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About This Manual
Organization of This Manual
Conventions Used in This Manual
Customer Communicationxi
Chapter 1
Introduction
Using Measure with Your DAQ Device
DAQ Device Overview
Installing Measure
Manually Adding or Removing the DAQ Add-In
Uninstalling Measure
Chapter 2
Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Selecting a Data Acquisition Task
Configuring an Analog Input Task
Configuring an Analog Output Task
Adding Tasks to the DAQ Menu
Saving Tasks
Managing Tasks in a Workbook
Chapter 3
Using SCXI with Measure DAQ
SCXI Operating Modes
SCXI Analog Input
Multiple SCXI Modules and Chassis
SCXI Analog Output
Table 4-1.Examples of Valid Channel Strings
Table 4-2.Analog Input Configuration Buttons/Options
Table 4-3.Choices for Hardware Digital Trigger
Table 4-4.Choices for Analog Input Mode Dialog Box
Table 4-5.Choices for Advanced Timing
Table 5-1.Analog Output Configuration Reference
Table 5-2.Advanced Analog Output Configuration Options
Table A-1.Analog Input Configuration Programmability—MIO and AI Devices
Table A-2.Analog Input Characteristics—MIO and AI Devices (Part 1)
Table A-3.Analog Input Characteristics—MIO and AI Devices (Part 2)
Table A-4.Analog Output Characteristics—MIO and AI Devices
Table A-5.Analog Input Configuration Programmability—Lab,
The Measure Data Acquisition User Manual describes how to use the
Measure Data Acquisition Add-In with National Instruments data
acquisition boards to acquire data into Microsoft Excel. You should be
familiar with the operation of Microsoft Excel, your computer, your
computer’s operating system, and your data acquisition (DAQ) board.
Organization of This Manual
The Measure Data Acquisition User Manual is organized as follows.
•Chapter 1, Introduction, helps you install the Measure DataAcquisition (DAQ) Add-In. You should have installed and
configured your DAQ hardware already.
•Chapter 2, Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks, contains a
tutorial for the following basic functions: Selecting a data
acquisition task, configuring an analog input task, configuring an
analog output task, adding tasks to the DAQ menu, saving tasks,
and managing tasks in a workbook.
•Chapter 3, Using SCXI with Measure DAQ, describes how to use
the Measure Data Acquisition Add-In in Excel with your Signal
Conditioning Extension for Instrumentation (SCXI) equipment.
•Chapter 4, Analog Input Reference, introduces some basic
concepts of data acquisition and contains a reference for analog
input configuration, hardware digital triggering, analog input
modes, and advanced timing. You should be familiar with the
hardware characteristics of your data acquisition device.
•Chapter 5, Analog Output Reference, introduces some concepts of
data acquisition and contains a reference for basic and advanced
Analog Output Configuration.
•Chapter 6, Using Measure Data Acquisition Tasks with VBA,
describes how to run tasks from within Visual Basic for
Applications.
•Appendix A, DAQ Hardware Capabilities, contains SCXI
information and tables that summarize the analog I/O capabilities
of National Instruments data acquisition devices you might use
with Measure for Windows.
•Appendix B, Error Codes, describes the errors that can occur
while using the Measure DAQ Add-In.
•Appendix C, Troubleshooting, describes solutions to problems that
you might encounter using the Measure DAQ Add-In.
•Appendix D, Customer Communication, contains forms you can
use to request help from National Instruments or to comment on
our products and manuals.
•The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and descriptions of
terms used in this manual, including abbreviations, acronyms,
metric prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.
•The Index contains an alphabetical list of key terms and topics in
this manual, including the page where you can find each one.
Conventions Used in This Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual.
boldBold text denotes a parameter, or the introduction of menus, menu
items, or dialog box buttons or options.
italicItalic text denotes emphasis, a cross reference, or an introduction to a
key concept.
bold italicBold italic text denotes a note, caution, or warning.
»The » symbol leads you through nested menu items, and dialog box
Note:
Text in this font denotes text or characters that are to be literally input
from the keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and
syntax examples. This font is also used for the proper names of disk
drives, paths, directories, programs, subprograms, subroutines, device
names, functions, variables, filenames, and extensions, and for
statements and comments taken from program code.
options to a final action. The sequence
Files»Page Setup»Options»Substitute Fonts
directs you to pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item,
select Options, and finally select the Substitute Fonts option from the
last dialog box.
This icon to the left of bold italicized text denotes a note, which alerts
you to important information.
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 D, Customer Communication, at the end of this manual.
Related Documentation
The following document contains information that you may find
helpful as you read this manual:
This chapter helps you install the Measure Data Acquisition (DAQ)
Add-In. You should have installed and configured your DAQ hardware
already. If you have not done so, please refer to the NI-DAQ UserManual for PC Compatibles that came with your device for
instructions on installation and configuration.
Using Measure with Your DAQ Device
Measure is designed to work with many different National Instruments
DAQ devices. Before you can use Measure, you must install and
configure your DAQ device and the NI-DAQ driver software that came
with your DAQ device. NI-DAQ is the low-level driver software that
controls your DAQ device. Measure is a higher-level software
development tool that communicates to your DAQ device through
NI-DAQ. Refer to the documentation that comes with your DAQ
device to learn how to install it properly.
Once you install your DAQ device, you must install and configure your
NI-DAQ driver software.
You use the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility (
up your DAQ device. For some DAQ devices, such as the E Series
boards, you do not have to configure many settings. For other devices,
you might be required to set jumpers or switches on your device to
configure it to work in your system. Refer to the documentation that
came with your DAQ device to install your NI-DAQ driver software
and run
Measure is an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface for acquiring data with
a wide range of National Instruments DAQ devices. Because Measure
works with so many different devices, the functionality and
performance of the software often varies based on the particular DAQ
device you use. Although Measure senses the type of DAQ device you
are using, you might select options in the task configuration that are not
supported by your particular device. Measure notifies you when such a
conflict occurs when you close the configuration window, or when you
test the task you have defined. Make sure to test each task once you
define it.
The following pages contain a tutorial to show you how to use
Measure. Refer to the Managing Tasks in a Workbook section in
Chapter 2, Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks, for detailed
information on the analog input and output settings you can configure
with Measure.
Installing Measure
1.Insert the Measure for Windows diskette into a 3½ inch floppy
drive.
2.Select Start»Run from the taskbar in Windows 95 or File»Run
from the Program Manager in other versions of Windows.
3.Type
4.Select a location for the setup program to install Measure for
5.Deselect any Add-Ins that you do not want to install.
6.Select OK.
The setup program copies the program files and on-line help files to the
directory that you choose and creates a program group. Setup also
automatically configures Excel to load the DAQ Add-In when you
launch Excel.
To add the DAQ Add-In manually, complete the following steps.
1. Select Tools»Add-Ins.
2. In the Add-Ins dialog box, search the Add-Ins Available list box
for the Measure Data Acquisition Add-In entry. Click in the
checkbox next to the Measure Data Acquisition Add-In entry. If
you cannot find the entry, click the Browse button and look for
DAQ.XLA
To remove the DAQ Add-In manually, deselect the checkbox next to it,
shown in Figure 1-1. The next time you launch Excel, Excel will not
load the DAQ Add-In automatically.
in the directory where you installed Measure.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Figure 1-1
. Add-Ins Dialog Box
Uninstalling Measure
To uninstall Measure, remove both the Serial Add-In and the Data
Acquisition Add-In from the Add-Ins list in Excel. Double-click the
Uninstall icon in the Measure folder to remove Measure from your
computer.
After you install and configure your hardware and install the Measure
Data Acquisition Add-In, you are ready to acquire data. This chapter
contains a tutorial for each of the following basic functions.
• Selecting a Data Acquisition task
• Configuring an Analog Input task
• Configuring an Analog Output task
• Adding tasks to the DAQ menu
• Saving tasks
• Managing tasks in a workbook
You only need to read the sections for the functions that you use in
your application.
