National Instruments NI 5402 Manual

CALIBRATION PROCEDURE
NI 5402/5406
This document contains instructions for writing a calibration procedure for
the NI PCI/PXI-5402/5406 arbitrary function generators. This calibration
procedure is intended for metrology labs.
Refer to ni.com/calibration for additional information about
calibration solutions from National Instruments.
Contents
Conventions ............................................................................................ 2
Software Requirements ........................................................................... 3
Documentation Requirements................................................................. 4
Password ................................................................................................. 4
Calibration Interval ................................................................................. 4
Test Equipment ....................................................................................... 5
Test Conditions ....................................................................................... 5
Calibration Procedures ............................................................................ 6
Initial Setup...................................................................................... 6
Self-Calibration................................................................................ 7
MAX......................................................................................... 7
FGEN Soft Front Panel............................................................. 7
NI-FGEN .................................................................................. 8
Verification ...................................................................................... 9
Verifying the Oscillator Frequency Accuracy.......................... 11
Verifying the Sine Wave Flatness Correction Accuracy.......... 14
Verifying the Main Path Gain and Offset Accuracy ................ 21
Verifying Square Wave Gain and Offset Accuracy ................. 30
Updating the Calibration Date and Temperature............................. 38
Adjustment....................................................................................... 39
Adjusting the Calibration ADC ................................................ 41
Adjusting the Analog Output.................................................... 54
Adjusting the Sine Wave Flatness Correction.......................... 81
Adjusting the Oscillator Frequency.......................................... 90

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 2 ni.com
Appendix A: Calibration Procedure Options...........................................95
External Calibration..........................................................................95
Complete Calibration........................................................................96
Optional Calibration .........................................................................97
Appendix B: Calibration Utilities............................................................99
MAX.................................................................................................99
FGEN SFP........................................................................................99
NI-FGEN ........................................................................................100
Where to Go for Support .......................................................................101
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
»The »symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options
to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to
pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options
from the last dialog box.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
This icon denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to
avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash. When this symbol is marked on a
product, refer to the Safety and Radio-Frequency Interference Read Me
First for information about precautions to take.
bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.
italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction
to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.
Platform Text in this font denotes a specific platform and indicates that the text
following it applies only to that platform.

©National Instruments Corporation 3 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
Software Requirements
Calibrating the NI 5402/5406 requires installing NI-FGEN version 2.4 or
later on the calibration system. You can download NI-FGEN from the
Instrument Driver Network website at ni.com/idnet. NI-FGEN supports
programming a Self-Calibration and an External Calibration in the
LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, and C application development
environments (ADEs). When you install NI-FGEN, you only need to install
support for the ADE that you intend to use.
LabVIEW support is in the niFgen.llb file, and all calibration functions
appear in the NI-FGEN calibration palette. For LabWindows/CVI, the
NI-FGEN function panel (niFgen.fp) provides access to the available
functions.
Calibration functions are LabVIEW VIs or C function calls in NI-FGEN.
In this document, the LabVIEW VI or NI-FGEN LabVIEW Property
Node is listed in the instructions. Tables for each step show both the
configuration of the VI or Property Node and the C function. The C
function calls are valid for any compiler capable of calling a 32-bit DLL.
Many of the functions use constants defined in the niFgen.h file. To use
these constants in C, include niFgen.h in your code when you write the
calibration procedure.
For the locations of files you may need to calibrate your device, refer to
the NI-FGEN Instrument Driver Readme, which is available on the
NI-FGEN CD.
Note After you install NI-FGEN, you can access the NI-FGEN Instrument Driver Readme
at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-FGEN»Documentation.

