National Instruments T2111 User Manual

DAQCard E Series

User Manual

Multifunction I/O Cards for PCMCIA

June 1996 Edition

Part Number 321138A-01



Copyright 1996 National Instruments Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

Internet Support

GPIB:

[e-mail]

DAQ:

[e-mail]

VXI:

[e-mail]

LabVIEW:
LabWindows:
HiQ:
VISA:

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

E-mail:
FTP Site:
Web Address:

[e-mail]

ftp.natinst.com

http://www.natinst.com

Bulletin Board Support

BBS United States: [phone] or [phone]
BBS United Kingdom: 01635 551422
BBS France: 1 48 65 15 59

FaxBack Support

[phone]

Telephone Support (U.S.)

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

International Offices

Australia 03 9 879 9422, Austria 0662 45 79 90 0, Belgium 02 757 00 20,
Canada (Ontario) 519 622 9310, Canada (Québec) 514 694 8521, Denmark 45 76 26 00,
Finland 90 527 2321, France 1 48 14 24 24, Germany 089 741 31 30, Hong Kong 2645 3186,
Italy 02 413091, Japan 03 5472 2970, Korea 02 596 7456, Mexico 95 800 010 0793,
Netherlands 0348 433466, Norway 32 84 84 00, Singapore 2265886, Spain 91 640 0085,
Sweden 08 730 49 70, Switzerland 056 200 51 51, Taiwan 02 377 1200, U.K. 01635 523545

National Instruments Corporate Headquarters

6504 Bridge Point Parkway Austin, TX 78730-5039 Tel: [phone]

Important Information

Warranty

Copyright

Trademarks

The DAQCard E Series cards are 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.

XCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN

E

SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE

C

USTOMER’S RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL

I

NSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE CUSTOMER
WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF

Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, 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.

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or
in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

LabVIEW, NI-DAQ, DAQCard, DAQPad, DAQ-STC, NI-PGIA, and SCXI are trademarks of National
Instruments Corporation.

Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

, N

ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND

. N

ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

. This limitation of the liability of National

.

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.

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

Table

of

Contents

About This Manual

Organization of This Manual ........................................................................................xi

Conventions Used in This Manual ................................................................................xii

National Instruments Documentation ...........................................................................xiii

Related Documentation .................................................................................................xiv

Customer Communication ............................................................................................xiv

Chapter 1
Introduction

About the DAQCard E Series .......................................................................................1-1

What You Need to Get Started ......................................................................................1-2

Software Programming Choices ...................................................................................1-2

LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI Application Software ...............................1-2

NI-DAQ Driver Software ...............................................................................1-3

Register-Level Programming ..........................................................................1-4

Optional Equipment ......................................................................................................1-5

Custom Cabling .............................................................................................................1-5

Unpacking .....................................................................................................................1-6

Chapter 2
Installation and Configuration

Installation .....................................................................................................................2-1

Configuration ................................................................................................................2-2

Chapter 3
Hardware Overview

Analog Input ..................................................................................................................3-2

Input Mode ......................................................................................................3-2

Input Polarity and Input Range .......................................................................3-3

Considerations for Selecting Input Ranges ......................................3-6

Dither ..............................................................................................................3-6

Multichannel Scanning Considerations ..........................................................3-7

Analog Trigger ..............................................................................................................3-9

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Table of Contents

Digital I/O .....................................................................................................................3-12

Timing Signal Routing ..................................................................................................3-13

Programmable Function Inputs .......................................................................3-14

DAQCard Clocks ............................................................................................3-14

Chapter 4
Signal Connections

I/O Connector ................................................................................................................4-1

Analog Input Signal Connections .................................................................................4-10

Types of Signal Sources ................................................................................................4-12

Floating Signal Sources ..................................................................................4-12

Ground-Referenced Signal Sources ................................................................4-12

Input Configurations .....................................................................................................4-12

Differential Connection Considerations (DIFF Input Configuration) ............4-14

Single-Ended Connection Considerations ......................................................4-18

Common-Mode Signal Rejection Considerations ..........................................4-20

Digital I/O Signal Connections .....................................................................................4-21

Power Connections ........................................................................................................4-22

Timing Connections ......................................................................................................4-22

Programmable Function Input Connections ...................................................4-24

Data Acquisition Timing Connections ...........................................................4-24

General-Purpose Timing Signal Connections ................................................4-37

Differential Connections for Ground-Referenced

Signal Sources ................................................................................4-15

Differential Connections for Nonreferenced or Floating

Signal Sources ................................................................................4-16

Single-Ended Connections for Floating Signal Sources (RSE

Configuration) ................................................................................4-19

Single-Ended Connections for Grounded Signal Sources (NRSE

Configuration) ................................................................................4-19

SCANCLK Signal ............................................................................4-26

EXTSTROBE* Signal ......................................................................4-27

TRIG1 Signal ...................................................................................4-27

TRIG2 Signal ...................................................................................4-29

STARTSCAN Signal .......................................................................4-30

CONVERT* Signal ..........................................................................4-33

AIGATE Signal ................................................................................4-34

