Data Translation DT9836 Series User manual

DT9836 Series
UM-21551-Z
User’s Manual
Title Page

Twenty Fourth 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, ISO-ChannelTM, 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 (CE) 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
DT9836 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Part 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 2: Setting Up and Installing the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Applying Power to the Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Attaching Modules to the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Connecting Directly to the USB Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Connecting to an Expansion Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Configuring the DT9836 Series Device Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 3: Wiring Signals to the BNC Connection Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Preparing to Wire Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Wiring Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
High-Performance Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Wiring to the BNC Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Wiring Signals to the BNC Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Wiring Signals to the D-Sub Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Digital In/Out Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
CT/Enc In, Analog Out, Clk/Trig Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Connecting Analog Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Connecting Analog Output Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Connecting Digital I/O Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting Counter/Timer Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Event Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Up/Down Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Table of Contents

Contents
6
Period/Pulse Width Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Continuous Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Pulse Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Connecting Quadrature Decoder Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter 4: Verifying the Operation of a Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Running the Quick DataAcq Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Testing Single-Value Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Testing Single-Value Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Testing Continuous Analog Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Testing Continuous Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Testing Single-Value Digital Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Testing Single-Value Digital Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Testing Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Testing Pulse Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Part 2: Using Your Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 5: Principles of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Analog Input Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Input Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Specifying a Single Analog Input Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Specifying One or More Analog Input Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Specifying the Digital Input Port in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . 72
Specifying Counter/Timers in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Specifying Quadrature Decoders in the Analog Input Channel List . . . . . . . . . . 73
Input Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Input Sample Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Analog Input Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Single-Value Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Continuous Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Input Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Data Format and Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Analog Output Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Output Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Analog Output Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Specifying a Single Analog Output Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Specifying Multiple Analog Output Channels and/or the Digital Output Port 79
Output Ranges and Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Contents
7
Output Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Output Clocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Output Conversion Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Streaming Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Waveform Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Data Format and Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Digital I/O Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Digital I/O Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Operation Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Counter/Timer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
C/T Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
C/T Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Gate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Pulse Output Types and Duty Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Counter/Timer Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Event Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Up/Down Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Continuous Edge-to-Edge Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Rate Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Repetitive One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Quadrature Decoder Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter 6: Supported Device Driver Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Data Flow and Operation Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Buffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Data Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Current and Resistance Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Thermocouple, RTD, and Thermistor Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
IEPE Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Bridge and Strain Gage Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Start Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Reference Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Clocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Contents
8
Counter/Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Tachometers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
If Your Module Needs Factory Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 8: Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Using the Calibration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Calibrating the Analog Input Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Connecting a Precision Voltage Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Using the Auto-Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Using the Manual Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Calibrating the Analog Output Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Appendix A: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Analog Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Analog Output Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Digital I/O Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Counter/Timer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
External Trigger Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Clock Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Power, Physical, and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Mating Connector Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Regulatory Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
External Power Supply Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Appendix B: Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators . . . . . . . . . 135
OEM Version Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
OEM J2 Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
OEM J3 Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
OEM Wiring Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
OEM TB1 Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
BNC Box Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Digital I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
CT/Enc In, Analog Out, Clk/Trig Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
EP353 Accessory Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Connector J1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Connector J2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
EP356 Accessory Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Connector J1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Connector J2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Contents
9
EP355 Screw Terminal Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
LED Status Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Appendix C: Ground, Power, and Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Secondary Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Ground, Power, and Isolation Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Contents
10

11
About this Manual
The first part of this manual describes how to install and set up your DT9836 Series module
and device driver, and verify that your module is working properly.
The second part of this manual describes the features of the DT9836 Series modules, the
capabilities of the DT9836 Series Device Driver, and how to program the DT9836 Series
modules using the DT-Open Layers for .NET Class Library™software. Troubleshooting
information is also provided.
Note: 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
using and/or programming the DT9836 Series modules for data acquisition operations in the
Microsoft® Windows Vista®, Windows 7, or Windows 8 operating system. It is assumed that
you have some familiarity with data acquisition principles and that you understand your
application.
Note: The DT9836 Series module is available either installed in a metal BNC connection box,
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 DT9836 Series module, the manual
uses the product name "DT9836 Series module." Otherwise, the specific product name is
mentioned
How this Manual is Organized
This manual is organized as follows:
•Chapter 1, “Overview,” describes the major features of the DT9836 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 DT9836
Series module, how to apply power to the module, and how to configure the device
driver.
•Chapter 3, “Wiring Signals to the BNC Connection Box,” describes how to wire signals to
a DT9836 Series BNC connection box.
•Chapter 4, “Verifying the Operation of a Module,” describes how to verify the operation
of the DT9836 Series module with the Quick DataAcq application.

