Data Translation DT9834 Series User manual

DT9834 Series
UM-19985-S
User’s Manual
Title Page

Sixteenth Edition
May, 2010
Data Translation, Inc.
100 Locke Drive
Marlboro, MA 01752-1192
[phone]
www.datatranslation.com
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright © 2004 - 2010 by Data Translation, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Information furnished by Data Translation, Inc. is believed to be
accurate and reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by
Data Translation, Inc. for its use; nor for any infringements of
patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its
use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any
patent rights of Data Translation, Inc.
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government
is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of
the Rights in Technical Data and Computer software clause at 48
C.F.R, 252.227-7013, or in subparagraph (c)(2) of the Commercial
Computer Software - Registered Rights clause at 48 C.F.R.,
52-227-19 as applicable. Data Translation, Inc., 100 Locke Drive,
Marlboro, MA 01752.
Data Translation® is a registered trademark of Data Translation,
Inc. DT-Open LayersTM, DT-Open Layers for .NET Class
LibraryTM, DataAcq SDKTM, Data Acquisition OMNI CDTM,
LV-LinkTM, and DTx-EZTM are trademarks of Data Translation, Inc.
All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
Copyright Page

Radio and Television Interference
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with CISPR EN55022 Class A and
EN61000-6-1 requirements and also with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own
expense.
Changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by Data Translation could
void your authority to operate the equipment under Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Note: This product was verified to meet FCC requirements under test conditions that
included use of shielded cables and connectors between system components. It is important
that you use shielded cables and connectors to reduce the possibility of causing interference
to radio, television, and other electronic devices.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la class A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.
FCC
Page

5
Table of Contents
About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Intended Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How this Manual is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Conventions Used in this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Where To Get Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 1: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
DT9834 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Part 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 2: Setting Up and Installing the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Applying Power to the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Attaching Modules to the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connecting Directly to the USB Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Connecting to an Expansion Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Configuring the DT9834 Series Device Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 3: Wiring Signals to the BNC or STP Connection Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Wiring Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Wiring to the BNC Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Wiring Signals to the BNC Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Wiring Signals to the D-Sub Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Analog Input Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Digital In/Out Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
C/T, DAC, Clk, Trig Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Wiring to the STP Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Connecting Analog Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Connecting Single-Ended Voltage Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Connecting Pseudo-Differential Voltage Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Connecting Differential Voltage Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Connecting Current Loop Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting Analog Output Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Connecting Digital I/O Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Table of Contents

Contents
6
Connecting Counter/Timer Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Event Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Up/Down Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Period/Pulse Width Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Continuous Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Pulse Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Chapter 4: Verifying the Operation of a Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Running the Quick DataAcq Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Testing Single-Value Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Testing Single-Value Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Testing Continuous Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Testing Single-Value Digital Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Testing Single-Value Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Testing Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Testing Pulse Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Part 2: Using Your Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter 5: Principles of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Analog Input Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Input Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Specifying a Single Analog Input Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Specifying One or More Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Analog Threshold Trigger in Channel List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Maximum Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Specifying the Digital Input Port in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . 80
Maximum Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Specifying Counter/Timers in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Maximum Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Performing Dynamic Digital Output Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Input Ranges and Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Input Sample Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Analog Input Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Continuous Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Software-Retriggered Scan Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Externally-Retriggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Input Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Contents
7
Data Format and Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Analog Output Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Output Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Analog Output Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Specifying a Single Analog Output Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Specifying Multiple Analog Output Channels and/or the Digital Output Port 90
Maximum Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Output Ranges and Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Output Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Output Clocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Output Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Continuously Paced Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Waveform Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Data Format and Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Digital I/O Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Digital I/O Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Counter/Timer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
C/T Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
C/T Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Gate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Pulse Output Types and Duty Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Counter/Timer Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Event Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Up/Down Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Continuous Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Rate Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Repetitive One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Chapter 6: Supported Device Driver Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Data Flow and Operation Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Data Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Contents
8
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Thermocouple and RTD Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
IEPE Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Clocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Counter/Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
If Your Module Needs Factory Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 8: Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using the Calibration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Calibrating the Analog Input Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Connecting a Precision Voltage Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Using the Manual Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Calibrating the Analog Output Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Appendix A: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Analog Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Analog Output Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Digital I/O Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Counter/Timer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Trigger Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Clock Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Connector Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Regulatory Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Appendix B: Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
OEM Version Connector Pin Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
BNC Connection Box Connector Pin Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Analog Input Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Digital I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Analog Output, Counter/Timer, Clock, and Trigger Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
STP Connection Box Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Screw Terminal Block TB1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Screw Terminal Block TB2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Screw Terminal Block TB3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Screw Terminal Block TB4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Screw Terminal Block TB5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Contents
9
Screw Terminal Block TB6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Screw Terminal Block TB7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
EP353 Accessory Panel Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Connector J1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Connector J2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
EP356 Accessory Panel Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Connector J1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Connector J2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
EP355 Screw Terminal Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Attached to Connector J2 on the OEM Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Attached to Connector J3 on the OEM Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Appendix C: Wiring Signals to the OEM Version of the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Wiring Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Wiring Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Using the Connectors on the OEM Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Pin Assignments for Connectors J2 and J3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Using an EP353 Accessory Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Using Connector J1 on the EP353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Using Connector J2 on the EP353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Using an EP355 Screw Terminal Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
EP355 Screw Terminal Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
EP355 Screw Terminal Assignments when Attached to Connector J2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
EP355 Screw Terminal Assignments when Attached to Connector J3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Using an EP356 Accessory Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Using Connector J1 on the EP356 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Using Connector J2 on the EP356 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Appendix D: Ground, Power, and Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Secondary Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Ground, Power, and Isolation Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Contents
10

