Instrument Control (GPIB, Serial, VISA, IVI)

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High failure rate 777073-01 GPIB cards

We experience an unacceptable high failure rate with 777073-01 GPIB cards.

31 PC's using WIN-NT and with only one application (Borland C++)running, are in operation on 8 different locations since 2000. Since Januari 2005 de cards start to fail and today the number of failures is 8.

The application freezes since communication with IEEE instruments is no longer possible. Using NiMax.exe I noticed that the embedded serialnumber in the GPIB card is missing.
Once a new card is installed, all is well.

The application runs full time and any down time causes great problems. The servicecost are rising beyond expectations aswell. W'd like to recieve a sollution. Four faulty 777073-01 cards are at your disposel for investigation.

Many thanks for your reply.

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I'm sorry to hear of your frustrating experience. I'll try to help.

There should be another label on the card with text that starts with either 188513 or 183617. Can you reply with full text on that label?

Do the cards still show the problem after rebooting or power-cycling the computer? Have you tried any of the failing cards in different computers?

Also, what NI-488.2 driver version are you using?
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It is odd that cards have ran over 5 years non-stop and now in the past 8 months 25% of them have failed. Does not sound like a random mortality occurance.

Power quality or software upgrade issue possibly?

Are any more details available- ie are all the failed cards at just one of the 8 locations, any changes made to equipment, system, device under test?

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"It’s the questions that drive us.”
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Thanks for the reply so far.
 
1) The number on the card is 183617G-01
2) We tried to put back an image file of the harddrive and in some cases the application runs again. However, this doesn't last more than 30 minutes or so. Only exchanging the IEEE-card fixes the problems (PC's run without problems for several months now)
3) On one occasion we've seen that a card is recognized by NiMax.exe when installed in an older model PC. When putting it back in the orginal PC, it's missing the serial again and NiMax.exe can't use it.
4) the 8 failures are on 5 different locations with some of them over 200km apart.
5) We use the original drivers that came with the card. The read-me file on CD states version 1.7
6) the software on the PC's hasn't changed in all these years. They are used for one application only (communicating with GPIB instruments)
 
I really would appreciate any help.
Thanks
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What is happening in the system when the failure occurs? It is immediately following a reboot? Or does it happen while the application is running?

You said that you have been using the boards for 5 years and they only started failing within the past 5 months. Did anything change with any part of the system (software/OS/instrument/cable/....)?

What computer are you using and what is the BIOS version?

Also, check out the following link:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/3efedde4322fef19862567740067f3cc/d4369b86117a0e15862567a90051b27c?OpenDocument
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