© National Instruments Corporation 5 NI 4070/4072 Calibration Procedure
300 pF range, a capacitor with values between 90–100% of full scale
should be used. NI suggests using the capacitance standards of the
SCA Series from IET Labs. This calibration procedure assumes the use
of 270pF, 1nF, 100nF, 10μF, and 1000 μF standards.
• If you are using cables to connect the verification capacitors to the
NI4 072 banana plug connectors, NI recommends using Pasternack
PE3005 banana-to-banana coaxial cables with length ≤4 inches and
total capacitance ≤40pF. Before performing the verification
procedure, you should know the total capacitance up to the end of the
banana connectors that plug into the NI 4072.

Optional Test Equipment

The following equipment is optional for calibrating the NI 4070/4072 and
is only used for frequency verification:
• NI PXI-6608 timing and digital I/O module
• National Instruments SH68-68-D1 shielded cable
• National Instruments TB-2715 terminal block
• Pomona MDP 4892 double banana plug with strain relief
• Coaxial cable (for example, RG178)
Test Conditions
Follow these guidelines to optimize the connections and the environment
during calibration:
• Ensure that the PXI chassis fan speed is set to HI (if calibrating the
NIPXI-40 70/4072) and that the fan filters are clean.
• Use PXI filler panels in all vacant slots to allow proper cooling.
• Plug the PXI chassis or PC and the calibrator into the same power strip
to avoid ground loops.
• Power on and warm up both the calibrator and the NI 4070/4072 for at
least 60 minutes before beginning this calibration procedure.
• Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 ±1°C.
• Maintain an ambient relative humidity of less than 60%.
• Allow the calibrator to settle fully before taking any measurements.
Consult the Fluke 5700A/5720A user documentation for instructions.
• Allow the thermal EMF enough time to stabilize when you change
connections to the calibrator or the NI 4070/4072. The suggested time
periods are stated where necessary throughout this document.
• Keep a shorting bar connected between the VGUARD and
GROUNDbinding posts of the calibrator at all times.