USB GPIB interface is not usable if connected at boot time

[ScottieB]

Larry,

Thanks for the information.  What error does 'gpibtsw' report when you are in the situation that the GPIB-USB-HS isn't being recognized?  Do you see any relevant error messages on boot?  What does the 'lsusb' command return in the "good state" as opposed to the "bad state"?

Scott

[Larry Martell]

Scott,

I've discovered a new piece of information. If the box is power cycled, then the USB-GPIB interface is not see at boot time, and must be unplugged and
plugged back in before it will work, but if the box is just rebooted (without cycling the power), then the interface IS seen at boot and is usable.

There is also this difference: after a reboot without a power cycle, I see these messages:

kernel: usb 5-3: new high speed USB device using address 4
kernel: usbcore: registered new driver nigpib

But after a power cycle, neither of these messages are seen at boot.

After a power cycle, when I unplug and plug back in the interface, the message

kernel: usb 5-3: new high speed USB device using address 4

is output to the syslog, however the other message ("usbcore: registered new driver nigpib")
is not (but the device still works).

As for your questions:

When the inerface is not being seen, 'gpibtsw' reports:

The Troubleshooting Wizard has detected that no GPIB interfaces
are configured on your system. Click "Interface Not Listed" for more
information on adding a GPIB interface to your system.

There are no errors at boot.

In the 'good' state, lsusb reports:

Bus 005 Device 004: ID 3923:709b National Instruments Corp.
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 

And in the 'bad' state it reports:

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000

-larry

[ScottieB]

Odd.  It appears that your computer's USB controller doesn't even recognize the device after a cold boot.  I wonder if it has some sort of power-save mode that it's not coming out of.  In the bad case, are there any lights on the GPIB-USB-HS?  Which ones/what color?

Scott B.
GPIB Software

[Larry Martell]

When the device is not being seen by the OS there are no lights on GPIB-USB-HS.

[GPIB_Guru]

I wonder if it could be a Linux or chipset bug. I recall a long time ago that Windows would put the USB chipset to sleep at inappropriate times so that the USB did not get powered and devices would, of course, not be recognized. Have you tried multiple computers? Have you tried using a USB plug-in card to see if it could be the chipset on the motherboard?

[ScottieB]

I agree with GPIB Guru.  The lack of lights on the GPIB-USB-HS means that there isn't any power on the +5V line of the USB port.  You may want to contact your computer manufacturer or do some googling for this problem on your specific motherboard.

Scott B.
GPIB Software
National Instruments

[Larry Martell]

The MB I was using is an Asus P4C800-E. I did google for this problem, but did not find anything relevant. I emailed Asus, but they never replied. I wanted to try it a different MB, but it took a while before I could find an available machine that had a different MB. I finally was able to try it on both an AOpen i865PEa-71F and an Albatron PX875P - both exhibited the same behavior as the original machine - i.e. the GPIB-USB-HS is not seen after a cold boot. Then I also tried it with 2 different laptops (a Dell and a HP), and on both of them it IS seen after a cold reboot. I do not have a USB PCI card to try it with that.

-larry

[ScottieB]

Larry, can you confirm that you didn't see any GPIB-USB-HS lights illuminated on the new motherboard either?

I guess I'd be curious to see if you could check the 5V on your USB port with a multimeter if you'd like to try that.  As I understand, it should be supplied by the motherboard the whole time.

Scott B.
GPIB Software
National Instruments

[Halden]

Hello someone...

My GPIB-USB-HS doesn't work if it is connected when the computer boots.
OS is Windows XP Pro SP2.  When it is listed in the Device Manager, it works.
When it doesn't work, it's not listed, so it looks like there is a problem with
windows recognizing that it is plugged in.
It works if I unplug it and plug it in again after the computer boots.  If I "restart"
 the computer when it is in the Device Manager list, then it works after reboot.
If I "Shut Down" the computer (without removing power to the computer)
regardless of whether it is in the Device Manager list at that time, it does not
appear after boot.
When it is not listed, the green light is on.  When it is listed, the orange light is on.
It's inconvenient to have to reach around back and unplug and replug the
interface every time I turn on the computer. 
Does anyone know of a way to make Windows recognize it automatically?

Thanks

Halden
info@pvmeas.com

[MichaelChaney]

Hi Halden,

Thank you for adding to this thread.  R&D is aware of this issue and is looking into it.  Could you please tell me what version of NI-488.2 you are using, and possibly what PC hardware you are using (motherboard, manufacturer, etc.)?  Since you are experiencing the same behavior on a different OS, this issue might be tied to the specific PC you are using.