SISOURCE Signal ...........................................................................4-35

UISOURCE Signal ...........................................................................4-36

GPCTR0_SOURCE Signal ..............................................................4-37

GPCTR0_GATE Signal ...................................................................4-38

GPCTR0_OUT Signal ......................................................................4-38

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Field Wiring Considerations .........................................................................................4-44

Chapter 5
Calibration

Loading Calibration Constants ......................................................................................5-1

Self-Calibration .............................................................................................................5-2

External Calibration ......................................................................................................5-2

Other Considerations .....................................................................................................5-3

Appendix A
Specifications

DAQCard-AI-16E-4 ......................................................................................................A-1

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 .................................................................................................A-8

Table of Contents

GPCTR0_UP_DOWN Signal ..........................................................4-39

GPCTR1_SOURCE Signal ..............................................................4-39

GPCTR1_GATE Signal ...................................................................4-40

GPCTR1_OUT Signal ......................................................................4-41

GPCTR1_UP_DOWN Signal ..........................................................4-42

FREQ_OUT Signal ..........................................................................4-43

Appendix B
Optional Cable Connector Descriptions

Appendix C
PC Card Questions and Answers

Appendix D
Common Questions

Appendix E
Power-Management Modes

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National Instruments Corporation vii DAQCard E Series User Manual

Table of Contents

Appendix F
Customer Communication

Glossary
Index

DAQCard E Series User Manual viii

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National Instruments Corporation

Figures

Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment, NI-DAQ,

Figure 2-1. A Typical Configuration for the DAQCard E Series Card ......................2-2

Figure 3-1. DAQCard-AI-16E-4 Block Diagram .......................................................3-1

Figure 3-2. DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 Block Diagram ..................................................3-2

Figure 3-3. Dither .......................................................................................................3-7

Figure 3-4. Analog Trigger Block Diagram ...............................................................3-9

Figure 3-5. Below-Low-Level Analog Triggering Mode ...........................................3-10

Figure 3-6. Above-High-Level Analog Triggering Mode ..........................................3-10

Figure 3-7. Inside-Region Analog Triggering Mode ..................................................3-11

Figure 3-8. High-Hysteresis Analog Triggering Mode ..............................................3-11

Figure 3-9. Low-Hysteresis Analog Triggering Mode ...............................................3-12

Figure 3-10. CONVERT* Signal Routing ....................................................................3-13

Figure 4-1. I/O Connector Pin Assignment for the DAQCard-AI-16E-4 and

Figure 4-2. DAQCard E Series PGIA .........................................................................4-11

Figure 4-3. Summary of Analog Input Connections ..................................................4-13

Figure 4-4. Differential Input Connections for Ground-Referenced Signals .............4-15

Figure 4-5. Differential Input Connections for Nonreferenced Signals .....................4-16

Figure 4-6. Single-Ended Input Connections for Nonreferenced or Floating Signals 4-19

Figure 4-7. Single-Ended Input Connections for Ground-Referenced Signals ..........4-20

Figure 4-8. Digital I/O Connections ...........................................................................4-21

Figure 4-9. Timing I/O Connections ..........................................................................4-23

Figure 4-10. Typical Posttriggered Acquisition ...........................................................4-25

Figure 4-11. Typical Pretriggered Acquisition .............................................................4-25

Figure 4-12. SCANCLK Signal Timing .......................................................................4-26

Figure 4-13. EXTSTROBE* Signal Timing ................................................................4-27

Figure 4-14. TRIG1 Input Signal Timing .....................................................................4-28

Figure 4-15. TRIG1 Output Signal Timing ..................................................................4-28

Figure 4-16. TRIG2 Input Signal Timing .....................................................................4-30

Figure 4-17. TRIG2 Output Signal Timing ..................................................................4-30

Figure 4-18. STARTSCAN Input Signal Timing .........................................................4-31

Figure 4-19. STARTSCAN Output Signal Timing ......................................................4-32

Figure 4-20. CONVERT* Input Signal Timing ...........................................................4-33

Figure 4-21. CONVERT* Output Signal Timing .........................................................4-34

Figure 4-22. SISOURCE Signal Timing ......................................................................4-35

Figure 4-23. UISOURCE Signal Timing ......................................................................4-36

Figure 4-24. GPCTR0_SOURCE Signal Timing .........................................................4-37

Figure 4-25. GPCTR0_GATE Signal Timing in Edge-Detection Mode .....................4-38

Table of Contents

and Your Hardware ................................................................................1-4

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 ..........................................................................4-2

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National Instruments Corporation ix DAQCard E Series User Manual

Table of Contents

Figure 4-26. GPCTR0_OUT Signal Timing ................................................................4-39

Figure 4-27. GPCTR1_SOURCE Signal Timing .........................................................4-40

Figure 4-28. GPCTR1_GATE Signal Timing in Edge-Detection Mode .....................4-41

Figure 4-29. GPCTR1_OUT Signal Timing ................................................................4-41

Figure 4-30. GPCTR Timing Summary .......................................................................4-42

