National Instruments NI TB-9214 Manual

CALIBRATION PROCEDURE
NI TB-9214
This document contains the verification procedure for the National Instruments NI TB-9214. For
more information about calibration solutions, visit ni.com/calibration.
Note Refer to the NI 9214 Calibration Procedure on ni.com/manuals for
instructions on calibrating the NI 9214.
Contents
Software.................................................................................................................................... 1
Documentation.......................................................................................................................... 2
Test Equipment......................................................................................................................... 3
Building the Barrier Strip Assembly ................................................................................ 4
Test Conditions......................................................................................................................... 5
Initial Setup............................................................................................................................... 6
Verification ............................................................................................................................... 6
Terminal Block CJC Verification..................................................................................... 6
Where to Go for Support .......................................................................................................... 9
Software
Calibrating the NI TB-9214 requires the installation of NI-DAQmx 9.3 on the calibration
system. You can download NI-DAQmx from ni.com/downloads. NI-DAQmx supports
LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, ANSI C, and .NET. When you install NI-DAQmx, you only
need to install support for the application software that you intend to use.

2|ni.com |NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure
Documentation
Consult the following documents for information about the NI TB-9214, NI-DAQmx, and your
application software. All documents are available on ni.com and help files install with the
software.
NI cDAQ-9174/9178 Quick Start
NI-DAQmx installation and hardware setup
NI TB-9214 Operating Instructions and Specifications
NI TB-9214 specific information, specifications, and calibration interval
NI-DAQmx Readme
Operating system and application software support in NI-DAQmx
LabVIEW Help
LabVIEW programming concepts and reference information about NI-DAQmx VIs and
functions
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

NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |3
Test Equipment
Table 1 lists the equipment recommended for the performance verification procedure. If the
recommended equipment is not available, select a substitute using the requirements listed in
Table 1.
Table 1. Recommended Equipment
Equipment
Recommended
Model Requirements
Thermocouple Calibrator Ectron 1140A Use a high-precision
thermocouple source with an
accuracy of ≤0.08 °C and an
output impedance of ≤10 Ω.
NI 9214 Module —Use an NI 9214 module that is
verified to be within product
specifications.
Chassis NI cDAQ-9178 —
BarrierStrip
Assembly
Thermocouple
Wire
TT-E-24-SLE-100 E-type SLE 24 AWG, 20 to
30 meters
Thermocouple
Connector
Omega
SMPW-E-M
E-type, must fit the output
terminal of the thermocouple
calibrator
Thermocouple
Barrier Strips
Omega BS16A 16 channels
Thermocouple
Barrier Strip
Jackets (x16)
Omega BSJ-E E-type, 16 channels
Thermocouple
Spade Lugs
(x64)
Omega SLCH-20 32 lugs of chromel to match the
E-type wires
Omega SLCO-20 32 lugs of constantan to match the
E-type wires
Spade-Lug
Crimping Tool
Omega
CRIMPING
TOOL-P
Must effectively crimp the spade
lugs with the 24 AWG wire.

4|ni.com |NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure
Building the Barrier Strip Assembly
Complete the following steps to build the barrier strip assembly.
1. Build the barrier strip according to Figure 1.
Note Spade-lug colors in Figure 1 are for illustration purposes only and are used to
easily differentiate chromel and constantan spade lugs.
Figure 1. Building the Barrier Strip Assembly
1 Use a single thermocouple wire, spade lugs, spade-lug crimping tool, and mini-thermocouple connector to
make a wire assembly. Crimp the chromel spade lugs to the chromel wire to create 16 positive spade lugs.
Crimp the constantan spade lugs to the constantan wire to create 16 negative spade lugs.
2 Use the thermocouple wire, spade lugs, and spade-lug crimping tool to make 16 wires with bare leads on
one end and the spade lugs on the other end. Crimp the chromel spade lug to the chromel wire and the
constantan spade lug to the constantan wire.
3 Assemble the barrier strips and barrier strip jackets as indicated by the manufacturer.
4 Connect the wire assembly with the mini-thermocouple connector and 16 wires to the barrier strip.
+
+–
–
Ex–
Ex+
Ex–
Ex+
E0–
E0+
E1–
E1+
E2–
E2+
E3–
E3+
E13–
E13+
E14–
E14+
E15–
E15+
E0– E0+E1– E1+E14– E14+
...
E15– E15+
– +
1 2
34
– +
...
...
... ...

NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |5
2. Place the barrier strip section into an empty box. Close the lid and leave only a small
opening for the wire and cable to enter and exit the box. Feed the wire and cables through
the box as shown in Figure 2. This box acts as an isolation enclosure, reducing the affect of
air currents and rapid temperature transients.
Figure 2. Rapid Temperature Transient Isolation Enclosure
Test Conditions
The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the NI TB-9214 meets
published specifications.
• Keep connections to the NI TB-9214 as short as possible. Long cables and wires act as
antennae, picking up extra noise that can affect measurements.
• Verify that all connections to the NI TB-9214 are secure.
• Use shielded copper wire for all cable connections to the NI TB-9214. Use twisted-pairs
wire to eliminate noise and thermal offsets.
• Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 °C ± 5 °C. The NI TB-9214 temperature will be
greater than the ambient temperature.
• Keep relative humidity below 80%.
• Allow a warm-up time of at least 15 minutes to ensure that the NI 9214 measurement
circuitry is at a stable operating temperature.
1 16 Wires Out 2 Empty Box Containing Barrier Strip 3 1 Wire In
1
2
3