Selecting a Data Acquisition Task
This section contains step-by-step instructions for configuring analog
input and output tasks with Measure. To configure tasks, complete the
following steps.
1.Launch Excel.
2. Select DAQ»Configure DAQ Task to display the DAQ Tasks
dialog box, shown in Figure 2-1.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Figure 2-1
. DAQ Tasks Dialog Box
The DAQ Tasks dialog box manages the I/O operations, or tasks,
that you define with Measure. From this dialog box, you can create
new tasks, edit existing tasks, and run I/O tasks interactively to test
their operation.
3. Select a DAQ device from the Data acquisition device drop-down
listbox at the top of the dialog box. The list of devices available in
the drop-down listbox is taken from the devices that you have
configured. If you have not run the configuration utility yet, refer
to the documentation that came with your DAQ hardware.
4. Click on the AI button under the heading Create a task to display
the Analog Input Configuration dialog box, shown in figure 2-2.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Figure 2-2.
Analog Input Configuration
Configuring an Analog Input Task
From the Analog Input Configuration dialog box, you can specify all
the parameters for an analog input operation. In the following steps,
you create a simple analog input task. Refer to Chapter 4, Analog InputReference, for more detailed information about the different options for
analog input.
1.The Analog Input Scan List at the top of the dialog box is where
you specify the input channels on your DAQ device from which
you would like to acquire data. For each input channel you add to
the scan list, you must specify a high and low voltage limit for the
signals that you read. Measure puts default values for your device
in the high and low limit fields. Measure uses these limits to
configure the gain settings on your DAQ device for maximum
measurement accuracy.
Type 0 in the Channel field and click on the Add>> button to
place the channel into your scan list.
2.In the Scan Information section of the dialog box, you specify how
many scans of your channel list are to be acquired. A scan is a
single measurement from each channel in your scan list. In this
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
example in which there is only one channel specified, the number
of scans is equal to the number of points acquired from channel 0.
If you were to specify two channels in your channel list, 100 scans
would result in 200 points of data acquired (100 from each
channel).
100
Type
in the Number of Scans field.
3.The Scan Rate section of the dialog box is where you specify how
fast you would like to acquire the data. The default setting of 1000
scans per second means that you acquire a single point from each
channel in your channel list 1000 times per second.
1000
Type
in the Scans/second field.
4.The Display section of the dialog box is where you specify the
cells on your worksheet to contain the acquired data. You
manually can type in a spreadsheet address, such as
can highlight the input field and use your mouse to select an area
on the spreadsheet to place your acquired data. Measure begins
with the upper-left most cell in the range that you supply and
places the data in rows or columns from that point in the
worksheet.
$A$1
Type
to place the 100 elements of data in the first column of
your worksheet.
5. Type the name
Read Channel 0
$A$1
, or you
in the Task Name field.
6. Click on the Description button to add a description for your task
under development, shown in Figure 2-3. Type
points of data from channel 0
Acquire 100
in the Task
Description dialog box, and click on the OK button.
Now you have finished specifying your first Measure analog input
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
7. Click on the OK button to return to the DAQ Tasks dialog box,
shown in Figure 2-4. Notice that you now have a task named
Read Channel 0
description for this new task appears in the dialog box as well.
in your task list. Notice also that the
Figure 2-4.
8.Click on the Run button to execute the task. When the task
completes, there are 100 datapoints in column A of your
worksheet.
DAQ Tasks Dialog Box
Configuring an Analog Output Task
If your DAQ device has analog output channels, you can use Measure
to generate analog output signals based on values in your spreadsheet.
Analog output tasks operate exactly opposite of analog input tasks.
You specify an area on your worksheet that contains data values, and
Measure converts these values to voltages and outputs them through an
analog output channel of your DAQ device. For more information on
analog output tasks, refer to Chapter 5, Analog Output Reference.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
1. From the DAQ Task dialog box, select AO from the Create a task
section of the dialog box to display the Analog Output
Configuration dialog box, shown in Figure 2-5.
Figure 2-5.
Analog Output Configuration Dialog Box
2.Type 0 in the Channel input field.
3. Type
$A$1:$A$10
in the Data cells input field. You manually
can type this range, or highlight the input field and drag particular
areas of your worksheet to specify a cell range. This parameter
specifies which cell values are used as analog output values.
4. Click on the Add button.
5. Type 10 in the Number of iterations input field. The number of
iterations determines how many times Measure outputs the values
specified in the cell range. You can type a value of 0 in this field
for continuous output of the values.
6. Type
1000
in the Updates per second input field. As in acquiring
data, you must specify an update rate to determine how fast the
data outputs through the analog output channel.
7. Type
8. Click on the Description button, and type
Output 10 iterations
in the Task Name input field.
Output 10
iterations of data on analog output Channel 0
for the description of your analog output task. Click on the OK
button.
9. Now you have finished configuring your first Measure analog
output task. Click on the OK button to return to the DAQ Tasks
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
dialog box. Notice that your new analog output task appears in the
task list, shown in Figure 2-6.
Figure 2-6.
10. Highlight the
Run button to execute the analog output task. Make sure you have
valid voltage data in cells A1:A10 before running the task.
DAQ Tasks Dialog Box
Output 10 iterations
task and click on the
Adding Tasks to the DAQ Menu
Now that the two tasks are configured and tested from the DAQ Tasks
dialog box, you may want to make them more accessible from your
spreadsheet. With Measure, you can easily add these tasks to the DAQ
menu.
1.Select DAQ»Configure DAQ Tasks.
2.Click on the Edit Menu button to display the Edit DAQ Menu
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Saving Tasks
Figure 2-7.
Adding Tasks to the DAQ Menu
3.Highlight each of the tasks in the window on the right and click on
the Add button to add them to the DAQ menu.
4.Click on the OK button to return to the Configure DAQ Tasks
menu. Click on the OK button to return to the Excel worksheet.
5. Pull down the DAQ menu. Notice that two new entries now appear
in the DAQ menu, shown in Figure 2-8. Now you can select these
tasks and execute them from the worksheet without going into the
Measure dialog boxes.
Figure 2-8.
The DAQ Menu
Each of your tasks are stored in your workbook automatically when
you click on the OK button in the DAQ Tasks dialog box. If you
configure a new task, but click on the Cancel button from the DAQ
Tasks dialog box, Measure does not store your new task in your
workbook.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Your tasks are saved as part of the Excel workbook. Each time you
launch Excel and open a workbook that contains Measure tasks, they
appear in the task list of the DAQ tasks dialog box.
Managing Tasks in a Workbook
This section describes how to use the DAQ Tasks dialog box, shown in
Figure 2-9, to manage the tasks in a workbook. You can open this
dialog box by selecting DAQ»ConfigureDAQTasks from the menu
bar.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with Data Acquisition Tasks
Table 2-1 contains a list of the DAQ Tasks dialog box options with
descriptions of their use.
Table 2-1.
DAQ Tasks Dialog Box Options
Option/ButtonDescription
Data acquisition deviceSelect the National Instrument data acquisition device for which you
want to create a task. Measure scans your NI-DAQ configuration for
installed devices and lists only those devices that Measure supports.
Data acquisition tasksMeasure lists all the tasks that you have created for a data acquisition
device. Select a task if you wish to run, edit, or delete it.
Task DescriptionMeasure displays the description of the selected task. You can assign a
description to a task when you create or edit it.
Edit MenuAdd or delete tasks from the DAQ menu.
AICreate an Analog Input task for the selected data acquisition device.
AOCreate an Analog Output task for the selected data acquisition device.
RunRun the selected data acquisition task.
EditEdit the selected data acquisition task.
DeleteDelete the selected data acquisition task.
OKStore in the active workbook all the changes that you made (creation of
tasks, changes to existing tasks, deletions of tasks, additions or
deletions to the DAQ menu).