Figure B-1. 68-Pin AI Connector Pin Assignments ....................................................B-2

Figure B-2. 50-Pin AI Connector Pin Assignments ....................................................B-3

Tables

Table 3-1. Available Input Configurations for the DAQCard E Series ....................3-3

Table 3-2. Actual Range and Measurement Precision ..............................................3-4

Table 3-3. Actual Range and Measurement Precision, DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 ......3-5

Table 4-1. I/O Connector Signal Descriptions ..........................................................4-3

Table 4-2. I/O Signal Summary, DAQCard-AI-16E-4 .............................................4-5

Table 4-3. I/O Signal Summary, DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 ........................................4-8

Table E-1. DAQCard E Series Power-Management Modes ......................................E-2

DAQCard E Series User Manual x

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National Instruments Corporation

About

This

Manual

This manual describes the electrical and mechanical aspects of each
card in the DAQCard E Series product line and contains information
concerning their operation and programming. Unless otherwise noted,
text applies to all cards in the DAQCard E Series.

The DAQCard E Series includes the following cards:

• DAQCard-AI-16E-4

• DAQCard-AI-16XE-50

The DAQCard E Series cards are high-performance multifunction
analog, digital, and timing I/O cards for computers with PCMCIA slots
compliant with rev. 2.1 of the PCMCIA specifications. Supported
functions include analog input, analog output, digital I/O, and timing
I/O.

Organization of This Manual

The

DAQCard E Series User Manual

• Chapter 1,
lists what you need to get started, describes the optional software
and optional equipment, and explains how to unpack your
DAQCard E Series card.

• Chapter 2,
and configure your DAQCard E Series card.

• Chapter 3,
hardware functions on your DAQCard E Series card.

• Chapter 4, Signal Connections
output signal connections to your DAQCard E Series card via the
DAQCard I/O connector.

• Chapter 5,
your DAQCard E Series card.

• Appendix A,
DAQCard in the DAQCard E Series.



National Instruments Corporation xi DAQCard E Series User Manual

Introduction

Installation and Configuration

Hardware Overview

Calibration,

Specifications

, describes the DAQCard E Series cards,

discusses the calibration procedures for

is organized as follows:

, explains how to install

, presents an overview of the

, describes how to make input and

, lists the specifications for each

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

About This Manual

• Appendix B,
connectors on the optional cables for the DAQCard E Series cards.

• Appendix C,
common questions and answers relating to PC Card operation.

• Appendix D,
questions and their answers relating to usage and special features
of your DAQCard E Series card.

• Appendix E,
management modes of the DAQCard E Series cards.

• Appendix F,
to request help from National Instruments or to comment on our
products.

• The

• The

Glossary

used in this manual, including acronyms, abbreviations, metric
prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.

Index

including the page where you can find the topic.

Optional Cable Connector Descriptions

PC Card Questions and Answers

Common Questions

Power-Management Modes

Customer Communication

contains an alphabetical list and description of terms

alphabetically lists topics covered in this manual,

Conventions Used in This Manual

The following conventions are used in this manual.

♦

< > Angle brackets containing numbers separated by an ellipsis represent a

bold

bold italic

italic

monospace

The ♦ indicates that the text following it applies only to specific

DAQCard E Series boards.

range of values associated with a bit, port, or signal name (for example,
ACH<0..7> stands for ACH0 through ACH7).

Bold text denotes parameters, menus, menu items, dialog box buttons

or options, and error messages.

Bold italic text denotes a note, caution, or warning.

Italic text denotes emphasis on a specific DAQCard in the
DAQCard E Series or on other important information, a cross reference,
or an introduction to a key concept.

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

, describes the

, contains a list of

, contains a list of commonly asked

, describes the power

, contains forms you can use

DAQCard E Series User Manual xii

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National Instruments Corporation

names, functions, operations, variables, filenames, and extensions, and
for statements and comments taken from program code.

NI-DAQ NI-DAQ refers to NI-DAQ software unless otherwise noted.
PC Card PC Card refers to a PCMCIA card.
SCXI SCXI stands for Signal Conditioning eXtensions for Instrumentation

and is a National Instruments product line designed to perform
front-end signal conditioning for National Instruments plug-in DAQ
boards.

Abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and
terms are listed in the

Glossary

at the end of this manual.

National Instruments Documentation

The

DAQCard E Series User Manual

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 manuals you have as follows:

•

Getting Started with SCXI

manual you should read. It gives an overview of the SCXI system
and contains the most commonly needed information for the
modules, chassis, and software.

• Your SCXI hardware user manuals—If you are using SCXI, read
these manuals next for detailed information about signal
connections and module configuration. They also explain in greater
detail how the module works and contain application hints.

• 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 documentation—You might have several sets of software
documentation, including LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and
NI-DAQ. After you have set up your hardware system, use either
the application software (LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI) or the
NI-DAQ documentation to help you write your application. If you
have a large and complicated system, it is worthwhile to look
through the software documentation before you configure your
hardware.

is one piece of the documentation

—If you are using SCXI, this is the first

About This Manual



National Instruments Corporation xiii DAQCard E Series User Manual

About This Manual

• Accessory installation guides or manuals—If you are using
accessory products, read the terminal block and cable assembly
installation guides. They explain how to physically connect the
relevant pieces of the system. Consult these guides when you are
making your connections.