11
About this Manual
This manual describes how to install and set up your DT9834 Series module and device driver,
and verify that your module is working properly.
This manual also describes the features of the DT9834 Series modules, the capabilities of the
DT9834 Series Device Driver, and how to program the DT9834 Series modules using the
DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library™software. Troubleshooting information is also
provided.
Notes: For information on checking system requirements, installing the software, and
viewing the documentation, refer to the README file on the OMNI CD.
For more information on the class library, refer to the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library
User’s Manual. If you are using the DataAcq SDK or a software application to program your
device, refer to the documentation for that software for more information.
The DT9834 Series module is available either installed in a metal BNC connection box, an STP
(screw terminal panel) connection box (for the 32-analog input channel version only), or as a
board-level OEM version that you can install in your own custom application. If the
information in this manual applies to all versions of the DT9834 Series module, the manual
uses the product name "DT9834 Series module." Otherwise, the specific product name is
mentioned.
Intended Audience
This document is intended for engineers, scientists, technicians, or others responsible for
using and/or programming the DT9834 Series modules for data acquisition operations in the
Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, and Windows 7 operating system. It is assumed
that you have some familiarity with data acquisition principles and that you understand your
application.
How this Manual is Organized
This manual is organized as follows:
•Chapter 1, “Overview,” describes the major features of the DT9834 Series module, as well
as the supported software and accessories for the modules.
•Chapter 2, “Setting Up and Installing the Module,” describes how to install a DT9834
Series module, how to apply power to the module, and how to configure the device
driver.
•Chapter 3, “Wiring Signals to the BNC or STP Connection Box,” describes how to wire
signals to a DT9834 Series BNC or STP connection box.
•Chapter 4, “Verifying the Operation of a Module,” describes how to verify the operation
of the DT9834 Series module with the Quick DataAcq application.

