Is there an API that returns the model number or other identifier for an installed module, that I can use to identify that module's characteristics?

[Dick Grier]

For example, I am calling

DaqSystem.Local.GetPhysicalChannels(PhysicalChannelTypes.AI, PhysicalChannelAccess.External)

To obtain a list of connected devices.  The return array data looks something like this:

cDAQ1Mod4/ai0  (etc.)

This tells me that I have a CompactDAQ chassis, which is good, and an analog module in the Module4 slot.  What I need to know is not just that there is an analog module in the #4 slot, but also its capability (voltage, temperature, strain, etc.) so that I can use the correct DAQmx task for that module type.  All of this must be discovered at runtime. 

Otherwise, I will have to provide a configuration utility where the program user has to identify which module is plugged into which slot -- and if he changes this by moving it to another slot, he has to re-enter these details.  I want to avoid this by making the hardware as discoverable as possible.

I may have overlooked an API -- and that's my hope.

**bleep**

[Perry_S]

Hi **bleep**,

The information that you want is found in the DAQmx C referance help file. To get there:

Start>> All programs>> National Instruments>> NI DAQ>> Text-Base Code Support>> DAQmx C referance help>> NI- DAQmx C Properties

There you will find device properties and channel properties. I hope that this helps.

Regards,

Perry S.

[Dick Grier]

Perry,

IMO, the DAQMx .NET library should expose this function. If that isn't possible, then an example of how to PInvoke it using C# or VB.NET.

At the end of the day, what I need is a list of the modules that are plugged into a chassis, by model number. For example, "NI9201" or equivalent. That way, I can make sure that I am using the correct DAQMx task, since I have a separate one for each basic module category (analog input, thermocouple input, RTD input, etc.).

For this purpose, the return from DaqSystem.Local.GetPhysicalChannels or DaqSystem.Local.Devices doesn't do the job. If I have to PInvoke some low-level method, I need help with the syntax.

**bleep**

[Perry_S · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I was able figure out the syntax for you. Here it is.

Device blah = DaqSystem.Local.LoadDevice("cDAQ1");
            foreach (String dev in blah.ChassisModuleDeviceNames)
            {
                label1.Text += "\n" + DaqSystem.Local.LoadDevice(dev).ProductType;
            }

This prints out the model number of all of the cDAQ modules in the chassi. I hope that this helps.

Regards,

Perry S.

[Brad_K]

Hi,

NI-DAQmx 9.3 added some new properties to return the AI supported measurement types for a specific device or channel:

NationalInstruments.DAQmx.Device.AISupportedMeasurementTypes

NationalInstruments.DAQmx.PhysicalChannel.AISupportedMeasurementTypes

For example, this Powershell code:

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("NationalInstruments.DAQmx")

[NationalInstruments.DAQmx.DaqSystem]::Local.LoadDevice("Dev1").AISupportedMeasurementTypes

has the following output with an NI 6259 installed as Dev1:

Current
Resistance
StrainGage
Rtd
Thermistor
Thermocouple
BuiltInTemperatureSensor
Voltage
VoltageCustomWithExcitation

Brad

[cramfulSAI]

Hi Perry,

I am not familiar with C programming.  Is there a way of achieving graphically what you have described below?

Chundra

=======

[Gryffindor]

Hello,

You can programmaticaly find DAQmx Device names within LabVIEW.

Check out the example below:

Programmatically Determine what cDAQ Modules are in a Chassis

https://decibel.ni.com/content/blogs/labview-examples/2011/05/08/programmatically-determine-what-cda...