Setup: Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series User Manual

Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series

Introduction

The Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series represent a versatile and high-performance data acquisition solution for a wide array of applications, including industrial automation, research and development, manufacturing testing, and educational laboratory experiments. These devices feature a modular design optimized for scalability, enabling users to configure systems from a single channel up to hundreds of channels when used with the Keysight U2781A modular chassis.

Key benefits of the U2300A Series include ultra-fast sampling rates reaching up to 3 MSa/s on a single channel, 12-bit to 16-bit analog-to-digital conversion resolution with no missing codes, and support for up to 64 single-ended or 32 differential analog input channels. The plug-and-play USB 2.0 interface with USBTMC (USB Test and Measurement Class) compliance ensures easy connection and integration with PCs, while bundled software accelerates setup and data logging operations.

Ideal for engineers, scientists, and educators seeking precise, reliable multifunction data acquisition, the U2300A Series supports analog input/output, digital I/O, and general-purpose digital counter functions. Its programmable bipolar and unipolar inputs, self-calibration capability, and multiple trigger sources make it adaptable for complex measurement tasks.

Pricing for the U2300A Series models generally starts in the mid-range for professional DAQ equipment, with exact costs depending on configuration and channel count. These devices are widely available through Keysight and authorized distributors worldwide.

Product characteristics and general specifications

• Remote interface
  • Hi-Speed USB 2.0
  • USBTMC-USB4881
• Power requirement
  • +12 VDC (TYPICAL)
  • 2 A (MAX) input rated current
• Power consumption
  • +12 VDC, 550 mA maximum
• Operating environment
  • Operating temperature from 0 °C to +55 °C
  • Relative humidity at 15% to 85% RH (non-condensing)
  • Altitude up to 2000 meters
  • Pollution Degree 2
  • For indoor use only
• Storage compliance 
  • 20 °C to 70 °C
• Safety compliance
  • Certified with:
    • IEC 61010-1:2001/EN 61010-1:2001 (2nd Edition)
    • USA: UL61010-1: 2004
    • Canada: CSA C22.2 No.61010-1:2004
• EMC compliance
  • IEC/EN 61326-1 1998
  • CISPR 11: 1990/EN55011:1991, Class A, Group 1
  • Canada: ICES-001: 1998
  • Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS 2064.1
• Shock and vibration
  • Tested to IEC/EN 60068-2
• IO connector
  • 68-pin female VHDCI Type
• Dimension (W × D × H)
  • Module dimension:
    • 120.00 mm × 182.40 mm × 44.00 mm (with plastic casing)
    • 105.00 mm × 174.54 mm × 25.00 mm (without plastic casing)
  • Terminal block dimension:
    • 103.00 mm × 85.20 mm × 42.96 mm
• Weight
  • 565 g (with plastic casing)
  • 400 g (without plastic casing)
• Warranty
  • Three years for the U2300A series DAQ devices
  • Three months for standard shipped accessories

Features

• Up to 3 MSa/s sampling rate for a single channel
• Functions as a standalone or modular unit
• Easy to use: Plug-and-play and hot swappable with Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• Up to 384 channels when incorporated into the U2781A Keysight modular product chassis
• Easy-to-use bundled software for quick setup and data logging a g to a PC
• 12-bit or 16-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) resolution
• 24-bit programmable digital input/output
• Self-calibration capability
• Compatible with a wide range of Application Development Environments
• USB 2.0 and USBTMC-USB488 standards

High sampling rate 
The U2300A Series DAQ devices can generate sampling rates of up to 3 MSa/s for a single channel. When multiple channels are configured, the device can sample data up to 1 MSa/s. The fast sampling capability allows users to perform intermittent detection easily. This is ideal when dealing with high-density analog input/output signals,, especially when juggling between different input ranges and sampling requirements. 

Flexible standalone or modular capability  
The U2300A Series DAQ devices are uniquely designed with the flexibility to function as a standalone unit or as a part of a modular unit. When used together with the U2781A modular product chassis, the devices have the capability to support up to 384 channels.

Flexible system and control options with polling and continuous mode
The U2300A Series DAQ devices have two modes, polling mode and continuous mode. Selecting continuous mode enables you to acquire data continuously once the trigger signal is received. 

Arbitrary waveform
Designed to support arbitrary waveforms, the U2300A Series allows you to generate an arbitrary waveform via the Keysight Measurement Manager application software or SCPI commands.

Burst mode
Equipped with the burst mode, the enhancement feature enables simultaneous mode for analog input acquisition. Now can you can perform sampling measurement up to the highest possible speed of the DAQ. 

