Chapter 8 Counters
NI USB-621x User Manual 8-10 ni.com
Frequency Measurement
You can use the counters to measure frequency in several different ways. 
You can choose one of the following methods depending on your 
application:
• Method 1: Measure Low Frequency with One Counter—In this 
method, you measure one period of your signal using a known 
timebase. This method is good for low frequency signals.
You can route the signal to measure (F1) to the Gate of a counter. You 
can route a known timebase (Ft) to the Source of the counter. The 
known timebase can be 80MHzTimebase. For signals that might be 
slower than 0.02 Hz, use a slower known timebase.
You can configure the counter to measure one period of the gate signal. 
The frequency of F1 is the inverse of the period. Figure 8-10 illustrates 
method 1.
Figure 8-10.  Method 1
F1
Ft
F1
Ft
Gate
Source
1 2 3 …  N 
Single Period
Measurement
… 
Period of F1 =
N 
Ft 
Frequency of F1 =
N 
Ft 
Interval Measured