PXIe-8381 connection problem

[Stopper3046]

HI,

I use a PXIe-8381 module to connect the PXIe-1082 chassis through a Linux PC. I installed NILinux2023Q2DeviceDrivers on AlmaLinux 9.1 (binary compatible to RHEL9).

The whole development setup works fine and I can develop software using nidaqmx successfully.

But when I carried my PC and tested the software on another testbench chassis, I found that I fail to connect. The front panel LED of the PXIe-8381 module which is inside the testbench chassis was always solid amber.

I was quite confused. The part number of PCIe-8381 is the same (153097C-01L), why one module worked while another did not?

If I switch the PXIe-8381 module from the testbench chassis to my development chassis, the problem still exists. So I guess the problem source is the PXIe-8381, but what should I do to fix it?

The PC motherboard is ASUS Prime Z270-A, BIOS is updated to the latest one.

The Bus Number Range checked by  MXIeBusDetect.exe is  [0, fe].

The MXI-Express BIOS Compatibility software does not support Linux. I did not try it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Robert__R]

Hi Stopper3046,

That's a tricky problem. The short answer is "RMA it" -- NI can figure out what's wrong.

It's probably out of warranty, though, so here are a couple things you could look at:

• compare the two boards, look for damaged/missing components (it happens)
• verify the LEDs on the card are active (there's are some "breathing" LEDs when in a chassis)
• swap cables if you have a 2nd one
• look for bent backplane pins (they're fairly easy to spot)

The LED is amber which means the power rails are good, and dragging your PC over eliminates a bunch of possibilities. Most of the debugging LEDs (on the board inside the chassis) have meaning, so if you spot a difference when plugged into the PC (and powered) it could be helpful.

- Robert