• SCXI chassis manuals—If you are using SCXI, read these manuals
for maintenance information on the chassis and installation
instructions.

Related Documentation

The following National Instruments document contains information

you may find helpful:

• DAQCard E Series Register-Level Programmer Manual

This manual is available by request. If you are using NI-DAQ,
LabVIEW, or LabWindows/CVI, you should not need the register-level
programming manual.

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 F,

DAQCard E Series User Manual xiv

Customer Communication

, at the end of this manual.

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National Instruments Corporation

Chapter

Introduction

This chapter describes the DAQCard E Series cards, lists what you need
to get started, describes the optional software and optional equipment,
and explains how to unpack your DAQCard E Series card.

About the DAQCard E Series

Thank you for buying a National Instruments DAQCard E Series card.
The DAQCard E Series cards are multifunction analog, digital, and
timing I/O cards for computers equipped with Type II PCMCIA slots.
This family of cards features 12-bit and 16-bit ADCs with eight lines of
TTL-compatible digital I/O, and two 24-bit counter/timers for timing
I/O.

The DAQCard E Series cards use the National Instruments DAQ-STC
system timing controller for time-related functions. The DAQ-STC
consists of three timing groups that control analog input, analog output,
and general-purpose counter/timer functions. These groups include a
total of seven 24-bit and three 16-bit counters and a maximum timing
resolution of 50 ns.

1

The DAQCard E Series cards can interface to an SCXI system so that
you can acquire over 3,000 analog signals from thermocouples, RTDs,
strain gauges, voltage sources, and current sources. You can also
acquire or generate digital signals for communication and control. SCXI
is the instrumentation front end for plug-in DAQ boards.

Detailed specifications for the DAQCard E Series cards are in
Appendix A,

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National Instruments Corporation 1-1 DAQCard E Series User Manual

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

Specifications

.

Chapter 1 Introduction

What You Need to Get Started

To set up and use your DAQCard E Series card, you will need the
following:

❏

One of the following cards:

DAQCard-AI-16E-4
DAQCard-AI-16XE-50

❏

DAQCard E Series User Manual

❏

One of the following software packages and documentation

NI-DAQ for PC compatibles
LabVIEW for PC compatibles
LabWindows/CVI

❏

Your computer

Software Programming Choices

There are several options to choose from when programming your
National Instruments DAQ and SCXI hardware. You can use
LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, NI-DAQ, or register-level
programming.

LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI Application Software

LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI are innovative program development
software packages for data acquisition and control applications.
LabVIEW uses graphical programming, whereas LabWindows/CVI
enhances traditional programming languages. Both packages include
extensive libraries for data acquisition, instrument control, data
analysis, and graphical data presentation.

LabVIEW features interactive graphics, a state-of-the-art user
interface, and a powerful graphical programming language. The
LabVIEW Data Acquisition VI Library, a series of VIs for using
LabVIEW with National Instruments DAQ hardware, is included with
LabVIEW. The LabVIEW Data Acquisition VI Library is functionally
equivalent to the NI-DAQ software.

LabWindows/CVI features interactive graphics, a state-of-the-art user
interface, and uses the ANSI standard C programming language. The

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National Instruments Corporation

LabWindows/CVI Data Acquisition Library, a series of functions for
using LabWindows/CVI with National Instruments DAQ hardware, is
included with the NI-DAQ software kit. The LabWindows/CVI Data
Acquisition Library is functionally equivalent to the NI-DAQ software.

Using LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI software will greatly reduce the
development time for your data acquisition and control application.

NI-DAQ Driver Software

The NI-DAQ driver software is included at no charge with all National
Instruments DAQ hardware. NI-DAQ is not packaged with signal
conditioning or accessory products. NI-DAQ has an extensive library of
functions that you can call from your application programming
environment. These functions include routines for analog input (A/D
conversion), buffered data acquisition (high-speed A/D conversion),
analog output (D/A conversion), waveform generation (timed D/A
conversion), digital I/O, counter/timer operations, SCXI, RTSI,
calibration, messaging, and acquiring data to extended memory.

NI-DAQ has both high-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum ease of
use and low-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum flexibility and
performance. Examples of high-level functions are streaming data to
disk or acquiring a certain number of data points. An example of a
low-level function is writing directly to registers on the DAQ device.
NI-DAQ does not sacrifice the performance of National Instruments
DAQ devices because it lets multiple devices operate at their peak
performance.

Chapter 1 Introduction

NI-DAQ also internally addresses many of the complex issues between
the computer and the DAQ hardware such as programming interrupts
and DMA controllers. NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software
interface among its different versions so that you can change platforms
with minimal modifications to your code. Whether you are using
conventional programming languages, LabVIEW, or

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National Instruments Corporation 1-3 DAQCard E Series User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

LabWindows/CVI, your application uses the NI-DAQ driver software,
as illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Conventional 

Programming 

Environment 

(PC, Macintosh, or 

Sun SPARCstation)

Figure 1-1.



