Data Translation DT9838 User manual

DT9838
UM-24789-G
User’s Manual
Title Page

Seventh Edition
December, 2015
Data Translation, Inc.
100 Locke Drive
Marlboro, MA 01752-1192
[phone]
www.datatranslation.com
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright © 2015 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. QuickDAQ™, DT-Open LayersTM, DT-Open Layers for .NET
Class LibraryTM, DataAcq SDKTM, and LV-LinkTM 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
DT9838 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Supported Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 2: Setting Up and Installing the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
(Optional) Applying Power to the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Attaching Modules to the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting Directly to the USB Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting to an Expansion Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Configuring the DT9838 Device Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chapter 3: Wiring Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
General Wiring Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Analog Input Connector Pin Assignments (RJ50 Connector) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Connecting a General-Purpose or Bridge-Completion Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Connecting Quarter-Bridge Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Wiring a Quarter-Bridge (Axial and Bending) Circuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Remote Sensing In Quarter-Bridge Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Shunt Calibration in Quarter-Bridge Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Wiring a Quarter-Bridge Temp Comp Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Remote Sensing In Quarter-Bridge Temp Comp Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Shunt Calibration in Quarter-Bridge Temp Comp Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Connecting Half-Bridge Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Wiring a Half-Bridge Poisson Circuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Remote Sensing In Half-Bridge Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Shunt Calibration in Half-Bridge Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Table of Contents

Contents
6
Wiring a Half-Bridge Bending Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Remote Sensing In Half-Bridge Bending Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Shunt Calibration in Half-Bridge Bending Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Connecting Full-Bridge Circuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Wiring a Full-Bridge Bending Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Remote Sensing in Full-Bridge Bending Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Shunt Calibration in Full-Bridge Bending Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Wiring a Full-Bridge Bending Poisson Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Remote Sensing in Full-Bridge Bending Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Shunt Calibration in Full-Bridge Bending Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Wiring a Full-Bridge Axial Poisson Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Remote Sensing in Full-Bridge Axial Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Shunt Calibration in Full-Bridge Axial Poisson Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Connecting Load Cells and Other Transducers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Connecting Voltage Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Connecting a Tachometer Input Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Connecting an External Trigger Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Chapter 4: Verifying the Operation of a Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Select the Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Measure Strain Gage Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Configure the Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Configure the Recording Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Configure the Acquisition Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Start the Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 5: Principles of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Analog Input Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Specifying a Single Analog Input Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Specifying One or More Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Bridge Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Quarter-Bridge Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Quarter-Bridge Temp Comp Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Half-Bridge Poisson Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Half-Bridge Bending Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Full-Bridge Bending Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Full-Bridge Bending Poisson Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Full-Bridge Axial Poisson Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Transducer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Bridge Excitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Remote Sensing and Lead Wire Correction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Contents
7
Shunt Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Quarter-Bridge and Quarter-Bridge Temp
Comp Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Half-Bridge Poisson Configuration . . . . . . 104
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Half-Bridge Bending Configuration . . . . . . 104
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Full-Bridge Bending Configuration . . . . . . 105
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Full-Bridge Bending Poisson
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Shunt Calibration Equation for the Full-Bridge Axial Poisson Configuration . 105
Offset Nulling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
TEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Input Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Input Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
A/D Sample Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Analog Input Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Single-Value Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Continuous Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Input Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Start Trigger Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Reference Trigger Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Tachometer Input Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Synchronizing Acquisition on Multiple Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Triggering DT9838 and DT9837 Series Modules Using the Sync Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Chapter 6: Supported Device Driver Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Data Flow and Operation Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Data Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Current and Resistance Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Thermocouple, RTD, and Thermistor Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
IEPE Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Bridge and Strain Gage Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Start Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Reference Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Clocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Contents
8
Counter/Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Tachometers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
If Your Module Needs Factory Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Chapter 8: Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Using the Calibration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Calibrating the Analog Input Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Connecting a Precision Voltage Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Using the Manual Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Calibrating the Internal Analog Output Circuity (Excitation Voltage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Connecting a Digital Voltmeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Calibrating the Analog Output Circuitry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Appendix A: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Analog Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Bridge Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Tachometer Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Trigger Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Regulatory Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Connector Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
External Power Supply Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Appendix B: Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Analog Input Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Sync Bus Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
External Trigger and Tachometer Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
External USB Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
External Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Screw Terminals on the STP STRAIN, STP STRAIN 120, and STP STRAIN 350 . . . . . . . 159
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

