What does error -50550 mean?

[msvilans]

Hello,

I have developed an application that acquires data using multiple NI-DAQmx devices (two PCI-6280 and one PCI-6143), synchronized using a master sampling clock.

The application works fine on my development machine.

When the application is transfered to another machine for testing, NI-DAQmx returns the error code -50550, and the error string is "A synchronization object was not acquired within the time limit. The operation could not be completed as specified."

In the "NIDAQmx.h" header, this corresponds to the define "DAQmxErrorPALSyncTimedOut".

What are the possible causes of this error message? Because a "synchronization object" is mentioned, to me it smells like it might be related to the operating system.

Regards,
Markus Svilans.

[Jennifer O]

Hello Msvilans,

This error will arise if DAQmx is not able to allocate the necessary resources to carry out a task (CPU or memory).  The first thing I would check is your DAQmx version - make sure that you are working with a current version (at least DAQmx 8.1) on this new computer. You can download the current version here.  I expect that an older driver may be causing this error.

If this is not the case, another possible cause is a difference in the amount of memory between the two computers.  When you transfer the application, is it built into an executable or are you working on two different development systems?  If you are running an executable, first test it on the development machine to make sure it is not a problem with the VI as an executable.   If you are running in the development environment, you may want to run the profile utility (Tools>>Profile>>Performance and Memory).  Select the option to profile "memory usage" to view the amount of memory the application is using.

Hope this helps,

Jennifer O.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments