InstaCal 6.74

InstaCal is an easy-to-use installation, configuration and testing utility for managing MCC data acquisition (DAQ) hardware. InstaCal detects the hardware and assigns resources automatically so you can configure the device, test it both internally and externally, and calibrate devices that support field calibration.

• EULA
• Software and Driver Downloads

How is the serial number detected?

When you open Insta-cal it shows a board number and a serial number. Where does the serial number come from and can it be changed using Insta-cal?

Assuming you are using a USB, Ethernet or Bluetooth device, when you open InstaCal, it shows you the device name, board number assigned, and in parenthesis the Identifier. When you double click on a listed device, among other parameters, it shows you the Factory Serial number, and Identifier. The factory serial number, as the name implies, is the serial number assigned at the factory during the manufacturing process and cannot be changed by any user. You can change the Identifier, either here in InstaCal, or via a library call to the Universal Library. For example, using the USB-1808: From the ULHELP, Identifier UL: cbGetConfig() ConfigItem = BIUSERDEVID maxConfigLen = up to 64 characters UL for .Net: GetUserDeviceId(), SetUserDeviceId()

Max Bipolar offset code reached?

I am trying to configure my laptop to my A/D adapter and it gives me the error “Max Bipolar offset code reached”. I am not sure what this means.

This error means that the self-calibration failed. Some older USB models require the user to connect loopback wires before running the self-calibration (there would be wiring instructions on the screen to do so). If you did not run the wires, or there is a bad connection, that could be the cause. Otherwise, such as for models that do nor require user loopback wiring, it would indicate the product should be evaluated for possible return to factory for service. Contact technical support, and specify your hardware model when doing so.

InstaCal version 6.26 compatibility with Windows 10?

Hello - the first version of InstaCal to support Win10 was 6.51. Older versions should not be tried/used.

Can InstaCal be run on a Raspberry Pi with Linux/Debian?

InstaCal itself is Windows-only, but most of what InstaCal does can be performed via our Linux support. InstaCal mainly performed 3 tasks: hardware calibration, hardware configuration, and hardware drivers. Most newer USB hardware models do not require field calibration (if needed, move the hardware to a Windows PC temporarily). Configuration is done programmatically with our Linux support, rather than manually. Lastly, our Linux support includes drivers for most popular MCC hardware models.

Instacal does not detect the PCI card?

We use Kinetic studio software to deal with old stopped flow instrument (before 2000). the installation manual refer in the last step that when you open instacal it will detect the card automatically which is not happen. The card is asked for his driver and the package help windows to define it correctly. however, instacal does not detect it.

You don’t provide the following key information: What version # of InstaCal is installed, what model PCI board, what version of Windows, whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit. Perhaps you decided to migrate from an older Win98/2000/XP PC to a newer Windows. Some of our oldest PCI boards cannot be used in 64-bit Windows.

Using instacal 6.55 on Win7

Updated InstaCal from 5.87 to 6.55 on Windows 7 having an issue where the board is continuously not recognized by own written applications. Only running the applications as administrator solves this issue. Is there a better way then granting admin privileges to the applications to run?

After installation, our InstaCal/UL driver should not require administrative privileges to use. One of the following 2 FAQs likely can help. If you still have an issue after that, please contact our technical support group.

How to Configure USB-ERB24 using InstaCal

In USB-ERB24 User guide mentioned that “The USB-ERB24 has banks of onboard switches that configure the relay logic polarity and relay power-up state. Configure these switches before you connect the external power supply to the USB-ERB24” how to we use it without external power

In order for any switch change to be properly recognized by software, the power must be applied after the switch is changed. i.e. the switch changes will not be recognized until after power is cycled. An external power supply is always required to use the USB-ERB24. Since a USB port cannot provide enough power for this board, it takes all needed power externally.

Instacal won't install: Error 2738

I get “Error 2738. Could not access VBScript run time for custom action.” Computer is Windows 7 Pro, 64 bit, Service Pack 1. Icalsetup.exe was signed on Oct. 14, 2016. Goal is to run a miniLAB1008 with some C software.

This rather rare Windows installation error is not specific to MCC. Per Microsoft's definition of this error, the PC is not allowing vbscripts to run. vbscript.dll needs to be registered as administrator; i.e. run regsrv32 as administrator, then reboot. Your IT department is probably best able to assist you.

