FYI-
The latest fix has been to reduce the baud rate to 250k, as Danaher/Dynapar has since informed me that they are aware of issues when running 4 or more devices at 500k when using both Poll and Strobe mode. I have not had dropouts since making this change, and the rate change does not appear to affect the functionality of the VI.
They have never tested the encoders with NI systems. They only use an Allen-Bradley DeviceNet card, which configures the bus with a very different, more detailed process (using EDS files). I am wondering if there is some discrepancy between the two systems' configuration operations, of which the NI card may not set the encoders properly. I informed Dynapar that the VI only opens one I/O object per encoder, and depending on which one I am trying (right now strobed is working - which I would prefer), they are all configured as either polled OR strobed, never both. Is it possible the 8461 is setting it to a common "polled AND strobed" even though I am selecting only one or the other?
I have also put each encoder into its own timed loop** and added a "wait for state" before the "read I/O" to reduce and/or eliminate errors and to allow each read to be a bit more independent.
Thank you all for all your help!
Steve
** The use of timed loops to set priorities seems to be causing issues with the RTOS, but that's for another discussion at some other time...
