How do I enter the device numbers/channels in my vi?

[SKristoff]

I have a PXI 1010 chassis with a 6040E in the #8 slot controlling an SCXI-1100 in the first slot of the SCXI section. This system ran flawlessly for 3 years. I recently upgraded the controller module to a 8176 running Windows 2000. All of the components show up in MAX, I can verify them, and I can run the test panels for the 6040E and look at the SCXI channels using the SXCI channel string sc1!md1!0, etc. In MAX, the 6040E is listed as device 9.

However, when I run my vi program, the same one I've been using for years, I am getting the error -10401. This error is occuring in AIConfig. I've narrowed the problem down to either the channel string or the device number. If I change the device number in the VI to 9, l
ike it is stated in MAX, I get error -10403. Any other device number gives error-10401. I am also using the traditional SCXI channel string sc1!md1!X:Y in the VI, same as I always have.

Can anyone provide some insight on what my device number and channel string should be for the VI, or a troubleshooting strategy? I am stumped.

-Sue K.

[Claudia]

As a first step, I would recommend you to first bring your system to the simplest form. This is, just leave installed in the chassis the controller, the DAQ board an one SCXI module. Now that your system is in the simplest form, we should follow these steps:

1. Uninstall any NI-DAQ version from your system through the Add/Remove Programs (Start button>>Settings>>Control Panel). Turn off the PXI chassis and remove all PXI board from it. Turn the chassis back on and install the NI-DAQ 6.9.3 driver following the installation instructions in the install.txt file. Turn the chassis off, and install the PXI 6040E board in the right most slot of the chassis (At this point the SCXI chassis should be OFF)
* Ni-DAQ 6.9.3
http://digital.ni.com/softlib.nsf/websearch/50F49E43A22C0D2186256BF3006B9A96?opendocument&node=132060_US

2. Download and install the PXISYS.INI file that corresponds to the combination of PXI-1010 chassis and PXI-8171 controllers (see the link below). Install the PXISYS.INi file in the C:\WINNT\ folder in your computer. Make sure there is only one PXISYS.INI file in your computer.
* PXISYS.INI Files
http://www.ni.com/support/vxi/vxi_perph.htm#pxisys

3. Launch MAX. Go to the view menu and choose Refresh. Expand the Device Manager. Left click once on your board and look at the right side of the window. The Device Number and the Slot Number should be the same, and they should correspond to the Slot number in your chassis (in a PXI-1010 chassis, if the DAQ board is installed in the right most slot, the Device and the Slot number should be 8). If at this point you do not see this, please let me know. If not go to the next step.

4. Install the SCXI-1100 in the first slot of the SCXI chassis. Turn on the SCXI chassis. Right click on Devices and Interfaces and choose "Create New". Create a PXI-1010 chassis. The first window that appears will show you some switches that should correspond to the physical switches on the front panel of the SCXI portion of the PXI-1010 chassis. If all the switches are set to the right, the Chassis ID should be equal to 1, the Chassis Address shoudl be equal to 0 and if the PXISYS.INI file is the correct one, the box titled "Control SCXI with Internal Bus" should not be grayed out. Make sure this box is checked. Then click next, choose to autodetect your SCXI modules. The SCXI-1100 should appear in a list after you click next. When you finish creating the chassis, right click on it and verify it.

5. Right click ont he PXI-6040E board and open the Test Panel. In the channel address type ob0!sc1!md1!x (where x is the channel of the SCXI-1100 module). You should be able to read every channel.

If all this works, check that in LabVIEW you are referring to the DAQ board with the appropriate Device Number (int his case, 8).

Hope this helps,

Claudia Lorente
Applications Engineer
National Instruments
http://www.ni.com/

[SKristoff]

Thanks for the reply, although most of what you suggested I had done already. Also, this unit is at a field site. I can access it remotely and make software changes, but I can't make any hardware changes on the fly.

I did manage to get the test panels to work with the Device # set to 8. I had to change it, close MAX, then reboot, but then it did work. However, my VI still does not work. I ran the example VI SCXI-1100 Voltage.vi to test the system, and that runs error free with the device set to 8. The error in my vi (10403) is being generated in the AI Config vi, and the error output attributes the error to AI Parameter.vi.

This is not a hardware issue, since I can get signals in MAX and in a test vi, so it must have to do with my inputs or someth
ing. Can you give me some ideas on how to troubleshoot this? Anyone?

-Sue K.