Direction of Current Flow in the PXIe-4322

Updated Nov 2, 2023

Reported In

Hardware

  • PXIe-4322

Issue Details

  • I can't find any information on the output current direction for the PXIe-4322.
  • The Analog Output (AO) of my PXIe-4322 can be set to a positive or negative current. How does this effect the current flow?

Solution

Current will always flow from the positive connection to the more negative connection. When using the PXIe-4322, the positive lead of the load should connect to the AO+ terminal, and the ground lead of the load should connect to the AO- terminal, as shown below:

PXIe 4322 load connection.png

The PXIe-4322 has a nominal current range of +/- 20 mA. Therefore:
  • If the current output is set to a positive value, current will flow from AO+ to AO-.
  • If the current output is set to a negative value, the flow of current will be reversed (i.e. from AO- to AO+).

Additional Information

Further details on how to connect and set up the PXIe-4322 can be found in the NI PXIe-4322 User Manual.