Question about changing output from current to voltage with SCXI-1000 System

[AC_OSU]

Hello,

   I recently ordered a new sensor form Cole Parmer; it is a pressure transducer with an output of 4-20 mA. The program I'm using needs the output from this sensor in voltage. I have a National Instruments SCXI-1000 and -1600 Chassis with SCXI-1300 and -1314 modules available. What do I need to do to convert the current to voltage using this National Instruments equipment? The data sheet for the sensor can be found at the link below. Thanks!

                                                                                                                                                   -Ali

http://www.coleparmer.com/catalog/manual_pdfs/68900series.pdf

[Joe_S]

Hi Ali,

Thanks for posting.  As a side note, the SCXI 1300 and 1314 are both front-mounted terminal blocks for SCXI modules.  The modules those blocks are plugged into are the actual voltage reading modules.

If you are looking to measure current using a voltage module, I would suggest connecting the sensor to the SCXI module through a resistor of a known value and measuring the voltage across the resistor.  If you wanted to retrieve the original current data, you would create a custom scale to divide the voltage by the resistance value.  Hope this helps!

Regards,

Joe S.