hardware issues

[moods]

Hello,

 Having an issue with data acquisition boards. My system has two DAQ cards, a PCI-6025 and a PCI-6110. These boards were working fine and suddenly one day, both boards were not responsive. The computer seems to work fine. When I opened Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX), there was a red "x" next to the boards. Based on a posting on the NI support website, I deleted the boards from MAX and tried to refresh the devices. MAX did not identify the devices. I removed the boards and re-seated them. Still, the devices are not being recognized by either MAX or even windows hardware. Removing the boards, and installing them back in the computer does not trigger an automatic "hardware detected" identification in windows on bootup.

I have two identical systems (same hardware) and connected to the same power sources, etc. Basically, each of them belongs to identical test stands. 

Are there any steps that will let me identify / troubleshoot the issue, or are both the boards have suddenly gone bad. It seems unrealistic that two boards stop working completely while the rest of the computer is fine.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Regards,

Sudarshan

561-714-1641

[KingPGeorge]

Hi moods,

What operating system are you using on your machine? If you are using Windows 8, you may find this helpful:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/DF6372D57C15B20286257A4B0053DA1E

Thanks,

KingPGeorge

[moods]

King George,

 Thanks for the response. I'm pretty certain that the operating system is Windows 7. Will check that however when I go down to the lab.

 Any other options?

Thanks,

Regards,

Sudarshan

561-714-1641

[KingPGeorge]

If you have another computer you can put the cards on, and everything works as expected, we can narrow down whether it's a software or hardware issue; I recommend trying this as well. 

A few follow up questions:

1) Were any changes made to the machine you are experiencing these issues with?

2) Although you aren't seeing a pop-up notification, can you see the device on the Windows Device Manager?

3) What version of DAQmx are you using?

4) Have the devices received any sort of damage?

[moods]

King George,

If you have another computer you can put the cards on, and everything works as expected, we can narrow down whether it's a software or hardware issue; I recommend trying this as well. 

- Great suggestion, but unfortunately don't have another spare computer. Also, work for a big company where they don't allow anyone and everyone to wily-nily open up machines.

A few follow up questions:

1) Were any changes made to the machine you are experiencing these issues with?

No. When the machine was last turned off, it was in a good operating condition. When it was turned back on again, and the software to run the test was launched, the numeric displays didn't update. That's when I opened up MAX and saw the red-x symbol against the icons.

2) Although you aren't seeing a pop-up notification, can you see the device on the Windows Device Manager?

No, I can't see the devices in Windows Device Manager. That lead me to think, perhaps something is wrong with the PCI bus. But the computer does not flash any messages to that effect either.

3) What version of DAQmx are you using?

4) Have the devices received any sort of damage?

No Damage Physically. The boards are installed in a computer that belongs to a test stand. The test stand (including the computer, DAQ hardware, and software) was all designed, assembled and built by the supplier using standard practices. I'm pretty confident that things like shielding and grounding were are done properly.

[KingPGeorge]

So the second response on this forum post explains what the red x means:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/Multifunction-DAQ/why-might-a-USB-6501-show-up-twice-with-red-quot-X-quot-s-...

Essentially, a red x means that at one time the device was connected, but is now disconnected. You may be correct about an issue with the PCI bus. Rather than trying to use another computer, do you have other devices that you can connect to your computer? Let's see if any of those devices will show up on your machine.