Latest software updates for SCB-68

[tf1216]

Hello,

I searched the forum and the NI support tab with no luck.  I have a SCB-68 box that works on one computer but not the one I am presently on.  There is a gentleman here, with the help of NI support, who was able to download the proper drivers or other software to get this device working.

Can someone please point me in the direction of the lastest software for the SCB-68?  I have MATLB code that I would like to use to control the device.

Thank you,

Tyler

[Dennis_Knutson]

The SCB-68 is a dumb terminal block and does not require any software to run. Whatever you have connected to it probably requires some sort of software and you need to provide that information. You posted to the instrument control forum which is normally for GPIB and serial type instruments. Is that what you have connected or is it an NI data acquisition board? For data acquisition hardware, the latest drivers can be found at https://www.ni.com/en/support/downloads/drivers/download.ni-daq-mx.html.

[tf1216]

Thank you for the fast reply.  I apologize for posting in the wrong thread, it is an NI data acquisition board I am using (I think), definitely not a GPIB.

I went to the link where the latest drivers can be found but I unsure what to install.  I clicked on "NI-DAQmx Version 8.3 for Windows 2000/XP" and downloaded "NIDAQ830.zip ".

I ran setup.exe in the NIDAQ830 folder but I am thinking these were the wrong steps.  Please offer a little more direction if you can. 

Thanks again!

[Dennis_Knutson]

How can I if you don't know what type of board you are using. DAQmx is the newest DAQ driver from NI. All of the newer boards and many of the older boards are supported by DAQmx. Traditional DAQ is for older boards. For new development, NI recomends DAQmx. If you have an existing program, you should know what type of functions you are calling. I have no experience with Matlab but I have seen posts in the data acquisition forum from Matlab users that are using both.

[tf1216]

Maybe this info will help.  From the "Measurement & Automation Explorer" it says I am using the NI PCI-6704.  The name is "Dev1".  For some reason I was able to select "self-test" and the other buttons on the device but no longer am I able to do that.  The cable seems to still be plugged in though.

Anyway, in MATLAB I have this line of code that creates an error:

Aout = analogoutput(

'nidaq','Dev1');

Error I get is:

??? Error using ==> analogoutput.analogoutput
Error using ==> analogoutput.analogoutput>localCreateAnalogOutputObject
The specified device ID is invalid. Use DAQHWINFO(adaptorname) to determine
valid device IDs.

I took your advice and searched further in the correct forum but still could not come up with my answer.  Are you able to offer a little more help now? 

 

[Dennis_Knutson]

I don't know what the Matlab code is referring to. You might want to read the threads here and here. I just did a search with DAQmx and Matlab as the parameters. Also, I'm not quite sure what you mean by you were able to select self-test and other buttons but are no longer able to. Was this in MAX and was it before or after you installed the latest version of DAQmx? Further questions should probably be posted in the DAQ forum.

[MickeyD]

Hi Tyler,

Dennis is correct in saying you don't need to worry about the SCB-68.  The board in your PC is the PCI-6704, which is an analog output board; so far so good as that is what your MATLAB code appears to be trying to do.  I have a question about one of your comments.

"The name is "Dev1".  For some reason I was able to select "self-test" and the other buttons on the device but no longer am I able to do that."

Does the device no longer appear in MAX at all, or can you just not select "self-test"?
If the device is not appearing in MAX, we need to check if it is appearing in Device Manager. It should appear in MAX with an NI eagle icon next to it.

I can not say what your MATLAB code is doing, but if the board is not working properly in MAX it will not work in MATLAB. 
I think the best way to proceed is to try and make sure your board is outputting signals to your SCB-68 just using the test panels in MAX.
This link should give you a good idea of how to check out your card in MAX.

Using Test Panels in Measurement and Automation Explorer for Devices Supported by NI-DAQmx

If everything appears to work fine in MAX, then you can start testing out your MATLAB code and you will not have to worry about the hardware difficulties.

Happy thermocouple Thursday

Michael

Message Edited by Mike_D on 11-02-2006 02:31 PM

[tf1216]

Michael,

Thanks for the post sir.  I have since removed the PCI card and re-inserted it and now MAX sees the the device.  I used MAX to verify that the computer is capable of controlling the voltages on the other end of the DAQ I have sitting here.

I now have a open service request with Mathworks to see if they can help me with my problem.  I have called NI, searched high and low on the web, and have asked for help from people around here.  So far, I still can not talk to the DAQ through MATLAB.

And a double Happy Thermocouple Thursday to you as well!

Tyler

[tf1216]

Mathworks suggested I uninstall and then reinstalled MATLAB.  Now everything is working fine.  It seems that certain files or directories were not in the correct place.

Thank you to everyone who replied with helpful comments.