Academic Company Events NI Developer Zone Support Solutions Products & Services Contact NI MyNI
This Document is not yet Rated  Rate this Document

Incorrect Thermocouple Measurements at Low Temperatures Using NI-DAQmx, NI-DAQmx Base, or LabVIEW

Primary Software: Driver Software>>NI-DAQmx
Primary Software Version: 8.10
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A
Hardware: Multifunction DAQ (MIO), SCXI

Problem:
My thermocouple readings are inaccurate when they drop below a certain temperature. A B-type thermocouple should support a minimum temperature of 0 degrees C, but I see inaccurate measurements when the temperature drops below 250 degrees C. E-type, K-type, N-type, and T-type thermocouples support temperatures as low as -270 degrees C, but measurements become inaccurate below -200 degrees C. Why am I receiving these incorrect measurements?

Solution:
NI-DAQmx 8.1 and earlier, NI-DAQmx Base, and LabVIEW use polynomial scaling (voltage to temperature) for thermocouple measurements, but the temperature range that the software supports is not consistent with the minimum accurate range of the inverse polynomial coefficients used for several thermocouple types. The attached VI can replace the Convert Thermocouple Readings VI in LabVIEW. With this example, you can use table scaling instead of polynomial scaling for the thermocouple voltage, which is more accurate and supports the full temperature range of the thermocouple.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 0H78N438: Thermocouple Temperature Conversion Is Inaccurate At High Temperatures
KnowledgeBase 3NAFKU9N: Error -200077 (0xFFFCF273) During Thermocouple Measurements with SCB-68 or SCXI
KnowledgeBase 3EEG56IT: Thermocouple Temperature Reading Drops When Measuring Higher Temperatures
KnowledgeBase 465HI1BH: How Accurate are Thermocouples?

Attachments:


Convert Thermocouple Readings.llb


Report Date: 05/09/2006
Last Updated: 11/05/2007
Document ID: 3X8DOKHF

Your Feedback! poor Poor  |  Excellent excellent   Yes No
 Document Quality? 
 Answered Your Question? 
  1 2 3 4 5
Please Contact NI for all product and support inquiries.submit