12-09-2011 09:08 AM
I have an older NI 2 port RS-485 PCI card (c. 1997). Recently I neede to configure port 1 for 2 wire and port 4 for 4 wire. Using Windows 7 and the latest version of Measurement and Automation Explorer, I could not change the wire mode. The whole section was greyed out. I put the card in a Windows XP machine running the newest Measurement and Automation Explorer and I could set the wire mode.
After uninstalling and installing the serial drivers and the card in the Windows 7 machine I still could not set the wire mode via Measurement and Automation Explorer or even programmatically. Through sheer dumb luck I looked at the com ports in the hardware manager and found an advanced configuration button. A window with a pull down menu allowed me to set the wire mode and it worked.
Is this the way 485 pci cards on a Windows 7 machine work now? I am posting this because I had a heck of a time finding the setting and hopefully someone will be spared some frustration in the future.
Solved! Go to Solution.
12-12-2011 09:52 AM
Hi rgblair,
Is this the card you have? If so, it is was created with for FULL compatibility for Windows XP/2000/Me/9x/NT. However, you should be able to use NI-Serial 3.6 to communicate with that card in Win 7 (indicated by this NI-Serial Driver Support sheet).
Regards,
Travis Ann
12-12-2011 01:10 PM
The settings are grayed out because they are only available to users with administrator access. On Windows Vista and Windows 7, you should right-click the Measurement and Automation Explorer icon, and select "Run as Administrator."
-Jason S.
12-22-2011 08:09 AM
Thanks - I tested this solution and I can now change the wire more. I must have found a security hole.