Compensating for System Offsets
System Wiring Offsets
The HP E1313/E1413 can compensate for offsets in your system’s field
wiring. Apply shorts to channels at the Unit-Under-Test (UUT) end of your
field wiring, and then execute the
CALibration:TARE (@<
ch_list
>)
command. The instrument will measure the voltage at each channel in
<
ch_list
>
and save those values in RAM as channel Tare constants.
Important Note for
Thermocouples
•
You must not use
CALibration:TARE
on field wiring that is made up
of thermocouple wire. The voltage that a thermocouple wire pair
generates cannot be removed by introducing a short anywhere
between its junction and its connection to an isothermal panel (either
the HP E1313/E1413’s terminal module or a remote isothermal
reference block). Thermal voltage is generated along the entire
length of a thermocouple pair where there is any temperature
gradient along that length. To
CALibration:TARE
thermocouple wire
this way would introduce an unwanted offset in the
voltage/temperature relationship for that thermocouple. If you
inadvertently
CALibration:TARE
a thermocouple wire pair, see
“ Resetting CALibration:TARE” on page 139.
•
You should use
CALibration:TARE
to compensate wiring offsets
(copper wire, not thermocouple wire) between the HP E1313/E1413
and a remote thermocouple reference block. Disconnect the
thermocouples and introduce copper shorting wires between each
channel’s HI and LO, then execute
CALibration:TARE
for these
channels.
Residual Sensor
Offsets
To remove offsets like those in an unstrained strain gage bridge, execute the
CALibration:TARE
command on those channels. The module will then
measure the offsets and as in the wiring case above, remove these offsets
from future measurements. In the strain gage case, this “ balances the
bridge” so all measurements have the initial unstrained offset removed to
allow the most accurate high speed measurements possible.
Operation
After
CALibration:TARE @<
ch_list
>
measures and stores the offset
voltages, it then performs the equivalent of a
*CAL?
operation. This
operation uses the Tare constants to set a DAC which will remove each
channel offset as “ seen” by the module’s A/D converter.
The absolute voltage level that
CALibration:TARE
can remove is dependent
on the A/D range.
CALibration:TARE
will choose the lowest range that can
handle the existing offset voltage. The range that
CALibration:TARE
chooses will become the lowest usable range (range floor) for that channel.
For any channel that has been “
CALibration:TAREd
” autorange will not go
138 Understanding the HP E1313/E1413
Chapter 4
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