CancelIgnore all the changes that you made (creation of tasks, changes to
existing tasks, deletions of tasks, additions or deletions to the DAQ
menu).
This chapter describes how to use the Measure data acquisition (DAQ)
Add-in in Excel with your Signal Conditioning Extension for
Instrumentation (SCXI) equipment.
SCXI is a set of modules and terminal blocks used as a signal condition
front-end for your data acquisition devices. These modules perform
tasks such as multiplexing large numbers of signals, amplifying lowlevel signals, providing isolation between your data acquisition devices
and transducers, and so on.
To use your SCXI modules with Measure, first you must configure all
your DAQ hardware using the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility
WDAQCONF.EXE
(
device number to each of your DAQ devices and define the
connections to your SCXI modules. In most cases, your DAQ device is
a plug-in board in your computer although it also can be a PC Card
(PCMCIA) format DAQCard or a SCXI-1200 module. You use the
DAQ devices for the actual A/D conversions of your analog input
signals, and for controlling SCXI modules. Each SCXI module is
controlled by one DAQ device, and is assigned as such in the
configuration utility. If you have any questions about the configuration
utility, consult the NI-DAQ User Manualfor PC Compatibles.
). In the configuration utility, you must assign a
Once you have configured the SCXI system, using the Measure DAQ
Add-In is very similar to using a simple DAQ device. The only
difference in the operation is the use of the channel string in the scan
list to specify the channels on specific SCXI modules you want to
acquire. All other parameters of the DAQ Add-In operate the same.
SCXI Operating Modes
You can operate SCXI modules in two different modes-multiplexed
and parallel. In the multiplexed mode, all analog input channels for
each SCXI module are multiplexed (routed) onto one input channel of
your data acquisition device. The multiplexed mode is the default and
recommended mode to use with SCXI. In the parallel mode, each SCXI
module is directly connected to one data acquisition device and each
analog input channel on a SCXI module is connected to a separate
analog input channel on the data acquisition device. Not all data
acquisition devices or SCXI modules support the parallel mode.
Consult your data acquisition hardware user manual for more
information.
SCXI Analog Input
To configure channels on a SCXI analog input module in the DAQ task
configuration, first select the DAQ device in the main DAQ Tasks
dialog box to which the SCXI module is directly or indirectly
connected. Then, select the AI button to create an AI task or the Edit
button to modify an existing AI task. In the Analog Input
Configuration dialog box, specify the SCXI channel(s) you want to
acquire in the Channels field by entering a channel string. This channel
string provides information about the DAQ device channel, SCXI
chassis number, SCXI module number, and SCXI channel number. The
channel string has the following format:
ob0!scx!mdy!z
In the SCXI channel string, x represents the chassis number, y the
module number, and z the channel number.
ob0
‘
in the SCXI channel string indicates which onboard channel (on
’
the DAQ device) to use to acquire the data. In the SCXI multiplexed
mode (default mode), all SCXI channels from one SCXI chassis are
multiplexed onto one onboard channel. Usually, this is channel 0 (
ob0
in the SCXI string), unless you are using more than one SCXI chassis;
in which case each additional chassis uses the next onboard channel
(i.e. Chassis 2 uses onboard channel 1, and so on).
scx
represents the chassis number where x is replaced by the actual
‘
’
number (e.g.
sc1
). The chassis are numbered starting with 1 and the
chassis number is assigned in the NI-DAQ configuration utility.
mdy
represents the module number where y is replaced with the
‘
’
actual number (e.g.
md2
). The modules are numbered 1 through
n
on
each SCXI chassis with module 1 being in the left-most slot of the
in the SCXI channel string represents the actual channel number
‘z’
(e.g. 3). Channels on the SCXI modules are numbered starting at zero.
You specify a range of channels on your SCXI modules by listing the
first and last channel separated with a colon (e.g.
You only use the SCXI channel string when the SCXI is operating in
multiplexed mode and channels are multiplexed onto one or more
channels of the data acquisition device. In parallel mode, specify the
channel of your data acquisition device to acquire. Each channel on
your DAQ device is mapped in hardware to one channel on a SCXI
module in parallel mode.
Multiple SCXI Modules and Chassis
In the scan list of your DAQ AI task, you can specify channels from
multiple SCXI modules or chassis by adding multiple entries to the
scan list. Repeat the Add operation for each SCXI module. However,
you can specify only one group of consecutive channels per SCXI
module in the scan list. You must specify consecutive channels in an
incremental order (e.g.
ob0!sc1!md2!10:19
channel setting would be listed as follows. The two lines in the scan list
on the right are added separately by twice filling in the channel field on
the left and clicking on the
Figure 3-1.
Table 3-1 lists other possible combinations for SCXI channel strings.
Table 3-1
. SCXI Channel Strings Syntax
String SyntaxDescription
ob0!sc1!md2!5
Channel 5 on module 2 of SCXI
chassis 1 is read through onboard
channel 0.
ob0!sc1!md2!0:7
ob0!sc1!md4!5:12
Channels 0-7 on module 2 and
channels 5-12 on module 4 of chassis
1 are read through onboard channel 0.
ob0!sc1!md3!3:4
ob1!sc2!md1!20:24
Channels 3 and 4 of module 3 of
chassis 1 are read through onboard
channel 0, and channels 20-24 of
module 1 on chassis 2 are read
through onboard channel 1.
In the parallel mode, each analog input SCXI module is connected
directly to a DAQ device and you must specify the channels of your
DAQ device in the channel list, not the SCXI channel string.
Note: The SCXI-1200 does not support the parallel mode with other SCXI
The current version of Measure does not support the use of analog
output (AO) channels on the SCXI-1124 module. You can use the
analog output channels of the SCXI-1200 module by selecting the
device number and the AO channel number as you would with any
other DAQ device.
This chapter introduces some basic concepts of data acquisition and
contains a reference for analog input configuration, hardware digital
triggering, analog input modes, and advanced timing. You should be
familiar with the hardware capabilities of your data acquisition device.
DAQ Device Overview
Measure works with a wide variety of National Instrument DAQ
devices. This chapter provides a technical overview and reference
information about using Measure for analog input operations. Many of
the parameters that you can set up with Measure vary depending on
your DAQ device. For example, DAQ devices vary in acquisition
speed which affects how fast you can acquire data using Measure. In
addition, some DAQ devices have more extensive triggering
capabilities than other DAQ devices. Measure does not disable any of
its options according to the selected DAQ device. When selecting
options which are not supported by a particular DAQ device, you get
an error message during configuration or testing. Refer to the
documentation included with your DAQ hardware to learn more about
the particular capabilities of your DAQ device.
Select DAQ»Configure DAQ Tasks and then press the AI button to
open the Analog Input Configuration dialog box, shown in Figure 4-1.
The sections below describe the fields within the Analog Input
Configuration dialog box, and Table 4-2 explains the remaining
options at the bottom of the Analog Input Configuration dialog box.
Figure 4-1.
Analog Input Configuration Dialog Box
Analog Input Scan List
To configure an acquisition, first you must select the channels that you
want to scan by entering a channel string in the Channels field. A scan
is one acquisition or reading from each channel in the Analog Input
Scan List. The scan list can have multiple entries of one or more
channels. Each entry has its own set of high and low limits which
determines the gains on the channels in the entry.
Channels
Specify channels to add to the scan list. A channel string can consist of
a single channel, a list of channels delimited by commas, a range of
channels denoted by the first and last channel of the range separated by
a colon, or any combination of the previous three types of syntax. The
order that you specify the channels in your channel string from
left-to-right is the order that Measure scans the channels. The following
is a table of valid channel strings.
Table 4-1.
