National Instruments NI PXIe-4463 Manual

CALIBRATION PROCEDURE
NI PXIe-4463
DSA Analog Output
This document contains the verification and adjustment procedures for the National Instruments
PXIe-4463 with either BNC or mini-XLR connectors. For more information about calibration
solutions, visit ni.com/calibration.
Contents
Software.................................................................................................................................... 2
Documentation.......................................................................................................................... 2
Test Equipment......................................................................................................................... 3
Test Conditions......................................................................................................................... 5
Initial Setup............................................................................................................................... 6
Self-Calibration ................................................................................................................6
Verification ............................................................................................................................... 6
Analog Output Performance Verification......................................................................... 7
AO Offset Accuracy Verification............................................................................. 7
AO Gain Accuracy Verification ............................................................................... 9
AO Flatness Verification .......................................................................................... 11
AO Interchannel Gain Mismatch Verification ......................................................... 12
AO Noise Verification.............................................................................................. 13
AO Current Drive Verification................................................................................. 15
Timebase Frequency Accuracy Verification .................................................................... 16
Adjustment................................................................................................................................ 18
AO Offset and Gain Adjustment ...................................................................................... 18
Timebase Adjustment ....................................................................................................... 19
EEPROM Update ..................................................................................................................... 20
Reverification ........................................................................................................................... 20
Worldwide Support and Services ............................................................................................. 20

2|ni.com |NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure
Software
Calibrating the NI PXIe-4463 requires the installation of NI-DAQmx on the calibration system.
NI-DAQmx 14.5 added driver support for the NI PXIe-4463. For the list of devices supported
by a specific release, refer to the NI-DAQmx Readme, available on the version-specific
download page or installation media.
You can download NI-DAQmx from ni.com/downloads. NI-DAQmx supports LabVIEW,
LabWindows™/CVI™, C/C++, C#, and Visual Basic .NET. When you install NI-DAQmx, you
only need to install support for the application software that you intend to use.
Note For LabVIEW applications, all functions used in verification and adjustment
procedures can be found in the LabVIEW Functions palette; C/C++ equivalents are
referenced in parentheses.
Documentation
Consult the following documents for information about the NI PXIe-4463, NI-DAQmx, and
your application software. All documents are available on ni.com and help files install with the
software.
NI PXIe-4463 Getting Started Guide
NI PXIe-4463 software installation, hardware setup, and configuration
NI PXIe-4463 Specifications
NI PXIe-4463 specifications and calibration interval
NI-DAQmx Readme
Operating system and application software support in NI-DAQmx
NI-DAQmx Help
Information about creating applications that use the NI-DAQmx driver
LabVIEW Help
LabVIEW programming concepts and reference information about NI-DAQmx
VIs and functions

NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |3
Test Equipment
Table 1 lists the equipment required for the verification and adjustment procedures. If the
recommended model is not available, use equipment that meets the requirements listed in
Table 1.
NI-DAQmx C Reference Help
Reference information for NI-DAQmx C functions and NI-DAQmx C properties
NI-DAQmx .NET Help Support for Visual Studio
Reference information for NI-DAQmx .NET methods and NI-DAQmx .NET
properties, key concepts, and a C enum to .NET enum mapping table
Table 1. Required Equipment
Equipment
Recommended
Model Where Used Requirements
Digital
Multimeter
(DMM)
Keysight
Technologies
3458A
AO Offset
Verification
AO Offset and Gain
Adjustment
DC Voltage
Input Range: 1 V, 10 V
Accuracy:
2 ppm of range,
15 ppm of reading
AO Gain Verification
AO Flatness
Verification
AO Interchannel Gain
Mismatch Verification
AC Voltage
Input Range: 0.1 Vrms,
1V
rms, 10 Vrms
Frequency Range:
20 Hz to 22.4 kHz
Accuracy:
45 ppm of range,
370 ppm of reading,
160 ppm of reading
@ 1 kHz