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 4 ni.com
Documentation Requirements
For information about NI-FGEN and the NI 5402/5406, you may find the
following documents helpful:
•NI Signal Generators Getting Started Guide—provides instructions for
installing and configuring NI signal generators.
•NI Signal Generators Help—includes detailed information about
the NI 5402/5406 and the NI-FGEN VIs and functions.
•NI 5402/5406 Specifications—provides the published specification
values for the NI 5402/5406
These documents are installed with NI-FGEN. You can also find the latest
versions of the documentation at ni.com/manuals.
Password
The default password for password-protected operations on your device is
"NI."This password is required to open an external calibration session.
Calibration Interval
A calibration is required only once every two years; however, the
measurement accuracy demands of your application determine how often
you should perform external calibration. For more information on
designing a calibration procedure to suit your needs, refer to Appendix A:
Calibration Procedure Options.

©National Instruments Corporation 5 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
Test Equipment
External calibration requires different equipment for each applicable
specification. Refer to Table 1 for information about the required
equipment.
Test Conditions
Follow these guidelines to optimize the connections and the environment
during calibration:
• Keep connections to the NI 5402/5406 short. Long cables and wires
act as antennae, picking up noise that can affect measurements.
• Keep relative humidity between 10% and 90% non-condensing.
• Maintain a temperature between 18 °C and 28 °C.
• Allow a warm-up time of at least 15 minutes after NI-FGEN initiates
a session to the board. The warm-up time ensures that the measurement
circuitry of the NI 5402/5406 is at a stable operating temperature.
Table 1. Equipment Required for Calibrating the NI 5402/5406
Equipment Recommended Models Requirements
Digital multimeter (DMM) NI PXI-4070/4071
Agilent/HP 34401A
Keithley 2000
DC accuracy ≤±50 ppm
Resolution ≤1 μV
Frequency Counter Agilent/HP 53131A Ability to measure 10 MHz or
higher sine waves
Frequency accuracy of
±500 ppb
Power Meter Rohde & Schwarz NRVS
power meter with Rohde &
Schwarz NRV-Z53 sensor
Agilent E4419B Power Meter
with Agilent E9304A power
sensor
Power accuracy ± 0.10 dB
For flatness measurements
from 50 kHz to 50 MHz
Male banana to female BNC
adapter
— —
Male BNC to female SMB cable —50 Ω, RG-223

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 6 ni.com
Note Unless manually disabled, NI-FGEN automatically loads with the operating system
and enables the device.
•(PXI) Ensure that the PXI chassis fan speed is set to HI, that the filter
fans are clean, and that the empty slots contain filler panels.
•(PXI) Plug the PXI chassis and the calibrator into the same power strip
to avoid ground loops.
Calibration Procedures
The calibration process has the five following steps.
1. Initial Setup—Configure your device in Measurement & Automation
Explorer (MAX).
2. Self-Calibration—Adjust the self-calibration constants of the device.
3. Verification—Verify the existing operation of the device. This step
allows you to confirm that the device was operating within its specified
range prior to calibration.
4. Adjustment—Adjust the device calibration constants with respect to a
known voltage source and update the calibration date and temperature.
5. Reverification—Repeat the verification process to ensure that the
device is operating within its specifications after adjustment.
These steps are described in detail in the following sections.
Note In some cases, the complete calibration procedure may not be required. Refer to
Appendix A: Calibration Procedure Options for more information about developing a
calibration procedure that fits your needs.
Initial Setup
The device must be configured in Measurement & Automation Explorer
(MAX) to communicate with NI-FGEN.
Complete the following steps to configure a device in MAX.
1. Install the NI-FGEN driver software.
2. Power off the computer or chassis that will hold the device and install
the device in an available slot.
3. Power on the computer or chassis and launch MAX.
4. Configure the device identifier and select Self-Test to ensure that the
device is working properly.