Examples of Valid Channel Strings
Valid Channel StringsChannels in the Scan List
99
3,13,1
4:74,5,6,7
9,4:7,3,19,4,5,6,7,3,1
0,1 (using one AMUX board)0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 on the AMUX board
0 (using two AMUX boards)0,1,2,3 on the first AMUX board and 0,1,2,3 on the
second AMUX board
ob0!sc1!md1!0:3
0,1,2,3 on the SCXI module in the first slot of the first
chassis
0b0!sc1!md3!0:4,
ob0!sc!md4!7
01,2,3,4 on the SCXI module in the third slot of the first
chassis and 7 on the SCXI module in the fourth slot of
the first chassis
ob0!sc1!md2!20:22,
ob1!sc2!md3!5:8
20,21,22 on the SCXI module in the second slot of the
first chassis and 5,6,7,8 on the SCXI module in the third
slot of the second chassis
For more information about using SCXI, refer to Chapter 3, UsingSCXI with Measure DAQ.
Note:
Some devices, such as the 1200-Series, have a fixed scanning order. If you are
using a device that has a fixed scanning order and you want to scan multiple
channels, you must list the channels in the scan list in descending order with
the last channel in the scan list being channel 0 (for example, 3,2,1,0). If you
are using such a device in differential mode, you must use the even-numbered
channels (for example, 6,4,2,0).
High Limit
Enter the upper voltage limit for the channels in the channel string.
This voltage is the maximum voltage that is measured at any of the
analog input channels that you specify in the channel string. You may
add more than one channel string to your scan list and each channel
string may have a different set of high and low limits. When you create
an AI task, Measure enters the default value for the device.
Enter the lower voltage limit for the channels in the channel string.
This voltage is the minimum voltage that is measured at any of the
analog input channels that are specified in the channel string. You may
add more than one channel string to your scan list and each channel
string may have a different set of high and low limits. When you create
an AI task, Measure enters the default value for your device.
Note:
Not all devices can have scan lists in which different channels can have
different high and low limit settings.
Scan Information
Timing Settings
The following options apply to all the channels in the scan list.
Number of scans
Specify the number of scans for the acquisition. The number of scans is
the number of data acquisitions or readings to acquire from each
channel.
Scale to volts
Select this option if you want Measure to display the acquired data in
volts. Otherwise, Measure displays the data as the binary values read
from the analog-to-digital converter (ADC).
You can think of a scan as a snapshot of the voltages present on your
channels at one time. The scan rate determines how many scans per
second Measure executes, which means that Measure samples each
channel at the scan rate you choose. If you set your scan rate to 10
scans per second, you are taking 10 snapshots each second of all the
channels in you scan list. If channel 2 is in your scan list, you sample
channel 2 ten times per second. You can think of your scan rate as your
sampling rate per channel.
In reality, your device does not take a snapshot of all your channels
instantaneously, unless it has the capability to do simultaneous
sampling. Rather, for each scan (as timed by the scan clock), the device
proceeds from one channel in the scan list to the next depending on the
channel clock rate. The faster the channel clock rate, the more closely
in time the channels are sampled within each scan. The reciprocal of
the channel clock rate is called the interchannel delay, or channel
interval, shown in Figure 4-2.
012301230123
channel
interval
Figure 4-2
. Scan Clock and Channel Clock
scan interval
Measure automatically calculates the smallest, safe interchannel delay
for your given configuration and device. If you select a scan rate that
requires an interchannel delay smaller than the safest interchannel
delay, Measure returns a warning and uses round-robin scanning.
Round-robin scanning means that the interval between the last channel
in one scan and the first channel of the following scan is the same as
the interval between any two channels in the middle of the scan, shown
in Figure 4-3.
012301230123
channel
interval
Figure 4-3
. Round Robin Scanning
Scans/second
Enter a scan rate for the acquisition in this field.
External scan clock
Select this option if you want to use an external signal for generating
the scan rate. Measure uses the signal on an I/O line on the connector
of your DAQ device for generating the scan clock.
For MIO-E Series devices, the external scan clock signal is connected to the
PFI7 pin. For most other devices, the external scan clock signal is connected
to the OUT2 line. See the user manual for your DAQ device for more
information.
Chapter 4 Analog Input Reference
Display
When determining where to display the acquired data, Measure uses
three pieces of information you specify.
•Address of the upper-left cell in the range you select
•Orientation of the channels you select (in rows or in columns)
•Number of channels in the scan list
For example, if your scan list has four channels and the upper-left cell
of the range has the address A5 and you specify In columns for the
orientation, Measure displays the first scan of data in cells A5:D5, the
second in A6:D6 and so on. The acquired data from the first channel in
your scan list is displayed in the column headed by cell A5, the
acquired data from the second channel in your scan list is displayed in
the column headed by cell B5, and so on.
At cell
Specify the target range of the acquired data. Either explicitly type the
cell address, or highlight the text in this field and select a cell on any
worksheet in the workbook. Measure automatically records the address
of your selection in this field.
In Columns
Select this option if you want to display your data in a channel per
column orientation.
In Rows
Select this option if you want to display your data in a channel per row
orientation.
Table 4-2 contains a list of the choices for the Analog Input
Configuration dialog box with descriptions of their use.
Table 4-2.
Option/ButtonDescription
Task NameWhen you create a new AI task, Measure suggests a unique name for
your new task. You can specify a name that is unique to the currently
active workbook for this task.
TriggerMost data acquisition devices have a hardware digital trigger
Click this button to configure a digital trigger for your device.
ModeChange the analog input mode from the setting that you specify when
you run the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility,
Measure automatically selects the option that reflects the current
setting for your device.
DescriptionEnter a short description of your task. Measure displays a description
of a task below the task list in the DAQ Tasks dialog box. Also, if you
add your task to the DAQ menu, Measure displays the task description
in the Excel status bar at the bottom of its window when you select the
task in the menu.
OKVerify configuration and add a new task or update an existing task in
the data acquisition tasks lists. Return to the DAQ Tasks dialog box.
CancelIgnore changes and return to the DAQ Tasks dialog box.
WDAQCONF.EXE
Trigger Reference
On most DAQ Series devices, you can configure a digital trigger that
starts an acquisition, that stops an acquisition, or both. To set up a
hardware trigger, select Analog Input Configuration»Trigger to open
the Hardware Digital Trigger dialog box, shown in Figure 4-4.
.
Figure 4-4.
Table 4-3 contains a list of Hardware Digital Trigger choices with
descriptions of their use.
Start acquisition on triggerSelect this option if you want to start your acquisition on
the rising edge of the
PFI0/EXTTRIG/STARTTRIG
(depending on the board you are using) input on the
connector. Otherwise, Measure starts the acquisition
with a software trigger.
Acquire until triggerSelect this option if you want to stop your acquisition on
the rising edge of the
PFI1/EXTTRIG/STOPTRIG
(depending on the board you are using) signal on the
connector. Otherwise, the acquisition ends after Measure
acquires all the scans.
scans after triggerSpecify the number of scans to acquire after the stop
trigger occurs.
Timeout (seconds)Specify a timeout value in seconds. If you want Measure
to calculate a timeout value for you, enter -1. If you
specify an external scan clock and a timeout value of
-1
, Measure configures a timeout of one second.
Mode Reference
The Analog Input Mode applies to all the channels in your scan list.
Select Analog Input Configuration»Mode to open the Analog Input
Mode dialog box, shown in Figure 4-5.
Table 4-4 contains a list Analog Input Mode choices with descriptions
of their use.
Table 4-4
. Choices for Analog Input Mode Dialog Box
Choices for Analog Input ModeDescription
Differential ChannelsSelect this option if you want each channel to use two
analog channel input lines. One line connects to the
positive input of the device amplifier, and the other
connects to the negative input of the amplifier. Refer to
the user manual for your DAQ device for more
information about input modes available on your device.
Referenced Single-Ended ChannelsSelect this option if you want each channel to use one
analog input channel line, which connects to the positive
input of the amplifier. The negative input of the
amplifier is internally tied to analog input ground
AIGND
. Refer to the user manual for your DAQ device
for more information about input modes available on
your device.
