Chapter 4
Theory of Operation
©
National Instruments Corporation
4-7
Notice that only counter 0 is required for DAQ operations. The software
must track the number of conversions that have occurred and turn off
counter 0 after the required number of conversions has been obtained.
Single-Channel Data Acquisition
During single-channel data acquisition, a control register is set to select the
analog input channel before data acquisition is initiated. This multiplexer
setting remains constant during the entire data acquisition process;
therefore, all A/D conversion data is read from a single channel.
Multichannel (Scanned) Data Acquisition
Multichannel data acquisition is performed by enabling scanning during
data acquisition. Multichannel scanning is controlled by a scan counter.
For scanning operations, the scan counter decrements from the highest
numbered channel (selected by the user) through channel 0 and then repeats
the sequence. For RSE input mode, therefore, any number of channels from
2 to 16 can be scanned. For DIFF input mode, any number of channels from
2 to 8 can be scanned. Notice that the same AI range is used for all channels
in the scan sequence.
Data Acquisition Rates
The maximum data acquisition rate (number of samples per second) is
determined by the conversion period of the ADC plus the acquisition
time of its track-and-hold stage. During multichannel scanning, the data
acquisition rate is further limited by the settling time of the input
multiplexers and operational amplifier. After the input multiplexers are
switched, the amplifier must be able to settle to the new input signal value
to within 12-bit accuracy before an A/D conversion is performed, or 12-bit
accuracy cannot be achieved.
If the chosen data acquisition rate does not allow the specified settling time,
the analog input circuitry may not perform at 12-bit accuracy. Furthermore,
if the maximum data acquisition rate is exceeded, A/D conversions may be
lost. The maximum data acquisition rate and settling time specifications at
various input ranges are listed in Appendix A,
.