USB GPIB randomly turns off

[Nickeli]

I am using a USB GPIB adapter with WIN 2K. While running my program in debug mode I get an error that part of the code cannot comunicate with an instrument. I look at the adapter and the lights are off. Measurement and automation does not even recognize it. I unplug it and reconnect and it turns on. This will happen randomly within the first 10 mins of a program. It comunicates fine up untill that point. Has this been seen before and is there a solution?

[LaurenLL]

Hi Nickeli,

In order to figure out exactly what is going on, I may need some more specific information about what is happening.  One thing that would be very helpful is to run NI-SPY.  This utility allows you see what driver calls are being made, the parameters passed to the driver calls, and the results, so that we can troubleshoot the issue.  For specific instructions on how to use this, take a look at Performing a Good NI-SPY Capture.

Also, what particular GPIB-USB device are you using, and what driver versions are you running?  Is the device connected directly to your PC or are you communicating through a hub?  If not, you may want to try using a hub or trying a different port to ensure that the device is receiving enough power.

I also recommend trying the LabVIEW example entitled GPIB.vi, and send a message every second in a loop to see if it crashes.  If it does, try increasing the delay.  This may indicate that there is not a long enough delay when transmitting your messages.

Let me know the results of these efforts and try to include a file of the NI-SPY capture.  From there, hopefully we can figure out the exact cuase of the problem and go from there.

Regards,

Lauren L.