Problem using NI GPIB-VXI/B and AXI429 board

[ssuarez]

Hi,

I use a GPIB-VXI/B, a VXI ARINC board (AXI429-8 from AIM) and other VXI instruments in a VXI chassis.

My problem is that the ARINC board is not seen after the Resource Manager has executed, whereas other boards in the chassis are present in MAX.
I tried with an other slot0 controler (Bustec 3020 USB controler) with the same hardware configuration, and all boards
are correctly recognized (so doesn't seem to be an address conflict or ARINC card failure).

Here I have seen that such problem may come from Resource Manager delay that could be not long enough to let the board perform its self diagnostics. Unfortunatly, this procedure refers to GPIB-VXI/C and on my GPIB-VXI/B manual it seems that the RM delay is not accessible through the non volatile memory configuration, and is fixed to 5 seconds.

According to AIM, their ARINC board needs 3 to 4 sec to pass all self test and be operational, so the default  5 seconds delay should be enough.

So, where does this problem may come from?
 
Thanks,

Stephane Suarez.

[ManuelR]

Hi,

What drivers did you have setup? NI-VISA? what is the version? did you installed your device drivers?

Did you device worked previously on the same computer?

[ssuarez]

Hi,
My NI VISA version is 3.4. In fact, the NI GPIB-VXI controler seems to be installed correctly because all cards except the arinc one are able to communicate. 
And as I said, the device drivers for arinc board seem to be installed correctly too because it works in the same VXI harware environment and with the same computer, simply by exchanging NI controler for Bustec 3020 USB controler.

Regards,

[ManuelR]

Hi,

Did you tried to detect only the AXI429 in our controler (without the other devices) ? What is your NI-VXI version?

Some customers using much faster controlers (IEE1394, MXI2) didn't have problem to recognize this device.

The Bustek controler is a USB controler and it is a faster controler than oour GPIB/VXI controler, this might be a route cause of the problem.

The rate of the GPIB bus in HS488.2 is 1.5MBytes/s. (IEE1394: 12MBytes/s, MXI2:33Mbytes/s).

What is the rate of your Bustek board?

[ssuarez]

Hi,
Yes, we tried a configuration only with the NI GPIB-VXI controler and the AXI429 without success.
Unfortunatly, I can't tell you about the NI GPIB-VXI version (because the controler is in use). I will be able to get this soon, but I remenber it was something like revision B when I used the *IDN query. It is very likely an older version than the GPIB-VXI/C available at the moment, since bench conception where the controler is in use dates of long ago (~1991).

The bustec USB controler has a rate of 12 Mbps on Original USB and up to 480 Mbps on Hi-Speed USB.
May the slow rate of GPIB-VXI be a cause of problem, even for Resource Manager device scan?

An other track may be that AXI429 is a register-based device. I found on IEEE1394 controler specifications (and on Bustec USB specifications too) that it explicitly implements message-based and register-based communication.
Do you know if NI GPIB-VXI controler allows communication with register-based devices or only with message-based devices?

Thanks,
 

[ManuelR]

Hi,

You can set up the GPIB-VXI/C to be either a Message-Based or a register-Based VXI device. Normally, the GPIB-VXI/C should be a message-Based device. In Register-Based mode, however, the GPIB-VXI/C can reside virtually transparently in the VXI system for use as a debugging tool. It can still access the VXIbus directly as a bus master, perform Word Serial operations and GPIB transactions, and use Code Instruments. None of the functionality is removed; however, the Resource Manager does not grant any Servants to a Register-Based GPIB-VXI/C.

You didn't reply to my question: What is your NI-VXI driver version?

You will have some informations about the configuration of your GPIB-VXI and more details concerning the register-based or message-based used , at the following link: http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/320404c.pdf

Message Edité par ManuelR le 11-23-2006 10:56 AM

[ManuelR]

Hi Ssuarez,

Is your problem solved?

[ssuarez]

Hi,
Sorry not to have given a news earlier but I am in professional displacement these weeks.

I already had a look to this manual but as I said I don't think it exactly corresponds to my GPIB-VXI controler. Here is the response to the *IDN query : "GPIB-VXI","SERIAL#454","SV VerB.1 HW RevD".
Concerning the NI-VXI driver version I use, I don't really understand what you mean. I did not install specific drivers for VXI-GPIB but only the NI device drivers CDs 3.4 and NI-488-2 2.40.

Nevertheless, I found in the manual : "The GPIB-VXI/C has the following GPIB characteristics: -Communication with VXIbus Message-Based devices..." in section "GPIB Characteristics". Does this mean the GPIB-VXI can only communicate with message-based devices? Because as I said the AXI429 is a register based device. All others devices that work correctly with our GPIB-VXI are message-based devices. Can this makes the difference?

Thanks

[ManuelR]

Hi,
The NI VXI drivers are not included in the device driver CD. You can verify in the readme at the startup dialog box when you launch the first CD.

You can download these drivers from the following link :
ftp://ftp.ni.com/support/vxi/drivers/vxi-usb/Win2k_XP/nivxi/3.5/nivxi35.zip

[ssuarez]

Thank, I will try this next week and hold you informed.