Labview will still not download.

[Dino_1783]

Can anyone help team 1783 with our problem? I'll start from the beginning. We installed the two "must install updates" to our classmate computer along with the new .dll for the dashboard. We have activated the labview with the license codes. Then we run the imaging tool to upgrade the cRIO, making sure the name and IP address were correct. We turned off the safe mode as instructed, cycled the power off and on, on the RIO, and started the download.

The download popped up with a warning that the RIO was not in safe mode. We flipped the safe mode switch back on cycled the power, and then flipped the safe mode back off, cycled the power again. The download warned again the safe mode was still on, and we needed to format the RIO. It took three attempts to download, before the imaging tool started the download with out warnings. During the download a balloon flashed in the lower right corner of the classmate warning the network cable was unplugged. At the end of the download the imaging tool reported a successful download.

We opened the Labview and our project and attempted to run our VI with the run arrow button, (Which was solid and white), the download to the RIO started, the progress bar showed one square, then a massage came up that the download was waiting for a response from the RIO, along with a button to stop and cancel the download. All attempts to load from labview end with the same results. We then tried re-imaging the RIO, the download follows the same pattern, during download the balloon flashes that the network disconnects, but reports a success in the end. Yet Labview will still not download.

[NI-Bob]

Hello Dino,

I think there are two things that you may be seeing here.

First, there is some information in the manual that discusses corruption that can occur and cRIO will continue to boot into safe mode.  This is most likely the reason you were seeing the errors when trying to image the cRIO.  Chapter 2, page 33 of the Control Systems Manual describes this behavior and instructs us to manually flip the Safe Mode switch and then image it again.  The bubble that popped up saying that you lost network connection is expected as the cRIO is rebooted during the imaging process.

Second, during the imaging process the cRIO is reconfigured with a proper IP address to communicate based off your team number.  The imaging tool is able to see any cRIO connected to your computer and it does not matter what the IP address is (this is because it is specifically looking for therm).  However, your computer is not going to be able to automatically see the cRIO unless it is set up with the correct IP Address.  Which brings me to the question, have you set up a static IP address on your computer?  There are instructions on how to do this starting at the bottom of page 31 in Chapter 2 of the Control Systems Manual linked above if you do not know this process.

Here are the settings that you need to worry about on the computer:

IP Address: 10.17.83.6

Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0

If you are trying to download code from the Classmate you can just run the Driver Station Application and enter in your Team number.  This will automatically static the IP Address to the correct information for the Driver Station:

IP Address: 10.17.83.5

Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0

If your computer is not set to the proper static IP address that would cause the behavior that you are seeing.  Please double check that and then feel free to post back here or you can always call in for support starting at 1:00pm Central time.

I hope this helps!  Have a great day!

Thanks!

Bob H

NI FIRST Support

[Dino_1783]

Hello NI-Bob

No luck, we followed the instructions, but Labview will not connect to the RIO. We ping the RIO and got a responce, we ping the classmate with another computer and got a responce, we ping the RIO with the classmate and got a responce. What about the DNS how is this working? Maybe the RIO name is cannot be located.

Dino

[richardharman]

I think I experienced some of the problems you have had but I think yours are more severe and I suggest you call the ni hotline. 866 511 6285  Follow my advice that am copying below before you do however, especially the part about printing out and organizing your documents.  The ni people will want to be more helpful if you demonstrate that you have taken some initiative first.  My original post and the various strings to it are under "I think I killed my classmate."

Good luck.

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!

And I suspect that many of the problems I needed to resolve are being experienced by other teams writing into this forum

Here is the moral of the story

•  Be sure to register LABview.  Do not use it in evaluation mode.  It was a somewhat tricky process.  You may need to call NI for help in doing this correctly.

•  Be sure that you are using a crossover cable and not a typical ethernet cable.  The pink cable in the kit of parts is the crossover cable.

•  You will have a problem with the driver station if you download  and install the labview update after you install the driver station opdate (this was my ultimate problem).  On the same NI page where you get the driver station update and the labview update there is a file that you must put in the classmate's windows file to correct this problem.  Once again this was not a simple matter of dragging and dropping.  It was an involved process that one of the tech folks here at school helped me with.

•  Be sure to follow the correct set of directions for enabling the default labview code.  Read them carefully before you try the first time.

•  It really helped both the ni tech support person and me that I had read the pertinent pages of the manual and had printing them out, organized them into a binder and clearly flagged those pages I knew I would need to access.  As you probably know by now, information you need is scattered over many documents and finding a page you need and read the previous day may be hard to find, particularly on a computer that you are scrolling through and also trying to fix a problem on.  Take a little extra time and get organized.  The ni support will be able to help you much more efficiently.

[NI-Bob]

Hello Dino,

Please also see the comments on this thread: http://decibel.ni.com/content/thread/5732?tstart=0

The one time that I saw this behavior when there were two instances of the Driver Station Application running on the Classmate (one in the Driver Account, and one in the Developer Account).

Please keep us posted when you have had the chance to test out a few of the things that Richard suggested and what is suggested on that other post.

I hope this helps!  Have a great day!

Thanks!

Bob H

NI FIRST Support

[Dino_1783]

Hello NI-Bob

We decided to start from the beginning by restoring the classmate from the flash drive. We ran the prepair and restore option #3. We started from the top following each instruction to the letter. When we get to the cRIO imaging/reimaging we open the imaging tool from the desktop there is already an image in the top box with a MAX address, the wrong cRIO name and the correct IP address 10.17.83.2, the Labview is already selected, we check the box next to to start on boot, we check the format box, there is only one selection for the zip file, we fill in the RIO name as Team1783, the team number is correct at 1783. We click apply, a box pops up saying extracting the file, then connecting to the cRIO. After some time an error pops up warning the the IP address or the sub mask is incorrect. Closing this box closes the program. We have checked the classmate IP address it is set to 10.17.83.6 the submask is 255.0.0.0, the gateway is blank, the dns is blank. The wireless connection is disabled. We though the safe switch was in the wrong position, we flipped that cycled power on the RIO, tried the imaging tool again, the start line in the top box still had the wrong cRIO name the same setup gave us the same results. Where is the DNS server and how do we edit the entry for the cRIO?

Thanks

Dino

[Dino_1783]

We are up and running! I want to thank everyone for their help, what we found was a defective dip switch on the RIO. We began looking at the hardware when we failed to get the responce from the RIO that other teams said we should get. Thanks to all who helped.

Dino

[NI-Bob]

Hello Dino,

I am just curious what you mean by defective DIP Switch on the cRIO.  Is there something physically wrong with the cRIO?  The one thing I will say is that the DIP Switches are probably unlike most switches that I have seen.  They are what I would call a rocker switch, which means that you push down on one end of the switch and it will 'rock' into position.

I also would just like to know so that we can spread the knowledge in case other teams run into the same issues that you saw.  I look forward to hearing from you!  Have a great day!

Thanks!

Bob H

NI FIRST Support

[Dino_1783]

I don't know if the switch was damaged last year' FRC or it had a manufacturing problem. The safe switch would not open when rocked to the off side. Our switch did not have the same "feel" when rocked as the other switches in the dip block, and it looked it was setting deeper in the block body than other switches. We could not get the IP address to reset to 0.0.0.0 as others have told us we should have using the MAX tool. We knew the trouble was in the switch when we tried another lap top to reset the IP address and got the same results. Our solution was radical we remove the rocker from the switch and separate the metal contacts. Everything has been working fine sense. I don't recommend other teams follow this example.