Welding System User Manual
Chapter 2 Function Reference — GPCTR_Set_Application
NI-DAQ FRM for PC Compatibles 2-218
©
 National Instruments Corporation
The following pseudo-code continuation of the example given earlier illustrates what 
you can do to read the counter value continuously (
GPCTR_Watch function with 
entityID =
ND_COUNT does this) and print it:
Repeat Forever
{
GPCTR_Watch(deviceNumber, gpctrNum, ND_COUNT, counterValue)
Output counterValue.
}
When the counter reaches terminal count (TC), it rolls over and keeps counting. To check if 
this occurred, use 
GPCTR_Watch function with entityID set to ND_TC_REACHED. Refer to 
Table 2-32 for TC for E Series, 445X, 455X, and 6602 devices.
Typically, you will find modifying the following parameters through the 
GPCTR_Change_Parameter function useful when the counter application is 
ND_SIMPLE_EVENT_CNT. You can change the following:
•
ND_SOURCE to any value
•
ND_SOURCE_POLARITY to ND_HIGH_TO_LOW
• ND_INPUT_CONDITIONING (6602 and 455X devices only) to any value.
You can use the 
GPCTR_Change_Parameter function after calling 
GPCTR_Set_Application and before calling GPCTR_Control with 
action =
ND_PROGRAM or ND_PREPARE. 
application = 
ND_SINGLE_PERIOD_MSR
In this application, the counter is used for a single measurement of the time interval between 
two transitions of the same polarity of the gate signal. By default, the events are low-to-high 
transitions on the default gate connector pins (see Table 2-25). The counter counts the 20 MHz 
internal timebase (
ND_INTERNAL_20_MHZ), so the resolution of measurement is 50 ns. The 
counter counts up starting from 0.
With the default 20 MHz timebase, combined with the counter width (24 bits), you can 
measure a time interval between 100 ns and 0.8 s long. For the 6602 devices with counter 
width 32 bits, you can measure a time interval between 100 ns and 214 s long.
Table 2-32. 
Terminal Count
E Series and 445X Devices 6602 and 455X Devices
2
24
 – 1 2
32
 – 1