About this Manual
12
•Chapter 5, “Principles of Operation,” describes all of the features of the DT9836 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 DT9836 Series Device Driver.
•Chapter 7, “Troubleshooting,” provides information that you can use to resolve problems
with the DT9836 Series module and device driver, should they occur.
•Chapter 8, “Calibration,” describes how to calibrate the analog I/O circuitry of the
DT9836 Series modules.
•Appendix A, “Specifications,” lists the specifications of the DT9836 Series modules.
•Appendix B, “Connector Pin Assignments and LED Status Indicators,” shows the pin
assignments for the connectors and the screw terminal assignments for the screw
terminals on the DT9836 Series modules.
•Appendix C, “Ground, Power, and Isolation,” describes the electrical characteristics of the
DT9836 Series module.
• 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 DT9836 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).
•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 Layers DataAcq SDK™to access the capabilities of Data Translation data
acquisition devices.

About this Manual
13
•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 Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 documentation.
• USB web site (http://www.usb.org).
Where To Get Help
Should you run into problems installing or using a DT9836 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
DT9836 Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Getting Started Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 1
16
DT9836 Hardware Features
The DT9836 Series is a family of high-performance, multifunction data acquisition modules,
shown in Figure 1, for the USB (Ver. 2.0 or Ver. 1.1) bus.
Figure 1: DT9836 Series Module (BNC Box Shown)
The key hardware features of the DT9836 Series modules are as follows:
• Available either installed in a metal BNC connection box, 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:
−16-bit A/D converters.
−Throughput rate of up to 225 kS/s or 800 kS/s depending on the model you purchase
−Either 12 or 6 single-ended separate, simultaneous analog input channels. The number
of channels provided depend on the model you purchase.
−Input ranges of ±10 and ±5 V.
−6-, 17-, or 23-location channel list, depending on the model you purchase. You can read
digital inputs, the two 32-bit counters, and/or the three 32-bit quadrature decoders
using the A/D subsystem and the A/D clock. This synchronizes digital, counter, and
quadrature decoder inputs with the analog measurements.
• Analog output subsystem:
−Two or four 16-bit D/A converters (if your module includes D/A converters).
−Simultaneously update the output channels at up to 500 kSamples/s.
−Output range of ±10 V.

Overview
17
−The analog output channels 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.
• 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. For modules that support
analog output channels, you can update the value of the digital output port using the
output channel list.
• Two 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 list.
• Three 32-bit quadrature decoders that can provide relative or absolute position of
quadrature encoder input and calculate rotational speed. You can read the value of one or
more of the quadrature decoder channels using the analog input channel 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 DT9836 Series modules are summarized in Table 1. Note that
all modules provide 16 digital input lines, 16 digital output lines, 16-bit resolution, two
counter/timers, and three quadrature decoders.
Table 1: Summary of DT9836 Series Modules
Module Analog Inputs
Analog Input
Sampling Rate
Analog
Outputs Packaging
DT9836-12-2-OEM 12 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 2 OEM
DT9836-12-2-BNC 12 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 2 BNC
DT9836-12-0-OEM 12 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 0 OEM
DT9836-12-0-BNC 12 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 0 BNC
DT9836-6-4-OEM 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 4 OEM
DT9836-6-4-BNC 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 4 BNC
DT9836-6-2-OEM 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 2 OEM
DT9836-6-2-BNC 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 2 BNC
DT9836-6-0-OEM 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 0 OEM

Chapter 1
18
Note: OEM packaging refers to the board-level version; the power supply is not included.
BNC packaging refers to a connection box with BNCs for the specified number of analog
inputs, 2 BNCs for analog outputs (if included), 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.
DT9836-6-0-BNC 6 single-ended 225 kSamples/s 0 BNC
DT9836S-6-2-OEM 6 single-ended 800 kSamples/s 2 OEM
DT9836S-6-2-BNC 6 single-ended 800 kSamples/s 2 BNC
DT9836S-6-0-OEM 6 single-ended 800 kSamples/s 0 OEM
DT9836S-6-0-BNC 6 single-ended 800 kSamples/s 0 BNC
Table 1: Summary of DT9836 Series Modules (cont.)
Module Analog Inputs
Analog Input
Sampling Rate
Analog
Outputs Packaging

Overview
19
Supported Software
The following software is available for use with the DT9836 Series modules and is on the Data
Acquisition OMNI CD:
•DT9836 Series Device Driver – The device driver allows you to use a DT9836 Series
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, delta, 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.

Chapter 1
20
•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.
−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.