SCXI Hardware

The Relationship between the Programming Environment, NI-DAQ,

LabVIEW 

(PC, Macintosh, or 

Sun SPARCstation)

NI-DAQ

Driver Software

DAQ or 

LabWindows/CVI

(PC or 

Sun SPARCstation)

Personal 
Computer

or

Workstation





and Your Hardware

You can use your DAQCard E Series card, together with other PC, AT,
EISA, DAQCard, and DAQPad Series DAQ and SCXI hardware, with
NI-DAQ software.

Register-Level Programming

The final option for programming any National Instruments DAQ
hardware is to write register-level software. Writing register-level
programming software can be very time-consuming and inefficient and
is not recommended for most users.

Even if you are an experienced register-level programmer, consider
using NI-DAQ, LabVIEW, or LabWindows/CVI to program your
National Instruments DAQ hardware. Using the NI-DAQ, LabVIEW, or
LabWindows/CVI software is as easy and as flexible as register-level
programming and can save weeks of development time.

DAQCard E Series User Manual 1-4

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National Instruments Corporation

Optional Equipment

National Instruments offers a variety of products to use with your
DAQCard E Series card, including cables, connector blocks, and other
accessories, as follows:

• Cables and cable assemblies, shielded and ribbon

• Connector blocks, shielded and unshielded, with 50 and 68-pin
screw terminals

• SCXI modules and accessories for isolating, amplifying, exciting,
and multiplexing signals for relays and analog output. With SCXI
you can condition and acquire up to 3072 channels.

• Low channel-count signal conditioning modules, cards, and
accessories, including conditioning for strain gauges and RTDs,
simultaneous sample-and-hold circuitry, and relays

For more specific information about these products, refer to your

National Instruments catalogue or call the office nearest you.

Custom Cabling

Chapter 1 Introduction

National Instruments offers cables and accessories for you to prototype
your application or to use if you frequently change DAQCard
interconnections.

If you want to develop your own cable, however, the following
guidelines may be useful:

• For the analog input signals, shielded twisted-pair wires for each
analog input pair yield the best results, assuming that you use
differential inputs. Tie the shield for each signal pair to the ground
reference at the source.

• You should route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.

• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

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National Instruments Corporation 1-5 DAQCard E Series User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

Unpacking

The following list gives recommended National Instruments cable

assemblies that mate to your DAQCard I/O connector.

♦

DAQCard-AI-16E-4

PSHR68-68M, a shielded 68-position ribbon cable, with male-to­male connectors. This connects to an SH6868 or SH6850 shielded
cable.

PR68-68F, an unshielded 68-position ribbon cable

♦

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50

PSHR68-68M, a shielded 68-position ribbon cable, with male-to­male connectors. This connects to an SH6868 or SH6850 shielded
cable.

PR68-68F, an unshielded 68-position ribbon cable

Your DAQCard E Series card is shipped in an antistatic vinyl box.
When you are not using your DAQCard, store it in this box. Because
your DAQCard is enclosed in a fully shielded case, no additional
electrostatic precautions are necessary. However, for your own safety
and to protect your DAQCard, never attempt to touch the connector
pins.

DAQCard E Series User Manual 1-6

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National Instruments Corporation

Chapter

Installation and
Configuration

This chapter explains how to install and configure a DAQCard E Series
card.

Installation

Note:

You should install your driver software before installing your hardware.
Refer to your NI-DAQ release notes for software installation instructions.

There are two basic steps to installing a DAQCard E Series card.

1. If you have Windows 3.1, you must have Card & Socket

2. Insert the DAQCard and attach the I/O cable.

2

Services 2.0 (or a later version) software installed on your
computer. If you have Windows 95, you do not need Card & Socket
Services. This device is built-in to the Windows 95 operating
system.

The DAQCard has two connectors—a 68-pin PCMCIA bus
connector on one end and a 68-pin I/O connector on the other end.
Insert the PCMCIA bus connector into any available Type II
PCMCIA slot until the connector is seated firmly. Notice that the
DAQCard and I/O cable are both keyed so that the cable can be
inserted only one way.

Be careful not to put strain on the I/O cable when inserting it into
and removing it from the DAQCard. Always grasp the cable by the
connector you are plugging or unplugging.
the I/O cable to unplug it from the DAQCard.

Your DAQCard can be connected to 68- and 50-pin accessories.
You can use either a 68-pin female cable to plug into the
PSHR68-68M with your DAQCard, or a 50-pin male cable and the
PSHR68-68M and SH6850 with your DAQCard. See Appendix B,

Optional Cable Connector Descriptions

Never

pull directly on

, for more information.

The DAQCard is now installed. You are ready to make the appropriate
connections to the I/O connector cable as described in Chapter 4,

Connections



National Instruments Corporation 2-1 DAQCard E Series User Manual

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

.

Signal

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Figure 2-1 shows an example of a typical configuration.