6|ni.com |NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure
Initial Setup
Complete the following steps to set up the NI TB-9214.
1. Install NI-DAQmx.
2. Make sure the NI cDAQ-9178 power source is not connected.
3. Connect the NI cDAQ-9178 to the system safety ground.
a. Attach a ring lug to a 14 AWG (1.6 mm) wire.
b. Connect the ring lug to the ground terminal on the side of the NI cDAQ-9178 using
the ground screw.
c. Attach the other end of the wire to the system safety ground.
4. Install the NI 9214 in slot 8 of the NI cDAQ-9178 chassis. Leave slots 1 through 7 of the
NI cDAQ-9178 chassis empty.
5. Connect the NI cDAQ-9178 chassis to your host computer.
6. Connect the power source to the NI cDAQ-9178 chassis.
7. Launch Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).
8. Right-click the device name and select Self-Test to ensure that the module is working
properly.
Verification
The following performance verification procedure describes the sequence of operation and test
points required to verify the NI TB-9214 and assumes that adequate traceable uncertainties are
available for the calibration references.
Terminal Block CJC Verification
Complete the following procedure to determine the As-Found status of the NI TB-9214.
1. Loosen the captive screws and remove the top cover from the NI TB-9214.
2. Connect the thermocouple calibrator to the NI TB-9214 using the barrier strip assembly
created in the Building the Barrier Strip Assembly section. Refer to Figure 3 for a
connection diagram.

NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure |© National Instruments |7
Figure 3. NI TB-9214 Verification Connections
3. Reinstall the top cover on the NI TB-9214.
4. Connect the NI TB-9214 to the NI 9214.
5. Power on the thermocouple calibrator and set the thermocouple type to E-type.
6. Wait 15 minutes or the warm-up time required by the thermocouple calibrator, whichever
is longer.
7. Acquire a CJCtemp0 value.
a. Create and configure an AI Temp Built-In Sensor task for CJC channel _cjtemp0 on
the NI 9214 according to Table 2.
b. Configure the AI Temp Built-In Sensor task for CJC channel _cjtemp0 according to
Table 3.
Table 2. NI 9214 CJC Channel Configuration
Physical Channels Timing Mode
_cjtemp0 High Resolution
Table 3. NI 9214 CJC Timing Configuration
Sample Mode Samples Per Channel Rate (S/s)
Finite 5 1
.
.
.
NI TB-9214
Barrier
Strip
E0+
E0–
E1+
E14–
E15+
E15–
E1–
E14+
.
.
.
.
.
.
TC0+
TC0–
+
–
+
–
TC1+
TC14–
TC15+
TC15–
TC1–
TC14+
.
.
.
Mini TC
Connector
TC
Calibrator
Rapid Temperature Transient
Isolation Enclosure

8|ni.com |NI TB-9214 Calibration Procedure
c. Start the task.
d. Average the readings and record the value as CJCtemp0.
e. Clear the task.
8. Set the thermocouple calibrator output to CJCtemp0.This ensures that during the
thermocouple measurements, the input channel measures very close to 0 V, which
eliminates gain errors in the NI 9214.
9. Acquire and average samples.
a. Create and configure an AI temperature thermocouple channel for the NI 9214
according to Table 4.
b. Configure the AI temperature thermocouple channel timing according to Table 5.
c. Disable open thermocouple detection on the NI 9214.
d. Start the task.
Note
• Make sure the thermocouple calibrator and NI 9214 are completely settled at the
desired temperature setting before acquiring data.
• Wait at least 300 ms for the Ectron 1140A to settle before acquiring data with the
NI 9214.
• Disregard the first six seconds of the acquisition to compensate for the open
thermocouple settling time of the NI 9214.
e. Average the readings for each channel. Record the average of the readings for each as
Tempaixwhere xis the channel number.
f. Clear the task.
10. Perform the following calculation using the recorded Tempaixand CJCtemp0 values.
Temp aix - CJCtemp0 = TempErrorCh0
11. Compare the calculation result for each channel to the Upper Limit and Lower Limit values
in Table 6.
12. Remove the NI TB-9214 from the NI 9214.
Table 4. NI 9214 Thermocouple Channel Configuration
Physical
Channels
Minimum
Value
Maximum
Vale Units
Thermocouple
Type Autozero
ai0:15 0 100 °C EEvery Sample
Table 5. NI 9214 Thermocouple Timing Configuration
Timing
Mode
Sample
Mode
Samples Per
Channel Rate (S/s)
High Resolution Finite 36 1

© 2013 National Instruments. All rights reserved.
375012A-01 Apr13
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13. Disconnect the barrier strip assembly from the NI TB-9214.
If the verification procedure determines that the NI TB-9214 is outside of the limits, refer to
Where to Go for Support for assistance in returning the device to NI.
Where to Go for Support
The National Instruments Web site is your complete resource for technical support. At
ni.com/support you have access to everything from troubleshooting and application
development self-help resources to email and phone assistance from NI Application Engineers.
National Instruments corporate headquarters is located at 11500 North Mopac Expressway,
Austin, Texas, 78759-3504. National Instruments also has offices located around the world to
help address your support needs. For telephone support in the United States, create your service
request at ni.com/support and follow the calling instructions or dial 512 795 8248. For
telephone support outside the United States, visit the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/
niglobal to access the branch office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information,
support phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.
Table 6. NI TB-9214 Verification Test Limits
TC Type
Range (°C) Test Point
Value (°C)
1-Year Limits (°C)
Minimum Maximum Lower Limit Upper Limit
E -270 1000 CJCtemp0 -0.33 0.33