Omega DAQP-208 Network Card User Manual


 
4.2 Analog Input Multiplexer
Differential or single-ended configuration is determined by bit 6 of the high byte in the scan
list register. ‘1’ selects differential input, while a ‘0’ selects single-ended input. Expansion
cards will only support single-ended channels. It is strongly recommended that single-ended
or differential selection be uniform for all internal channels (e.g., all 4 channels as differential
or all 8 channels as single-ended). Although it is possible to have some channels configured as
single-ended and others as differential, this may cause confusion and unexpected signal
errors.
With differential configuration, there are 4 channels. However, if the user specifies channels 4
to 7 in a differential configuration, it will short the inputs to ground for system offset
measurement. The readings taken under such a circumstance can be used for offset correction.
The input multiplexers have built-in protection against over-voltage when the board is at full
power and when it is powered down. The protection mechanism will isolate the input from
the rest of the board, as long as the input voltage is within the protection range of ±30 volts.
4.3 Programmable Gain Control Amplifier
DAQP series cards have an internal gain of 1, 2, 4 or 8. For the high gain option: DAQP-208 the
internal gain choices are 1, 10, 100 and 1000. The gain can be changed “on the fly” when
scanning from channel to channel by changing the configuration of the programmable gain
instrumentation amplifiers. The internal gain selection is specified by the scan list entry, (bits
4 and 5 of the high byte). The contents of these two bits will determine the gain of the analog
front end.
The settling time of the analog front end meets speed requirements, however, if the amplifier
is saturated it may need more time to recover. This can cause distortion at the input signal to
the A/D converter. It is recommended that amplifier saturation be avoided by using a low
gain setting and attenuating the input signal whenever possible.
DAQP-208/208H/308 Users Manual 29