FP1600 loses network connection after a few hours

[Richard2950]

My FP1600 loses its network connection after a few hours. It is part number 185690C-01, with firmware 4.11. I am running FieldPoint Explorer version 3.0.1 and LabView 6.1 from Windows XP Professional. I set it up, and everything runs fine for 4 hours or more. I do not have the network watchdog enabled, and the FP1600 is in constant communication with the host computer in any case. Sometime in the middle of the night the communication is lost. The FP1600 link light
is on, and it is still receiving packets, but it will not respond to a ping or any other communications. Only a power cycle brings it back. The FP1600 is sitting right next to the host computer, both attached to the same network switch. There is no interruptio
n of network services to the two.

[Ben]

Hi Richard,

This sounds nasty.

You where rather thorough in your explanation, but lets cover what was left out.

Do other nodes respond to the ping when the FP1600 does not?

Did you swap cables going to PC and FP 1600?

Are grounds of FP-1600 solid (i.e. there are not any spikes sneaking in via your I/O conncetions)?

Ben

[Richard2950]

Thanks for the suggestions. In reply:
* Other nodes on the same switch are just fine.
* I have not swapped cables.
* There are no I/O connections as yet. The FP 1600 is sitting on my desk, with only loopbacks from Digital Outs to Digital Ins

This morning it was still working, but claimed that one of it modules didn't exist. In addition the Status LED was blinking 17 times. I haven't yet found out what that means, but it is possible that the device is just plain broken.

[Ben]

Re; being broke, I agree,

but I will generally leave that for NI to decide.

Aside from some rev issues with some of teh AI modules, I have not had problems with FP hardware. once I got it working it just goes into "Ever-ready bunny" mode. They just keep running and running...

Ben

[Heinz Koller]

Hi!
I got the same problems like you have with FP1600.
It`s the same configuration like your system.
First it was working well, but now I have these problems too. "Connection to the module has been broken " after about 60min using FP1600.
I called NI and I will get a new FP1600!
I have second FP1600 rev C Module in use, causes the same error.
I think it could be temperature overload, or maybe interferences through electromagnetic field EMI.

Heinz

[MPatel]

Hi Heinz,
We are also trying to troubleshoot this same problem (Intermitten network connection loss with FP1600 Ethernet Module - Error code "33163", Error Message - "FP1600 Connection to module has been lost."). We have checked other possible causes for this sort of behaviour. Including independent assessment of netowork availability at the time of error reporting, connecting dedicated power supply to the FP1600 module, temperature of cabinet housing the module (which is between 10 and 50 deg C), disconnecting sensors connected to various I/O modules connected to this module, increasing duration of parameter "time out" (the time module will wait before reporting an error if it can not access network). However, none of the above resolved the intermittent and random network loss errors.

The MAX version is 3.0.2, and the firmware on the module is 4.17, Labview version is 7.0 and the Operating System is windows NT.

I was wondering is there any information about this problem from any user or NI recently. The only solution looking in to this discussion forum seems to be replacing the module.

Mehul

Message Edited by MPatel on 02-28-2005 08:16 PM