Instacal version 6.7.2 is crashing

[Kyoto]

Hello,

In our Org. we are using Instacal version 6.7.2 on Win 10 to interoperate with several miniLabs that are connected with USB cables. The miniLabs are connected to USB hub and to the computer - we run C# program we developed to communicate with the miniLab cards.

Very frequently we experience an Exception in the code with the following error: "MCC DAQ Error Digital device is not responding. DeadDigitalDev"

We also noticed that at the same time in the Win event viewer there is an event from instacal for appcrash (see the attached file).

We reimage the windows OS, replaced USB Hub, replaced miniLab cards but the error keep showing.

I will appreciate your help with that issue

Thanks

Edited February 28 by Kyoto
typo

[DAQman]

It seems odd that your error report lists InstaCal when using a C# program to control the devices. InstaCal is run once to add the devices to the configuration and set the analog input mode. It should not be run while another program is controlling them. You could upgrade to InstaCal 6.74 to see if it helps. You could also try our DAQami program to see if it can reproduce the problem.

[Kyoto]

Upgrading might be too challenging. We have same setup working on other deployments so I doubt about the upgrade to 6.74

Can you please explain how DAQami can be used for troubleshoot ? can it run in parallel to the C# program ? 

[DAQman]

The idea is to run DAQami for a period of time in order to determine where the error lies. If it can read data from your devices simultaneously without error, then the issue points to the C# program. Do not run other programs in parallel because you will get strange errors. Or, you could use InstaCal to test each device separately with the Test->Analog panel. You could need a better USB hub if each device works individually but not together. When using multiple devices, it's best to use a PCI or PCIe hub instead of one that plugs into a USB port. 

[Kyoto]

We decided to connect the two miniLab cards directly using two USB cables to the Win10 machine where the C# program is running. We dont use the USB hub anymore, where it used to connect the two miniLabs and the Win10 together.

It is running for the last 24 hours without errors in the C# application, however we still experience the APPCRASH info event in the event viewer as I reported in my first post. The instacal executable is not running so it is strange that it reports it. We are assuming the event can be related to the "cbw32.dll" that is used by the C# application.

I uploaded all the files that created as result of the APPCRASH event.

Will appreciate if you can review the files and identify what can be wrong.

Thank you.   

Report.wer memory.hdmp WER83A6.tmp.appcompat.txt WER8298.tmp.mdmp WER8326.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml WER8346.tmp.xml WER8354.tmp.csv WER8364.tmp.txt

[DAQman]

 WER8353.tmp.csv appears to list the programs running at the time of the crash. Looking down the first column toward the bottom, you will see InstaCal listed twice. Somehow, someone or something is starting InstaCal, and therein lies the problem. Would you share how your code? Just the minilab part, mainly how it establishes communication.

[Kyoto]

We are asking for the customer inputs, to confirm whether there are Instacal processes running - previously he said it is not running.

Could it be that the Instacal processes are starting automatically somehow? I dont think we start it from the code, unless there is something in Instacal dll that brings it up.

The event in the event viewer that I posted in the first thread - does it mean that the Instacal application crashes (it is an Info message and not an error)? if it does crash, what makes it to start again as we saw these events several times and I assume it should gone if it is crashed already. Maybe the Instacal application recover automatically after crash ?

Thanks

[DAQman]

If you previously added the miniLabs to InstaCal's board list, its configuration file contains all the required information to run the C# program. If you were to rename InstaCal, it may give you a clue. InstaCal is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Measurement Computing\DAQ\. Rename inscal32.exe to inscal32.bak. If the results are the same, search your C drive for the following:

cbw32.dll    => The correct location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Measurement Computing\DAQ\

cbw64.dll    => The correct location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Measurement Computing\DAQ\

cb.cfg          => The correct location is C:\ProgramData\Measurement Computing\DAQ\ (usually a hidden location)

inscal32.exe => The correct location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Measurement Computing\DAQ\

If the search turns up multiple copies of the above files, delete those not in the above location. 

 

[Kyoto]

We got a response from our customer that the appcrash errors (in the event viewer) are not showing for several days now.

Thanks for the help so far