Campbell Scientific CR6 CR6 Measurement and Control System - Page 323

Offset Voltage

Page 323 highlights

Section 8. Operation Offset Voltage Summary In-Depth Measurement offset voltages are unavoidable, but can be minimized. Offset voltages originate with: • Ground currents • Seebeck effect • Residual voltage from a previous measurement Remedies include: • Connect power grounds to power ground terminals (G) • Use input reveral (RevDiff = True) with differential measurements • Automatic offset compensation for differential measurements when RevDiff = False • Automatic offset compensation for single-ended measurements when MeasOff = False • Better offset compensation when MeasOff = True • Excitation reversal (RevEx = True) • Longer settling times Voltage offset can be the source of significant error. For example, an offset of 3 μV on a 2500 mV signal causes an error of only 0.00012%, but the same offset on a 0.25 mV signal causes an error of 1.2%. The primary sources of offset voltage are ground currents and the Seebeck effect. Single-ended measurements are susceptible to voltage drop at the ground terminal caused by return currents from another device that is powered from the CR6 wiring panel, such as another manufacturer's telecommunication modem, or a sensor that requires a lot of power. Currents >5 mA are usually undesirable. The error can be avoided by routing power grounds from these other devices to a power ground G terminal on the CR6 wiring panel, rather than using a signal ground ( ) terminal. Ground currents can be caused by the excitation of resistive-bridge sensors, but these do not usually cause offset error. These currents typically only flow when a voltage excitation is applied. Return currents associated with voltage excitation cannot influence other single-ended measurements because the excitation is usually turned off before the CR6 moves to the next measurement. However, if the CRBasic program is written in such a way that an excitation terminal is enabled during an unrelated measurement of a small voltage, an offset error may occur. The Seebeck effect results in small thermally induced voltages across junctions of dissimilar metals as are common in electronic devices. Differential measurements are more immune to these than are single-ended measurements because of passive voltage cancelation occurring between matched high and low pairs such as U1/U2. So use differential measurements when measuring critical low-level voltages, especially those below 200 mV, such as are output from pyranometers and thermocouples. Differential measurements also have the advantage of an input reversal option, RevDiff. When RevDiff is True, two differential measurements are made, the first with a positive polarity and the second reversed. Subtraction of opposite polarity measurements cancels some offset voltages associated with the measurement. 323

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Section 8.
Operation
Offset Voltage
Measurement offset voltages are unavoidable, but can be minimized.
Summary
Offset voltages originate with:
Ground currents
Seebeck effect
Residual voltage from a previous measurement
Remedies include:
Connect power grounds to power ground terminals (
G
)
Use input reveral (
RevDiff
=
True
) with differential measurements
Automatic offset compensation for differential measurements when
RevDiff
=
False
Automatic offset compensation for single-ended measurements when
MeasOff
=
False
Better offset compensation when
MeasOff
=
True
Excitation reversal (
RevEx
=
True
)
Longer settling times
In-Depth
Voltage offset can be the source of significant error.
For example, an offset of 3
μV on a 2500 mV signal causes an error of only 0.00012%, but the same offset on
a 0.25 mV signal causes an error of 1.2%.
The primary sources of offset voltage
are ground currents and the Seebeck effect.
Single-ended measurements are susceptible to voltage drop at the ground terminal
caused by return currents from another device that is powered from the CR6
wiring panel, such as another manufacturer's telecommunication modem, or a
sensor that requires a lot of power.
Currents >5 mA are usually undesirable.
The
error can be avoided by routing power grounds from these other devices to a
power ground
G
terminal on the CR6 wiring panel, rather than using a signal
ground (
) terminal.
Ground currents can be caused by the excitation of
resistive-bridge sensors, but these do not usually cause offset error.
These
currents typically only flow when a voltage excitation is applied.
Return currents
associated with voltage excitation cannot influence other single-ended
measurements because the excitation is usually turned off before the CR6 moves
to the next measurement.
However, if the CRBasic program is written in such a
way that an excitation terminal is enabled during an unrelated measurement of a
small voltage, an offset error may occur.
The Seebeck effect results in small thermally induced voltages across junctions of
dissimilar metals as are common in electronic devices.
Differential measurements
are more immune to these than are single-ended measurements because of passive
voltage cancelation occurring between matched high and low pairs such as
U1
/
U2
.
So use differential measurements when measuring critical low-level
voltages, especially those below 200 mV, such as are output from pyranometers
and thermocouples.
Differential measurements also have the advantage of an
input reversal option,
RevDiff
.
When
RevDiff
is
True
, two differential
measurements are made, the first with a positive polarity and the second reversed.
Subtraction of opposite polarity measurements cancels some offset voltages
associated with the measurement.
323