©National Instruments Corporation 7 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
Note When a device is configured with MAX, it is assigned a device identifier. This
device identifier is used to open an NI-FGEN session.
Note For more information about configuring and testing your device in MAX, refer to
the NI Signal Generators Getting Started Guide.
Self-Calibration
The NI 5402/5406 is capable of performing self-calibration, which adjusts
the square waveform analog path and the gain and offset voltage of the
main analog path. Self-calibration uses an onboard ADC to measure the
output voltage.
Note Square wave gain and offset are calibrated through self-calibration only.
Note The analog output path, sine wave flatness correction, oscillator frequency, and
the calibration ADC can be calibrated by using an adjustment procedure.
You can initiate self-calibration interactively from Measurement &
Automation Explorer (MAX) or from the FGEN Soft Front Panel (SFP).
Alternatively, you can initiate self-calibration programmatically using
NI-FGEN. The following sections include information on performing a
self-calibration within each of these environments.
MAX
To initiate self-calibration from MAX, complete the following steps:
1. Launch MAX.
2. Select My System»Devices and Interfaces»NI-DAQmx Devices.
3. Select the device that you want to calibrate.
4. Initiate self-calibration in one of the following ways:
•ClickSelf-Calibrate in the upper right corner of the window.
• Right-click the device name under Devices and Interfaces,
and select Self-Calibrate from the drop-down menu.
FGEN Soft Front Panel
To initiate self-calibration from the FGEN SFP, complete the following
steps:
1. Launch the FGEN Soft Front Panel.
2. Select Edit»Device Configuration to open the Device Configuration
dialog box.

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 8 ni.com
3. Select the device that you want to calibrate from the Device drop-down
listbox. Click Okay when finished.
4. Select Utility»Calibration to open the Calibration dialog box.
5. Click Perform self-calibration.
NI-FGEN
Complete the following steps to programatically perform a self-calibration
on the NI 5402/5406 using NI-FGEN:
1. Open an instrument driver session, initialize the device for operation,
and return a session handle that will be used to identify the device in
future NI-FGEN calls by calling the niFgen Initialize VI.
Note Throughout the procedure, refer to C/C++ function call parameters for the
LabVIEW input values.
2. Initiate self-calibration by calling the niFgen Self Cal VI.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_init using
the following parameters:
resourceName: The
name of the device that
you want to verify. This
name is the device
identifier assigned in
MAX.
IDQuery: VI_TRUE
resetDevice: VI_TRUE
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_SelfCal
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.

©National Instruments Corporation 9 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
3. Close the instrument driver session, destroy the instrument driver
session and all of its properties, and release any memory resources
NI-FGEN uses by calling the niFgen Close VI.
Verification
This section provides instructions for verifying the NI 5402/5406
specifications. Refer to Table 1 for recommendations on choosing
an instrument to use for each test.
Note Always self-calibrate the NI 5402/5406 after warm-up and before beginning a
verification procedure.
You can verify the following NI 5402/5406 specifications:
• Oscillator frequency accuracy
• Sine wave flatness accuracy
• Main path gain and offset accuracy
• Square wave gain and offset accuracy
Note If any of these tests fail immediately after you perform an external adjustment, verify
that you have met the required test conditions (refer to the Test Conditions section) before
you return the NI 5402/5406 to NI for repair.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_close
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 10 ni.com
Refer to Figure 1 for the names and locations of the NI 5402/5406
front panel connectors.
Figure 1. NI PXI-5402/5406 and NI PCI-5402/5406 Front Panel Connectors
ACCESS ACTIVE
SYNC OUT/
PFI 0
PFI 1
NI PXI-540X
REF IN
CH 0
NI PCI-540X
REF
IN
SYNC
OUT/
PFI 0
PFl 1
CH 0

©National Instruments Corporation 11 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
Verifying the Oscillator Frequency Accuracy
Complete this test to verify the frequency accuracy of the oscillator on the
NI 5402/5406. In this test, you generate a 10 MHz sine wave with the
NI 5402/5406 and measure the sine wave frequency with a frequency
counter.
1. Connect the NI 5402/5406 CH 0 front panel connector to the frequency
counter.
2. Open an instrument driver session, initialize the device for operation,
and return a session handle that will be used to identify the device in
future NI-FGEN calls by calling the niFgen Initialize VI.
3. Configure the waveform by calling the niFgen Configure Standard
Waveform VI.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_init using
the following parameters:
resourceName: The
name of the device that
you want to verify. This
name is the device
identifier assigned in
MAX.
IDQuery: VI_TRUE
resetDevice: VI_TRUE
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_
ConfigureStandard
Waveform using the
following parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
waveform:
NIFGEN_VAL_WFM_SINE
frequency: 10,000,000
amplitude: 1
startPhase: 0
dcOffset: 0