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Digital
Multimeter
(DMM)
Keysight
Technologies
3458A
AO Current Drive
Verification
AC Current
Input Range: 0.1 Arms
Accuracy:
200 ppm of range,
750 ppm of reading
Burden Voltage:
<250mV
Frequency
Counter
Keysight
Technologies
53220A-010
Timebase Frequency
Verification and
Adjustment
Resolution: > 10 digits
Timebase Accuracy:
±0.2 ppm
Analog Input
DSA
NI PXIe-4464,
BNC connectors
AO Noise Verification Noise: 0.7 µVrms
PXI Express
Chassis
NI PXIe-1082 All Tests One of the following
chassis:
NI PXIe-1082
NI PXIe-1085
NI PXIe-1075
NI PXIe-1065
NI PXIe-1062Q
System
Controller
NI PXIe-8135 All Tests A PXI Express controller
or MXI Express card
mXLR (F) to
BNC (M) Cable
(quantity 1)
NI 156789-0R46
or
NI 140150-0R46
All Tests
(mXLR Variant)
Length 0.5 m
BNC (M) to
BNC (M) Cable
(quantity 1)
Pomona
Electronics 5697
All Tests
(BNC Variant)
Length 0.5 m
BNC (M) to
BNC (M) Cable
(quantity 3)
Pomona
Electronics 5697
AO Noise Verification Length 0.5 m
Table 1. Required Equipment (Continued)
Equipment
Recommended
Model Where Used Requirements

NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |5
Note The settings listed in this calibration procedure apply to the recommended
equipment only. If different equipment is used, ensure that it is properly configured
so that requirements listed in Table 1 are met.
Test Conditions
The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the NI PXIe-4463
meets published specifications.
• Keep connections to the NI PXIe-4463 as short as possible. Long cables and wires act as
antennas, picking up extra noise that can affect measurements.
• Verify that all connections to the NI PXIe-4463 are secure.
• Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 °C ± 5 °C. The NI PXIe-4463 temperature will be
greater than the ambient temperature.
• As Found Test Limits are valid for a device temperature within ±5 °C of the last
self-calibration.
• Keep relative humidity below 80%.
• Allow a warm-up time of at least 15 minutes to ensure that the NI PXIe-4463 circuitry is at
a stable operating temperature.
• Allow adequate warm-up time for all of the instruments and equipment according to the
manufacturer instructions.
BNC (F) to
Banana
Adapter
(quantity 1)
Pomona
Electronics 1269
AO Offset
Verification
AO Gain Verification
AO Flatness
Verification
AO Interchannel Gain
Mismatch Verification
AO Current Drive
Verification
AO Offset and Gain
Adjustment
—
BNC F-M-F
Tee Connector
(quantity 3)
Pomona
Electronics 3285
AO Noise Verification Characteristic
Impedance: 50 Ω
Table 1. Required Equipment (Continued)
Equipment
Recommended
Model Where Used Requirements

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Initial Setup
Refer to the NI PXIe-4463 Getting Started Guide for information about how to install the
software and hardware and how to configure the device in NI Measurement & Automation
Explorer (MAX).
Note When a device is configured in MAX, it is assigned a device name. Each
function call uses this device name to determine which device to calibrate. This
document uses Dev_name to refer to the device name. In the following procedures,
use the device name as it appears in MAX.
Note If the NI PXIe-4464 is used for the AO noise verification, install it in the
rightmost PXI Express slot.
Self-Calibration
The NI PXIe-4463 includes precise internal circuits and calibration references used during
self-calibration to adjust for drift over time and temperature.
Note No signal connections are needed for self-calibration.
Complete the following steps to self-calibrate the device.
1. Wait 15 minutes for the device to warm up.
2. Launch MAX.
3. Select My System»Devices and Interfaces, and then select the NI PXIe-4463 device to
self calibrate.
4. Click Self-Calibrate in the upper right corner of the window.
Verification
The following procedures describe the sequence of operation and provide test points required to
verify the NI PXIe-4463. The verification procedures assume that adequate traceable
uncertainties are available for the calibration references.
Note The verification procedure requires performing a self-calibration as a first
step unless it is done immediately after an adjustment. Refer to the Self-Calibration
section for instructions on performing a self-calibration.
Characteristics have As Found limits for verification before adjustment and As Left limits for
reverification after adjustment. Characteristics unaffected by adjustment have test limits with no
additional qualification.
Note If any test fails verification or reverification, confirm that you have met the
Test Conditions before returning your device to NI. Refer to Worldwide Support and
Services for assistance in returning the device to NI.

NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |7
Analog Output Performance Verification
This section verifies the analog output (AO) performance of the NI PXIe-4463.
AO Offset Accuracy Verification
Complete the following procedure to verify the AO offset accuracy.
1. Connect channel AO 0 of the NI PXIe-4463 to the DMM using the cables recommended in
Table 1.
2. Configure the DMM using the information in Table 2.
3. Generate a voltage with the NI PXIe-4463:
a. Configure an AO voltage channel task using the values in Table 3.
b. Create an array of 512 points, and fill every element with value 0.
c. Write the array to AO, and start the task.
4. Measure the output voltage with the DMM.
5. Stop the task.
Table 2. DMM Configuration
Configuration Value
Function DC Volts (DCV)
Range 1V
Number of Power Line Cycles (NPLC) 100
Table 3. AO Setup
Configuration Value
Physical Channels Dev_name/ao0
AO Gain 0dB
Output Terminal Configuration Differential
Rate 51200 S/s
Sample Mode Continuous Sample
Samples Per Channel 512

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6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for AO Attenuation of 17 dB and 37 dB, setting the AO Gain parameter
with the values from Table 4.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for pseudodifferential output terminal configuration.
8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 for AO 1.
9. Compare each measured value with the Min and Max limits in Table 5.
Note Test limits are the same for differential and pseudodifferential output
configurations.
Table 4. AO Attenuation
AO Attenuation (dB) AO Gain (dB)
0 0
17 -17
37 -37
Table 5. AO Offset Verification Limits
AO Attenuation
(dB)
As Found
Test Limits
As Left
Test Limits
Min (mV) Max (mV) Min (mV) Max (mV)
0-0.5 0.5 -0.22 0.22
17 -0.3 0.3 -0.13 0.13
37 -0.2 0.2 -0.10 0.10

NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |9
AO Gain Accuracy Verification
Complete the following procedure to verify the AO gain accuracy.
1. Connect channel AO 0 of the NI PXIe-4463 to the DMM using the cables recommended in
Table 1.
2. Use the values in Table 6 to configure the DMM.
3. Generate a waveform with the NI PXIe-4463.
a. Configure an AO voltage channel task using the values in Table 7.
Table 6. DMM Configuration
Configuration Value
Function AC Volts (ACV)
Range*10 V
RMS Mode (SETACV) 3 (SYNC)
AC Bandwidth (ACBAND) 20,100000 (20 Hz to 100 kHz)
Level Filter (LFILTER) 1 (ON)
*Refer to Table 9 for details about the correlation between AO Gain, DMM Range, and Signal
Amplitude.
Table 7. AO Setup
Configuration Value
Physical Channels Dev_name/ao0
AO Gain*0 dB
Output Terminal Configuration Differential
Rate 51200 S/s
Sample Mode Continuous Samples
Samples Per Channel 512
*Refer to Table 9 for details about the correlation between AO Gain, DMM Range, and Signal
Amplitude.

10 |ni.com |NI PXIe-4463 Calibration Procedure
b. Call Basic Function Generator using the parameters in Table 8.
c. Write the resulting waveform to AO, and start the task.
4. Measure the output voltage with the DMM.
5. Stop the task.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 for AO Attenuation of 17 dB and 37 dB. Refer to Table 9 for AO Gain,
DMM Range, and Signal Amplitude settings.
7. Repeat steps 2 to 6 for pseudodifferential output terminal configuration.
8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 for AO 1.
9. Compare the DMM readings with the Max and Min limits in Table 10.
Table 8. Basic Function Generator Parameters
Parameter Value
Signal Type Sine Wave
Frequency 1000 Hz
Amplitude*10 V
Sampling Info»Sampling Rate 51200 S/s
Sampling Info»Number of Samples 512
*Refer to Table 9 for details about the correlation between AO Gain, DMM Range, and Signal
Amplitude.
Table 9. Settings for AO Gain Verification
AO Attenuation (dB) AO Gain (dB) DMM Range (V) Signal Amplitude (V)
0 0 10 10
17 -17 1 1.41421
37 -37 0.1 0.141421
Table 10. AO Gain Verification Limits
AO Attenuation (dB)
As Found
Test Limits
As Left
Test Limits
Min (Vrms)Max (Vrms)Min (Vrms)Max (Vrms)
07.0548 7.0874 7.06635 7.07578
17 0.9977 1.0023 0.99929 1.00070
37 0.09977 0.10023 0.099928 0.100071