Appendix B
Troubleshooting and Common Questions
©
National Instruments Corporation
B-5
NI-FBUS Hardware and Software User Manual
11. In the Interface Configuration Utility, click the
DD Info
button. Write
down the base directory specified for device descriptions. Close the
Interface Configuration Utility.
12. Use Windows Explorer to view the contents of the base directory
specified in the Interface Configuration Utility. The Fieldbus
specification defines the directory hierarchy for storing device
descriptions. There is a different subdirectory for each device
manufacturer. Under the base directory, you should see a directory
with the number from step 6 for the first device.
13. Under the appropriate manufacturer directory, there is a directory for
each device type that you have from that manufacturer. Check to make
sure that you see a directory with the number from step 7.
14. Under the appropriate device type directory, there are the individual
device descriptions. The device description file name is a combination
of the device revision (the number from step 8) and the device
description revision (the number from step 9). The device revision is
the first two digits, and the device description revision is the second
two digits. For example, if your number from step 8 was 2 and from
step 9 was 1, you should see files called
0201.ffo
and
0201.sym
.
Device descriptions are backward-compatible. This means that instead
of seeing 0201, you might see 0202. This is allowed by the Fieldbus
specification. Also, having additional files in this directory is not a
problem. The NI-FBUS Configurator will use the most recent device
description revision for a given device revision. If you do not have the
appropriate
.ffo
and
.sym
files, you must obtain them from the
device manufacturer. Be sure to properly import them by clicking
DD Info
and using the
Import DD
button in the Interface
Configuration Utility.
15. Repeat steps 12–14 for each device.
The second cause for this problem is when the contents of the file do
not accurately describe the device characteristics, even if the device
identification information matches the file identification information.
This problem is caused when a device manufacturer makes a change to
the firmware of the device without incrementing the device revision, in
violation of the F
OUNDATION
™
Fieldbus recommendation. If this is the case,
you must contact your device manufacturer for a resolution.