Trigger sources
U2300A Series offers various trigger options from immediate trigger (none), analog/external digital trigger, System Synchronous Interface (SSI)/ Star trigger, and Master/Slave trigger sources. These entire trigger options have the capability to configure trigger sources during A/D and digital-to-analog (D/A) operations. Selecting the slave trigger and SSI/Star trigger is recommended when the USB modules are used together with the Keysight U2781A USB modular product chassis. 

Predefined function generator
Aside from supplying DC voltage, the two analog output channels are capable of generating common and predefined waveforms such as sinusoidal wave, square wave, triangle wave, sawtooth wave,, and noise wave. 

Product outlook and dimensions

Standard shipped accessories

• AC/DC Power adapter
• Power cord
• USB extension cable
• L-Mount kit (used with modular product chassis)
• Keysight USB Modular Products Quick Start Guide
• Keysight USB Modular Products Reference CD-ROM
• Keysight Automation-Ready CD-ROM (contains the Keysight IO Libraries Suite)
• Certificate of Calibration

Optional accessories

• U2901A Terminal block and SCSI-II 68-pin connector with 1-meter cable
• U2902A Terminal block and SCSI-II 68-pin connector with 2-meter cable

Electrical measurement specifications

Basic multifunction USB DAQ

DC Characteristics

Accuracy specifications

Accuracy specifications (continued)

• The above specifications are typical for 23 °C.
• Specifications are for 20 20-minute warm-up and self-calibration.
• The measurements are calculated with a 100-point average of data.

Keysight Measurement Manager

The Keysight Measurement Manager (AMM) is an application data viewer software that comes with the standard purchase of the U2300A Series USB modular data acquisition. This software is designed to help you perform quick device configuration, data logging,, and data acquisition using the products.
Supported features found in the U2300A Series USB modular multi-function data acquisition devices: 

• Averaging
• Command logger
• Self-calibration
• Option to save the current instrument configuration to a file 
• Data logging and export feature to CSV, HTML, and text-only format files that can be printed
• Data viewer to load and review previously logged data
• Trigger settings between modules in the instrument chassis with the Star trigger and the MostestMasterave trigger
• Synchronization display and data logging for modules in the instrument chassis

Keysight Measurement Manager prerequisites

Before installing the Keysight Measurement Manager software, ensure that your PC meets the following minimum system requirements for installation and operation..

Optional Accessories 

The Keysight U2802A is a 31-channel thermocouple signal conditioning module with a built-in thermistor for cold junction compensation. 
The U2802A is designed to convert low input voltage signals (less than ±100 mV) from a thermocouple into an output voltage range suitable for data acquisition devices (±10 V). The U2802A device is to be used in conjunction with the Keysight U2355A or U2356A model DAQ device to enable temperature measurements using thermocouples. It works as 
a standalone device attached to a single DAQ device via two SCSI-II 68 conductor cables. Designed with the compatibility to complement eight standard thermocouple types, it caters to a wide range of applications in various industrial settings. 

Features to meet your demands 

• 31 input channels that can be independently configured to either differential thermo-couple input mode, single-ended voltage input mode, or differential voltage input mode,, using two input channels set to voltage input mode
• Supports the standard thermocouple types (J, K, R, S, T, N, E, and B) defined in the NIST ITS-90 Thermocouple Database
• Error detection for open thermocouple channels
• Built-in isothermal construction on the terminal block for improved measurement accuracy
• Built-in thermistor for cold junction compensation
• Built-in zeroing function to compensate for overall system offset errors due to temperature drift and long-term drift
• Up to ±10 V input voltage range for higher voltage inputs
• Sampling rate of 500 kSa/s for the overall module
• Sampling rate of 10 kSa/s total for all channels in thermocouple mode
• Quick and easy USB setup
• Robust, cost-effective, and user-friendly

Applications
The U2802A thermocouple input device is designed for robust and demanding industrial applications. This product is suitable and ideal for thermocouple measurement applications such as;

• Product thermal analysis and characterization
• Environmental chamber profiling
• Process monitoring in consumer electronics markets
• Material properties testing in education environments
• Study of electronic temperature properties
• Appliances testing

Thermocouple input mode
In thermocouple input mode, the U2802A can acquire up to ±100 mV input signals. Each channel includes an instrumentation amplifier and a 4 Hz low-pass filter. The low-pass filter removes unwanted noise from the thermocouple wires to obtain accurate measurement data.

Voltage input mode
Alternatively, you can select separate voltage input modes for each channel. The channel will be set to bypass the amplifier and filter, allowing up to ±10V input signals to be directly routed to the DAQ device analog input. The bandwidth in this mode is more than 500 kHz.

