Frequently Asked Question About Configuring IMAQ, IMAQ for IEEE-1394, and CVS Hardware

[Andrew.M]

Why is Compact Vision System (CVS) 145x Not Appearing in Measurement & Automation Explorer?

Whis is IMAQ Hardware Not Initializing on Computer Startup?
Why is IEEE-1394 (Firewire) Camera Not Showing Up in Measurement & Automation Explorer?
What is the purpose of the "Initializing IMAQ Hardware" Message Popup?

Will National Instruments' IMAQ Boards work in 64-Bit PCI Slots?
Why is my firewire camera not appearing in Measurement & Automation Explorer but is acquiring successful from LabVIEW Vision Builder?
Why is my IMAQ Board Failing Diagnostics Test in Measurement & Automation Explorer?

Why is Compact Vision System (CVS) 145x Not Appearing in Measurement & Automation Explorer?

I have just recieved the NI Compact Vision System (CVS) 145x and when I look under Remote Systems in Measurement & Automation Explorer, I do not see my CVS system. When I use Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2.0, the CVS system is identified.

1. Verify that the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 driver is installed on your system. The NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 driver is required for Measurement & Automation Explorer to identify the CVS system under Remote Systems.
2. Verify that no other remote devices have the same IP address as the CVS.
3. Verify that power is being supplied to the CVS system by checking the Power LED.
4. If you are connecting to the CVS through the network try connecting directly to the CVS using a crossover cable and refreshing Measurement & Automation Explorer.
5. Connect a monitor to the CVS to see if its IP address responds.
6. Reboot the CVS into safemode and again refresh Measurement & Automation Explorer.

Whis is IMAQ Hardware Not Initializing on Computer Startup?

When I start up my computer, the message box that indicates it is initializing the IMAQ hardware does not show up. As a result, my driver doesn't appear to be loaded correctly and I cannot acquire clean images.

If your IMAQ hardware is not initializing programatically at startup, your can manually execute the IMAQ initialize by running the ImaqBoot.exe (<NI-IMAQ>\bin\ImaqBoot.exe).

Why is IEEE-1394 (Firewire) Camera Not Showing Up in Measurement & Automation Explorer?

I have installed the NI-IMAQ driver and wired up my IEEE-1394 camera. I can use a LabVIEW program to Snap and Acquire from it, but my camera does not show up in Measurement & Automation Explorer.

Run the attached VI to see if you can get the camera information. If you cannot get any camera information, your camera probably does not meet the IEEE-1394 specifications. If you do get the camera information, your camera is probably not showing up in Measurement & Automation Explorer because of a corrupt Measurement & Automation Explorer database. To fix the corrupt database, use the following command to regenerate the configuration file. You should execute this command from a command prompt. Make sure you close Measurement & Automation Explorer when executing the command:

1. Go to the Measurement & Automation Explorer directory in \Program Files\National Instruments\MAX
2. Enter the following: mxsr.exe -uconfig.mxs

What is the purpose of the "Initializing IMAQ Hardware" Message Popup?

When I boot my computer with IMAQ hardware and software in it, I get a pop-up message displaying "Initializing IMAQ Hardware". Why does this appear and is there a way to disable it so that it does not appear?

The "Initializing IMAQ Hardware" message is shown as part of the process of initializing the IMAQ hardware and downloading code into the boards. This message prevents other IMAQ processes from beginning until the hardware is initialized. Since the message is required to ensure proper initialization of the hardware it is not possible to disable it.

Will National Instruments' IMAQ Boards work in 64-Bit PCI Slots?

Some computers offer 64-bit PCI slots, but National Instruments PCI boards currently are made for 32-bit slots. However, if a 32-bit PCI card is designed and keyed for use with a 3.3V power supply (which is what 64-bit slots use), then it should work in a 64-bit slot.

To figure out which type of slot you have in your computer, check out the Sun Microsystems link below. Match yours to the picture and see if it's compatible with the card your using. After that ensure that your PCI bus is running at the proper clock speed.

The following National Instruments IMAQ cards have a 3.3V key and should work in a 64-bit slot:

1. PCI 1428 rev C
2. PCI 1424 rev G
3. PCI 1422 rev C
4. PCI 1411 rev D
5. PCI 1409 rev B (possibly rev A)
6. PCI 1407 rev E

The PCI-1408 does not have a 3.3V key.

Why is my firewire camera not appearing in Measurement & Automation Explorer but is acquiring successful from LabVIEW Vision Builder?

I have the NI-IMAQ 1394 driver, version 1.5, installed on my machine, and my camera won't show up in Measurement & Automation Explorer. I have already tried refreshing Measurement & Automation Explorer by pressing (F5). If I try to acquire from it using LabVIEW or Vision Builder, the acquisition works fine, but I never see the camera in Measurement & Automation Explorer.

This is probably an installation problem that usually occurs when beta software has previously been on the machine. If the 1.5 driver installed properly, you should find the file imacfgui.mxs in the following directory: <MAX>\UI Providers. If this file doesn't appear, the installation did not complete successfully. One easy solution that typically works is to search for the IMAQCFG.msi on the installer CD. If you run this, it should fix the problem. If this still fails, go through the complete reinstall.

Why is my IMAQ Board Failing Diagnostics Test in Measurement & Automation Explorer?

I have a PCI-1409 board in a Windows XP machine that was working fine the other day. I returned to the system today and discovered that I receive an error message in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) when I try to perform a snap or grab. For the snap I receive a timeout error, and with a grab I receive a DMA Timeout error. I decided to run the diagnostics test on my board in Measurement & Automation Explorer and discovered that all of the tests failed. Why do these tests fail and how can I fix my system so that I can acquire images again?

Generally the Diagnostics tests will all fail when the device is no longer connected to the system properly or if there has been some problem with Windows communicating with the device properly. This can be the result of the board not being seated properly in the motherboard or if the resources that were assigned to the IMAQ device were allocated to another device so that Windows no longer has any available resources.

If the IMAQ board you are using is known to be working properly, then one step that has been known to correct this problem with some customers is to force Windows to re-recognize the board. The easiest way to do this is to uninstall the IMAQ device from Device Manager (which can be found in Windows XP by navigating to Control Panel » System, then clicking on the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager). Once the device has been removed from Device Manager, you should close all programs and then restart your computer. When Windows reboots, it should recognize the "new" hardware and step you through assigning the NI-IMAQ driver to that device. When this completes, open Measurement & Automation Explorer again and check to see if you can successfully snap and grab images.

If the computer does not recognize the IMAQ device when the computer reboots, then most likely the card is not installed in the computer correctly. Shutdown the computer again at this point and move the device to another PCI slot and make sure it is firmly seated in the motherboard.