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Calibration

ni.com/calibration

Accuracy | Traceability | Documentation

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Calibration Made Simples a manuacturer o high-accuracy measurement products, National Instruments

nderstands the need to maintain properly calibrated equipment. Calibration is the

omparison o an instruments actual measurement perormance to a standard o known

ccuracy. With calibration, you can achieve the ollowing:

Ensure accurate measurements

Trace measurements back to known and accepted standards

Increase production yields

Meet quality program requirements such as ISO 9001

Provide a basis or comparing measurements between dierent users

Sel-CalibrationSel-calibration, or internal calibration, uses onboard signal reerences to adjust measurement accuracy. During

sel-calibration, the instrument measures the onboard reerences and adjusts its measured perormance to accou

or changes due to environmental eects such as temperature.

The adjustment o measured values during sel-calibration does not account or the dri t o the onboard signal re

and does not replace the need or external calibration. Perorming regular external calibration helps ensure the on

reerence signals are accurate and maximizes overall measurement perormance.

External CalibrationThere are a number o reasons to send an instrument to the manuacturer or a suitable metrology laboratory or

calibration, including when you need to veriy perormance, when the calibration interval has expired or your pre

service time has elapsed, when the instrument has been operated in an extreme environment, or when measur

appear questionable. External calibration includes veriication o the instruments capabilities and provides or adjus

to measurement circuitry and onboard signal reerences i needed. Typically, a calibration certiicate is issued veriyi

instruments measurement perormance at the time o calibration.

System CalibrationSystem calibration, the most comprehensive method o calibration, quantiies and compensates or the total

measurement error in a system. By applying known inputs and reviewing the resulting measurement, you can de

model that represents the error o the system and compensate or this error by applying correction coeicients t

measured data.

Computer-based data acquisition and instrumentation hardware is ideal or this type o compensation because y

quickly and easily apply your correction in sotware. System calibration does not completely replace the need to

external calibration on individual system components in order to meet the requirements o quality programs.

alibration Intervalse accuracy o the electronic components o all instruments drits over time, with actors such as time in service

d environmental conditions contributing. Devices are designed and tested so this error is noted in accuracy

eciications, but ater a deined length o time called the calibration interval, most manuacturers no longer speciy

e measurement accuracy. To maintain speciied measurement perormance, instruments must be calibrated at regular

tervals as deined by the manuacturer.

Critical or maintaining perormance and accuracy, calibration can be perormed on a wide range o instruments.

For most computer-based data acquisition and instrumentation hardware, NI supplies graduated accuracy tables.

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The Importance o Traceabilityne o the most basic requirements o calibration is proo o traceability, an unbroken

hain o comparisons between an instruments measurement and a known standard.

ecause these well-quantied standards are maintained by national and international

rganizations, they provide a reerence or all traceable measurements. Traceability

etween your measurements and these standards provides the ollowing advantages:

The ability to trace your measurement uncertainty back to an accepted standard

Acceptance o your instruments measurement capabilities between countriesAbility to determine the maximum uncertainty o your measurements

Correlation between your measurements and those o other traceable entities

Further down the chain, at t he national level, each country has dierent legal metrology authorities. These bodie

the guidelines deined by the BIPM and its associated committees to provide quality measurement standards o

associated countries. The National Metrology Institute (NMI) o each member state o the Convention o the Me

participates in the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). This document provides, among other things, a mutua

recognition o calibration and measurement certiicates issued by NMI.

Finally, each country has accreditation institutes that audit and accredit local metrology laboratories to the standa

orth by their NMI. In Europe, many o these accreditation institutes participate in the EA Multilateral Agreement

to ensure that accreditations in one country are acceptable in others.

Calibration and the NI Hardware AdvantageNational Instruments computer-based data acquisition and instrumentation hardware is calibrated at the actory t

measurement accuracy and to veriy that the devices meet published speciications.

NI products calibrated at the ti me o manuacture are traceable to international standards such as the National In

Standards and Technologies (NIST) in the Americas and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Europerorming calibration traceable to these standards, NI can help ensure t hat measurements taken in one country

accepted in all other participating countries. With this calibration, NI provides a certiicate o calibration recognize

countries as documented proo that the hardware meets published speciications. To maintain maximum measu

perormance, NI can recalibrate your NI products to meet actory speciications.

Unlike traditional box instruments, computer-based hardware uses sotware applications that you create to dein

measurement unctionality. In this way, you can easily add error compensation and automate system calibration

application sotware. By regularly calibrating your NI hardware and taking advantage o the lexibility that comes w

sotware-deined instruments, you can maintain unquestionable measurement perormance.

aceability is deined at a number o levels. The Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) ensures worldwide

iormity o measurements and their traceability to the International System o Units (SI). It does this with the authority

the Convention o the Metre, a diplomatic treaty among member nations. The BIPM also participates in and organizes

ternational comparisons o national measurement standards, as well as conducts calibrations or member states.