About this Manual
12
•Chapter 5, “Principles of Operation,” describes all of the features of the DT9834 Series
module and how to use them in your application.
•Chapter 6, “Supported Device Driver Capabilities,” lists the data acquisition subsystems
and the associated features accessible using the DT9834 Series Device Driver.
•Chapter 7, “Troubleshooting,” provides information that you can use to resolve problems
with the DT9834 Series module and device driver, should they occur.
•Chapter 8, “Calibration,” describes how to calibrate the analog I/O circuitry of the
DT9834 Series modules.
•Appendix A, “Specifications,” lists the specifications of the DT9834 Series module.
•Appendix B, “Connector Pin Assignments,” shows the pin assignments for the connectors
and the screw terminal assignments for the screw terminals on the DT9834 Series module.
•Appendix C, “Wiring Signals to the OEM Version of the Module,” describes how to wire
signals to the OEM version of the DT9834 Series module, using backplanes, accessory
panels, and screw terminal panels.
• An index completes this manual.
Conventions Used in this Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual:
• Notes provide useful information or information that requires special emphasis, cautions
provide information to help you avoid losing data or damaging your equipment, and
warnings provide information to help you avoid catastrophic damage to yourself or your
equipment.
• Items that you select or type are shown in bold.
Related Information
Refer to the following documents for more information on using the DT9834 Series modules:
•Benefits of the Universal Serial Bus for Data Acquisition. This white paper describes why USB
is an attractive alternative for data acquisition. It is available on the Data Translation web
site (www.datatranslation.com).
• Measure Foundry Manual (UM-19298) and online help. These documents describe how to
use Measure Foundry™ to build drag-and-drop test and measurement applications for
Data Translation data acquisition devices.
•DT-Open Layers for .NET User’s Manual (UM-22161). For programmers who are developing
their own application programs using Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET, this manual
describes how to use the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library to access the capabilities
of Data Translation data acquisition devices.

About this Manual
13
•DataAcq SDK User’s Manual (UM-18326). For programmers who are developing their own
application programs using the Microsoft C compiler, this manual describes how to use
the DT-Open Layers DataAcq SDK™to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices.
•DTx-EZ Getting Started Manual (UM-15428). This manual describes how to use the ActiveX
controls provided in DTx-EZ™to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices in Microsoft Visual Basic® or Visual C++®.
•DAQ Adaptor for MATLAB (UM-22024). This document describes how to use Data
Translation’s DAQ Adaptor to provide an interface between the MATLAB Data
Acquisition subsystem from The MathWorks and Data Translation’s DT-Open Layers
architecture.
•LV-Link Online Help. This help file describes how to use LV-Link™with the LabVIEW™
graphical programming language to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices.
• Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 documentation.
• USB web site (http://www.usb.org).
Where To Get Help
Should you run into problems installing or using a DT9834 Series module, the Data
Translation Technical Support Department is available to provide technical assistance. Refer to
Chapter 7 for more information. If you are outside the United States or Canada, call your local
distributor, whose number is listed on our web site (www.datatranslation.com).

About this Manual
14

15
1
Overview
DT9834 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 1
16
DT9834 Hardware Features
The DT9834 Series is a family of high-performance, multifunction data acquisition modules
for the USB (Ver. 2.0 or Ver. 1.1) bus. The key hardware features of the DT9834 Series modules
are as follows:
• Available either installed in a metal BNC connection box, STP connection box (for the
32-analog input channel version only) or as a board-level OEM version that you can install
in your own custom application.
• Simultaneous operation of analog input, analog output, digital I/O, and counter/timer
subsystems.
• Analog input subsystem:
−12-bit or 16-bit A/D converter. The resolution depends on the model you purchase.
−Throughput rate up to 500 kSamples/s.
−Up to 32 single-ended or 16 differential analog input channels. The channel type and
the number of channels provided depend on the model you purchase. If you do not
intend to perform analog input operations, you can also purchase a DT9834 Series
module that contains no analog input channels.
−Programmable gain of 1, 2, 4, or 8 provides input ranges of ±10, ±5, ±2.5, and ±1.25 V.
−1024-location channel-gain list. You can cycle through the channel-gain list using
continuous scan mode or triggered scan mode. The maximum sampling rate when
using the channel-gain list is 500 kSamples/s.
• Analog output subsystem:
−Four 12-bit or 16-bit D/A converters. The resolution depends on the model you
purchase. If you do not intend to perform analog output operations, you can also
purchase a DT9834 Series module that contains no D/A converters.
−Output rate up to 500 kSamples/s.
−Output range of ±10 V.
−The DACs are deglitched to prevent noise from interfering with the output signal.
−Output channel list. You can cycle through the output channel list using continuous
output mode or waveform generation mode. For waveform generation mode, you can
simultaneously update all four DACs at 500 kS/s per channel; for continuous output
mode, you can simultaneously update all four DACs at 250 kS/s per channel.
• Digital I/O subsystem:
−One digital input port, consisting of 16 digital input lines. You can program any of the
first eight digital input lines to perform interrupt-on-change operations. You can read
the value of the digital input port using the analog input channel-gain list.
−One digital output port, consisting of 16 digital output lines. You can output the value
of the digital output port using the output channel list.
−An additional dynamic digital output line that changes state whenever an analog
input channel is read.

