GPIB device doesn't get recognized, except when running Trace

[TomSobey]

We recently installed a new NI Slot 0 controller.  We have external GPIB devices connected to it.  (i.e. not VXI GPIB cards.)  In our old system, everything worked together properly.  In this new system, although MAX sees the GPIB devices, when running our program, the GPIB devices are NOT recognized - expect when NI-Trace is running.  We tried running NI-Trace to see what is going on, but everything works when NI-Trace is running.  When NI-Trace is stopped, the GPIB devices are no longer recognized.  But when NI-Trace is started again, the GPIB devices are recognized, and everything runs properly.  Has anyone seen this before?  Does anyone have any suggestions as to what or why this is working (not working) this way?  We tried re-installing the drivers, reinstalling the NI Software (including Trace) and moving things around (like changing GPIB addresses, etc.) and still no resolution.

[rkm44]

Hi TomSobey, 

Did you create your program in LabVIEW? If not, what language is it written in?

When you changed GPIB addresses, what did you change it from and what did you change it to? Did you check to make sure the name is formatted correctly? Sometimes this can be pretty picky.

What GPIB device and controller model are you using?

[TomSobey]

We created the program in Aginet VEE.  I don't recall the address, but we only have 2 GPIB devices.  I simply swaped the addresses. 
After I changed the addresses, I used MAX to verify that they indeed were found and talked via MAX (i.e. *RIQ?).  But when I closed out of MAX, and ran our VEE program, the program could not find the GPIB devices.  I then ran NI-Trace, re-ran the same VEE Program, and everyone was happy. 
What's bad, is that this is the exact system we built earlier which worked perfectly well.  This new system was built to the same specs using the same devices (only newer ones from the 1st system a year ago.)  Thinking that drivers may have changed we tried both newer and older drivers (i.e. from the older system, and updates from device manufactures) and nothing changed.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Since the instruments are detected by MAX, I'm not sure why you are posting to the NI forums. Your problem seems more related to VEE. Did you enable tulip support? Do you have NI-VISA installed and Keysight's VISA? Which did you make primary? What does Keysight support say about the problem with VEE?

[TomSobey]

We have NI-VISA up and running.  Never heard of Keysight so no we don't have it running.  Not familiar with tulip support either.  Sorry I seen so ignorant about these things, but I was dropped with this new station on my lap, and it was supposed to work exactly as did the previous (1 yr old) station did.  Don't know why the same devices and S/W work on the old one and not on the new one.  Hence, if the old station worked w/o Keysight, I was unaware that that may be a fix.   Is there anyway you can explain the differences to me, to help me understand these issues?  We can email direct if you would like to help, rather than tying up the Forum.    Tom  <thomas.e.sobey@boeing.com>  Thanks!

[TomSobey]

Dennis, Q: "Since the instruments are detected by MAX, I'm not sure why you are posting to the NI forums. Your problem seems more related to VEE".  

A: Because in our NEW station, the Slot 0 controller (an NI CPU) is what changed (i.e. newly purchased device with same model number.)  The Agilent VEE is the same copy of S/W, so we're thinking NI made some changes.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Keysight is the company that sells VEE. They were once known as Agilent and before that, Hewlett-Packard.

Unless you changed the driver versions, the hardware should be working exactly the same as before. Tulip is a compatibility setting. When I use Keysight hardware with NI software, it enables the NI software to recognize the Keysight hardware. Going with NI hardware and Keysight software, you have to do the same thing. It's a setting in the VISA properties in MAX. I don't know where it is in the Keysight utility. You should verify with Keysight but I suspect you have to have their version of VISA installed.