NI-9211
The NI-9211 is a four-channel C Series thermocouple module with a 24-bit delta-sigma ADC, ±80 mV range, built-in cold junction compensation and 250 Vrms channel-to-earth isolation. It needs a CompactDAQ chassis or CompactRIO; NI lists it as Mature with the NI-9210 as the replacement.
Specifications
| Analog inputs | 44 thermocouple channels plus internal autozero and CJC channels; needs a cDAQ chassis or cRIO |
| Resolution | 24-bitdelta-sigma ADC |
| Max sample rate | 14 S/saggregate; 70 ms conversion per channel, 420 ms per full scan including autozero and CJC channels |
| Input ranges | ±80 mV |
| Input modes | differential |
| Thermocouple inputs | 4 |
| Isolation | Yes |
| Interfaces | C Series |
| List price | $811ni.com list price (779001-01), Oct 2026 |
Vendor driver by OS
| Driver | NI-DAQmx (via DAQAtlas Bridge) |
| Windows | Yes |
| macOS | No |
| Linux | Yes |
Vendor software
| NI-DAQmx | Windows, LinuxFree. Driver with C and LabVIEW support on Linux; NI MAX, the configuration utility with test panels, is Windows only |
| FlexLogger | WindowsLite edition free; professional paid. configuration-based logging for NI DAQ hardware |
| LabVIEW | Windows, LinuxPaid. Graphical programming with NI-DAQmx VIs; NI-DAQmx has no macOS version |
What you need besides the NI-9211
The NI-9211 is a C Series module, so it does nothing on its own. It goes into a CompactDAQ chassis such as the one-slot cDAQ-9171 or the four-slot cDAQ-9174, or into a CompactRIO. The chassis connects to your computer and provides timing. NI lists the NI-9211 in the Mature lifecycle phase, still sold at $811 at the time of writing, with the NI-9210 as the recommended replacement.
Thermocouple performance and the 14 S/s limit
The module reads J, K, T, E, N, B, R and S thermocouples on a ±80 mV range with a 24-bit delta-sigma converter, and includes open-thermocouple detection and built-in cold junction compensation. Sampling is scanned and slow: 70 ms per conversion and 420 ms for a full pass over the four channels plus the internal autozero and cold junction channels, which NI rounds to 14 S/s aggregate. That is ample for ovens, enclosures and thermal soak tests and too slow for fast transients. NI specifies the cold junction sensor at ±0.6 °C typical from 0 °C to 70 °C and gives 0.92 °C as an example of typical measurement accuracy. The thermocouple measurement guide works through that budget, and the thermocouple calculator converts between millivolts and temperature. Isolation is 250 Vrms channel-to-earth (Measurement Category II), with no isolation between channels.
Operating systems
NI-DAQmx supports the NI-9211 on Windows and on desktop Linux (RHEL 9 and 10, openSUSE Leap 15.6 and 16, Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04) in a supported USB cDAQ chassis. NI-DAQmx has no macOS version, and the old NI-DAQmx Base driver ended at version 15.0 with macOS 10.14. DAQAtlas, which is in development, reaches the NI-9211 through DAQAtlas Bridge on the Windows or Linux PC that hosts its chassis.
Questions
Does the NI-9211 work without a chassis?
No. It needs a CompactDAQ chassis such as the cDAQ-9171 or cDAQ-9174, or a CompactRIO controller.
How fast can the NI-9211 sample?
About 14 S/s aggregate. A full scan of four thermocouples plus the autozero and cold junction channels takes 420 ms.
Does the NI-9211 work on Linux?
Yes, NI-DAQmx for Linux supports it in a USB cDAQ chassis on RHEL, openSUSE Leap and Ubuntu LTS releases NI lists.
Specifications and prices are taken from the vendor’s published pages at the time of writing and can change. Check the vendor before you buy. Sources: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5