FieldPoint Write LabVIEW Error -33499

[Mr._Jim]

Hello e04kobe,

It's been a while since I ran into this issue, but I just went back and looked at some of my notes.  I believe that, in the end, the problem for me was that I had some mismatched names for channels.  The FieldPoint driver was unable to find the channels I was referring to because the names were invalid.  With FieldPoint, naming channels correctly is very, very important.  I've seen lots of odd behavior, for example, when using two different project files to reference the same hardware.  If the names aren't precisely correct in the project, the driver gets "confused" and returns an error.

I'm fairly certain that the reason for my trouble was that I was using both MAX and Project Explorer to configure channel names for my FieldPoint devices.  While the hardware communicated correctly in MAX, the project had some old names that were no longer correct.  The easiest way to fix this is to reformat the FieldPoint device, create a new project, and copy in your code.  (You don't have to start over completely, just make a new project file)  Then, carefully set up all of your channels in the project.  Finally, go through your code and check every tag to ensure that it refers to the new setup.

I hope that helps...  There's a lot of misleading information in this thread because it took me a while to track down the root cause.

Regards,

Jim

[e04kobe]

I were not really successful. I'm really desperate because I invested lots of time to try out different things.... Is there any official NI statement or maybe a "step by step" instruction sheet on how to use cFP's in labview projects without running into error 33499?

I work on Labview 8.6.1 and tried the firmware 6.0.5 and 6.0.6 for my cFP-2220.

[e04kobe]

Thanks Jim for your quick reply.

I changed only the names of my cFP-2220 and my cFP-180x to ABD-Master and ABD-Slave. I didn't change the name of any channel, neither in MAX nor in the Project Explorer. But often I get connection error browsing through the MAX. When I click OK, the content appears without any problem.

I have no idea...

[Mr._Jim]

e04kobe,

I'm confused by your reply - are you saying the problem is solved now?  I'm working on a step by step explanation, though it won't be "official."  (I don't work for NI =c)

Jim

[Mr._Jim]

I just looked through the knowledgebase pages and didn't find any "official NI statement," nor did I find any official step-by-step instruction sheet.  (At least, not with reference specifically to this error)

For the record, I'm using LabVIEW 2010 for this write-up.

Once again, here's what I would do:

1. To be safe, reformat the cFP-2220 and install the latest drivers via MAX, as you have done.
2. Install new firmware on your cFP-180x.  Even if it seems fine, this sometimes makes mysterious problems disappear.
3. In the next few steps, avoid detecting IO devices in MAX or naming anything there.  This may not be necessary, but this is where I'm very cautious.
4. In MAX, Set up IP addresses and network settings.
5. Create a new project file and save it. (Don't add anything to it yet)
6. In the new project file, right click the "Project" item and select "New->Targets and Devices..."
7. There are a few ways to proceed. I'm selecting "Existing Target or device". I'm entering an IP address, and I'm selecting cFP-2200. (I have a 2200, you would select the 2220)
8. I'm doing the same for my cFP-1804.
9. All IO modules now show up automatically in my project.
10. In your project rename your 2220 and 180x to the names you'd like. To eliminate confusion, you might try naming them slightly differently from before.  (e.g. ABD-Master2, etc) That way you'll know for sure that you're using the correct tags in you code.

11. Now, add your code to the project. Right click "My Computer" and add the folder with your source code.
12. If you have an RT application, add your code to your cFP-2220.  I wouldn't bother with build specifications yet - test the code first.
13. Now, go through all of your code and click on your FieldPoint tags, making sure you select the proper, updated channel name.
14. If you're using an RT executable, rebuild it with all of your new FieldPoint tags.


I could get into all sorts of nitpicking detail, but if you follow these basic steps I'm pretty sure you'll get all of the naming to be consistent.

If that doesn't fix it, I'm stumped and you'll probably have better luck if an NI AE joins the conversation. (Or someone else that might have further ideas.)

If you get really, really really stuck, the 180x models support modbus (though the documentation is scarce) and you can use Modbus over serial or Ethernet between the two modules.  I just might have resorted to that, myself.

Good luck,

Jim

[Wayne.C]

Prior to LV8.0 and the 'Project',  everything relating to the .IAK was handled in MAX.  After LV8.x things began to change. 

While the overall issue with .IAK files became easier to deal with, a couple of wrinkles were added.  When a FP target is added to a project, LV creates a new .IAK file with the same name as the project and saves it in the same directory.  If you've already created the .IAK with MAX prior to adding the target to the project problems can occur.  I'm pretty LV queries the cFP and then creates the .IAK based on the existing configuration in the cFP.  An existing .IAK file could be altered if it didn't match the cFP.  The most common problem is multiple .IAK's with different names.

I second Mr. Jim's recomendation of doing everything in the Project view.

[Mr._Jim]

What Wayne said! 

He has very succinctly summarized what I just attempted to remedy with my procedure.  Thanks, Wayne.

The trouble is that, unless something has recently changed, you still need MAX to do some things like set up the IP and install drivers which can lead to IAK file woes.  (If you're not careful to avoid certain actions)

[Wayne.C]

I may have "succinctly summarized" but a lot of pain and confusion went into that little bit of understanding.  This change represents a lot of hard work on NI's part to improve the cFP experience and make using a cFP in a project pretty much like most other RT targets.  I actually understand it even better after taking the cRIO class and seeing how a cRIO is configured.

My personal process is this:

1 - Use MAX for initial setup of TCPIP configuration stuff,  give the cFP a name I'll remember   and take care of any software install/updates.

2 - Add the cFP to the 'Project' and save the project.

3 - Add the newly created .IAK file to the 'Project' view.  You can always double click this and bring up the .IAK in MAX if you prefer this interface.

4 - Take care of any channel naming or setting of cFP controller options from the 'Project' view. 

[Mr._Jim]

I second that.