Error 308

I would launch instal cam a message indicate : Error number 308 has no text

Error # 308, sometimes displayed as an error with no text description, historically meant that you do not have Administrative privileges and was typically seen when using InstaCal to add or change hardware configurations. Beginning with InstaCal version 6.23, MCC corrected this so that Standard privileges are required. However, if you install an older version (below 6.23) of InstaCal prior to installing a newer version (above 6.23), the problem can persist. Below is advice to remedy this:

Temporary workaround: Momentarily log in as an Administrator, configure the hardware, and exit InstaCal. Then your UL-based application can be executed without a requirement for Administrative privileges. But note this is only valid up until the time that you next need to configure or add/change the hardware.
Permanent fix: Properly uninstall InstaCal (or Universal Library & InstaCal together) even if it is a recent version. Then delete the DAQ folder Where InstaCal is trying to write the CB.CFG file to:

• For WinXP, the DAQ folder to delete is in: C:\Program Files\Measurement Computing\
• For Win7/8, the DAQ folder to delete is in: C:\ProgramData\Measurement Computing\
  • (note ProgramData is a hidden folder, so you may need to select “show hidden folders” in Windows Explorer)
• Lastly, install InstaCal version above 6.23.

Where is the CB.CFG file stored? (InstaCal 6.52, Windows 7)

I am using Instacal v6.52 on Windows 7. The CB.CFB file used to be in C:\Program Files\Measurement Computing\DAQ but I can no longer find it.

For WinXP, CB.CFG is still created in Program Files. But beginning with Vista, it is created in ProgramData. Note that Windows hides the ProgramData folder by default.

When I run Instacal I get a warning message which says CBUL.SYS is not loaded.

How can I correct this?

Receiving that older error on a modern system means that you have duplicate files. i.e. you have a newer InstaCal installed on the new PC, but have manually copied or deployed an older file (usually a DLL) from an old InstaCal/UL.

When I run Instacal I get a warning message which says CBUL.SYS is not loaded.

How can I correct this?

Receiving that older error on a modern system means that you have duplicate files. i.e. you have a newer InstaCal installed on the new PC, but have manually copied or deployed an older file (usually a DLL) from an old InstaCal/UL.

The identifier number in the InstaCal, Configuration

what is the identifier? in the software InstaCal. When user configure the device usb-201. The InstaCal request user input the identifier number. where is the identifier number?

Use of the identifier field is optional (not required). It is a field in InstaCal where the user can choose to type in any string, and that string will be stored in non-volatile memory on the hardware device.

Instacal board configuration USB-201

How can I input the identifier number? the factory serial no :1B2AA66

It sounds like you would like to read the hardware’s factory serial number into your UL program. The UL function to use is: GetDeviceSerialNum

Can InstaCal detect USB devices from other vendors

I have Digital I/O USB devices from MCCDAQ and NI. Will the InstaCal application detect both of these units or just the one from MCCDAQ?

InstaCal will only identify Measurement Computing products.

How does instacal work?

Hello, How exactly does Instacal work in calibrating the hardware? And how does Instacal calibrate without thermocouple probes connected?

You don’t say which hardware model, but likely you are using the USB-TC. The self-calibration of the USB-TC uses an on-board reference to check/tweak the voltage measurement accuracy (+/- 80 mV range) of the unit, and is not specific to any particular thermocouple type. The CJC sensors are not adjustable.

How can I export the data to excel?

Hello I have a recorded data with PMD-1208LS in InstaCal. I can view the data in ScanView and save the data as .dvw format. I want to open the data with excel however I cannot copy the spreadsheet. There must be a way to do that. Thanks

The InstaCal binary data format is not documented for import/export use. InstaCal was intended to be a self-test/configuration program, not a logger. You can use our free TraceDAQ stripchart program to collect data and then use it to export to CSV.

