments, refer to
your National Instruments catalog or call the office nearest you.
Refer to Chapter 3, Signal Connections, for additional information on cabling, connectors, and
adapters.
Software
The ER-8/16 requires no additional software beyond what you are using for your DAQ device.
Unpacking
Your ER-8/16 is shipped in an antistatic package to prevent electrostatic damage to the unit.
Electrostatic discharge can damage several components on the ER-8/16. To avoid such damage
in handling the unit, take the following precautions:
•Ground yourself via a grounding strap or by holding a grounded object.
•Touch the antistatic package to a metal part of your computer chassis before removing the
ER-8/16 from the package.
•Remove the unit from the package and inspect it for loose components or any other sign of
damage. Notify National Instruments if the ER-8/16 appears damaged in any way. Do not
install a damaged unit.
The ER-8 has eight SPDT relays controlled by eight digital lines. Each of these relays has a
normally closed (NC) contact that connects to the common (COM) contact when the
corresponding digital output line is low, and a normally open (NO) contact that connects to the
COM contact when the digital line is high. The contacts are break-before-make so that all three
contacts are never shorted.
The ER-8/16 is an accessory to National Instruments DAQ devices with digital I/O. No
hardware or software configuration is necessary. To configure the DAQ device driving the
ER-8/16, refer to your DAQ hardware user manual.
Figure 2-1 shows the parts locator diagram for the ER-8/16. See Table 2-1 for detailed
descriptions of the parts called out on the parts locator diagram.
1Power LEDWhen illuminated red, this LED indicates that the ER-8/16
is receiving power.
2SW1This is the main +5 V power supply switch for selecting
external or internal supply. Move the switch to EXT if
using external supply and to INT if using internal (driving
device or ER-16) supply. By default, your ER-8/16 is
shipped with SW1 in the EXT position.
3Channel 1 LEDThese DS<1..16> LEDs are illuminated green when the NO
contact is shorted to the COM contact for the respective
channel. Otherwise the LED is shut off.
4Channel 1 RelayThese K<1..16> relays are controlled digitally on the
ER-8/16.
5Screw TerminalsThe NC<1..16> screw terminals are for the NC contact for
channels 1 through 16.
The NO<1..16> screw terminals are for the NO contact for
channels 1 through 16.
The COM<1..16> screw terminals are for the COM contact
for the channels 1 through 16.
6Surge Protector PadsThe M<1..16> pads across NC and COM contacts are for
protecting the relay contacts from inductive loads. A
resistor and capacitor combination can be placed across
these pads to suppress sparking on the relay contacts due to
inductive loads.
The N<1..16> pads across NO and COM contacts are for
protecting the relay contacts from inductive loads. A
resistor and capacitor combination can be placed across
these pads to suppress sparking on the relay contacts due to
inductive loads.
7J8This external power-supply connector, EXT +5 V, is for
external +5 V supply. EXT GND is the reference for the
external +5 V supply, and is connected to the ER-8/16
ground.
8J3This 26-pin OUT connector sends the 26-pin daisy-chain
cable to the ER-8 or the ER-16.
9FusesF1 and F2 are socketed power supply fuses. You may
replace these fuses if they are blown. The fuse is
LIT-PICOII, 2 A, 125 V, fast.
10J2This 26-pin IN connector receives the 26-pin daisy-chain
cable from the ER-16 or SC-205X cable adapter.
11J1This 50-pin dual connector has the top connector for DIO-32
boards, and the bottom connector for DIO-24 devices.
The following warnings contain important safety information concerning hazardous voltages.
!
Warning: Connections that exceed any of the maximum input signal ratings on the
ER-8/16 can create a shock or a fire hazard, or damage the ER-8/16, your
computer, and the DAQ device. Maximum input ratings for each signal are
given in Appendix A, Specifications. National Instruments is
any damages resulting from signal connections that exceed any of these
ratings.
Do not operate your ER-8/16 in an explosive atmosphere or where there may
be flammable gases or fumes.
K
EEP AWAY FROM LIVE CIRCUITS. DO NOT REMOVE THE TOP COVER of the
ER-8/16 when it is operating or is powered on. If signal wires are connected
to the unit, dangerous voltages may exist even when the equipment is turned
off. To avoid dangerous electrical shock, do not perform procedures
involving cover removal unless you are qualified to do so. Before removing
the cover make sure that the computer and the power supply are turned off
and that the signal wires connected to the screw terminals do not contain live
voltages.
NOT liable for
D
O NOT OPERATE DAMAGED EQUIPMENT. The safety protection features built
into your ER-8/16 can become impaired if it is damaged in any way. If
necessary, return the unit to National Instruments for service and repair to
ensure that safety is not compromised.
D
O NOT SUBSTITUTE PARTS OR MODIFY EQUIPMENT. To avoid introducing
additional hazards, do not install unauthorized parts or modify your ER-8/16.
