9870 RS232 Module not showing up in MAX or LabVIEW

[SpaceyJo]

Hello,

We are working with an sbRIO 9642 with the 9870 RS232 module connected to it. Weeks ago, we were able to connect the two and see the module, work with it, etc and everything was perfectly fine. Now it's been a few weeks and the only thing we've changed in those few weeks is we started working with the RIO in FPGA mode instead of Scan Interface mode. I swapped the project back to scan interface thinking maybe that was the problem but no joy. It's as if the RS232 module is dead but I'm not sure how to tell if that's the problem or if we are having (yet another) software problem.

We know that we are up to date on all the software on the RIO. As I said before, we've done nothing except change the mode we were using the RIO in. I've already google searched as much as possible and can find nothing that has been at all useful in trying to figure out what is happening here.

Any suggestions?

[REDS]

Hello SpaceyJo,

What is the LabVIEW and NI-RIO version that you are using? Please make sure that you follow the NI-RIO and LabVIEW Version Compatibility KB. Have you created a whole new Project, added your sbRIO and then tried to add the 9870? Please follow the steps in the Getting Started with CompactRIO and LabVIEW manual, on page 9. You should be able to auto-detect the module. If that doesn’t work, try out other slots from your sbRIO.

Are there other modules that actually get detected on the same slot your 9870 is connected to?

I know you said you didn’t change anything but your software setup, but I would like you to try and use another power supply. Remember that according to the NI 9870 Operating Instructions and Specifications, you need to provide from 8 V to 28 V to the Vsup pin.

Do you happen to have another target (cRIO, sbRIO) that you can test your 9870 on?

[SpaceyJo]

Hello REDS,

I did as suggested and checked the compatability. There wasn't a problem there. I'm using LabVIEW 2011 SP1 and NI-RIO 12.0. I have tried to discover the device as was suggested in the manual but wasn't able to find it, no matter which slot it was connected to. I've tried changing the power supply already so unless the 9870 pulls more than 2 amps at 24V, then that's probably not the problem. We don't currently have another RIO available for us to test the module on.

We got the module in November so it's still under warranty, thankfully, but I don't want to return it if it turns out not to be a problem with the module itself. Thanks for helping me out. 

[REDS · Accepted solution]

Hello SpaceyJo,

I would check if you have installed support for the 9870 on the NI-RIO drivers. You can go to Programs and Features in the Control panel » National Instruments Software » NI-RIO 12.0 » Modify » NI CompactRIO Development and C Series Module Support 12.0. The elements on LabVIEW 2011 SP1 should be checked.

Also, can you simulate a 9870 on your sbRIO? If you can, then it is not a driver / software issue, and it is definitely something wrong with the module itself on a hardware level. One reason I would think that the 9870 would get damaged is if you were communicating with a serial device that had a large common-mode voltage, like described on this KB

Otherwise, I can't think of a reason that it wouldn't be a hardware problem and you should call in for support to submit an RMA. You can do that by going to ni.com/support and clicking on "Contact an Engineer".

[SpaceyJo]

Hello REDS,

All the support is there and I can add the module to an empty RIO project where it shows up but I can't access any of the serial ports. So I can pretend I have a module there on the project level, which makes me think that everything is fine on the software side of things.

Anyway, thanks for the help! I had already done a lot of the things suggested, but I do appreciate the walk through in checking all the software.

SpaceyJo