Instacal does not recognize my USB-3103

I've installed instacal with no problems on many of my Windows 7 computers (~10) in our labs. They all recognize the USB devices (USB-310x series) that we use. However, I am having trouble with one of my computers. Instacal seems to install correctly. But, it does not recognize when the USB-310x device is plugged in. I have reinstalled the MCC-DAQ library multiple times, and have rebooted the computer multiple times, and I have applied all the latest Windows patches. It also appears that the USB-HID interfaces is properly loading when I plug in the USB-310x device… When I run instacal, I only see “BOARD # 0 Demo Board” on an ISA Bus…

If the Demo Board showed up without you manually adding it, then your InstaCal version is very old, and is too old for Win7 and the USB-3100 Series. Assuming your InstaCal is much newer, between ver 6.00 and the latest (6.50), lack of recognition is very rare. If the following advice does not help, please contact our tech support group: the LED must be on solid before InstaCal will recognize this device. Remove any USB hub or cable extender, and try a different USB cable. Try a different USB port, and try a USB 2.0 port (if you had been using 3.0). Remove all field wires from the unit, in case power is being loaded down. Confirm the unit works on a different PC. Test a different DAQ unit on this PC.

What's InstaCal latest version

Hi, can not see what's version of the InstaCal. What's InstaCal latest version?

The latest version of InstaCal is version 6.35

Instacal and E-PSIS016 devices

It looks like INSTACAL 6.4 does not support the E-PDIS016 devices. I need to confirm that please. My experience is I update version 6.25 to 6.4 went to install a new E-PDIS016, on the Add Board form the tab foe E-PDIS016 is missing. I un-installed version 6.4 and re-installed 6.25 and the tab is back. Please confirm the support for E-PDIS016 devices and the latest version of INSTACAL .

The obsolete E-PDISO16 hardware model is still “in” the latest InstaCal (which is ver 6.35), but it is only usable in WinXP. Win7/8 were never tested or supported with the E-PDISO16. If you still wish to test Win7/8 for yourself, which has worked OK for some users, you will need to roll back to at least 6.33.

How do I configure the USB-2408 so I can use the digital ports?

I plug in the USB-2408 and it will not allow me to use the digital IO ports, or configure and digital IO ports, and I cannot use the digital IO testing function.

Unfortunately, InstaCal does not bring out the digital testing feature for the USB-2408. For various reasons that feature was never enabled for the USB-2408 series. Your options for configuring and testing your digital I/O will depend on what your plans are for software programming. TracerDAQ will allow you to monitor up to 8 inputs. These include digital inputs as well. If you are planning on developing an application using our Universal Library then you could use one of the generic example programs that come with the library or download a product specific example. We also have support for LabVIEW through our ULx driver support that will allow you to develop a LabVIEW application that will configure and control your digital I/O.

Calibration Error

Dear, I have a USB-1208LS MEASUREMENT COMPUTING, the intenar calibrate the InstaCal program sends me an error of “CALIBRATION INCOMPLETE” “min bipolar offset code reached”, I wonder if you can fix this problem in order to calibrate my card.

The InstaCal version will not be the cause (6.53 is certainly new enough). The most common cause of a calibration error on a USB-1208LS is not properly following the wiring instructions shown on InstaCal’s screen. You must disconnect your signals, and follow the wiring instructions on the screen. Try calibrating one channel at a time (so fewer loopback wires are needed). Another known cause is using an older USB-1208LS unit on a newer PC (a PC with a newer USB chip set). Check the firmware revision from within InstaCal. 1.02 is the current version #, since 2013. The firmware cannot be updated on this model. The USB-1208LS calibration process requires you to disconnect all of your signal wires, and to perform the exact wiring connections specified on the InstaCal screen. Usually this error indicates that no wiring connectors were made, or that one of the connections is loose. To simplify the wiring, you can choose to just calibrate 1 or 2 channels at a time, rather than all 8. If this advice does not eliminate the error, then perhaps the unit requires factory repair.

Instacal windows installer problem

When I try to install Instacal on my windows 7 64bit I get the message that windows installer is not installed correctly. I have checked windows installer and it works fine with other applications. Is this a common problem? Do you have any suggestions how

Win7-64 is very popular, and as such, InstaCal’s installation has been well tested. The error you report is not common. If Windows throws an installer error, it is best to search the internet for that particular error #, for advice on how to resolve. Also run Windows update, especially if the O/S was recently installed onto the PC. There is no easy way to install the multiple components and registry entries of the InstaCal driver set, as it would require you to create your own installer. If further support is required, please contact Technical Support through the forum.