Portable

Computer

DAQCard

INSERT CARD

™

-AI-16E-4

PCMCIA Socket

PSHR68-68M

The Software is the Instrument

INSTRUMENTS

NATIONAL 

®

™

I/O Cable

Figure 2-1.

A Typical Configuration for the DAQCard E Series Card

Configuration

Your DAQCard is completely software-configurable. Refer to your
software documentation to install and configure your software.

If you are using NI-DAQ, refer to your NI-DAQ release notes to install
your driver software. Find the installation section for your operating
system and follow the instructions given there.

If you are using LabVIEW, refer to your LabVIEW release notes to
install your application software. After you have installed LabVIEW,

DAQCard E Series User Manual 2-2

SH6868 Cable

I/O Signals



National Instruments Corporation

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

refer to the NI-DAQ release notes and follow the instructions given
there for your operating system and LabVIEW.

If you are using LabWindows/CVI, refer to your LabWindows/CVI
release notes to install your application software. After you have
installed LabWindows/CVI, refer to the NI-DAQ release notes and
follow the instructions given there for your operating system and
LabWindows/CVI.



National Instruments Corporation 2-3 DAQCard E Series User Manual

Chapter

Hardware Overview

This chapter presents an overview of the hardware functions on your

DAQCard E Series card.

Figure 3-1 shows the block diagram for the DAQCard-AI-16E-4.

(8)

Analog

(8)

Muxes

Trigger Level

DACs

I/O Connector

Trigger

Voltage

REF

Calibration

Mux

2

Mux Mode
Selection
Switches

Circuitry

PFI / Trigger

Timing

Digital I/O (8)

Analog
Trigger

Dither

Circuitry

Calibration

DACs

3

+

NI-PGIA
Gain
Amplifier
–

Trigger

Counter/

Timing I/O

Digital I/O

Converter

Configuration

Memory

Analog Input

Timing/Control

DAQ - STC

Analog Output

Timing/Control

12-Bit

Sampling

A/D

AI Control

DMA/
Interrupt
Request

Bus

Interface

RTSI Bus

Interface

ADC

FIFO

Data (16)

IRQ
DMA

DAQ-STC

Interface

Analog

Input

Control

Bus

Data

Transceivers

EEPROM

EEPROM

Control

DAQ-PCMCIA

Analog
Output

Control

3

DMA

Interface

Bus

Interface

PCMCIA Connector

Figure 3-1.



National Instruments Corporation 3-1 DAQCard E Series User Manual

DAQCard-AI-16E-4 Block Diagram

This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

Figure 3-2 shows a block diagram for the DAQCard-AI-16XE-50.

Voltage

REF

(8)

Analog

(8)

Muxes

Calibration

Mux

I/O Connector

PFI / Trigger

Digital I/O (8)

Analog Input

Calibration

Timing

Mux Mode
Selection
Switches

DACs

3

+

Programmable
Gain
Amplifier
–

Figure 3-2.

Trigger

Counter/

Timing I/O

Digital I/O

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 Block Diagram

Sampling

Converter

Configuration

Memory

Analog Input

Timing/Control

DAQ - STC

Analog Output
Timing/Control

16-Bit

A/D

2

FIFO

AI Control

DMA/
Interrupt
Request

Bus

Interface

RTSI Bus

Interface

ADC

Data (16)

IRQ

DMA

DAQ-STC

Analog

Input

Control

Bus

Interface

EEPROM

EEPROM

Control

DAQ-PCMCIA

Analog
Output
Control

Data

Transceivers

DMA

Interface

Bus

Interface

The analog input section of each DAQCard is software configurable.
You can select different analog input configurations through
application software designed to control the DAQCards. The following
sections describe in detail each of the analog input categories.

PCMCIA Connector

Input Mode

The DAQCards have three different input modes—nonreferenced
single-ended (NRSE) input, referenced single-ended (RSE) input, and
differential (DIFF) input. The single-ended input configurations use up
to 16 channels. The DIFF input configuration uses up to eight channels.
Input modes are programmed on a per channel basis for multimode
scanning. For example, you can configure the circuitry to scan 12
channels—four differentially configured channels and eight

DAQCard E Series User Manual 3-2

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National Instruments Corporation

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

single-ended channels. Table 3-1 describes the three input
configurations.

Table 3-1.

Available Input Configurations for the DAQCard E Series

Description

Configuration

DIFF

A channel configured in DIFF mode uses two analog
channel input lines. One line connects to the positive
input of the DAQCard programmable gain
instrumentation amplifier (PGIA), and the other
connects to the negative input of the PGIA.

RSE A channel configured in RSE mode uses one analog

channel input line, which connects to the positive
input of the PGIA. The negative input of the PGIA is
internally tied to analog input ground (AIGND).

NRSE A channel configured in NRSE mode uses one

analog channel input line, which connects to the
positive input of the PGIA. The negative input of the
PGIA connects to the analog input sense (AISENSE)
input.

For more information about the three types of input configuration, refer
to the

Analog Input Signal Connections

Connections

, which contains diagrams showing the signal paths for the

section in Chapter 4,

Signal

three configurations.

