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how to install cDAQmx and USB

Hi,

I have cDAQmx with 8 slots (NI9178) and a couple of c-modules, one digital output with 8lines (NI9472) and a digital input 4lines (NI9435).

I use LV 8.5.1 (but I have also LV2009).

It is all installed correctly and it works correctly in the development machine.

 

But I am trying to figure out how to deploy it.

I don't have experience with USB communication.

1) what kind of control should I use in the front panel? DAQ physical channel?

2) is it possibile to "refresh" the value of this control when my application start? I would like that the user sees the resource available when it is connected. Like he should select a COM serial port.

I don't want user to select the control down arrow....

It should work out of the box as soon as it is deployed and installed correctly

 

 

thanks for any advice

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What exactly do you need the user to do? Select specific channels? What are you using now if you don't have a physical channel control? If it's a task in MAX, you would want to include the task in your deployment. There is an option in MAX to export the hardware config.  When you create your installer, include DAQmx, MAX, and the exported config.
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I am attaching an image to better explain myself.

In the development PC, everything works, and the controls on the left (cDAQmx channels) retrieve the DAQ installed. That is when I click the down arrow, I can see the resource (if the USB is plugged) in the list.

In the meantime I have found some useful VI here (click here )

 

Problems:


1) I am testing the deployment to a Win-XP virtual machine (VMware player).
I created the installation package, with MAX file also included, and all the runtimes (VISA, LV8.5.1 and DAQ).
It is installed, but I can't see the DAQ on the virtual PC.
Don't know if it's a matter of conflict between host/guest usb port (pc/vwmare).

 

2) I would like that the application runs out of the box.
install drivers and runtime and plug DAQ usb-> start app. -> click read BO (binary output) and it works.
to do this, I am now investigating that vi linked, so user immediately knows if USB is plugged.

 

Clipboard01.jpg

Message Edited by Slyfer on 02-01-2010 04:58 PM
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I have never used VMware but there have been several posts about it and USB (i.e. making sure the USB port is shared). Have you done a search?
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Now I succeded in installing "NI device monitor" to the VMware-win-XP-pro.
But it doesn't work well.
"NI device monitor" doesn't pop up the message when I plug the USB (the USB resource is disconnected from host and it is available for the VMware, which has the focus).
Device is in MAX, it also passes the self test but if I unplug the USB, the DAQ does not disappear.
DAQ doesn't appear in the peripheral device list (my computer-> manage -> hw device list, should appear the entry "Data Acquisition Devices").
Of course my simple program doesn't work.

 

My program does very simple things: just turn on/off some lines of the binary output module, and just read the state of the binary input module.
It will be incorporated in a "functional hardware test software" for our electronic devices.
So I don't need fast acquisition, or triggering, nor complex tasks.
My DAQ should be very simple, just a matter of reading/writing some bits via USB.

 

But I am having serious problems how to deploy this little program (+ runtimes libraries).

The virtual machine I use for deploy-test is ok, never got a problem with COM serial communication or tcp/ethernet communication. But this is the first time with USB communication.
This is what it is installed on the VMware virtual machine:

NI LVRT 7.1.1
NI LVRT 8.5.1
NI LVRT 2009 f3
NI MAX explorer 4.6.1
NI Measurement Studio Common .NET Language assemblies for .NET 2.0
NI PXI Platform Services 2.5.2
NI PXI Platform Services 2.5.2 Configuration support
NI System API RT
NI System API Windows 32-bit
NI-DAQmx 9.0.2
NI-DAQmx MAX Configuration support 9.0.2
NI VISA rt 4.5.1

 

Questions:

 

1) Which is the minimum packages to include for cDAQmx ?

LV 2009 + Visa + cDAQmx 9.0.2 ? (by the way it's *huge* installation package... more than 700 Mb even for a 500kb executable)

 

2) What to you use to test the deploy? another blank PC? a notebook? (by the way virtual machine technology was born also for this task in mind)

 

thanks for any idea

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Hello Slyfer,

 

Using virtual machines with hardware is alway a bit tricky.  Hardware drivers such as NI-DAQmx need to do a lot in the kernal level of the operating system.  While virtualization (such as VMWare) emulates the user mode portion of the operating system very well, this is not always the case for the kernal mode.  We do not do extensive testing of virtual machines for this reason, so success will be somewhat hit-or-miss.  You can try simulating a device in MAX to test your program.

 

To address you questions:

  1. For the DAQ driver, the best bet for you would either be the NI-DAQmx 9.0.2 Config version (if you want your end user to have access to Measurement & Automation Explorer for troubleshooting) or NI-DAQmx 9.0.2 Core, which is the bare minimum that your executable will need to run DAQ functions.   Unless you are using VISA calls for something besides your DAQ operation, you won't need VISA.  You will need the LabVIEW runtime engine.
  2. Usually, I test new executables on a seperate, clean machine because that will best emulate what the end user will see.  You can still use VMWare to make sure everything installs correctly.

Hope this helps!

Seth B.
Principal Test Engineer | National Instruments
Certified LabVIEW Architect
Certified TestStand Architect
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Hello,

 

I'm still having problem, I don't use virtual machine anymore (I get some blue screen of death when I unplug the NI usb...)

 

I need help in how to deploy an application that uses cDAQ-9178 with 2 modules (9472 and 9435, it's digital input and digital output).

 

The application works in the development machine, with labview 8.5.1 I use only these functions:

 

 

 cDAQ functions used.jpg

 

 

I make an installer package like this:

 

Additional installers.jpg

 

 

 

I use VISA because there are some little communication with serial COM port also.

So my program communicate with COM serial and with USB (cDAQ).

 

I made an "options" windows in my program, that is like this:

 

options window.jpg

 

 

 

Then I took a blank PC with windows XP pro (fully updated), I install my package but it does not work.

I also tried with "Add MAX config file", but in the target PC I get all "double", I get "cDAQ1" and "cDAQ2", and "cDAQ1mod1" and other one...

 

Is there any documentation about how to deploy cDAQ? I cannot find it... 

 

Can you see any mistake?

thanks

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