Overview
17
• Five 32-bit counter/timer (C/T) channels that perform event counting, up/down
counting, frequency measurement, edge-to-edge measurement, continuous pulse output,
one-shot, and repetitive one-shot operations. You can read the value of one or more of the
C/T channels using the analog input channel-gain list.
• External or internal clock source.
• Trigger operations using a software command, an analog threshold value, or an external
digital trigger.
• 500 V galvanic isolation barrier that prevents ground loops to maximize analog signal
integrity and protect your computer.
The key differences among the DT9834 Series modules are summarized in Table 1. Note that
all modules provide 16 digital input lines, 16 digital output lines, five counter/timers, and a
throughput rate of up to 500 kSamples/s.
OEM packaging refers to the board-level version; the power supply is not included.
Table 1: Summary of DT9834 Series Modules
Module Analog Inputs
Analog
Outputs Resolution Packaging
DT9834-00-4-12-OEM None 4 12 bits OEM
DT9834-00-4-12-BNC None 4 12 bits BNCa
DT9834-00-4-16-OEM None 4 16 bits OEM
DT9834-00-4-16-BNC None 4 16 bits BNCa
DT9834-16-0-12-OEM 16 single-ended
or 8 differentialb
0 12 bits OEM
DT9834-16-0-12-BNC 16 single-endedc0 12 bits BNCd
DT9834-08-0-12-BNC 8 differential 0 12 bits BNCe
DT9834-16-0-16-OEM 16 SE or 8 DIb0 16 bits OEM
DT9834-16-0-16-BNC 16 single-endedc0 16 bits BNCd
DT9834-08-0-16-BNC 8 differential 0 16 bits BNCe
DT9834-16-4-12-OEM 16 SE or 8 DIb4 12 bits OEM
DT9834-16-4-12-BNC 16 single-endedc412bits BNC
f
DT9834-08-4-12-BNC 8 differential 4 12 bits BNCg
DT9834-16-4-16-OEM 16 SE or 8 DIb416bits OEM
DT9834-16-4-16-BNC 16 single-endedc416bits BNC
f
DT9834-08-4-16-BNC 8 differential 4 16 bits BNCg

Chapter 1
18
DT9834-32-0-16-STP 32 SE or 16 DIb0 16 bits STPh
DT9834-32-0-16-OEM 32 SE or 16 DIb016bits OEM
a. A BNC connection box with no BNCs for analog inputs, 4 BNCs for analog outputs, 1 BNC
for an external DAC clock, and 1 BNC for an external DAC trigger.
b. Software-selectable.
c. For single-ended-only BNC modules, you must specify the 16 single-ended channels
through software; eight differential channels is the default software configuration.
d. A BNC connection box with 16 BNCs for single-ended analog inputs, no BNCs for analog
outputs, 1 BNC for an external A/D clock, and 1 BNC for an external A/D trigger.
e. A BNC connection box with 8 BNCs for differential analog inputs, no BNCs for analog
outputs, 1 BNC for an external A/D clock, and 1 BNC for an external A/D trigger.
f. A BNC connection box with 16 BNCs for single-ended analog inputs, 4 BNCs for analog
outputs, 1 BNC for an external A/D clock, 1 BNC for an external DAC clock, 1 BNC for an
external A/D trigger, and 1 BNC for an external DAC trigger.
g. A BNC connection box with 8 BNCs for differential analog inputs, 4 BNCs for analog
outputs, 1 BNC for an external A/D clock, 1 BNC for an external DAC clock, 1 BNC for an
external A/D trigger, and 1 BNC for an external DAC trigger.
h. An STP connection box with screw terminals for connecting up to 32 single-ended or 16
differential analog inputs, 16 digital inputs, 16 digital outputs, 5 counter/timers, an
external A/D clock, and an external A/D trigger.
Table 1: Summary of DT9834 Series Modules (cont.)
Module Analog Inputs
Analog
Outputs Resolution Packaging