If necessary, return the unit to National Instruments for service and repair to
ensure that safety is not compromised.
When using the unit with high common mode voltages, you must insulate
your signal wires appropriately. National Instruments is
NOT liable for any
damages or injuries resulting from inadequate signal wire insulation.
When connecting or disconnecting signal lines to the ER-8/16 screw terminal,
verify that the lines are powered off. Potential differences between the lines
and the ER-8/16 ground create a shock hazard while you connect the lines.
Connections, including power signals to ground and vice versa, that exceed
any of the maximum signal ratings on the ER-8/16 can create a shock or a
fire hazard, or can damage any or all of the devices connected to the ER-8/16,
the host computer, and the ER-8/16. National Instruments is
NOT liable for
any damages or injuries resulting from incorrect signal connections.
Use and connect to only one of the following connectors when operating the
ER-8/16: the DIO-24, DIO-32, or IN connector. National Instruments is
NOT
liable for any damages resulting from incorrect connections.
Equipment described in this document must be used in an Installation
Category II environment per IEC 664. This category requires local level
supply mains-connected installation.
Do not operate this equipment in a manner that contradicts the information
specified in this document. Misuse of this equipment could result in a shock
hazard.
Terminals are for use only with equipment that has no accessible live parts.
Use only 26-16 AWG wire with a voltage rating of 300 V and 60° C for
controlling 250 V. Prepare your signal wire by stripping the insulation no
more than 7 mm.
Connect the signal wires to the screw terminals by inserting the stripped end
of the wire fully into the terminals. Tighten the terminals to a torque of 57 in.-lb.
Clean devices and terminal blocks by brushing off light dust with a soft,
nonmetallic brush. Remove other contaminants with deionized water and a
stiff nonmetallic brush. The unit must be completely dry and free from
contaminants before returning to service.
Connecting the ER-8/16 to Your DAQ Device
The following are general instructions for setting up your ER-8/16. Consult your computer user
manual or technical reference manual for specific instructions and warnings.
Warning:Connections that exceed any of the maximum rating of the input signals on the
ER-8/16 can damage the ER-8/16, your computer, and the DAQ device.
Maximum input ratings for each signal are given in Appendix A, Specifications.
National Instruments is
connections that exceed any of these ratings.
1.Turn off the host computer power before making any connections.
Warning:Keep away from live circuits.
ER-8/16 when it is operating or is powered on. If signal wires are
connected to the unit, dangerous voltages may exist even when the
equipment is turned off. To avoid dangerous electrical shock, do not
perform procedures involving cover removal unless you are qualified to do
so. Before removing the cover make sure that the computer and the power
supply are turned off and that the signal wires connected to the screw
terminals do not contain live voltages.
2.Remove the top cover of your ER-8/16 by removing the four screws located on the bottom
of your unit.
3.Connect the 50-pin interfacing cable to the appropriate 50-pin connector located on the
front end of the ER-8/16 as shown in Figure 2-2.
•If you are connecting a DIO-24 device to the ER-8/16, use the DIO-24 50-pin
connector. This is the bottom connector.
•If you are connecting a DIO-32 board to the ER-8/16, use the DIO-32 50-pin connector.
This is the top connector.
Warning:Connecting the cable to the wrong connector can damage the ER-8/16 or
your DAQ device. National Instruments is
NOT liable for any damages
resulting from such connections.
Only one of the following connectors should be used and connected when
operating the ER-8/16: the DIO-24, DIO-32, or IN connector. National
Instruments is
NOT liable for any damages resulting from any other
connections.
•If you are daisy chaining the ER-8/16 or using the SC-205X Series cable adapter,
connect the 26-pin cable to the correct 26-pin connector, either IN or OUT. For
additional information on signal connections and cabling refer to Chapter 3, SignalConnections.
4.Switch the +5 V power supply switch (SW1) to the correct position, either INT or EXT.
The switch position depends on the number of channels and the type of DAQ device you
are using with the ER-8/16. Set the switch to INT if you are using your DAQ device’s
internal +5 V supply. Set the switch to EXT if you are using an external +5 supply. For
additional information on power supply connections, refer to the Power Supply section in
Chapter 3, Signal Connections.
Note:By default, your ER-8/16 is shipped with SW1 set to the EXT position.
5.Verify the connections and setup.
6.Turn on the external power supply, if necessary, then turn on your computer. The red
Power LED should light up indicating that the ER-8/16 is receiving power. If the red
Power LED does not light up, verify that the power supply connections and electrical
power supply are switched ON. If the connections and external power supply are working,
check the electrical continuity on fuses F1 and F2. If the continuity test fails on these
fuses, a fuse is blown. You can either replace the fuse yourself or send it to National
Instruments for replacement.
Note:The fuses are socketed. If you choose to replace them yourself, the fuse
specification is LIT-PICOII, 2 A, 125 V, fast. The manufacturer is Littelfuse,
and the manufacturer part number is R251002T1.