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Calibration Services

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OverviewWith NI Calibration Services, you can haveconfidence in your measurements and keep your measurement devices operating in peak precision. NI recommends that you externally calibrate most of your measurement hardwareannually, or at intervals recommended in theproducts specification.

What is Calibration?Calibration determines the error associated with a measurement,and, if possible, reduces that error. This means that calibration ismore than just adjusting the measurement capability of a device.Instead, the calibration process includes three parts:

Verifying that the measurement capability of themeasurement device is within specification

Adjusting the device to reduce its measurement error Verifying the new measurement capability of the device

to ensure that it is operating within specificationsInternational committees have created calibration guidelines to

ensure procedural consistency and calibration acceptance amongcompanies and countries.

Benefits of CalibrationCalibration improves your measurement accuracy and ensures that your product meets its required specifications. Calibration alsoprovides a number of other benefits, such as: Increased production yields Overall measurement consistency Standardization of quality

To maintain your measurement accuracy, you must calibrate yourmeasurement device at set intervals.

External Calibration and Self-CalibrationYou can externally calibrate all National Instruments measurementproducts and self-calibrate many of them. With external calibration, you can ensure that measurement accuracy is traceable to a known

standard. External calibration requires the use of high-precisioncalibration standards. Metrology laboratories or other facilitiesmaintain traceable standards for this type of calibration. Throughself-calibration, you adjust the measurement device for use inenvironments other than those in which it was externally calibrated.In essence, self-calibration acts as the autocalibration or autozerofound on benchtop instruments.

System CalibrationEven if all of your measurement components are properly calibrated, your system can still have uncertainties associated with cabling andtransducers. You can reduce these uncertainties by performing asystem calibration. Also known as end-to-end calibration, systemcalibration is a software compensation method to remove systemerrors from measurements. By applying a known source to the inputof your measurement system and taking readings, you can quickly determine the correction factor to apply to future measurements.System calibration does not replace the need to externally calibrateeach component of your system according to the recommendedcalibration time interval of each component. You can perform asystem calibration on any computer-based system you have.For more information on how to perform a system calibration,visit ni.com/calibration

Calibration CertificatesNational Instruments ships all hardware products with a Certificateof Conformance. This certificate states that the product has been

tested and meets all of its performance standards. In addition, formany products NI provides an online Basic Calibration Certificate.The Basic Calibration Certificate provides NIST-traceabledocumentation and states that the calibration process conforms torelevant clauses of ISO 9002. You can view your Basic CalibrationCertificate at ni.com/calibration If you need a higher level of certification or detailed calibration data, NI can supply ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 compliant certificates for selected products.

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National Instruments and Calibration ServicesWe offer two levels of calibration services Basic Calibration Serviceand Detailed Calibration Service. Both are traceable to national andinternational standards. For situations requiring ANSI-Z540compliance, or detailed calibration data, you can purchase DetailedCalibration Service. Simply return your measurement device toNational Instruments and order the service as needed or on a regularly scheduled basis.

Basic Calibration ServiceDepending on your calibration requirements, you can return yourmeasurement product for basic, traceable recalibration. NI providesan online Basic Calibration Certificate stating that the calibrationprocess conforms to relevant clauses of ISO 9002.

Detailed Calibration ServiceInternational committees have created calibration guidelines, such asANSI/NCSL Z540-1, to ensure acceptable calibration verificationand adjustment between companies and countries. For situationsrequiring ANSI-Z540 compliance or detailed calibration data, youcan purchase Detailed Calibration service.

Manual Calibration ProceduresFor metrology laboratories and companies that maintain calibrationfacilities, we offer manual calibration procedures for selectedproducts. These procedures eliminate the need to send your productto National Instruments or a metrology laboratory for calibration.However, to use these procedures, you must have a good workingknowledge of metrology and access to traceable calibrationstandards. You can access our manual calibration proceduresat ni.com/calibration

Automated CalibrationManual calibration can be time consuming and costly. The NationalInstruments Calibration Executive, developed primarily formetrology laboratories, automates the verification and adjustment of your NI products. By using Calibration Executive, you can easily automate your calibration operations and benefit from NItechnology such as NI-VISA, Interchangeable Virtual Instruments(IVI), and TestStand.

Learn more about Calibration Executive on page 23,or visit ni.com/calibration

Calibration Services

Figure 1. To view your basic certificate, visit ni.com/calibration

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Externally calibrates most NImeasurement devices

Operates in automatic or manualmode through an intuitive userinterface

Automatically configures andcontrols calibration instruments

Stores calibration reports inODBC-compliant database

Provides convenient connectivity through hardware calibration fixtures

Easily expands with new hardware

System Requirements Pentium 266 MHz processor

or better 64 MB of RAM; 200 MB of available

hard drive space VGA monitor capable of 800 x 600

resolution, 256 colors Windows 2000/NT/XP (NT 4.0

requires Service Pack 6)

23National Instruments Tel: (800) 433-3488 Fax: (512) 683-9300 info@ni.com ni.com

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NI Calibration Executive

Calibration ExecutiveThe National Instruments Calibration Executive providesan integrated software environment for verifying and

adjusting NI measurement devices. Calibration Executive is designedusing NI VISA, IVI, TestStand, and LabWindows/CVI technologies.

Additional HardwareCalibration Executive includes all of the software you need forcalibrating your NI measurement device. In addition to yourcalibration instruments, you also need hardware such as adapters,cables, and chassis. Order the appropriate calibration-specifichardware for your measurement device. For a complete list of required NI hardware and recommended calibration instruments,visit ni.com/calibration

Contacting NI for Calibration ServicesTo return your product to NI for calibration services, please contact

us to obtain pricing, terms of service, and a return materialauthorization (RMA) for recalibration. If you require calibrationservices in your local area, we also offer calibration throughmetrology laboratories in selected countries.

Visit ni.com/calibration for a list of applicable products and calibration service providers in your local area.

Calibration ServicesBasic Certificate of Calibration....................................................*Detailed Certificate of Calibration for

High-Speed Digitizer, DSA, DMM,Logger, or Analog Output products ....................................*

E Series, S Series products........................................................*SCXI products ..........................................................................*FieldPoint..................................................................................*

Calibration Executive SoftwareNI Calibration Executive ..............................................777608-02

Calibration-Specific Hardware*Calibration Executive hardware adapter

for E Series, S Series devices ....................................778056-03Calibration Executive hardware adapter

for NI 435x devices ..................................................778031-03FieldPoint FP-TB-CAL calibration base ......................777519-90

*Visit ni.com/calibration for a current list of applicable products, calibrationservices part numbers, and pricing.

BUY ONLINE! Visit ni.com/info and enter nicalib.

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