Hello MechHead,
The issue you're running into is that NI CompactRIO is not programmed with the DAQmx API like other devices you have used in the past. cRIO is a more advanced sytstem in that it has a more flexible architecture compared to data acquisition devices. There is a processor with a real-time operating system in the controller and a FPGA chip in the chassis that interfaces with I/O. The driver you use is NI RIO. Assuming you have a recently released cRIO system, you have two options for programming it:
1. You can use a default personality for the FPGA and just program the RT controller using what's called the scan interface mode of the FPGA. You will need the LabVIEW Real-Time Module for this. The advantage of this approach is that it's simpler and quicker to get something up and running. The disadvantage is that you don't get to exploit the performance of the FPGA.
2. You can program the RT controller and the FPGA. You will need the LabVIEW Real-Time and LabVIEW FPGA Modules for this. The advantage of this approach is that you can take full advantage of the performance of the FPGA by designing the hardware personality in LabVIEW. The disadvantage is that you now have to program both the FPGA and the RT processor as well as the communication between them.
I recommend you check out this Getting Started with LabVIEW and CompactRIO guide to get your feet wet. There's also plenty of people on the forums that can help.
Gerardo