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 12 ni.com
4. Initiate waveform generation by calling the niFgen Initiate
Generation VI.
5. Use the frequency counter to measure the frequency output at the
CH 0 front panel connector of the NI 5402/5406. This value is the
measured frequency of the generated sine wave.
6. Compare the measured frequency of the generated sine wave to the
calibration test limits and published specifications shown in Table 2.
7. Abort waveform generation by calling the niFgen Abort
Generation VI.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_Initiate
Generation
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
Table 2. Frequency Ranges for Verifying Oscillator Frequency Accuracy
Calibration Test Limits ±4.5 ppm Published Specifications ±25 ppm
Low High Low High
9,999,955 Hz 10,000,045 Hz 9,999,750 Hz 10,000,250 Hz
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_Abort
Generation
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.

©National Instruments Corporation 13 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
8. Close the instrument driver session, destroy the instrument driver
session and all of its properties, and release any memory resources
NI-FGEN uses by calling the niFgen Close VI.
9. If any of the errors are greater than the calibration test limits, perform
an external Adjustment.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_close
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 14 ni.com
Verifying the Sine Wave Flatness Correction
Accuracy
This test verifies the Sine Wave Flatness Correction Accuracy of the
NI 5402/5406. In this procedure, you will compare the signal generator’s
output power level during the generation of sine waves of various
frequencies to the output power level measured during the generation of a
50 kHz sine wave. The following figure shows the programming flow for
this test:
Figure 2. Programming Flow for the Verification of the Sine Wave
Flatness Correction Accuracy
Initialize an NI-FGEN Session
Configure 50kHz Sine Wave
Set Analog Path, Amplitude,
Pre-amp Attenuation, and
Post-amp Attenuation of Waveform
Generate the Waveform
Measure Power Level
Change the Frequency
Measure Power Level
Repeat
for Each
Frequency
Abort Waveform Generation
Repeat
for Each
Configuration

©National Instruments Corporation 15 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
1. Connect the NI 5402/5406 CH 0 front panel connector to the power
meter.
2. Open an instrument driver session, initialize the device for operation,
and return a session handle that will be used to identify the device in
future NI-FGEN calls by calling the niFgen Initialize VI.
3. Configure the waveform by calling the niFgen Configure Standard
Waveform VI.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_init using
the following parameters:
resourceName: The
name of the device that
you want to verify. This
name is the device
identifier assigned in
MAX.
IDQuery: VI_TRUE
resetDevice: VI_TRUE
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_
ConfigureStandard
Waveform using the
following parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
waveform:
NIFGEN_VAL_WFM_SINE
frequency: 50,000
amplitude: 1.667
startPhase: 0
dcOffset: 0

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 16 ni.com
Repeat steps 4 through 11 for each of the iterations listed in Table 3.
Table 3. Values for Verifying the Sine Wave Flatness Accuracy
Iteration Analog Path
Pre-
Amplifier
Attenuation
(dB)
Post-
Amplifier
Attenuation
(dB)
Amplitude
(Vpp)
Calibration
Test Lim its
(dB)
Published
Specification
(dB)
1NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_LOW_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
0.00 0.00 1.667000 ±0.13 ±0.4
2NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_LOW_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
3.00 0.00 1.179400 ±0.13 ±0.4
3NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_LOW_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
6.00 0.00 0.835000 ±0.13 ±0.4
4NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_LOW_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
9.00 0.00 0.591100 ±0.13 ±0.4
5NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_LOW_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
12.00 0.00 0.418500 ±0.13 ±0.4
6NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_HIGH_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
0.00 12.00 2.500000 ±0.13 ±0.4
7NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_HIGH_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
3.00 12.00 1.780000 ±0.13 ±0.4
8NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_HIGH_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
6.00 12.00 1.260000 ±0.13 ±0.4
9NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_HIGH_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
9.00 12.00 0.890000 ±0.13 ±0.4
10 NIFGEN_VAL_
FIXED_HIGH_GAIN_
ANALOG_PATH
12.00 12.00 0.630000 ±0.13 ±0.4