Non-Referenced Single-Ended
Channels
Select this option if you want each channel to use one
analog input channel line, which connects to the positive
input of the amplifier. The negative input of the
amplifier connects to the analog input sense
AISENSE
input. Refer to the user manual for your DAQ device for
more information about input modes available on your
device.
Note:
The Analog Input Mode on some devices is not configurable within Measure.
If you have such a device, you must exit Measure and change the mode using
the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility. If you have a device with jumpers, you
must exit Measure, power down your computer, change the jumpers, and run
the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility (
WDAQCONF.EXE
) to configure the new
setting. Refer to the NI-DAQ User Manual that came with your device for
more information.
Most of the time, you do not have to configure the advanced timing
settings because Measure automatically selects reasonable values for
you. In some cases, however, you might want to select an interchannel
delay or even use an external channel clock. You can configure these
settings through the Advanced Timing Settings dialog box, shown in
Figure 4-6.
Figure 4-6
. Advanced Timing Settings Option
Table 4-5 contains a list of the Advanced timing settings with
descriptions of their use.
Table 4-5
. Choices for Advanced Timing
Choice for Advanced TimingDescription
Let NI-DAQ choose an interchannel
delay
NI-DAQ calculates an interchannel delay for you, based
on your hardware, the limit settings for the task, and the
scan rate for the task.
Specify interchannel delay (µS)Measure uses the interchannel delay you specify in
microseconds.
Use external channel clockMeasure configures your DAQ device to use an external
This chapter introduces some concepts of data acquisition and contains
a reference for basic and advanced Analog Output Configuration. You
should be familiar with the hardware capabilities of your data
acquisition device.
Analog Output Configuration Overview
To configure an analog output task, first you must select the channels
on which you want to generate your signals. Refer to Table 5-1 for
detailed information.
ChannelSpecify the analog output channel on which to generate a signal. You
may only specify one channel at a time.
Data cellsSpecify the source range of the voltage values to write to the digital-to-
analog converter (DAC) for the channel. Either explicitly type the cell
address, or highlight the text in this field and then select a row of cells
or a column of cells on any worksheet in the workbook. Measure
automatically records the address of your selection in this field.
Add>>Click this button after specifying a channel and a data cells range.
RemoveClick this button to remove any channels or source ranges that you
selected in the list box.
Number of iterationsSpecify the number of times Measure should iterate through the
waveform that you specified for a channel. If you specify 0 for the
number of iterations, Measure indefinitely iterates through the
waveform until you run another signal generation task on that same
device or until you exit Excel.
Updates per secondSpecify the rate at which Measure writes the voltage values to the
DAC. If you specified more than one channel in your channel list, all
channels will have the same update rate.
Task NameWhen you create a new AO task, Measure suggests a unique name for
your new task. You can change the name in the Task name edit box;
However, the name must be unique to the active workbook.
DescriptionClick on this button to enter a short description of your task. Measure
displays a description of a task below the task list in the DAQ Tasks
dialog box. Also, if you add your task to the DAQ menu, Measure
displays the task description in the Excel status bar at the bottom of its
window when you select the task from the menu.
AdvancedClick on this button to configure more of the advanced properties for
the analog output task.
OKVerify configuration and add a new task or update an existing task in
the data acquisition tasks lists. Return to the DAQ Tasks dialog box.
CancelIgnore changes and return to the DAQ Tasks dialog box.
If you want to generate waveforms on more than one channel, each channel
must be added separately to the channel list. Also, Measure requires that all
channels have the same number of voltage values to generate. If the range of
data for one channel is larger than for another channel in the scan list, the
shorter range of data is padded with the value 0 when Measure generates the
waveforms.
Advanced Configuration
For most of your tasks, you do not need to use the Advanced Analog
Output Configuration dialog box, shown in Figure 5-2. With this dialog
box, you may change the output range of your device by specifying
new high and low limits or you may specify a current channel type, if
your device supports it. Refer to Table 5-2 for detailed information.
2. Directly, after you add a reference to the DAQ Add-In. To add a reference to the
DAQ Add-In, select Tools»References and select the checkbox next to the Data
Acquisition Add-In.
returnValue = FuncName(arg1)
FuncName arg1
Function Reference
The DAQ Add-In has one function that you can call to run a task that has been
configured already and one function to translate an error code to an error description.
Application.Run
DAQ
Runs the task named
Syntax
Function DAQ(TaskName as String, [NewTargetRange as String],
[ReferenceStyle as Variant]) as Integer
Chapter 6 Using Measure Data Acquisition Tasks with VBA
Parameters
OptionDescription
TaskNameThe name of a task in the active workbook.
NewTargetRangeThe address of a range on a worksheet that receives the acquired data.
If you fail to specify a worksheet explicitly in the address of this
macro, Measure assumes that the range is on the active worksheet. If
no worksheet is active, Measure returns an error. If this parameter is
missing, Measure uses the previously configured range
ReferenceStyleUse either xlA1 or xlR1C1 to indicate the type of range address being
passed into NewTargetRange. If this parameter is missing, then
Excel’s current reference type is assumed.
Return Value
Returns 0 if successful, otherwise returns an error code. See Appendix B, Error Codes
for more information.
Example
‘Referenced not added to DAQ Add-In; use indirect method
Sub RunMyTask()
Dim iErr As Integer
iErr = Appliction.Run(“DAQ”, “AI1”)
If iErr <> 0 Then
This appendix contains SCXI information, and tables that summarize
the analog I/O capabilities of National Instruments data acquisition
(DAQ) devices you might use with Measure for Windows. The devices
in this appendix are grouped into categories. The DAQ device
categories for these tables include the following.
•MIO and AI Devices
•Lab and 1200 Series and Portable Devices
•SCXI Modules
•Analog Output Only Devices
SCXI Information
You cannot use the SCXI Analog Output Module (SCXI-1124) with
Measure.
Measure works with all Data Acquisition devices supported by NIDAQ except EISA-A2000, AT-A2150, and AT-DSP 2200.
Note: “By device” means you select the value of a parameter with hardware jumpers, and
the selection affects any group of channels on the device. “By group” means you
program the selection through software, and the selection affects all the channels
used at the same time. “By channel” means you program the selection with hardware
jumpers or through software on a per channel basis. When a specific value for a
parameter is shown, that parameter value is fixed.
Table A-2.
DeviceNumber of
Analog Input CharacteristicsMIO and AI Devices (Part 1)
Lab and 1200 Series and Portable Devices Hardware Capabilities
Table A-5.
DeviceGainRangePolaritySE/DIFFcoupling
Lab-PC+By groupBy groupBy deviceBy deviceDC
Analog Input Configuration ProgrammabilityLab, 1200 Series, Portable Devices
SCXI-1200
DAQPad-1200
DAQCard-1200
PCI-1200
DAQCard-5001Only 1 range availableBipolarSEDC
DAQCard-7001By groupBipolarBy groupDC
PC-LPM-161By deviceBipolarSEDC
Note:
“By device” means you select the value of a parameter with hardware jumpers, and
By groupBy groupBy groupBy groupDC
the selection affects any group of channels on the device. “By group” means you
program the selection through software, and the selection affects all the channels
used at the same time. “By channel” means you program the selection with hardware
jumpers or through software on a per channel basis. When a specific value for a
parameter is shown, that parameter value is fixed.
This appendix describes the errors that can occur while using the
Measure DAQ Add-In.
Error
Code
-10001
-10002
-10003
-10004
-10005
-10006
-10007
-10008
-10009
Table B-1
ErrorDescription
syntaxErr
semanticsErr
invalidValueErr
valueConflictErr
DSPbadDeviceErr
badLineErr
badChanErr
badGroupErr
badCounterErr
. Data Acquisition Error Codes
An error was detected in the input string;
the arrangement or ordering of the
characters in the string was not
consistent with the expected ordering.
