Is it possible to measure voltage or current with the SMU (PXIe-4147) when the output is off?

[usan1]

I’d like to measure voltage and current, and also apply voltage using the PXIe-4147.

Sometimes I only need to measure voltage or current.
Other times, I need to apply voltage and measure current, and so on.

However, I’m not sure if having the output turned on affects the accuracy of voltage and current measurements.

When I use InstrumentStudio, I can turn off the output and still measure voltage and current without issues.

But with Python (using nidcpwr), I have to initiate the session, and that automatically turns the output on.

[santo_13]

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@usan1 wrote:

I’d like to measure voltage and current, and also apply voltage using the PXIe-4147.

Sometimes I only need to measure voltage or current.
Other times, I need to apply voltage and measure current, and so on.

However, I’m not sure if having the output turned on affects the accuracy of voltage and current measurements.

When I use InstrumentStudio, I can turn off the output and still measure voltage and current without issues.

But with Python (using nidcpwr), I have to initiate the session, and that automatically turns the output on.

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If you want to use the SMU as a voltmeter or ammeter, you need to properly turn it on force 0A to measure voltage and force 0V to measure current.

When the output is disabled, the SMU attempts to source 0V with 2% of current range as compliance (i.e., act as a limited load).