Connecting to an MK2 directly

Her is how to connect directly to Muller’s MK2 Data Acquisition System – with an ethernet cable. If you’re able to connect to an MK2 and run PAK Live on your machine, then you should have no problem doing it in DIRAC.

How to: Set up and connect to the MK2

First, power up your MK2 and connect it to your computer using an ethernet cable. We can only measure with the MK2 in Live mode, so ensure the screen of the MK2 says LIVE. You can check if you’re connected the right way by entering the IP address of the MK2 into your browser. Here you should see the system information for your MK2 , and you can also remotely control its power, battery, and fan.

If you’re having trouble getting to this point, I’ve included a few troubleshooting tips for connecting to the MK2 toward the end of this video.

How to: Connect DIRAC to the DAQ

Now let’s go to DIRAC, and in either the Prepare or Measure module, click on the DAQ button. Just enter the IP address of the MK2 here and click connect. The name of the device should show up here and the status should turn to “Connected”.

How to: Update the sampling rate and to autozero

If the desired sampling rate doesn’t match what’s in PAK, the device will be highlighted in yellow. We can’t measure like this. To fix it, click here to push the sampling rate. This operation will often take several minutes, with the MK2 disconnecting to reset the settings. While it’s doing this, you’ll see the screen of the MK2 change and re-boot. Once the MK2 is back to “LIVE” we can re-connect in DIRAC. Now we’re connected with the right sampling rate. At this point, you’re ready to fill in the rest of your settings and start measuring.

And remember, anytime you connect to an MK2 or re-connect cables, you want to autozero the channels to make sure there aren’t any biases in your data. This can be done in the Hardware card.

How to: Get the MK2 into LIVE mode

If you were using the MK2 in classic mode and it reads “IDLE” then you’ll have to update it. To do this, open Muller’s PAK tunes software. The MK2 that’s connected to your computer should show up under the list of available devices, so you can click on it to see information about the current firmware, and press “update PAK MK2” to update it. This should restart your MK2 and eventually show “LIVE” on its screen.

If you run into further issues getting your MK2 into LIVE mode, I recommend contacting Muller BBM.

How to: Set the Ethernet settings

If your MK2 is in Live mode but you’re still having trouble connecting to it, you might need to update your ethernet settings. On your computer, navigate to the Ehternet settings, and click “change adapter options” Right click on “ethernet” and select “properties”. Select this connection and click “properties”, then fill in the following settings, ensuring the IP address you enter here is set to anything besides what the MK2 is using. Once this is set up correctly, you should be able to connect to the MK2 in DIRAC.