Measurement Computing DAQ Quick Start - Manual (Page 8)

Install the MCC Device
8
The InstaCal main screen lists each device that it automatically detects or
that was manually added to the board list.
Configuring a device
To configure a device, double-click on the device name to open the Board
Configuration dialog box. The settings which display are specific to the
device selected.
A common configuration task for A/D boards is to set the analog input
channel mode to either single-ended or differential.
InstaCal stores hardware configuration settings in a configuration file which
is read by the Universal Library when you run an application. To change
device settings, stop the UL application and run InstaCal.
Note: Only one application program that calls the Measurement
Computing driver can be running at a time. If the device is used
by a Universal Library program, changes to device configuration
settings can only be made when the program is not running.
Testing a device
InstaCal provides analog and digital tests to determine if the analog inputs
and digital bits are working properly. To test the device, select either
Test » Analog or Test » Digital . A Board test dialog box displays with
options specific to the selected device.
Analog input tests may include a Loopback test and a Scan test.

Perform a Loopback test to verify the analog connections, and that the
basic analog measurement operation is working properly. With this test,
one channel at a time is tested in a slow (non-clocked) sampling mode.
You can loop back one of the onboard signals or use an external signal.

Perform a Scan test to sample multiple channels simultaneously at a
specified clock rate. The Scan test is a good test of the DMA and IRQ
resources assigned to the card. Acquired data can be displayed
graphically or numerically.