FAQ Index

Click on one of the frequently asked questions below to go directly to its answer
Or click on the black category name to browse all the answers in that category
General questions are listed first, followed by product specific questions

General Questions

How much does it cost ?

How do I get the cash discount ?

Do you sell to international customers ?

What about the difference between 220v and 110v power ?

How do I order ?

Can I purchase it on my credit card ?

What is your address, phone, fax, etc ?

Can you send me complete specs ?

Do you have any Application Notes ?

How do I get a copy of the circuit diagrams ?

What is your ROHS and WEEE status ?

Do your products have any digital input/output capabilities ?

Do you include source code with your software ?

What Operating Systems do you support (Linux, NT, etc) ?

What compilers can I use with your software ?

What is a DLL ?

What is a device driver ?

Data Acquisition Questions - General

What do abbreviations like DAQ, DAS, A/D, ADC, D/A, DAC mean ?

What is the difference between instrument and audio grade A/D converters ?

Why is memory buffering important for A/D systems ?

How do oversampling and signal averaging affect resolution ?

Why does sigma delta A/D resolution vary with sampling rate ?

What is analog multiplexing ?

What does aggregate sampling rate mean for a multiplexed system ?

What is the trouble with high impedance analog inputs ?

What is an active sensor ? What is a passive sensor ?

What are differential inputs ?

What are balanced differential inputs ?

My sensor only has two pins, what do I do for differential AGND ?

How do I calibrate the A/D converters ?

Is twisted pair good for analog inputs ?

How much crosstalk is there between channels on your A/D products ?

Do your A/D products have any digital input/output capabilities ?

Do your A/D products work with European 220 vac power sources ?

Do your A/D products work with Win2K/XP or Linux ?

Do your A/D products work with National Instruments LabVIEW ?

What is the format of your data files ?

What is the format of OUT files ?

What is the format of DAT files ?

Do you have a view and playback program ?

Data Acquisition Questions - USBxCH specific

Why doesn't the USB driver work after waking the PC from sleep ?

What sampling rates are allowed on the USBxCH ?

What is the maximum achievable sampling rate on the USBxCH ?

How much crosstalk is there between channels on the USB4CH ?

What is the analog input range of the USBxCH ?

What is the overvoltage protection range of the USBxCH ?

Does the USBxCH have any digital input/output capabilities ?

What is the impedance of the USBxCH analog inputs ?

What is the input sensitivity of the USBxCH ?

How do I calibrate the USBxCH A/D converters ?

What GPS antennas can I use with the USBxCH ?

What length USB cable can I use with the USBxCH ?

Data Acquisition Questions - SER1CH-UA specific

Where can I find more info and FAQ answers on the SER1CH ?

What is a ratiometric application ?

What is the difference between the SER1CH-UA, SER1CH-UA-DSUB, and SER1CH-UA-1in ?

Can I use the SER1CH-UA with Excel, MatLab, VisualBasic, LabView, TestPoint ?

What format are the SER1CH-UA DVM.asc output files in ?

What kind and length of RS232 serial cable does the SER1CH-UA require ?

Will USB to RS232 dongles work with the SER1CH-UA ?

What analog input voltage ranges are possible for the SER1CH-UA ?

Why does waving my hand over the SER1CH-UA change the DVM voltage ?

Do static shocks hurt the SER1CH-UA inputs ?

Why is the SER1CH-UA consuming more than 10ma ?

Does the SER1CH-UA have any digital buffering ?

Is there any antialiasing filter on the SER1CH-UA ?

Data Acquisition Questions - PARxCH specific

Can I use a USB to parallel dongle with the PARxCH ?

Is there a 2 channel PARxCH ?

How much crosstalk is there between channels on the PAR4CH and PAR8CH ?

What is the analog input range of the PARxCH ?

What is the overvoltage protection range of the PARxCH ?

Does the PARxCH have any digital input/output capabilities ?

What factors affect the maximum achievable sampling rate on the PARxCH ?

What is the impedance of the PARxCH analog inputs ?

What is the input sensitivity of the PARxCH ?

How do I calibrate the PARxCH A/D converters ?

What length parallel port cable can I use with the PARxCH and PAR24B ?

What do abbreviations like GPS, PPS, NMEA mean ?

What NMEA messages are available on the PARGPS and what is their format ?

How does your GPS time stamping work ?

What GPS antennas can I use with your products ?

Can I use the PARGPS by itself to get time without the PARxCH ?

How does the PARGPS connect to the PARxCH A/D ?

Can I use a USB to serial dongle with the PARGPS ?

Why does the mouse go crazy when the PARGPS is connected ?

Why is PARGPS diag failing ?

What is the typical PARGPS time accuracy ?

How can I set the PC time with the PARGPS ?

Can I use the PARGPS with Win95/98/ME ?

Can I use the PARGPS in my basement ?

What if the antenna cable is too short to reach the window ?

Amplifier Questions

Why would I need an amplifier with a 24 bit A/D converter ?

How does an amplifier affect the noise level of acquired data ?

What type of analog input cable is best for the AMP4CH-DF ?

Mini ITX & PC104 Questions

What are Mini ITX and PC104 ?

Does SR supply Mini ITX and PC104 turnkey systems ?

What skills are required to setup a Mini ITX or PC104 system ?

Do you sell any PC104 related products ?

Where can I buy other Mini ITX or PC104 products ?

What features should I look for when buying Mini ITX or PC104 products ?

Can I use a 2.5 hard disk in my Mini ITX or PC104 system ?

How much power does it take to run a Mini ITX or PC104 system ?

Can I run scope.exe on a headless system ?

Digital Signal Processing Questions

Why are floating point DSPs easier to use than fixed point ?

What are algebraic assembler mnemonics ?

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