PXI-8106 Boots in Monitor Power Save Mode

[Kezar]

I have a PXI-8106 Integrated controller installed on one of our test systems.  Sometimes when we boot, the controller doesn't output anything to the monitor.  The symptom is the monitor behaves like it is in power save mode.  The only way to resolve is to power off the controller, and restart.

It doesn’t seem like a setting, as it only happens sometimes.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[pBerg]

Howdy Kezar,

Several things come to mind that could cause the behavior you see. As such, I have some questions/suggestions that will help narrow down the culprit.

1. If you swap a different monitor with your current monitor, do you still see the same problem? I assume you can hear the fans still spinning and see the front LED lit when the monitor doesn't work. Is this a correct assumption?
2. Swap your current monitor (VGA) cable with another cable to make sure nothing is wrong with the monitor cable.
2. Try powering down your system and removing everything from the chassis except the embedded controller. Does this fix the problem? If it does resolve your problem, then after you've verified that it works normally again, add each module one-by-one to the chassis. That way you can narrow down the problematic module.
3. Can you connect to the 8106 through a network by using Remote Desktop? Alternatively, can you ping it?
4. When you first push the power button on the PXI system, does anything display on the monitor, or does it stay in "power save mode" the entire time from the point when you first power on the system?

Here's a link to a KnowledgeBase article that lists more troubleshooting techniques you can use:
KnowledgeBase 26M9653Y: My PXI or VXI Controller Is Not Booting

Let me know how it goes!

Message Edited by pBerg on 01-30-2008 04:25 PM

[Kezar]

Thanks for the response, pBerg;

To respond to your suggestions;

1)  This problem occurs on different monitors.  They are all Dell LCDs, but that's all we have around.  I can tell the computer is running by the LEDs flashing.

2)  Cable swapping has no impact (DVI, by the way)

2-2)  It only happens some times, so it's tough to say.  We have the same problem on several PXI-8106s, and some of them have no hardware in the chassis.

3)  Yes, we can ping the workstation while it's in this condition.

4)  It's hard to recall, but I believe the monitor is always in power save mode.

Thanks

[A_Ryan]

Kezar,

I have a couple of suggestions for you:

1.  Since this problem is persistent on multiple controllers, there might be an issue with the video card itself.  If you can get the controller to boot can you update the video card driver.

To update the driver:  My Computer>> Properties>> Hardware>> Device Manager>> Display Adapters

- Right click on the video card and select update driver

2.  Does it matter what combination of the controller/chassis is present?  Does this problem occur with certain chassis and certain controllers when they are combined or are they independent of each other?

[User John]

We have seen the same issue on our PXI-8106. It is connected to a Dell 2407WFPb using the DVI cable provided by Dell. We have swapped the cable a number of times, and it doesn't help. The controller is in an 18 slot chassis that is fully loaded with boards. Like Kezar, it is intermittent. For us it happens ~25% of the time.

Has anyone had any luck resolving this issue?

[A_Ryan]

User John,

Welcome to the discussion forums.  I have couple of additional questions for you:

1.  Have you tried to update the driver for the graphics card?
  To update the driver:  My Computer>> Properties>> Hardware>> Device Manager>> Display Adapters
- Right click on the video card and select update driver

2.  Do you have a different chassis to try the 8106 controller?
3.  Does it matter if the chassis is empty (other than the controller)?
4.  Have you tried a different monitor?

[Kezar]

OK.  It took some time for me to collection the information you requested...

I can update the drivers, but I'm not sure where to get updated drivers.  Does NI have somewhere on their website that I have not found yet?

As for the hardware combination question, it doesn't appear to matter what hardware is installed in the chassis, or which chassis the controller is installed in, or which controller is installed in the chassis.

Thank you

[A_Ryan]

Kezar,

To update the driver for the graphics card please use the following.  After 8106 controller has gotten to the Windows start screen, navigate to:

My Computer>> Properties>> Hardware>> Device Manager>> Display Adapters
- Right click on the video card and select update driver

[nomadsmoke]

I might have the same issue with my 8106. I changed the hard drive, the chassis. The problem stays with the controller. Sometimes will not  boot up until after several attempts. If left running will "die" after a while. THe screen freezes or the image gets scrambled. I tried updating the drivers for the video- it said it could not find bettter driver than the current one.

[Josh_KNH]

Here are some additional suggestions in this KnowledgeBase article:

No Video Output on PXI-819x or PXI(e)-810x Controller in Windows

If the BIOS update or hot-key combinations referenced in that article do not work, then another option that is mentioned in the article is to use the Intel Embedded Graphics driver.  The Intel Embedded Graphics driver may be more appropriate for some applications and does typical allow for forcibly enabling video output in situations when the Intel Mobile Graphics driver is not correctly detecting an attached monitor.  It is slightly more involved to configure and install than the typical graphics driver, but once done it may work better for your application.

Do not use the version of the driver attached to the KnowledgeBase article - download the latest directly from Intel:

Intel Embedded Graphics Driver

-JoshH