Spontaneous Error Code 201003 for PCI DAQ Setup

[kastud]

In lab we have been using a BNC-2120 connector block plugged into a PCI-6033E.  The arrangement seemed to be functioning fine for preliminary testing and a first round of experimenting, though during that round we couldn't seem to get a signal from one of our channels.  A couple weeks later the LabView program no longer works, instead giving Error 201003.  The specific error reads:

Error -201003 occurred at DAQmx Create Channel (AI-Voltage-Basic).vi:1

Possible reason(s):

Measurements: Device cannot be accessed.  Possible causes:

Device is no longer present in the system.
Device is not powered.
Device is powered, but was temporarily without power.
Device is damaged.

...

No apparent changes were made to the hardware or program prior to this error occurring.  It seems as if the computer no longer 'sees' the DAQ board. 

In Measurement and Automation, the PCI 6033E Dev1 shows up under the Devices and Interfaces tab, but the symbol next to it has a small red x on it.  Right clicking on the device offers these options:  Rename, Delete, Device Pinouts, Properties, Help.  Self Test and everything are grayed, unavailable for selecting.

Restarting the computer does not work.  The power LED on the device is still lit.  I can find nothing in the Windows Device Manager that looks like the PCI card or connector block.

Are there any other steps I can take to troubleshoot this issue?  What are possible solutions?

Thanks for any help.

[Seth_B.]

kastud,

I've got a couple of recommendations for you (please turn off your computer before moving cards around in PCI slots):

• Make sure you have the NI-DAQmx driver installed.  You can check this under "Software" on the left side in Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX).  If the driver isn't installed, you can download NI-DAQmx 8.7.2 from here.

• Reseat the card in its PCI slot, then restart the computer and check to see if MAX recognizes the device.

• Remove the card from it's current PCI slot and try it in another slot.  You may need to swap it with a different card if you don't have any more free slots.  Check the card in MAX using the above procedure.
• Try the card in a different PC (install the DAQmx drivers on the new machine first) and see if that PC recognizes the card using the same procedure.

If the second slot recognizes the card, but the first slot doesn't, that PCI slot is bad/incompatible. 

If the second computer recognizes the card, but the first doesn't, then there is something wrong with the first computer, either bad/incompatible PCI slots, motherboard, or other hardware.

If neither computer recognizes the card, you should call NI Support to determine if the card is still under warranty and to arrange for an RMA.

If we are able to get the card recognized in MAX on either machine:

• Right click the device and select "Self Test".  Please post the results.
• Download and run the DAQ Diagnostic Utility 2.0 and post the results.

Please let me know if you can get the card to be recognized by MAX and the results of these tests, then we can continue troubleshooting from there.

[kastud]

Thanks Seth. 

Re-seating the card worked.  I believe what happened is this:  The metal tab on the card that settles against the computer frame does not do so flush with the frame.  Screwing the card in requires you to push the card a bit out of its natural position sitting in the PCI slot.  Last time we installed the card, we pushed the card so that we could drive the screw in all the way, so the card probably wasn't settled right.  When attaching the cable to the DAQ board, this might have allowed us to push the card out of its slot.

After reseating, the device passes the MAX self test as well as all tests run by the diagnostic utility.  The LabView program now works. 

We will have to be particularly careful anytime we re-attach the device, I guess.

If you have any other advice, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again.

[Seth_B.]

How that metal tab mates with the computer is very dependent on how your computer case is designed.  For instance, mine has a clamp that secures all the PCI cards in place when the case is closed.  To avoid unseating the card, you might leave the card side of the cable plugged in, and just unplug the other end if you need to do anything with the terminal block.

[Clujean]

Seth or someone else,

I am getting the same error code 201003 described by kastud in his original message.

The difference is that my DAQ device (USB-6009) is recognized by LabVIEW Device manager, and passes OK the self-test and the Test panel.

The LED light is blinking.

However, when trying to run my VI application I am always getting this 201003 error. None of the possible mentioned remedies work (computer on/off, reconnect DAQ device...).

How is this possible?  If the device is damaged, why is it passing the self-test?

Thanks a lot for any input.

     Clujean

[C-Dav]

Clujean,

I would suggest first trying the steps listed in this KnowledgeBase article regarding fixing this error code:

http://ae.natinst.com/public.nsf/web/searchinternal/5413f392d88326148625746b006745c5?OpenDocument

If you are still seeing this behavior after going through those steps, re-post and we'll see what other troubleshooting you could try.

Regards,

[Clujean]

Chris,

Thank you.

However, the link you gave me does not work...

[C-Dav]

Clujean,

Sorry about that, looks like I included a bad link.  At any rate, here are some things to check out:

Are you using DAQ Assistant Express VIs to interact with the USB device?  If you are, you may need to reset the connection to the physical channels within the Express VI.  To do so, double click on the DAQ Assistant (you will need to do this for each one), go to Configuration >>  Details >> Physical Channel.  Right click on the entry and choose 'Change Physical Channel' to confirm that the device number matches with the one in MAX (i.e. Dev1, Dev2, or whatever it may have been renamed to).

If this does not fix the issue, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the DAQmx drivers.  You can download the most recent version of the drivers compatible with your version of LabVIEW here:

http://search.ni.com/nisearch/app/main/p/ap/tech/lang/en/pg/1/sn/catnav:du,ssnav:sup/

(you can check compatibility here: http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/DC7EBB1316F3406A86257894007BD75C?OpenDocument)

Regards,

[Clujean]

Chris,

I have reset the connection to the physical channels as suggested and now the DAQ device is working!

Thanks a lot for your help.

[cjhu]

Hi Seth,

I also have got the same error code 201003 described by kastud in his original message.

But it is very strange that my equipment has been running well for more than one year(so I think the card should have seated well), just suddenly one day when I try to run fiber comb control sofeware, it says "Device cannot be accessed". Then I open Measurement & Automation explorer in order to locate the problem, but I find almost all the control menus of PCI-6220  are grey, including self-test , test panels,etc.

Could you give me some suggestions to solve the problem?

Thanks!

Changjun