Calibrating The Pci-2511 - Measurement Computing PCI-2511 User Manual

Chapter 4

Calibrating the PCI-2511

Board ranges are calibrated at the factory using a digital NIST traceable calibration method in which a
correction factor for each range is stored on the unit at the time of calibration.
Two calibration tables are stored on the board in EPROM — one table contains the factory calibration, and the
other is available for field calibration. You can adjust the AI calibration while the board is installed in the
acquisition system without destroying the factory calibration supplied with the board.
You can perform field calibration automatically in seconds with InstaCal. No external hardware or instruments
are required. Field calibration derives its traceability through an on-board reference which has a stability of
0.005% per year.
Calibrate the board after it has fully warmed up; the recommended warm-up time is 30 minutes. For best results,
calibrate the board immediately before making critical measurements. The high resolution analog components
on the board are somewhat sensitive to temperature. Pre-measurement calibration ensures that your board is
operating at optimum calibration values.
The recommended calibration interval is one year.
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