An error was detected in the input string;
the syntax of the string was correct, but
certain values specified in the string were
inconsistent with other values specified
in the string.
The value of a numeric parameter is
invalid.
The value of a numeric parameter is
inconsistent with another one, and
therefore the combination is invalid.
The device is invalid.
The line is invalid.
Possible reasons for this error are as
follows.
• A channel is out-of-range for the
device type or input configuration.
• The combination of channels is not
allowed.
• The scan order must be reversed
(0 last).
The group is invalid.
The counter is invalid.
The count is too large or too small for
the specified counter, or the given I/O
transfer count is not appropriate for the
current buffer or channel configuration.
The analog input scan rate is too fast for
the number of channels and the channel
clock rate, or the given clock rate is not
supported by the associated counter
channel or I/O channel.
The analog input or analog output
voltage range is invalid for the specified
channel.
The driver returned an unrecognized or
unlisted error code.
The group size is too large for the device.
The time limit is invalid.
The read count is invalid.
The read mode is invalid.
The offset is unreachable.
The frequency is invalid.
The timebase is invalid.
The limits are beyond the range of the
device.
Possible reasons for this error are as
follows.
• Your data array contains incomplete
update.
• You are trying to write past the end
of the internal buffer.
• Your output operation is continuous
and the length of your array is not a
multiple of one-half the internal
buffer size.
The write mode is out-of-range or is not
allowed.
Adding the write offset to the write mark
places the write mark outside the internal
buffer.
The requested input limits exceed the
device's capability or configuration.
Alternative limits were selected.
The requested number of buffers or the
buffer size is not allowed; e.g., Lab-PC
buffer limit is 64K samples, or the device
does not support multiple buffers.
For DAQEvents 0 and 1, general value A
must be greater than zero and less than
the internal buffer size. If DMA is used
for DAQEvent 1, general value A must
divide the internal buffer size evenly,
with no remainder. If you use TIO-10
for DAQEvent 4, general value A must
be one or two.
The cutoff frequency specified is not
valid for this device.
The function you are calling is no longer
supported in this version of the driver.
The specified baud rate for
communicating with the serial port is not
valid on this platform.
The specified SCXI chassis does not
correspond to a configured SCXI chassis.
The SCXI module slot that was specified
is invalid or corresponds to an empty
slot.
The window handle passed to the
function is invalid.
No configured message matches the one
you tried to delete.
The gain is invalid.
The pretrigger sample count is invalid.
The post-trigger sample count is invalid.
The trigger mode is invalid.
The trigger count is invalid.
The trigger range or trigger hysteresis
window is invalid.
The external reference is invalid.
The trigger type is invalid.
The trigger level is invalid.
The total count is inconsistent with the
with the device type.
The individual range, polarity, and gain
settings are valid, but the combination is
not allowed.
You have attempted to use an invalid
setting for the iterations parameter. The
iterations value must be 0 or greater.
Your device may be limited to only two
values, zero and one.
Some devices require a time gap between
the last sample in a scan and the start of
the next scan. The scan interval you have
specified does not provide a large
enough gap for the device. See the
SCAN_Start function in the language
interface API for an explanation.
FIFO mode waveform generation cannot
be used because at least one condition is
not satisfied.
The requested digital port width is not a
multiple of the hardware port width.
Invalid application used.
Invalid counterNumber used.
Invalid paramValue used.
Invalid paramID used.
Invalid entityID used.
Invalid action used.
Unable to read data from EEPROM.
Unable to write data to EEPROM.
The driver interface could not locate or
open the driver.
One of the driver files or the
configuration utility is out-of-date.
The specified function is not located in
the driver.
The driver could not locate or open the
configuration file, or the format of the
configuration file is not compatible with
the currently installed driver.
The driver encountered a hardwareinitialization error while attempting to
configure the specified device.
The driver encountered an operatingsystem error while attempting to perform
an operation, or the operating system
does not support an operation performed
by the driver.
The driver is unable to communicate
with the specified external device.
Possible reasons for this error are as
follows.
• The CMOS configuration-memory
for the device is empty or invalid.
• The configuration specified does not
agree with the current configuration
of the device.
• The EISA system configuration is
invalid.
The base addresses for two or more
devices are the same; consequently, the
driver is unable to access the specified
device.
The interrupt configuration is incorrect
given the capabilities of the computer or
device.
The interrupt levels for two or more
devices are the same.
The DMA configuration is incorrect
given the capabilities of the
computer/DMA controller or device.
The DMA channels for two or more
devices are the same.
The driver is unable to find one or more
jumperless devices that you have
configured using
The DAQCard cannot be configured
because 1) the correct version of the card
and socket services software is not
installed, 2) the card in the PCMCIA
socket is not a DAQCard, or 3) the base
address and/or interrupt level requested
are not available according to the card
and socket services resource manager.
Try different settings or use AutoAssign
in the NI-DAQ configuration utility.
Bad DMA channel 1 specified in the
configuration utility or by the operating
system.
Bad base address specified in the
configuration utility.
Bad DMA channel 1 specified in the
configuration utility or by the operating
system.
Bad DMA channel 2 specified in the
configuration utility or by the operating
system.
Bad DMA channel 3 specified in the
configuration utility or by the operating
system.
No RTSI signal/line is connected, or the
specified signal and the specified line are
not connected.
The RTSI signal/line cannot be
connected as specified.
The specified RTSI signal is already
being driven by a RTSI line, or the
specified RTSI line is already being
driven by a RTSI signal.
The specified SCXI configuration
parameters are invalid, or the function
cannot be executed with the current
SCXI configuration.
The DSP driver was unable to load the
kernel for its operating system.
you are mixing AMUX-64T
channels and onboard channels.
• You are scanning SCXI channels out
of order.
• The driver attempts to achieve
complicated gain distributions over
SCXI channels on the same module
by manipulating the scan list, and
returns this error message if it fails.
The specified resource is owned by the
user and cannot be accessed or modified
by the driver.
The specified device is not a National
Instruments product, or the driver does
not support the device (e.g., the driver
was released before the device was
supported).
No device is located in the specified slot
or at the specified address.
The specified device does not support the
requested action (the driver recognizes
the device, but the action is inappropriate
for the device).
No line is available.
No channel is available.
No group is available.
The specified line is in use.
The specified channel is in use.
The specified group is in use.
A related line, channel, or group is in
use. If the driver configures the specified
line, channel, or group, the configuration,
data, or handshaking lines for the related
line, channel, or group are disturbed.
The specified counter is in use.
No group is assigned, or the specified
No memory is configured to support the
current data-transfer mode, or the
configured memory does not support the
current data-transfer mode. (If block
transfers are in use, the memory must be
capable of performing block transfers.)
The specified memory is disabled or is
unavailable given the current addressing
mode.
The transfer buffer is not aligned properly
for the current data-transfer mode; e.g., the
buffer is at an odd address, is not aligned to
a 32-bit boundary, is not aligned to a 512bit boundary, and so on. Alternatively, this
error can occur if the driver is unable to
align the buffer because the buffer is too
small.
Possible reasons for this error are as
follows.
• No more system memory is available
on the heap.
• No more memory is available on the
device.
• You have insufficient disk space
available.
The transfer buffer cannot be locked into
physical memory.
The transfer buffer contains a page break;
system resources may require
reprogramming when the page break is
encountered.
The operating environment is unable to
grant a page lock.
The driver is unable to continue parsing a
string input due to stack limitations.
A cache-related error occurred, or caching
is not supported in the current mode.
A hardware error occurred in physical
memory, or no memory is located at the
specified address.
The driver is unable to make the transfer
buffer contiguous in virtual memory and
therefore cannot lock it into physical
memory. Thus, the buffer cannot be used
for DMA transfers.
No interrupt level is available for use.
The specified interrupt level is already in
use by another device.
No DMA controller is available in the
system.
No DMA channel is available for use.
The specified DMA channel is already in
use by another device.