Instacal for Windows 8.1

Hi, I have an ADC device that Instacal version 6.31 cannot find on Windows 8.1. This is only a problem in Windows 8.1. I have heard that this should be fixed in a new release of instacal. Can you give any approximate date of release for the next version

MCC will officially support Win 8.1 in version 6.32, which is due out very soon (mid April). A subset of our USB models (namely HID models) are adversely affected by power saving changes Microsoft made in Win 8.1, versus Win 8.0.

Is there any way to automate InstaCal for CB.CFG creation?

According to the UL documentation you MUST use InstaCal to generate a CB.CFG file. Is there any way to automate that such as a command line switch or COM interface? Is the implementation buried in a dll so that I could write an external app to automate/sc

There is no hook into InstaCal to automate the creation of a CB.CFG file. However, if you are using a USB device, and if it will always be the same model, and if you will only plug one unit of that model into the target PC at a time, it may be possible to re-use an edited CB.CFG file from another PC. i.e. you would let InstaCal create the CB.CFG on your development PC as normal, then make a certain edit (h/w model dependent) to that CB.CFG file, and then you could copy (or install as part of your installation) that file to the proper location on the target machine. For more information, contact MCC technical support, and be sure to specify which USB model # you will be using.

Is there an InstaCal silent installer or a command line switch a silent install?

I am building a single installer to completely install and configure a machine for use in production. However, InstaCal does not seem to have a silent install option. Is there something I am missing?

Note that the following discussion is aimed at OEMs. The vast majority of InstaCal users should install InstaCal using our normal installation method. icalsetup.exe is a self-extracting zip file that many of our non-OEM customers download and install. Don’t double click on it like they would. Instead, right click on it, and open it (or extract the files) with an unzip utility. You will see the MSI file, plus a bunch of other files and folders. All of these files need to be present, but then you can launch the MSI, in a silent fashion, per below: Here is the command line usually recommended: Msiexec /i instacal.msi /qn Another one to consider is this one: Msiexec /I instacal.msi /passive Note that the above suggestions are derived from Microsoft documentation for their MSI standard. You should thoroughly test this to your satisfaction, as MCC has not done formal testing. P.S. The above should install the InstaCal driver silently (without user prompts), but the user still then must manually run Inscal32.EXE once to have their DAQ hardware recognized (The end result being a text file named CB.CFG file being created by InstaCal, that stores the hardware information).

Resetting device message appears and the device is not getting detected?

I am using a wave probe monitor and when I insert its cable in USB port, it is not getting detected in Instac cal rather it is showing the message: “ The USB device requires resetting. Please be patient, this would require upto a minute to complete.

You do not mention which MCC hardware model is used. The error you report is not common, and likely is specific to just one of our models (USB-1608FS). There is updated firmware for the USB-1608FS to correct this issue. New firmware and instructions are available on our website.

Windows 7 compatibility - InstaCal 6.26

Using InstaCal on Windows 7 having an issue where the board is continusly not recongized by external applications. I am noticing that the CB.CFG file is not being generated when running instacal, which seems to be the result of the Windows 7 not liking to

Beginning with Vista, and continuing on with Win7 and Win8, MCC no longer locates the CB.CFG file in the Program Files folder. We now we put it in ProgramData (a hidden folder). If InstaCal sees the DAQ device, but your application program does not, be sure not to have duplicate copied of CBW32.DLL on the hard drive.

Windows 7 Compatibility

I have Instacal 5.56B. Will this work on a Windows 7 operating system?

InstaCal 5.56B is not Windows 7 compatible. Please download our latest software suite from our website. The MCC DAQ CD will contain all supported software that currently ships with our products or you can just download the latest version of InstaCal.

Using instacal for other data logger

I have a plug Plug and play USB data logger. I would like to know whether the instacal automatically detects hardware .If not what should I do to detect the USB data logger.

Since you plan to use DASYLab, you are likely not using a product from our datalogger family (i.e. a logger that can collect data stand-alone, without a PC). Instead we’ll assume you are using one of our USB DAQ devices. Each USB DAQ device must be recognized by InstaCal before it will be usable/seen in DASYLab. If it is not recognized in InstaCal, be sure to rule out causes such as a USB hub or USB cable extender. An LED on the device should come on solid, if the PC properly recognizes the device. Try a different USB port or a different computer.