Overwrite corrupt cal constants?

[CalLab_Mark]

I have a PCI-6052E card that is failing calibration on Calibration Executive (v3.5). The initial complaint is approx -.1V offset on all channels.

I'm getting error 200545 when it fails to pass Self Calibration.  The stored temperature values (viewed on MAX) are bogus so I have reason to believe the cal constants are likewise corrupt.  I can't seem to find any utility to allow me to restore default values or overwrite bad data.

I'm a calibration tech and not a "power user" and can't write LV programs so I may need a little more hand-holding than your typical forum member.

Thanks for any help you can provide me.

[CalLab_Mark]

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@CalLab_Mark wrote:
I'm a calibration tech and not a "power user" and can't write LV programs so I may need a little more hand-holding than your typical forum member.

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But I welcome any suggestions.  My organization does have a "Labview guy" but he's also stumped on how to correct the bad eprom values so the program will continue.

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[Kaitlin-N]

Hi CalLab_Mark,

During self calibration DAQmx will read the reference and the determine how much it needs to adjust the calibration coefficients.  But, if the reading from the references is outside of the range that DAQmx can adjust to get back into tolerance, then it returns this error.

The reference on this board should be reading spot on at 5V.  Given that it's off by -.1V it's probably that the software has determined that we can't adjust the calibration coefficients sufficiently to calibration out a -.1V.  It's probably that the ADC, the respacks, or something else has degraded out of tolerance.

This board will need to be sent in for repair. To get this started you can call 1-866-275-6964 and ask to speak with an RMA coordinator. Just make sure to have the serial number as well as a credit card or purchase order ready when you call in and they can give you a quote for the RMA.

Best regards,

[CalLab_Mark]

Thank you Kaitlin.  Are the corrupt temperature values just a coincidence then?

Can you tell me where on that board to measure the reference voltage?

[Kaitlin-N]

Try reading the "_calref_vs_aignd" internal channel to determine what level you are reading the internal reference at. Please let me know if you need any assistance with this process. I am not certain as to why the temperature values are off, I believe this is probably caused by the calibration constants being off. 

Regards,

[CalLab_Mark]

That voltage is 4.86V.  Also ai and ao gnd vs gnd are -.105V

[Kaitlin-N]

Hi CalLab_Mark,

I've seen a similar issue where calref_vs_aignd was also 4.86V. That situation also ended in a RMA.

Regards,

[CalLab_Mark]

Kaitlin I convinced my organization to invest $5000 on the upgrade CD for Calibration Executive (to v. 3.4/3.5) so I could handle "simple" adjustments to our stock of DAQ cards.  This expenditure is on top of the money spent on the original program, cables, accessories, 2 PC's (because the new version of CalExec doesn't support old AT cards).

Are you telling me I can't manually adjust the cal constants or overwrite corrupt temperature values on this card?  There are no physical adjustments on these cards and I don't believe there are any damaged components.  These are software adjustments and should be possible with proper support.  Just tell me how...

[Joshua-B]

Hi CalLab_Mark,

The reference for the board should be reading spot on at 5V.  Given that it is 140mV, which is 30x the accuracy of the board at the 10V range, then it is highly probable that the ADC or something else on the board has degraded out of tolerance.  This amounts to a hardware issue and will likely need to be sent in as an RMA to be corrected.

[CalLab_Mark]

Do these cards use the ADC to verify the ouput accuracy or is the analog out "open loop"?