Installation Procedure for Non-Plug and Play Compatible DAQ Boards - KnowledgeBase - Support

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Installation Procedure for Non-Plug and Play Compatible DAQ Boards

Hardware: Legacy DAQ Devices

Problem: How do I install my non-plug-and-play DAQ board in Windows?

Solution:

To install the board, go to Start » Settings » Control Panel » Add New Hardware.
Note: Don't plug in the board yet.
You will see a screen saying "Welcome to the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard." Click on "Next."
The next screen gives you the option to "Add/Troubleshoot a device" or "Unplug/Uninstall a device." Select the first option, "Add/Troubleshoot a device," and click on Next. Windows will present you with a list of devices present in the system. Since you are installing a new board in the system, select the "Add a new device" option at the top of the list as shown below. Click on Next.
You will see a screen asking "Do you want Windows to search for your new Hardware?" Select "No, I want to select the hardware from a list." Then click on the Next button.
The next window asks "What type of hardware do you want to install?" You should select "Data Acquisition Devices" as shown below.
Note: If you did not install the NI-DAQ driver, you will not see the option to install a Data Acquisition Device. If you forgot to install the driver software, cancel out of the hardware installation and install the NI-DAQ driver.
Windows will now ask you to choose your DAQ Board from a list of non-Plug and Play devices. Scroll through the list until you find your board. Highlight the correct board and click on "Next." In the screen shot below, the user is installing an AT-AO-10 analog output board.
At this point you may see a dialog box informing you that "Windows could not detect the settings of the device. To use this device, you must enter its hardware settings. Consult the documentation that came with this device for information." This warning is normal - click on the "OK" button.
When you install most legacy boards from National Instruments, you will have to physically set some switches or jumpers on the board and then inform the software of these settings before the board is inserted in the computer. This process is described in the following steps.
In the next window, you will specify which computer resources your board will use. Depending on the type of board you are installing, you may need to give values for any or all of the following: Input/Output Range (also known as "Base Address"), Direct Memory Access channels, and Interrupt Request numbers. You set these parameters using jumpers and switches on your board. The jumper settings for all the resource values are explained in the User Manual for your DAQ board.
All the resources have question marks, indicating that no values have been assigned to them yet. To assign a value, highlight that resource in the window and click on the "Change Setting…" button. Edit the Input/Output Range first, as shown below.
You will see another window in which you can specify a value for the Input/Output Range. The first value you should try is the factory default for the board. After you enter the value, take a look at the "Conflict Information" field at the bottom of the window. If a resource conflict is indicated, you should try different Input/Output Ranges until you find one without a conflict.
Note: If you do change the resource assignments, it is very important that you make the corresponding changes in the jumper or switch settings on the DAQ board.
Continue to assign values for the other resources on the board until no conflicts are indicated. When you are done, click on the Next button. You will see a final window indicating that you have finished with the installation wizard. If you no longer wish to edit the board's resource assignments, click on Finish.
Power down and insert your board. Don't forget that you need to change the jumper settings on the board so the resources used by the hardware match those you have assigned in software.
Reboot the computer. Launch the Measurement & Automation Explorer by double-clicking on its desktop icon. An explorer window will open. In the left-hand frame, click on the "Devices and Interfaces" folder. You should see a listing for your new DAQ board in the right-hand frame, as shown in the screen shot below.
Right-click on the new device and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. Click on the button labeled "Test Resources" at the bottom of the window. You should see a message indicating that "The device has passed the test." If the test fails, you will get a dialogue box like the one below:
Now that your board is properly installed you can go to the DAQ Installation/Configuration Troubleshooter to configure your hardware.