©National Instruments Corporation 17 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
4. Set the analog path by calling the niFgen Property Node and selecting
Output Attributes»Analog Path.
5. Set the pre-amplifier attenuation by calling the niFgen Property Node
and selecting Calibration»Pre-Amplifier Attenuation.
LabVIEW Block Diagram
C/C++
Function Call
Call niFgen_Set
AttributeViInt32
using the following
parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
attributeID:
NIFGEN_ATTR_
ANALOG_PATH
value: The Analog Path
value listed in Table 3
for the current iteration
LabVIEW Block Diagram
C/C++
Function Call
Call niFgen_Set
AttributeViReal64
using the following
parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
attributeID: NIFGEN_
ATTR_PRE_AMPLIFIER_
ATTENUATION
value: The Pre-Amplifier
Attenuation value listed in
Table 3 for the current
iteration

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 18 ni.com
6. Set the post-amplifier attenuation by calling the niFgen Property Node
and selecting Calibration»Post-Amplifier Attenuation.
7. Set the amplitude by calling the niFgen Property Node and selecting
Standard Function Output»Amplitude.
LabVIEW Block Diagram
C/C++
Function Call
Call niFgen_Set
AttributeViReal64
using the following
parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName:"0"
attributeID: NIFGEN_
ATTR_POST_AMPLIFIER
_ATTENUATION
value: The
Post-Amplifier
Attenuation value listed in
Table 3 for the current
iteration
LabVIEW Block Diagram
C/C++
Function Call
Call niFgen_Set
AttributeViReal64
using the following
parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
attributeID: NIFGEN_
ATTR_FUNC_AMPLITUDE
value: The Amplitude
value listed in Table 3 for
the current iteration

©National Instruments Corporation 19 NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure
8. Initiate waveform generation by calling the niFgen Initiate
Generation VI.
9. Use the power meter to measure the output power level of the
NI 5402/5406. This value is the measured power of the 50 kHz sine
wave.
10. In this step you generate a sine wave configured for the current
iteration of Table 3 at each of the frequencies listed in Table 4.
LabVIEW Block Diagram
C/C++
Function Call
Call niFgen_Initiate
Generation
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
Table 4. Frequencies for Verifying Sine Wave Flatness Correction Accuracy
Frequencies for the NI 5402
(MHz)
Frequencies for the NI 5406
(MHz)
1.00000 1.00000
5.00000 5.00000
10.00000 10.00000
15.00000 15.00000
20.00000 20.00000
25.00000 25.00000
—30.00000
—40.00000

NI 5402/5406 Calibration Procedure 20 ni.com
a. Set the frequency by calling the niFgen Property Node and
selecting Standard Function Output»Frequency.
b. Use the power meter to measure the power level output of the
NI 5402/5406. This value is the measured power of the generated
sine wave (dB).
c. Check to see whether the sine wave flatness error falls between the
high and low flatness error calibration test limits. Flatness error
can be determined by using the following calculation:
Sine Wave Flatness Error =
( Measured Power of Generated Sine Wave) –
(Measured Power of 50kHz Sine Wave)
d. Repeat steps 10a through 10c for each frequency in Table 4.
11. Abort waveform generation by calling the niFgen Abort
Generation VI.
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_Set
AttributeViReal64
using the following
parameters:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.
channelName: "0"
attributeID: NIFGEN_
ATTR_FUNC_FREQUENCY
value: The current
Frequency value from
Table 4
LabVIEW Block Diagram C/C++ Function Call
Call niFgen_Abort
Generation
using the following
parameter:
vi: The session handle
returned from
niFgen_init.