The DMA cannot be configured for the
specified group because it is too small, too
large, or misaligned. Consult your device
user manual to determine group
ramifications with respect to DMA.
The storage disk you specified is full.
The DLL could not be called because of an
interface error.
You have mixed Vis from the DAQ library
and the _DAQ compatibility library
(LabVIEW 2.2 Vis). You may switch
between the two libraries only by running
the DAQ VI Device Reset before calling the
_DAQ compatibility Vis, or by running the
compatibility VI Board Reset before calling
DAQ Vis.
The scan list is too large to fit into the muxgain memory of the device.
You cannot use DMA to transfer data from
two buffers. You may be able to use
interrupts.
The DSP handle input is not valid.
A setup operation has not been performed
the specified resources.
The specified resources have already been
No output data has been written into the
transfer buffer.
The output data associated with a group
must be for a single channel or must be
for consecutive channels.
Once data generation has started, only
the transfer buffers originally written to
can be updated. If DMA is active and a
single transfer buffer contains
interleaved channel-data, you must
provide new data for all output channels
currently using the DMA channel.
No data was written to the transfer buffer
because the final data block has already
been loaded.
The specified resource is not armed.
The specified resource is already armed.
No transfer is in progress for the
specified resource.
A transfer is already in progress for the
specified resource.
A single output channel in a group
cannot be paused if the output data for
the group is interleaved.
Some of the lines in the specified
channel are not configured for the
transfer direction specified. For a write
transfer, some lines are configured for
input. For a read transfer, some lines are
configured for output.
The specified line does not support the
specified transfer direction.
The specified channel does not support
the specified transfer direction.
The specified group does not support the
specified transfer direction.
The clock configuration for the clock
master is invalid.
The call had no effect because the
specified channel had not been set for
later internal update.
Pretriggering and posttriggering
cannot be used simultaneously on the
Lab and 1200 series devices.
The specified port has not been
configured for handshaking.
The specified counter is not configured
for event-counting operation.
A signal has already been assigned to
the SCXI track-and-hold trigger line,
or a control call was inappropriate
because the specified module was not
configured for one-channel operation.
When you have an SC2040 attached to
your device, all analog input channels
must be configured for differential
input mode.
The polarity of the output channel
cannot be bipolar when outputting
currents.
The specified operation cannot be
performed with the SC-2040
configured in hold mode.
Calibration constants in the load area
have a different polarity from the
current configuration. Therefore, you
should load constants from factory.
The operation could not complete
within the time limit.
An error occurred during the
calibration process.
The requested amount of data has not
yet been acquired.
The transfer has been stopped to
prevent regeneration of output data.
The transfer stopped prior to reaching
the end of the transfer buffer.
The clock source for the input task is
faster than the maximum clock rate the
device supports. If you allow the
driver to calculate the analog input
channel clock rate, the driver bases the
clock rate on the device type. For this
reason, you should check the
configuration utility to make certain
that you have the correct device type.
No trigger value was found in the
input transfer buffer.
The trigger occurred before acquiring
sufficient pretrigger data.
An error occurred in the parallel port
communication with the SCXI-1200.
Attempted to start a pulse width
measurement with the pulse in the
phase to be measured (e.g., high phase
for high-level gating).
An unexpected error occurred inside
the driver when performing this given
operation.
An unexpected error occurred inside
the kernel of the device while
performing this operation.
The contents or the location of the
driver file was changed between
accesses to the driver.
The firmware does not support the
specified operation, or the firmware
operation could not complete due to a
data-integrity problem.
The hardware is not responding to the
specified operation, or the response
from the hardware is not consistent
with the functionality of the hardware.
Because of system limitations, the
driver could not write data to the
device fast enough to keep up with the
device throughput.
New data was not written to the output
transfer buffer before the driver
attempted to transfer data to the
device.
Because of system limitations, the
driver could not read data from the
device fast enough to keep up with the
device throughput. The onboard
device memory reported an overflow
error.
The driver wrote new data into the
input transfer buffer before the
previously acquired data was read.
New buffer information was not
available at the time of the DMA
chaining interrupt; DMA transfers will
terminate at the end of the currently
active transfer buffer.
The driver could not obtain a valid
reading from the transfer-count
register in the DMA controller.
The configuration file or DSP kernel
file could not be opened.
Unable to close a file.
Unable to seek within a file.
Unable to read from a file.
Unable to write to a file.
An error occurred accessing a file.
NI-DAQ does not support the current
operation on this particular version of
the operating system.
An unexpected error occurred from the
operating system while performing the
given operation.
A change to the update rate is not
possible at this time because 1) when
waveform generation is in progress,
you cannot change the interval
timebase or 2) when you make several
changes in a row, you must give each
change enough time to take effect
before requesting further changes.
You cannot perform another transfer
after a successful partial transfer.
The data collected on the Remote
SCXI unit was overwritten before it
could be transferred to the buffer in the
host. Try using a slower data
acquisition rate if possible.
New data could not be transferred to
the waveform buffer of the Remote
SCXI unit to keep up with the
waveform update rate. Try using a
slower waveform update rate if
possible.
Could not rearrange data after a
pretrigger acquisition completed.
One or more data points may have
been lost during buffered GPCTR
operations due to speed limitations of
your system.
No response was received from the
Remote SCXI unit within the specified
time limit.
Reprogramming the Remote SCXI unit
was unsuccessful. Please try again.
An invalid reset signature was sent
from the host to the Remote SCXI
unit.
Unable to find task.
The worksheet that is specified in the
task's configuration does not exist.
The range that is specified in the task's
An analog output channel string
represents multiple analog output
channels. Measure requires that each
analog output channel string contain
only one analog output channel.
Workgroups 3.11 and you get a dialog box
entitled Measure with the message,
Error -10243 The driver could
not locate or open the
configuration file, or the
format of the configuration
file is not compatible with
the currently installed
driver.
Solution:Delete the
WDAQCONF.CFG
file in your
Windows directory. Then reconfigure your
hardware using the NI-DAQ Configuration
Utility. If the problem persists, contact
National Instruments for an updated version
of the NI-DAQ driver.
Problem:You get a dialog box entitled Measure with
a message that begins
Fatal error.
Solution:Congratulations! It is likely that you have
found a deficiency in our code! Please write
down the information in the dialog box as
well as the actions that you took preceding
the error. Try to reproduce the error. Then,
call National Instruments technical support.
Problem:After you remove the Measure Data
Acquisition Add-In in the Add-Ins dialog
box, a dialog box entitled Microsoft Excel
appears with the message
Cannot
access ‘DAQ.XLA’.
Solution:Click on the Cancel button. This behavior,
which occurs because of Microsoft Excel or
the OLE libraries, is harmless and you can
safely ignore it.
For your convenience, this appendix contains forms to help you gather the information necessary
to help us solve technical problems you might have as well as a form you can use to comment on
the product documentation. Filling out a copy of the Technical Support Form before contacting
National Instruments helps us help you better and faster.
National Instruments provides comprehensive technical assistance around the world. In the U.S.
and Canada, applications engineers are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. (central time). In other countries, contact the nearest branch office. You may fax
questions to us at any time.
Electronic Services
Bulletin Board Support
National Instruments has BBS and FTP sites dedicated for 24-hour support with a collection of
files and documents to answer most common customer questions. From these sites, you can also
download the latest instrument drivers, updates, and example programs. For recorded instructions
on how to use the bulletin board and FTP services and for BBS automated information, call
(512) 795-6990. You can access these services at:
United States: (512) 794-5422 or (800) 327-3077
Up to 14,400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
United Kingdom: 01635 551422
Up to 9,600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
France: 1 48 65 15 59
Up to 9,600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
FTP Support
To access our FTP site, log on to our Internet host,
your Internet address, such as
and documents are located in the /
FaxBack is a 24-hour information retrieval system containing a library of documents on a wide
range of technical information. You can access FaxBack from a touch-tone telephone at the
following numbers:
(512) 418-1111
E-Mail Support (currently U.S. only)
You can submit technical support questions to the appropriate applications engineering team
through e-mail at the Internet addresses listed below. Remember to include your name, address,
and phone number so we can contact you with solutions and suggestions.
measure.support@natinst.com
Fax and Telephone Support
National Instruments has branch offices all over the world. Use the list below to find the technical
support number for your country. If there is no National Instruments office in your country,
contact the source from which you purchased your software to obtain support.
