No output from PXI-6733 in buffered mode

[Roger]

Hi,

I seem to be encountering an odd issue where the analog outputs from a PXI-6733 do not respond to pseudoclock pulses in buffered mode and was wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue.

In my setup, the pseudoclock is connected to PFI0 of the PXI-6733.

• Manual mode: output voltages change as expected (using the blacs tab)
• Buffered mode:
  • Output stays at 0 V when using constant()
  • Using ramp() results in an error during transition_to_manual

Some items I've checked:

• Verified that the HDF5 shot file does have values for PXI-6733 analog output
• The PXI-6733 does register outputs from the pseudoclock using the NI MAX test panel

As a sanity check, I used an the analog outputs from a PXIe-6361. Both constant() and ramp() produced the expected voltage outputs.

Attachments:

• connection_table.py - snippet of the connection table
• testing.py - snippet of the labscript code using the PXI-6733 that hasn't been working (the  ramp() parts were commented out as was working on just testing constant()).

I'll work on compiling better notes on this issue tomorrow when I'm back in the lab.

Thanks,

Roger Ding

[dihm....@gmail.com]

Roger,

You have already done the checks I would normally suggest. This is perplexing. I have two small requests in an attempt to help:

1. Can you post the full traceback for the error you get in transition_to_manual with the ramp() command?

2. Have you confirmed that the pulseblaster slow clockline output during the shot lines up with what you expect? (ie tee it into a scope, make sure its timings line up with what runviewer says they should be)

-David

[Roger]

Hi David,

At the moment, the problem is likely a software issue with the particular hardware I'm using (PXIe-1085 chassis with the PXI-6733; more details below). I'm waiting to hear back from NI technical support but I expect it'll be slow responses over the holidays.

Longer summary:

I had been troubleshooting the PXI-6733 issue in Python and labscript for a while without much progress. On a whim, I decided to try using NI MAX's Test Panel to see if the hardware behaved as expected, which is where discovered that the PXIe module (PXIe-6361 and PXIe-6738) analog outputs work as expected but the PXI-6733 analog output does not. In particular, the PXI-6733 DC analog output worked but using "Voltage Sinewave Generation" raises Error -200016 (see picture below):

After discovering this, I used used "Voltage Sinewave Generation" in the NI MAX Test Panel to try a PXI-6733 in different combinations of chassis to see if the problem is specific to the hardware I'm using.

Main system:

• Computer-side interface: PCIe-8383
• Chassis: PXIe-1085 (firmware 20.0.0f0)
  • Slot #1: PXIe-8381 (PXI interface)
  • Slot #2: PXIe-6361
  • Slot #3: PXIe-6361
  • Slot #4: PXI-6733
    • Raises Error -200016 when using "Voltage Sinewave Generation"
  • Slot #5: PXI-6733
  • Slot #17: PXI-6704
  • Slot #18: PXI-6738

Test system #1:

• Computer-side interface: PCIe-8383
• Chassis: PXIe-1082 (firmware 1.0.0f0)
  • Slot #1: PXIe-8381 (PXI interface)
  • Slot #4 (first hybrid slot): PXI-6733
    • "Voltage Sinewave Generation" output works and does not raise an error

Test system #2 where the PXI-6733 raises Error -200016 when using "Voltage Sinewave Generation":

• Computer-side interface: PCIe-8383
• Chassis: PXIe-1085 (a complete different chassis with firmware 1.0.0f0)
  • Slot #1: PXIe-8381 (PXI interface)
  • Slot #4: PXI-6733
    • Raises Error -200016 when using "Voltage Sinewave Generation"

Notes:

• The issue seems to be related to using the PXI-6733 in a PXIe-1085 chassis.
• I just noted if "Voltage Sinewave Generation" raised Error -200016. I didn't check to see if the outputs had the correct amplitude and frequency as specified in the NI MAX Test Panel.
• I didn't get around to testing labscript with the PXIe-1082 system to see if the PXI-6733 worked as expected (although I suspect this problem underlies the labscript issues).

I submitted an NI support request after trying to "repair"/reinstall various NI software using the NI Package Manager without success. An NI representative responded with (truncated response below):

Thank you for providing a detailed description of your system setup. Based on the information, the hardware appears to be compatible—PXI‑6733 is a hybrid‑ready PXI module, and the PXIe‑1085 chassis supports hybrid slots for PXI peripheral modules.

However, the reported error (‑200016 during sine‑wave generation in NI MAX) suggests that while the device is recognized, it cannot properly initiate output in this configuration. This typically points to a resource initialization or clock configuration issue at the software layer rather than a hardware incompatibility.

To proceed effectively, we need to confirm that your driver and platform software versions are fully compatible with the PXIe‑1085 firmware. Please generate and share the NI MAX Report. This will provide details about your software environment and operating system, helping us narrow down the root cause and offer a targeted solution.

I responded by sharing my main system's NI MAX Report and am waiting to hear back.

Roger Ding