Need suggestion for NI Hardware for monitoring Two cernox (CX1070- Lakeshore, USA) Temperature sensor

[vijay0507]

Dear NI Community,

For my research project, I plan to use the Cernox (CX-1070, Lakeshore USA) temperature sensor to monitor the temperature in my experiment. I intend to use two CX-1070 temperature sensors for my experiment.

Link: https://www.lakeshore.com/products/categories/specification/temperature-products/cryogenic-temperatu...

Could you please recommend which NI hardware would be suitable for monitoring these (CX-1070) temperature sensors? I am considering using NI-DAQ for temperature monitoring, but if there are any other possible solutions for monitoring two temperature sensors at a time, please let me know. I have provided the datasheet for the CX-1070 temperature sensor below.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

With best regards,
Vijay

[UnholyPenguin]

• NI 9211: This module is specifically designed for thermocouple measurements and has a ±80 mV range, which is suitable for Cernox sensors that output low-voltage signals. It supports four channels, so you can monitor two sensors easily with room for expansion.
• NI 9219: This versatile module supports various types of sensors, including thermocouples and RTDs. It offers higher accuracy and more flexibility, but it's more expensive than the NI 9211.

Lakeshore also has a temperature controller than you could read data from. I think it's around $5000.
Cryogenic temperature controllers (lakeshore.com)

Leaving out PXI and other pricy items.

Excluding third party options, NI 9211 is the clear winner, being less than $1000

[LVNinja]

I never used these sensor, but after doing a quick search on their website, there are LabVIEW drivers for LakeShore  DC current Source, for ex 121 

https://www.ni.com/en/search.html?pg=3&ps=10&sb=%2Brelevancy&sn=catnav:sup.dwl.idr&q=lake%20shore%20...

THey comunicate with LabVIEW through VISA. 

Considering the nature of the signal, being very specific,it looks like the current source deals with very little current (in the order of nA). I'm not sure what is going to be your range, but I would recommend to get their own current source so you don't have to worry about signal conditioning and focus your energy and money in developing your application, not in signal conditioning. 

[GerdW]

Hi,

as that sensor does NOT output any voltage you cannot use a simple voltage measurement.

Instead you need to measure resistance. Or you create a voltage divider to be able to measure a voltage signal.

I guess to most interesting problem is to avoid heating up your cryo chamber…

[UnholyPenguin]

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@GerdW wrote:

Hi,

as that sensor does NOT output any voltage you cannot use a simple voltage measurement.

Instead you need to measure resistance. Or you create a voltage divider to be able to measure a voltage signal.

I guess to most interesting problem is to avoid heating up your cryo chamber…

---

Thanks for catching that.  My bad!

[vijay0507]

Thank you so much for your suggestions and response. I need a small suggestion that use of Lake Shore’s equipment (e.g., their temperature controllers or current sources) with LabVIEW drivers, might be more convenient but it is quite expensive.

Considering the cost, I believe it might be more practical to use the NI 9219. Could you please provide your suggestions to go on with NI 9219, including its advantages and any potential complexities? I look forward to hearing from you soon.

[LVNinja]

You need to contact the  Lake Shore distributor to ask about power requirements necessary to power your sensor. They are expensive because they require  fine electronics. I might be wrong, but chances you will be able to use their sensors with off the shelf products is pretty low. 

[vijay0507]

I have checked the data sheet of Cernox temperature sensor, it shows that maximum power dissipation is around 10 µW at 300 K, while at 4.2 K, it drops to 100 nW, and at 0.3 K, it is only 0.1 pW. Below I am providing the technical specifications for your reference.

[GerdW]

Hi Vijay,

do you have experience with "electrical measurements" at all? Or anybody in your department that could help you with this topic?

(After all we still talk about basics like Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's rules!)

The power dissipation is a result of the excitation, and those specs are rather uncommon for "off the shelf" DAQ hardware like those from NI! I'm not aware you could get DAQ devices/modules that support excitation voltages in the "low µV to low mV" range…