11
About this Manual
The first part of this manual describes how to install and set up your DT9838 module and
device driver, and verify that your module is working properly.
The second part of this manual describes the features of the DT9838 module, the capabilities of
the DT9838 Device Driver, and how to program the DT9838 module using DT-Open Layers for
.NET Class Library™software. Troubleshooting information is also provided.
Notes: For more information on the class library, refer to the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class
Library User’s Manual. If you are using the DataAcq SDK or a software application to program
your device, refer to the documentation for that software for more information.
Intended Audience
This document is intended for engineers, scientists, technicians, or others responsible for
installing, setting up, using, and/or programming DT9838 modules for data acquisition
operations.
It is assumed that you are familiar with the requirements of your application. It is also
assumed that you have some familiarity with data acquisition principles, that you understand
your application, and that you are familiar with the Microsoft®Windows Vista®, Windows 7,
or Windows 8 operating system.
How this Manual is Organized
This manual is organized as follows:
•Chapter 1, “Overview,” describes the major features of the DT9838 module, as well as the
supported software and accessories for the modules.
•Chapter 2, “Setting Up and Installing the Module,” describes how to apply power to the
module, how to attach the module to your computer, and how to configure the device
driver.
•Chapter 3, “Wiring Signals,” describes how to wire signals to the DT9838 module.
•Chapter 4, “Verifying the Operation of a Module,” describes how to verify the operation
of the module with the QuickDAQ application.
•Chapter 5, “Principles of Operation,” describes all of the features of the module and how
to use them in your application.
•Chapter 6, “Supported Device Driver Capabilities,” lists the data acquisition subsystems
and the associated features accessible using the DT9838 Device Driver.
•Chapter 7, “Troubleshooting,” provides information that you can use to resolve problems
with the module and device driver, should they occur.

About this Manual
12
•Chapter 8, “Calibration,” describes how to calibrate the analog I/O circuitry of the
module.
•Appendix A, “Specifications,” lists the specifications of the DT9838 module.
•Appendix B, “Connector Pin Assignments,” shows the pin assignments of the connectors
on the DT9838 module.
• An index completes this manual.
Conventions Used in this Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual:
• Notes provide useful 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.
•Courier font is used to represent source code.
Related Information
Refer to the following documents for more information on using the DT9838 module:
•Benefits of the Universal Serial Bus for Data Acquisition. This white paper describes why USB
is an attractive alternative for data acquisition. It is available on the Data Translation®
web site (www.datatranslation.com).
•QuickDAQ User’s Manual (UM-24774). This manual describes how to create a QuickDAQ
application to acquire and analyze data from DT-Open Layers 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.
•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 LayersTM DataAcq SDKTM to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices. This manual is included on the Data Acquisition OMNI CD.
•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.
•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.
• Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 documentation.
• USB web site (http://www.usb.org).

About this Manual
13
Where To Get Help
Should you run into problems installing or using a DT9838 module, our Technical Support
Department is available to provide technical assistance. Refer to Chapter 7 starting on page
131 for information on how to contact the Technical Support Department. If you are outside
the U.S. or Canada, call your local distributor, whose number is listed on Data Translation’s
web site (www.datatranslation.com).

About this Manual
14

15
1
Overview
DT9838 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Supported Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 1
16
DT9838 Hardware Features
The DT9838 module, shown in Figure 1, is a USB strain gage measurement device intended for
full-, half, and quarter-bridge strain gage elements and bridge-based sensor assemblies such
as load cells, torque sensors, and pressure sensors, as well as general-purpose voltage
measurements. It is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports.
Figure 1: DT9838 Module
The key hardware features of the DT9838 are as follows:
• Simultaneous measurement of four 24-bit analog input channels and one tachometer in
the analog input stream
• Direct full-bridge and half-bridge support with half-bridge completion
• Quarter-bridge support with external bridge-completion resistor
• Load cell support
• Non-bridged voltage input configuration
• Programmable input and bridge configuration
• Internal bridge excitation of 0 to 10 V in 167 μV steps
• Programmable 100 kΩ±0.1% shunt resistor per channel
• TEDS (IEEE 1451.4) sensor compatible
• Software calibration of the bridge offset and gain
• Sampling frequency from 195.3125 Hz to 52.734 kHz
• Input range of ±250 mV

Overview
17
• Continuously paced analog input operations
• Software-programmable trigger type (software, external digital trigger, or variable digital
threshold trigger) to start analog input operations
• Sync Bus (RJ45) connector for synchronizing acquisition on up to four DT9838 modules
• LEDs for monitoring the arm/trigger state and USB status
Note: A board-level version of this module (without the enclosure) is also available for OEM
applications.

