Troubleshooting NI-IMAQ and the LabVIEW Real-Time Module

This section describes solutions and suggestions for common errors in NI-IMAQ for the LabVIEW Real-Time Module.

PXI Controller Errors

Why can’t MAX find my PXI controller?

Try the following techniques if your PXI controller does not appear in MAX:

• When configuring the PXI controller, ensure that the controller is located on the same subnet of the network as the host PC. If you are unsure of your network configuration, consult your network administrator for assistance.
• If you do not have a keyboard connected to the PXI controller, check the BIOS settings of the controller. The Halt On setting must be set to All, But Keyboard for the PXI controller to boot without a keyboard connected. You can find the Halt On setting in the Standard CMOS Setup options. Refer to the PXI controller user manual for more information about BIOS settings.

Remote Display Errors

Why is my application slow when I use Remote Display?

Remote Display transfers images across the network from the Real-Time target machine to the host machine. Images are large, and this network transfer can be slow. You can use the IMAQ Remote Compression VI, located on the Vision Utilities»IMAQ RT palette, to compress the image before transferring it over the network. Compressing the image improves performance but may impact image quality.

Why does my remotely displayed image have low quality?

Try the following to improve your image quality:

• Ensure that the camera aperture is open to allow the appropriate amount of light for an acquisition.
• Check the compression settings.
• Verify that the display settings in Windows are set to use at least 24-bit color.

RT Video Out Errors

Why do I have an invalid Video Out Mode?

To use the RT Video Out functionality in NI-IMAQ for the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, you must have a PXI controller that supports this feature.

Refer to the following table for a list of controllers that supports the RT Video Out functionality.

Device	Functionality
NI 8184, NI 8185, and NI 8186	Supports full functionality
NI 8175 and NI 8176	Supports full functionality
NI 8106, NI 8170, NI 8156B, and NI 8140 RT Series	Does not support RT Video Out
RT Desktop	Support based on graphics card in RT Desktop

If you are using a controller that does not support RT Video Out, consider using Remote Display to display the images.

Why can’t I see my images when I use RT Video Out?

Use the IMAQ Video Out VI to configure the video mode before you attempt to display the images. This VI allows you to set the refresh frequency, screen area, and color depth.

Note  If you are using a monitor that does not support high refresh frequencies, the images do not display correctly. Refer to the monitor documentation for information about supported refresh frequencies.