Input Polarity and Input Range

♦

DAQCard-AI-16E-4

This DAQCard has two input polarities—unipolar and bipolar.
Unipolar input means that the input voltage range is between 0 and
V

, where V

ref

that the input voltage range is between -V
DAQCard-AI-16E-4 has a unipolar input range of 10 V (0 to 10 V)
and a bipolar input range of 10 V (±5 V). You can program polarity
and range settings on a per channel basis so that you can configure
each input channel uniquely.



National Instruments Corporation 3-3 DAQCard E Series User Manual

is a positive reference voltage. Bipolar input means

ref

ref

/2

and +V

/2. The

ref

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

The software-programmable gain on these cards increases their
overall flexibility by matching the input signal ranges to those that
the ADC can accommodate. The DAQCard-AI-16E-4 has gains of

0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 and is suited for a wide variety of
signal levels. With the proper gain setting, you can use the ADC’s
full resolution to measure the input signal. Table 3-2 shows the
overall input range and precision according to the range
configuration and gain used.

Table 3-2.

Range

Actual Range and Measurement Precision

Gain Actual Input Range Resolution

Configuration

0 to +10 V

1.0

2.0

5.0

10.0

20.0

50.0

100.0

-5 to +5 V 0.5

1.0

2.0

5.0

10.0

20.0

50.0

100.0

1

The value of 1 LSB of the 12-bit ADC; that is, the voltage

0 to +10 V

0 to +5 V
0 to +2 V

0 to +1 V
0 to +500 mV
0 to +200 mV
0 to +100 mV

-10 to +10 V

-5 to +5 V

-2.5 to +2.5 V

-1 to +1 V

-500 to +500 mV

-250 to +250 mV

-100 to +100 mV

-50 to +50 mV

2.44 mV

1.22 mV

488.28 µV

244.14 µV

122.07 µV

48.83 µV

24.41 µV

4.88 mV

2.44 mV

1.22 mV

488.28 µV

244.14 µV

122.07 µV

48.83 µV

24.41 µV

increment corresponding to a change of one count in the ADC
12-bit count.

1

Note:

See Appendix A

ratings

.

♦

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50

This DAQCard has two input polarities—unipolar and bipolar.
Unipolar input means that the input voltage range is between 0 and
V

where V

,

ref

is a positive reference voltage. Bipolar input means

ref

that the input voltage range is between -V

DAQCard E Series User Manual 3-4

, Specifications,

for absolute maximum

and +V

ref



National Instruments Corporation

ref

. The

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 has a unipolar input range of 10 V
(0 to 10 V) and a bipolar input range of 20 V (±10 V). You can
program polarity and range settings on a per channel basis so that
you can configure each input channel uniquely.

Note:

You can calibrate your DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 analog input circuitry for
either a unipolar or bipolar polarity. If you mix unipolar and bipolar
channels in your scan list and you are using NI-DAQ, then NI-DAQ will
load the calibration constants appropriate to the polarity for which analog
input channel 0 is configured.

The software-programmable gain on these cards increases their
overall flexibility by matching the input signal ranges to those that
the ADC can accommodate. The DAQCard-AI-16XE-50 has gains
of 1, 2, 10, and 100 and is suited for a wide variety of signal levels.
With the proper gain setting, you can use the ADC’s full resolution
to measure the input signal. Table 3-3 shows the overall input range
and precision according to the range configuration and gain used.

Table 3-3.

Actual Range and Measurement Precision, DAQCard-AI-16XE-50

Range

Gain Actual Input Range Precision

1

Configuration

0 to +10 V

-10 to +10 V 1.0

1.0

2.0

10.0

100.0

2.0

10.0

100.0

0 to +10 V

0 to +5 V

0 to +1 V

0 to 100 mV

-10 to +10 V

-5 to +5 V

-1 to +1 V

-100 to +100 mV

152.59 µV

76.29 µV

15.26 µV

1.53 µV

305.18 µV

152.59 µV

30.52 µV

3.05 µV

1

The value of 1 LSB of the 16-bit ADC; that is, the voltage
increment corresponding to a change of one count in the ADC
16-bit count.

Note:

See Appendix A

ratings

.



National Instruments Corporation 3-5 DAQCard E Series User Manual

, Specifications,

for absolute maximum

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

Dither

Considerations for Selecting Input Ranges

Which input polarity and range you select depends on the expected
range of the incoming signal. A large input range can accommodate a
large signal variation but reduces the voltage resolution. Choosing a
smaller input range improves the voltage resolution but may result in
the input signal going out of range. For best results, you should match
the input range as closely as possible to the expected range of the input
signal. For example, if you are certain the input signal will not be
negative (below 0 V), unipolar input polarity is best. However, if the
signal is negative or equal to zero, inaccurate readings will occur if you
use unipolar input polarity.

