DAQmx Base Downloading Firmware to 6501

[MMLowe]

I have a Socket PDA with NI DAQmx Base 3.2 and a USB 6501 that is set to the NI DAQmx Base configuration. It works OK with the PDA except it displays a "Downloading firmware to NI USB DAQ devices..." window every time I plug the device in OR out or the pda is restarted or reset.  Does anyone know if this is normal? 

My real problem is that on a pda warm start, if my Labview program is running, this downloading program locks up requiring a reset of the pda. 

I have tried reloading NI DAQmx Base 3 times as well as verifying the firmware is "current' on the 6501. The device shows up in lsdaq so I think it's configured properly.

Has anyone ever gotten a USB device running under Labview to 'ride through' a power cycle gracefully?

[mishkin]

Hi MMLowe, 

Every time your PDA is recognized as a target, firmware gets loaded onto it depending on which device is connected to it. I will look into a way to disable this for you (or at least prevent it from running if the appropriate firmware is already loaded onto the PDA). 

Another issue, though, is that the downloader gets hung up when your VI is already running. Do you have your VI set to run at startup? You can try enabling re-entrant execution in your VI properties to see if that helps.

Let me know. 

[Tom_W_[DE]]

Hi All-

The "Downloading Firmware..." application runs any time you plug in an NI USB, PCMCIA, or CompactFlash DAQ device into the PDA.  If your DAQ device does not require a firmware update (which your 6501 does not), then the application does nothing and should exit quickly.  There is no way to disable the Downloading Firmware application.

I do not know why your LabVIEW application would interfere with the Downloading Firmware application.  It may relate to thread safety issues in various parts of the two competing LabVIEW PDA applications.  Is it absolutely necessary for your LabVIEW application to be running before the USB device is plugged in?  It seems to make more sense for all hardware to be loaded and properly configured before the application would be useful, assuming the purpose of the application is to access the DAQ hardware.

[MMLowe]

Thanks for the info. There was some confusions over whether the downloading message was normal or not. My application morphed from a demo to being the HMI of a product. If the pda is shut off, the LabView application stays in memory (with the DAQ tasks still open) andthat causes the downloading message to lock up the pda requiring a hard reset. I have found that closing the tasks prior to shutdown allows a more graceful restart, but I can't prevent the user from turning the pda off (or it running low on battery).  Given that the recovery is elaborate (requiring resets, cabling disconnection and reconnection as the USB6501 doesn't load properly on reset), I have had to scrap the 6501 for the more forgiving RS232 interface.

Thanks again.