Overview
19
Supported Software
The following software is available for use with the DT9834 Series modules and is on the Data
Acquisition OMNI CD:
•DT9834 Series Device Driver – The device driver allows you to use a DT9834 Series
module with any of the supported software packages or utilities.
•Quick DataAcq application – The Quick DataAcq application provides a quick way to
get up and running using a DT9834 Series module. Using this application, you can verify
key features of the modules, display data on the screen, and save data to disk.
•The quickDAQ application – An evaluation version of this .NET application is included
on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD. quickDAQ lets you acquire analog data from all
devices supported by DT-Open Layers for .NET software at high speed, plot it during
acquisition, analyze it, and/or save it to disk for later analysis.
•Measure Foundry –An evaluation version of this software is included or provided via a
link on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD. Measure Foundry is a drag-and-drop test and
measurement application builder designed to give you top performance with ease-of-use
development. Order the full development version of this software package to develop
your own application using real hardware.
• DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library – Use this class library if you want to use Visual
C# or Visual Basic for .NET to develop your own application software for a DT9834 Series
module using Visual Studio 2003 or Visual Studio 2005; the class library complies with the
DT-Open Layers standard.
•DataAcq SDK –Use the Data Acq SDK if you want to use Visual Studio 6.0 and Microsoft
C or C++ to develop your own application software for a DT9834 Series module using
Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7; the DataAcq SDK complies with the
DT-Open Layers standard.
•DTx-EZ –DTx-EZ provides ActiveX controls, which allow you to access the capabilities of
the DT9834 Series modules using Microsoft Visual Basic or Visual C++; DTx-EZ complies
with the DT-Open Layers standard.
•DAQ Adaptor for MATLAB – Data Translation’s DAQ Adaptor provides an interface
between the MATLAB Data Acquisition (DAQ) subsystem from The MathWorks and Data
Translation’s DT-Open Layers architecture.
•LV-Link –An evaluation version of this software is included on the Data Acquisition
OMNI CD. Use LV-Link if you want to use the LabVIEW graphical programming
language to access the capabilities of the DT9834 Series modules.
Refer to the Data Translation web site (www.datatranslation.com) for information about
selecting the right software package for your needs.

Chapter 1
20
Accessories
You can purchase the following optional items from Data Translation for use with the OEM
version of the DT9834 Series module:
•EP361 – +5V power supply and cable.
•EP353 – Accessory panel that provides one 37-pin, D-sub connector for attaching analog
input signals and one 26-pin connector for attaching a 5B Series signal conditioning
backplane.
•EP355 – Screw terminal panel that provides 14-position screw terminal blocks for
attaching analog input, analog output, counter/timer, digital I/O, trigger, and clock
signals.
•EP356 – Accessory panel that provides two 37-pin, D-sub connectors for attaching digital
I/O, analog output, counter/timer, trigger, and clock signals.
•EP333 – 2-meter shielded cable with two 37-pin connectors that connect an EP356
accessory panel to an STP37 screw terminal panel.
•EP360 – 2-meter shielded cable with two 37-pin connectors that connect either the Analog
Input connector on the BNC connection box or an EP353 accessory panel to an STP37
screw terminal panel.
•STP37 – Screw terminal panel that provides 37 screw terminal blocks for attaching analog
output, counter/timer, digital I/O, trigger, and clock signals.
•5B01 – 16-channel backplane that accepts 5B Series signal conditioning modules.
•5B08 – 8-channel backplane that accepts 5B Series signal conditioning modules.
•AC1315 – 2-foot, 26-pin female to 26-pin female cable that connects a 5B Series backplane
to the DT9834 Series module.