Zero mode
In zero mode, the positive and negative inputs of the instrumentation amplifier are shorted together. The voltage measured in this mode corresponds to the offset voltage of the channel. You can subtract this offset voltage from subsequent thermocouple mode measurements to increase measurement accuracy. This mode is only applicable in the hermo-couple mode.

Thermocouple compatibility
The U2802A is compatible with a wide range of standard thermocouple types defined in the NIST ITS-90 Thermocouple Database. This includes types J, K, R, S, T, N, E, and B.           

Open thermocouple detection
The U2802A includes open thermocouple detection circuitry to indicate the presence of an open thermocouple.

Calibration EEPROM
The U2802A gain and offset calibration factors for each channel are stored in the EEPROM during factory calibration and can be retrieved prior to taking measurements. This on-board EEPROM also stores the module ID, serial number, and date of calibration for your reference. A section of the EEPROM is also allocated for you to save your calibration data.

Restoring factory calibration
Using the AMM software, you can easily restore the U2802A calibration data from your settings to the original factory settings.

Product outlook and dimensions

Standard shipped accessories

• Power supply splitter
• Two 68-pin SCSI cables (1 m)
• One J-type thermocouple
• Keysight U2802A 31-Channel Thermocouple Input Device Quick Start Guide
• Keysight USB Modular Products Reference CD-ROM
• Keysight Automation-Ready CD-ROM (contains the Keysight IO Libraries Suite)
• Certificate of Calibration

Product specifications

Thermocouple's typical measurement accuracy

The U2802A measurement error with U2355A or U2356A at 23 °C ± 5 °C is shown below.

U2901/U2902A -Terminal block and SCSI-II 68-pin connector with 1-meter/2-meter cable
The U2901A/U2902A is a terminal block and SCSI-II 68-pin connector with 1 1-meter cable or 2 2-meter cable that can be used in conjunction with the U2300A Series and U2500A Series. 

Terminal block overview

Ordering information 

Optional accessories 

Troubleshooting Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series

Common issues with the U2300A Series devices typically involve connectivity, signal noise, or calibration discrepancies. Users may encounter error codes related to device communication failures or invalid configurations.

• USB Connectivity Problems: Ensure USB 2.0 ports are used; try different cables or USB ports. Confirm that device drivers and Keysight IO Libraries Suite are properly installed.
• Signal Noise or Inaccurate Readings: Check shielding and grounding of analog inputs. Use differential inputs for noise-sensitive measurements.
• Calibration Errors: Perform self-calibration through the device software regularly to maintain accuracy.
• Error Codes: Consult the U2300A Series user guide for specific SCPI command error codes and corrective steps.

Preventive measures include regular software and firmware updates, stable power supply, proper environmental conditions, and routine calibration. The U2300A Series devices come with a standard warranty from Keysight, and technical support is available through Keysight’s official channels, including phone support and online resources for drivers, firmware, and manuals.

For assistance, users can contact Keysight Support directly or visit the official Keysight website for dedicated U2300A Series support.

Pros & Cons of Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series

Pros

• High Sampling Rate: Supports up to 3 MSa/s for single-channel acquisition,, ideal for high-speed measurements.
• Modular Flexibility: Easily expandable up to 384 channels with modular chassis integration.
• Broad Functionality: Combines analog input/output, digital I/O, and digital counter in one device series.
• Plug-and-Play Convenience: USB 2.0 interface with USBTMC compliance ensures easy PC integration and hot-swapping.
• Self Calibration: Maintains accuracy over time without external calibration tools.

Cons

• Price Point: Higher initial investment compared to basic DAQ units, potentially limiting it for budget-conscious users.
• Software Dependency: Requires specific Keysight software and drivers,, which may involve a learning curve for new users.
• Limited Documentation on Advanced Triggers: Complex trigger setup might require detailed manual consultation.

Compared to alternative USB DAQ devices, the U2300A Series scores highly on accuracy and expandability but may be priced above simpler plug-and-play options with fewer features.

Customer Reviews of Keysight Technologies USB Modular Multifunction DAQ Devices U2300A Series

Users commonly praise the U2300A Series for its robust performance and modular design flexibility, rating it highly, often 4 to 5 stars out of 5. Engineers appreciate the high sampling rates and the ability to integrate the device into scalable test systems.

Common compliments focus on the ease of use with USB connectivity and the comprehensive software suite that simplifies data logging and analysis. Some users note that the initial setup can be somewhat complex for beginners, especially when handling advanced trigger configurations or multi-channel setups.

Negative feedback occasionally mentions the premium price point and the need for updated drivers on newer operating systems. Overall, the series is recommended for professionals requiring precise, fast, and flexible DAQ capabilities.