When you enable dither, you add approximately 0.5 LSB rms of white
Gaussian noise to the signal to be converted by the ADC. This addition
is useful for applications involving averaging to increase the resolution
of your DAQCard, as in calibration or spectral analysis. In such
applications, noise modulation is decreased and differential linearity is
improved by the addition of dither. When taking DC measurements,
such as when checking the DAQCard calibration, you should enable
dither and average about 1,000 points to take a single reading. This
process removes the effects of quantization and reduces measurement
noise, resulting in improved resolution. For high-speed applications not
involving averaging or spectral analysis, you may want to disable the
dither to reduce noise. You enable and disable the dither circuitry
through software.

Figure 3-3 illustrates the effect of dither on signal acquisition.
Figure 3-3a shows a small (±4 LSB) sine wave acquired with dither off.
The quantization of the ADC is clearly visible. Figure 3-3b shows what
happens when 50 such acquisitions are averaged together; quantization
is still plainly visible. In Figure 3-3c, the sine wave is acquired with
dither on. There is a considerable amount of noise visible. But
averaging about 50 such acquisitions, as shown in Figure 3-3d,
eliminates both the added noise and the effects of quantization. Dither
has the effect of forcing quantization noise to become a zero-mean
random variable rather than a deterministic function of the input signal.

DAQCard E Series User Manual 3-6

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National Instruments Corporation

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

LSBs

LSBs

6.0

6.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

-2.0

-2.0

-4.0

-4.0

-6.0

-6.0
100 200 300 4000 500

100 200 300 4000 500

LSBs

LSBs

6.0

6.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

-2.0

-2.0

-4.0

-4.0

-6.0

-6.0
100 200 300 4000 500

100 200 300 4000 500

a. Dither disabled; no averaging b. Dither disabled; average of 50 acquisitions

LSBs

LSBs

LSBs

6.0

6.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

-2.0

-2.0

-4.0

-4.0

-6.0

-6.0
100 200 300 4000 500

100 200 300 4000 500

c. Dither enabled; no averaging

LSBs

6.0

6.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

-2.0

-2.0

-4.0

-4.0

-6.0

-6.0
100 200 300 4000 500

100 200 300 4000 500

d. Dither enabled; average of 50 acquisitions

Figure 3-3.

Dither

You cannot disable dither on the DAQCard-AI-16XE-50. This is
because the ADC resolution is so fine that the ADC and the PGIA
inherently produce more than 0.5 LSB rms of noise. This is equivalent
to having a dither circuit that is always enabled.

Multichannel Scanning Considerations

All of the DAQCard E Series cards can scan multiple channels at the
same maximum rate as their single-channel rate; however, pay careful
attention to the settling times for each of the DAQCards. The settling
time for most of the DAQCards is independent of the selected gain,
even at the maximum sampling rate. The settling time for the high
channel count and very high-speed cards is gain dependent, which can
affect the useful sampling rate for a given gain. No extra settling time
is necessary between channels as long as the gain is constant and source



National Instruments Corporation 3-7 DAQCard E Series User Manual

Chapter 3 Hardware Overview

impedances are low. Refer to Appendix A,

Specifications

, for a

complete listing of settling times for each of the DAQCards.
When scanning among channels at various gains, the settling times may

increase. When the PGIA switches to a higher gain, the signal on the
previous channel may be well outside the new, smaller range. For
instance, suppose a 4 V signal is connected to channel 0 and a 1 mV
signal is connected to channel 1, and suppose the PGIA is programmed
to apply a gain of one to channel 0 and a gain of 100 to channel 1. When
the multiplexer switches to channel 1 and the PGIA switches to a gain
of 100, the new full-scale range is 100 mV (if the ADC is in unipolar
mode).

The approximately 4 V step from 4 V to 1 mV is 4,000% of the new
full-scale range. For a 12-bit DAQCard to settle within 0.012%
(120 ppm or 1/2 LSB) of the 100 mV full-scale range on channel 1, the
input circuitry has to settle to within 0.0003% (3 ppm or 1/80 LSB) of
the 4 V step. It may take as long as 100 µs for the circuitry to settle this
much. For a 16-bit DAQCard to settle within 0.0015% (15 ppm or
1 LSB) of the 100 mV full-scale range on channel 1, the input circuitry
has to settle within 0.00004% (0.4 ppm or 1/400 LSB) of the 4 V step.
It may take as long as 200 µs for the circuitry to settle this much. In
general, this extra settling time is not needed when the PGIA is
switching to a lower gain.

Settling times can also increase when scanning high-impedance signals
due to a phenomenon called
multiplexer injects a small amount of charge into each signal source
when that source is selected. If the source impedance is not low enough,
the effect of the charge—a voltage error—will not have decayed by the
time the ADC samples the signal. For this reason, you should keep
source impedances under 1 kΩ to perform high-speed scanning.

Due to problems with settling times, multichannel scanning is not
recommended unless sampling rates are low enough or it is necessary
to sample several signals as nearly simultaneously as possible. The data
is much more accurate and channel-to-channel independent if you
acquire data from each channel independently (for example, 100 points
from channel 0, then 100 points from channel 1, then 100 points from
channel 2, and so on).

DAQCard E Series User Manual 3-8

charge injection

, where the analog input



National Instruments Corporation