Chapter 1
18
Supported Software
The following software is available for use with the DT9838 module and is included on the
Data Acquisition OMNI CD:
•DT9838 Device Driver – The DT9838 Device Driver allows you to use a DT9838 module
with any of the supported software packages or utilities.
•QuickDAQ Base Version – The base version of QuickDAQ is free-of-charge and allows
you to acquire and analyze data from all Data Translation USB and Ethernet devices,
except the DT9841 Series, DT9817, DT9835, and DT9853/54. Using the base version of
QuickDAQ, you can perform the following functions:
−Discover and select your devices.
−Configure all input channel settings for the attached sensors.
−Load/save multiple hardware configurations.
−Generate output stimuli (fixed waveforms, swept sine waves, or noise signals).
−On each supported data acquisition device, acquire data from all channels supported
in the input channel list.
−Choose to acquire data continuously or for a specified duration.
−Choose software or triggered acquisition.
−Log acquired data to disk in an .hpf file.
−Display acquired data during acquisition in either a digital display using the Channel
Display window or as a waveform in the Channel Plot window.
−Choose linear or logarithmic scaling for the horizontal and vertical axes.
−View statistics about the acquired data, including the minimum, maximum, and mean
values and the standard deviation in the Statistics window.
−Export time data to a .csv or .txt file; you can open the recorded data in Microsoft
Excel® for further analysis.
−Read a previously recorded .hpf data file.
−Customize many aspects of the acquisition, display, and recording functions to suit
your needs, including the acquisition duration, sampling frequency, trigger settings,
filter type, and temperature units to use.
•QuickDAQ FFT Analysis Option – When enabled with a purchased license key, the
QuickDAQ FFT Analysis option includes all the features of the QuickDAQ Base version
plus basic FFT analysis features, including the following:
−The ability to switch between the Data Logger time-based interface and the FFT
Analyzer block/average-based interface.
−Supports software, freerun, or triggered acquisition with accept and reject controls for
impact testing applications.
−Allows you to perform single-channel FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) operations,
including AutoSpectrum, Spectrum, and Power Spectral Density, on the acquired
analog input data. You can configure a number of parameters for the FFT, including
the FFT size, windowing type, averaging type, integration type, and so on.

Overview
19
−Allows you to display frequency-domain data as amplitude or phase.
−Supports dB or linear scaling with RMS (root mean squared), peak, and peak-to-peak
scaling options
−Supports linear or exponential averaging with RMS, vector, and peak hold averaging
options.
−Supports windowed time channels.
−Supports the following response window types: Hanning, Hamming, Bartlett,
Blackman, Blackman Harris, and Flat top.
−Supports the ability to lock the waveform output to the analysis frame time.
−Allows you to configure and view dynamic performance statistics, including the input
below full-scale (IBF), total harmonic distortion (THD), spurious free dynamic range
(SFDR), signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SINAD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and
the effective number of bits (ENOB), for selected time-domain channels in the Statistics
window.
−Supports digital IIR (infinite impulse response) filters.
•QuickDAQ Advanced FFT Analysis Option – When enabled with a purchased software
license, the QuickDAQ Advanced FFT Analysis option includes all the features of the
QuickDAQ Base version with the FFT Analysis option plus advanced FFT analysis
features, including the following:
−Allows you to designate a channel as a Reference or Response channel.
−Allows you to perform two-channel FFT analysis functions, including Frequency
Response Functions (Inertance, Mobility, Compliance, Apparent Mass, Impedance,
Dynamic Stiffness, or custom FRF) with H1, H2, or H3 estimator types,
Cross-Spectrum, Cross Power Spectral Density, Coherence, and Coherent Output
Power.
−Supports the Exponential response window type.
−Supports the following reference window types: Hanning, Hamming, Bartlett,
Blackman, Blackman Harris, FlatTop, Exponential, Force, and Cosine Taper windows.
−Supports real, imaginary, and Nyquist display functions.
−Allows you to save data in the .uff file format.
•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 DT9838
module using Visual Studio 2003 to 2012; 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 DT9838 module using Windows
Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8; the DataAcq SDK 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.

Chapter 1
20
•LV-Link –A link to LV-Link 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 DT9838 module.
Refer to the Data Translation web site (www.datatranslation.com) for information about
selecting the right software package for your needs.

Overview
21
Supported Accessories
The following accessories are available for the DT9838 module:
•STP STRAIN General-Purpose Accessory – This accessory contains four
general-purpose screw terminal panels. Use one screw terminal panel for each channel.
Figure 2: STP STRAIN General-Purpose Accessory
•STP STRAIN 120 Quarter-Bridge Completion Accessory – This accessory contains four
screw terminal panels with a 120 Ω quarter-bridge completion resistor installed on each
screw terminal panel. Use one screw terminal panel for each channel.
Figure 3: STP STRAIN 120 Quarter-Bridge Completion Accessory

Chapter 1
22
•STP STRAIN 350 Quarter-Bridge Completion Accessory – This accessory contains four
screw terminal panels with a 350 Ω quarter-bridge completion resistor installed on each
screw terminal panel. Use one screw terminal panel for each channel.
Figure 4: STP STRAIN 350 Quarter-Bridge Completion Accessory
•EP398 RJ50 cables – The EP398 accessory contains four RJ50 cables that are used to
connect four STP STRAIN, STP STRAIN 120, or STP STRAIN 350 screw terminal panels to
the DT9838 module. Figure 5 shows an RJ50 cable.
Figure 5: RJ50 Cable