Photocopy this form and update it each time you make changes to your software or hardware, and
use the completed copy of this form as a reference for your current configuration. Completing this
form accurately before contacting National Instruments for technical support helps our
applications engineers answer your questions more efficiently.
If you are using any National Instruments hardware or software products related to this problem,
include the configuration forms from their user manuals. Include additional pages if necessary.
Name
Company
Address
Fax ( ) Phone ( )
Computer brand Model Processor
Operating system: Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows NT 3.1,
Windows NT 3.5, Windows 95, other (include version number)
Version of Excel (look at Excel’s About box): 5.0, 5.0c, other
Clock Speed MHzRAM MBDisplay adapter
Mouse yes noOther adapters installed
Hard disk capacity MBBrand
Instruments used
National Instruments hardware product model Revision
Configuration
National Instruments software product Version
Configuration
The problem is
List any error messages
The following steps will reproduce the problem
Hardware and Software Configuration Form
Click here to comment on this document via the
National Instruments website at
http://www.natinst.com/documentation/daq/
Record the settings and revisions of your hardware and software on the line to the right of each
item. Complete a new copy of this form each time you revise your software or hardware
configuration, and use this form as a reference for your current configuration. Completing this
form accurately before contacting National Instruments for technical support helps our
applications engineers answer your questions more efficiently.
National Instruments Products
Data Acquisition Hardware Revision ________________________________________________
Interrupt Level of Hardware _______________________________________________________
DMA Channels of Hardware ______________________________________________________
Base I/O Address of Hardware _____________________________________________________
NI-DAQ Version _______________________________________________________________
Other Products
Computer Make and Model _______________________________________________________
Microprocessor _________________________________________________________________
Clock Frequency ________________________________________________________________
Type of Video Board Installed _____________________________________________________
Operating System _______________________________________________________________
Operating System Version ________________________________________________________
Operating System Mode __________________________________________________________
Programming Language __________________________________________________________
Programming Language Version ___________________________________________________
Other Boards in System __________________________________________________________
Base I/O Address of Other Boards __________________________________________________
DMA Channels of Other Boards ___________________________________________________
Interrupt Level of Other Boards ____________________________________________________
For each instrument you are using:
Click here to comment on this document via the
National Instruments website at
http://www.natinst.com/documentation/daq/
Name of instrument ______________________________________________________________
Manufacturer of instrument________________________________________________________
Parity: None, Even, Odd, Mark, Space
Baud rate ______________________________________________________________________
Stop bits_______________________________________________________________________
Data bits_______________________________________________________________________
Flow control: Hardware, Software, None
Version of Measure: (look at the about box)___________________________________________
Documentation Comment Form
Click here to comment on this document
via the National Instruments website at
http://www.natinst.com/documentation/daq/
National Instruments encourages you to comment on the documentation supplied with our
products. This information helps us provide quality products to meet your needs.
Title:
Edition Date:
Part Number:
Please comment on the completeness, clarity, and organization of the manual.
If you find errors in the manual, please record the page numbers and describe the errors.
Thank you for your help.
Name
Title
Company
Address
Phone ( )
Measure® Data Acquisition User Manual
August 1996
321004B-01
Mail to:
Technical Publications
National Instruments CorporationNational Instruments Corporation
6504 Bridge Point Parkway(512) 794-5678
Austin, TX 78730-5039
Fax to:
Technical Publications
PrefixMeaningValue
pnµ-
m-
k-
M-
pico-
nano-
micro-
milli-
kilo-
mega-
10
10
10
10
10
10
-12
-9
-6
-3
3
6
Numbers/Symbols
1DOne-dimensional.
2DTwo-dimensional.
A
A/DAnalog-to-digital.
ADCAnalog-to-digital converter. An electronic device, often an
integrated circuit, that converts an analog voltage to a digital
number.
ADC resolutionThe resolution of the ADC, which is measured in bits. An ADC
with 16 bits has a higher resolution, and thus a higher degree of
accuracy than a 12-bit ADC.
Analog InputThe specification of the analog input channels, input
Configuration limits, input mode, and scan rate that Measure will use to
acquire a waveform.
Analog Output The specification of the analog output channels, output
Configuration limits, data points, and update rate that Measure will use to
generate a waveform.
analog triggerA trigger that occurs at a user-selected point on an incoming
analog signal. Triggering can be set to occur at a specified level
on either an increasing or a decreasing signal (positive or
negative slope). Analog triggering can be implemented either in
software or in hardware. When implemented in software
(Measure), all data is collected, transferred into system memory,
and analyzed for the trigger condition. When analog triggering is
implemented in hardware, no data is transferred to system
memory until the trigger condition has occurred.
AOAnalog output.
arrayOrdered, indexed set of data elements of the same type.
AsynchronousA method of data communications in which information is
transmitted one character at a time. A start bit precedes each
character and a stop bit follows each character. The start bit
signals the beginning of the character transmission and the stop
bit indicates its completion. The Serial Add-In uses
asynchronous communications in its data exchanges.
B
bipolarA signal range that includes both positive and negative values–
for example, -5 to 5 V.
bufferTemporary storage for acquired or generated data.
ByteThe standard method of representing numbers or characters in a
computers. Eight binary digits (bits) make up a byte.
SCXISignal Conditioning eXtensions for Instrumentation. The
National Instruments product line for conditional low-level
signals within an external chassis near sensors, so only
high-level signals in a noisy environment are sent to data
acquisition boards.
secSeconds
single-ended inputsAnalog inputs that you measure with respect to a common
ground.
software triggerA programmed event that triggers an event such as data
acquisition.
SynchronousA method of data communications in which a prearranged
number of bits are transferred per second. Synchronization
occurs before and after the transmission of blocks of data, rather
than before and after every character. There are no start bits or
stop bits, as there are in asynchronous communications. All
transmitted bits represent information or are parity bits. See
Asynchronous.
Glossary
T
triggerA condition for starting or stopping clocks.
U
unipolarA signal range that is always positive—for example, 0 to 10 V.
updateThe output equivalent of a scan. One update is one write to each
channel or port in the group. Updates apply to both analog
output and digital output groups.
update rateThe number of output updates per second.
update widthThe number of channels in the channel list or number of ports in
the port list you use to configure an analog or digital output
mode reference, 4-8 to 4-9
scan information, 4-4
selecting channels for scanning, 4-2 to 4-3
task configuration, 2-3 to 2-5
timing settings, 4-4 to 4-5
trigger reference, 4-7 to 4-8
Analog Input Configuration dialog box
Analog Input Scan List, 2-3, 4-2 to 4-4
At Cell, 4-6
Cancel, 4-7
Channels, 2-3, 4-2 to 4-3
Description, 2-4, 4-7
Display section, 2-4, 4-6 to 4-7
External scan clock, 4-5
Hardware Digital Trigger dialog box, 4-7
to 4-8
High limit, 4-3
illustration, 4-2
In Columns, 4-6
In Rows, 4-6
Low Limit, 4-4
Mode, 4-7
multiple SCXI modules and chassis, 3-3
to 3-4
Number of scans, 4-4
OK, 4-7
Scale to volts, 4-4
Scan Information section, 2-3 to 2-4, 4-4
to 4-5
Scan Rate section, 2-4, 4-4 to 4-5
Scans/second, 2-4, 4-5
Task Name, 2-4, 4-6
Trigger, 4-6