shorting AO 0 to AO GND on a DAQ card

[ateem]

Hello,

   Will shorting channels of an analog output damage the DAQ card? For example, if I were to connect AO 0 and AO GND, will it damage anything inside the DAQ card? I am trying to apply a generated sine wave signal to a conductive solution, if I simply place connections from AO 0 and AO GND into the solution, will it damage DAQ card?

Thanks

[gwd]

These days it's a pretty rare instrument that is damaged by a short to ground. However it's always a good idea to read the manual first.

Umm, all the manuals, specs, etc. for NI cards are on the NI website. Pinouts too.

[AnalogKid2DigitalMan]

Most Analog outputs on DAQ cards are current limited to the range of 5-10mA. And if you short the output, the voltage differential between AO+ and Gnd will be 0 volts.

Not sure of potential damage to the DAQ when shorted.

[Otis]

Hi Ateem,

While shorting ao0 to aoGnd, may not immediately be a problem, it won't be good for your device in the long term.  The DAC can only provide so much current, so sinking it to ground will cause it to output it's MAX current, but the voltage would still be around 0 V.  This is not a good idea though, because while it may not hurt immediately it can't be good for the DAC chips. 

It would be like sitting in a parking lot and revving your engine and bouncing it off of the rev limiter.  It may be fun a few times, but if you keep putting your engine under strain like that then you'll blow it up...maybe not today, but it will happen eventually.

I guess a better question is WHY would you want to short ao0 to aoGnd?  Maybe if we know what you're trying to do we could help you find a better way to accomplish it.

Regards,

[jenssen77]

Well, in my case I need to measure a high pass filter of a large batch of circuits.
There might be a short at some point and in order to not break a card worth a minivan I'd like to find out if a short might break it.

I am using a NI6281 USB Card, but nor the M Series User Manual as well as the DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS datasheet provide information about shorting the output.

Is there a schematic for the output like for the MyDAQ ?