OptimisticDan

QUOTE (Shaun Hayward @ Feb 11 2009, 05:04 PM)

Its also worth knowing that C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data is a hidden folder so you will need to either have Windows set up to show hidden folders, or navigate straight there using Start->Run... or by typing the path into an Explorer address bar (I'm not sure if the explorer address bar is visible by default or not either)

Shaun

OK everyone, I found a work around for my own VI's which I will describe, but I still believe there is a problem with VISA caused I believe by the use of a Prologic USB-Serial poorly written driver.

My error always showed up in my serial port initialization vi, which only contained a single property node of the VISA reference passed to it (where I set baud, flow etc.). In the past, this property node also included "Port Connected?" output which we drove to an LED. Since I inherited this code, I don't know why it was being monitored since we never make a decision off of it's status. However that is also the variable that begin failing and the reason for this post. So I simply removed the LED and the output from the property node to solve my own issue. Now this sub vi works & all my programs work using this new version.

What I don't like is the fact that some time during my use of the USB-Serial device, NI-VISA got messed up into forcing the Port Connectted variable to False @ all times. If I needed to see this port status I would still not have a solution. I've left this possible error with NI Support, but I do want to thank you all for your help. By the way, Shaun & Jdunham I found the VIconf.ini file with your help. I backed it up, left the folder & let MAX re-create the ini. then both 8.5 & 8.6 Laview locked up when ever I did anything with VISA, so I diverted back to my original VIconf.ini.

Thanks everyone

QUOTE (jdunham @ Feb 11 2009, 02:22 PM)

I once had a problem where the "NIvisa" folder was not there and MAX was too dumb to either create it automatically or throw an error. Can you find any National Instruments folder anywhere in your Documents and Settings folder? (I may have made an error converting from my Vista path to the normal XP one). If you do have the NI folder with lots of other stuff but no NIvisa folder, then create the folder, run MAX, and try again with LabVIEW.

I have a folder,

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\National Instruments\NI-VISA

but inside it there is only

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\National Instruments\NI-VISA\Examples

Below 'Examples' are several sub & sub-sub folders, none of which contain the file NIVISA.conf. ???

QUOTE (Mr.PaulBlack @ Feb 10 2009, 07:28 PM)

Hi!!! I'm currently working on a software/hardware project where my team and I are developing a device that's basically an LCD display monitor that will display information gathered from a wireless network. Half of the team is working on the database and website and my assignment is to work with the wireless module. The project's hardware is basically the lcd screen, some push buttons we're installing for user interactivity, a microcontroller and it's development kit (module = MSP430 F449) and the wireless module (WLNG-AN-DP101-G)

now, i have NO IDEA and NO KNOWLEDGE about wireless modules and how are these implemented... My collegues don't really know much either about it given that our college sucks... so we're basically on our own.

This is basically a call for help to anyone that's willing to help me or at least guide me or point me in the right direction. like i said, i know nothing of this, so how do i program this wireless module or install it? how do i make it work with the micro controller and the server? I've read the data sheets of the module and searched the net all over yet I'm in a hole and i really don't know what to do... someone help!!! thanks!

Your delima is why the company I work for is in buisness. I work for the Telematics (formally Wireless Systems) division of Laird Technology. Our modules come in 900MHz and 2.4GHz and in a variety of power levels. We have a development kit that comes with 2 develoment boards with link our radio to the PC. Please check out http://www.lairdtech.com/pages/products/proprietary.asp for a description of our stuff. These are made to let developers with no knowledge of RF, use a wireless device already FCC approved, in their application. Many of our customers use our products for updating scoreboards (like in high school gym's, baseball fields etc.,) If you have any detailed questions, I'll put you in touch with someone, (since I'm just a lowely engineer here).

Thanks,

Dan

QUOTE (neBulus @ Feb 11 2009, 10:11 AM)

Works in 8.5 but not 8.6, that just does not make sense. Try doing a repair on your LV 8.6 install (use the install disks, that is one of the options) to see if that helps.

Ben

I just did a Repair from Add/Remove programs for NI-VISA 4.4 but the problem is still there.

Regarding the reply from ndunham, I just looked for the file mentioned (C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\National Instruments\NIvisa\Nivisa.conf), and it is not there. I searched the All Users folder & sub-directories and cannot locate the file. So if it is missing, how do I recover or recreate it?

QUOTE (Neville D @ Feb 11 2009, 11:28 AM)

I'm using a mouse hooked to the motherboard, not COM1. I did contact NI support and so far they have suggested the Repair and possibly a complete uninstall - reinstall of NI-VISA. I'll let everyone know if the full reinstall works.

I have only been using Labview for about a year, so there maybe some simple setting I changed that I am un-aware of. However this problem has me stumped. I have several large programs that send commands and received data using the COM port, and these have been working in the past. However, in December a static discharge on our equipment damaged my PC's COM port on the motherboard. For about a month, I was using a USB-Serial adapter with mixed results but last week the USB-Serial started failing constantly. I finally got around to replacing my motherboard and getting a true COM port back thinking that would solve the problem, but the COM port still fails. Windows and MAX both see the port, however if I attempt to configure the port using VISA, I always get "Is Port Connected? = False" This is element 10 in the property node of the VISA device.

Our company has an independed software packaged to talk to our products using the same COM port and it works fine now that my motherboard has been replaced. Therefore I pretty sure All is well with Windows and the COM port hardware.

I've been using 8.6 for several months, but I still have 8.5.1 installed from a prior update. I loaded an older serial port VI into 8.5.1 and it works just find. When I load the same VI into 8.6, it fails.

I have used Close VISA.vi and Close Serial Driver.vi but they have no affect. It just seems that to my 8.6 installation of Labview, the COM ports are there, but not accessable. In MAX, I get the following error when I try to Validate the port; "Could not open a VISA session to "ASRL1::INSTR". VISA error code 0xBFFF0072. The resource is valid, but VISA cannot currently access it.

Thanks for your help.