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NI Traceability

Tracing your instruments accuracy to known standards is a critical part o calibration.

NI provides a ull range o calibration services.

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NI Calibration Certiication

o help meet your calibration needs, National Instruments provides calibration support and services. These options

clude product recalibration services, manual calibration procedures, and automated calibration sotware specically

esigned or metrology laboratory use. Used as part o your complete calibration solution, these oerings can help you

sure the accuracy o your instruments.

I Calibration Serviceational Instruments oers two service options or maintaining your instruments measurement peror mance: Basic

d Detailed Calibration. You can obtain these services or your instrument at the time o purchase, or anytime ater,

maintain the instruments perormance.

ter the calibration interval expires, you can return your products to NI or recalibration. To order recalibration, contact

ational Instruments to obtain a calibration Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number and speciy t he type o

libration service when you order.

rough independent calibration service providers, you can obtain additional NI product calibration services such aspress calibration service, on-site calibration services, and calibration or all o your measurement hardware including

strumentation products that are not rom NI.

NI oers calibration solutions or all o your instrumentation, even hardware or other companies.

Basic Calibration

NI oers a Basic Calibration certiicate with all new measurement products at no charge to you. This certiicate s

that the product is calibrated and provides traceability to internationally accepted standards, which can help you m

requirements o quality standards programs such as ISO 9001.

Detailed CalibrationI your quality requirements state that you need more than a Basic Calibration certiicate, NI oers Detailed Calib

service. Detailed Calibration certiicates rom NI contain detailed measurement data to help you meet the r equire

o even more stringent internationally accepted quality standards. NI oers Detailed Calibration certiicates or pu

at the time you acquire your measurement hardware.

Manual Calibration ProceduresTo support more advanced metrology laboratories, NI provides access to manual calibration procedures, which oe

step-by-step instructions or veriying and adjusting the perormance o NI products during calibration. These docum

also deine the required calibration standards, sotware unctions, and test speciications used during the calibration

NI Calibration ExecutiveUsing manual calibration procedures can be slow and can require sotware development to adjust measurement

hardware. For users and laboratories that do not have the time or expertise to develop their own calibration sotw

NI provides a turnkey calibration application NI Calibration Executive.

NI Calibration Executive, which was developed primarily or metrology laboratories, automates the veriication and

adjustment o your NI products. By using NI Calibration Executive, you can easily automate your calibration operat

beneit rom NI technology such as NI-VISA universal I/O interace sotware, IVI drivers, and NI TestStand and Lab

sotware. NI Calibration Executive:

Externally calibrates most NI measurement devices

Operates in automatic or manual mode through an intuitive user interace

Automatically conigures and controls calibration instruments

Stores calibration reports in an ODBC-compliant database

Provides convenient connections through hardware calibration ixtures

NI Calibration Services

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NI Global Services and Support

National Instruments oers extensive services and support solutions to help you achieve long-term success. Take

advantage o product and proessional services, training, and certication programs to meet your needs during each

phase o the application lie cycle rom planning and development through deployment and ongoing maintenance.

Visit ni.com/services or more inormation.

Proessional Services

The NI proessional services team, comprising NI engineers and worldwide National Instruments Alliance Partners,

can help you with prototyping, easibility analysis, consulting, and systems integration. Visit ni.com/services or more

inormation.

Sotware Maintenance and Support

Visit ni.com/ssp to learn how, as a National Instruments Standard Service Program (SSP) member, you can receive ree

sotware upgrades and maintenance releases, direct mail and phone support rom NI applications engineers, and access

to exclusive sotware training modules.

Hardware Services

Make the most o your hardware investment by using NI hardware services including fexible and renewable extended

warranties, time-critical repair services, and hardware recalibration options. Visit ni.com/services or more inormation.

Training and Certifcation

The NI training and certication program is the most eective way to increase application development prociency and

productivity using NI sotware and hardware. Visit ni.com/training or more inormation.

Volume Licensing

Designed or organizations with ve or more licenses o the same sotware program, the Volume License Program

eatures services such as centralized license management, fexible budget purchasing, customized on-site training,

and more. Visit ni.com/vlp or more inormation.

Ordering Inormation

NI Calibration Executive .......................................................................................................................... 777608-02

NI Calibration Executive hardware adapter or NI E Series, M Series, and S Series devices ................. 778056-03

NI Calibration Executive hardware adapter or NI 435x devices ............................................................. 778031-03

NI FP-TB-CAL calibration base or FieldPoint .......................................................................................... 777519-90

NI cFP-CAL calibration backplane or Compact FieldPoint ..................................................................... 779646-01

Visit ni.com/calibration or a current list o applicable products, calibration services part numbers, and pricing.

2009 National Instruments. All rights reserved. FieldPoint, LabVIEW, National Instruments, National Instruments Alliance Partner, NI, ni.com, and NI TestStand are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

A National Instruments Alliance Partner is a business entity independent from National Instruments and has no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.2009-10627-911-101-D

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