How do I solve the error -200074 problem with DAQmx and MAX?

[Ken W.]

I have a DAQ system that includes SCXI-1000, SCXI-1313, and three SCXI-1328.  The DAQ card is a NI PCI-MIO-16XE-50.  The software used is LabVIEW 8.20 and MAX 4.1.  Recently, I have been receiving a -200074 error message (Device unable to store calibration constants) when ever I read anything from the SCSI-1313 module.  This in turn would also generate an 50103 error message (The specified resource is reserved).  The LabVIEW program had been running just fine for several months before these problems came up.  No changes have been made to the system that I am aware of.  I am using the DAQmx Read (single sample, single channel) VI to read the channels in my LabVIEW program.  I have no problems reading from any of the SCXI-1328 modules but when I read from the SCXI-1313 the error messages pops up.  The 1313 module is used to read voltage signals from extensometers and a humidity sensor.  I have also confirmed the problem with reading the SCXI-1313 by using the test panel for the module in MAX.  I am baffled at the 50103 error message since no other programs (including MAX) are using the SCXI modules when I am running my LabVIEW program.  If anyone has a suggestion to solve this problem, I would be grateful to hear it.

Thank you,

Ken

[Jarrod_B.]

Hello Ken,

Can you tell us which SCXI modules are being used?  The 1313 and 1328 are terminal blocks, not modules.  If you look in MAX, it should show you which SCXI modules are installed on the chassis.  Also, please tell us which VI's are causing the errors.  If you are using an error handler VI, the dialog that pops up should give you this information.  Highlight execution can also be used to pinpoint the source of the errors.  Finally, I would like you to check which version of the NI-DAQmx driver you have installed.  You can do this by expanding the Software tab in MAX, and then clicking on the "NI-DAQmx" listing.  The version will be shown on the right hand side.

Hopefully this additional information will give some insight into the problem.

Best regards,

[Ken W.]

The modules are SCXI-1125 and the version of NI-DAQmx is 8.3.0f0.  The error messages is generated by the DAQmx Read VI.  The SCXI module that has the problem is located in slot 1 of the SCXI chassis.  I have no problem reading from the 1125 modules located in slot 2, 3, and 4.  I also confirmed this by using the test panels for the SCXI-1125 modules in MAX.  MAX will report the same error messages (-200074 and 50103) for those channels.

Thanks,
Ken

[Jarrod_B.]

Hello Ken,

Try swapping the 1125 that was giving you problems in slot 1 with another 1125.  See if the errors follow the module or the slot position. 

Regards,

[Ken W.]

Hi Jarrod.  Thank you for helping me with this.  I just tried swapping the 1125 and that didn't change anything.  In other words, the problem does seem to be associated with slot 1 on the chassis and not the 1125 module. In addition, I found that one of the channels seems to be reading erronously.  I used a multimeter to measure the voltage of the signal connected to the channel and it was below 1 Volt.  However, when I read the channel in MAX, it was reading values over 300 Volts!  Obviously, that is not correct.  I connected the wire supplying the signal to another channel and the original channel is still reporting high numbers (the original channel now has the + and com connected by a single wire and the com connect to the chassis ground so it should be reading 0).  Could this be the source of the error messages generated by the DAQmx Read VI and MAX?  I did a self test on the DAQ card and MAX reported that it passed.  That leaves me with the SCXI-1313 terminal block, the SCXI-1000 chassis, and the cable connecting the chassis to the DAQ card.  I'm stumped on this one so if you have any other suggestions, I would be glad to hear it.

Thanks again,
Ken

[Ken W.]

I solved the problem.  I found another DAQ card to replace the one that we are using and that solved the problem.  Thanks again for your help.

Ken

[Jarrod_B.]

Hello Ken,

I'm glad it's working for you now.  Just out of curiosity, was it another PCI-MIO-16XE-50 that you used, or was it another DAQ board altogether?

Best regards,

[Ken W.]

It was the same type of DAQ card.  Given the fact that the cards are about 7 years old, I made the recommendation of getting a new card (preferably M Series).

Ken

[KarolS]

I've been working with Ken on the data acquisition system. 

Replacing the MIO-PCI-16XE-50 board with a different MIO-PCI-16XE-50 board seemed to work.  However, I decided to self-calibrate the new board prior to re-calibrating a couple of channels.  I calibrated it once with the SCXI chassis powered, then read that all inputs to should be removed and calibrated it again after I turned the power off to the SCXI chassis.  I then went to see if the self-calibration had any effect on the values and discovered that they no longer functioned.  A check of the first two channels showed that the signal started at a low voltage level and continued to climb, presumably until it was out of range.  This is precisely what had happened to one of the channels on the last board.  Unfortunately, I seem to have wiped out multiple channels where it had been only one before.

The only major change between the time I self-calibrated the first board and the time I self-calibrated the second board was the addition of a relative humidity sensor.  The sensor did not come with a plug and I had to wire it up following the directions.  After I wired it up, I ran some tests to see if I should leave the relative humidity isolated or whether I should ground it.  When it was isolated it affected the other channels detrimentally so I wired that chassis to the chassis ground.  I don't remember it causing a problem previously, but now I wonder if I am inadvertently sending a large voltage spike to the DAQ board. 

I would appreciate any help solving this problem.  I need to get things running and I don't want to keep damaging stuff. 

Karol

[Jarrod_B.]

Hello Karol,

If you suspect that the PCI-MIO-16XE-50 is damaged, you can check it using the DAQ Diagnostic Utility.  This will test each analog input channel by reading from an onboard precision voltage reference.  Otherwise, if it passes this test, something may have been incorrect in either the signal connections or the program itself.  I was a bit confused about why you attempted to calibrate any channels when the SCXI chassis was off.  There should not be any reason for doing so. 

As far as connecting your relative humidity sensor, generally it is not a good idea to connect the ground of your sensor to the ground of your measurement device.  This creates a ground loop which can introduce significant error into your readings.  For a good summary of which terminal configurations to use with different types of signal sources, please refer to Table I in the tutorial Field Wiring and Noise Considerations for Analog Signals.

I hope this information helps.  Let me know if you have any questions about what I've described.

Best regards,