GPIB to USB randomly disconnecting

[vpdragon77]

I am using windows 7 to communicate to 6 devices through GPIB with the GPIB to usb hardware. Lately I've been running into the problem of getting a driver error after a few hours of testing. When I start the program over, it reconnects fine and I can control all my devices again. I am using a .NET program, the gpib to usb is plugged into a powered usb hub. Has anyone else have this issued and fixed it? Thanks in advance.

[crossrulz]

My first thought is to make sure Windows is not turning off any internal USB hubs.  In Windows 7, it is a "power saving feature."  You can turn it off in the devince manager.

[vpdragon77]

That's already unchecked for this computer. Thanks for the suggestion though. 

[AwakeTheField]

Can you give some more information about the error you are recieving? Do you have an error code that you are recieving? Do you know where in your code the error is being thrown?

My first guesses were also power issues from the PC, but if that's not the case, digging into what error is actaully being thrown may bring about some answers.

Best,

[vpdragon77]

It happens usually when I try to read or write into one of my devices. I have a try catch block there and the message box says Device Error. If i press okay to contunine all my devices will give me this error. It's only after reinitializing all the devices that they start functioning properly. 

[AwakeTheField]

Is there any other information on the error you are recieving other than "Device Error"? For example, when you get the error dialog box, is there any error code (ex. -255250)? It sounds like your program is having trouble with communicating with your GPIB devices, but having an error code could really help to narrow this down.

As a next troubleshooting step, I would try using NI MAX to see if you can communicate with all of your GPIB devices properly. You can do this by using "Self-Test" or "Test Panels" within NI MAX.

Here is a link about using NI MAX that you may find helpful: http://www.ni.com/tutorial/4638/en/ 

[vpdragon77]

My mistake, the error is "Driver Error" there is nothing else printed out but I believe it disconnects my gpib to usb device for a short moment so now my devices are not connected to my computer. I can press Ok on the error message and it will just cycle to all the devics and keep saying Driver Error. Some days I am able to communicate perfectly fine for 2-3 days and some days it'll disconnect 1-2 stopping my program. 

[AwakeTheField]

Is the USB hub plugged into a front facing USB port or rear facing? The reason why I ask is because sometimes the USB ports on the back of the computer have higher power ratings than the one on the front.

Also, I found this third-party forum posts that mentions this very problem with USB ports being periodically disconnected:  http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1783536/usb-ports-disconnecting-reconnecting.html 

After reading through this, there are some interesting troubleshooting steps that you may want to consider. 

Also, are you using NI hardware, or is this all third-party devices? I ask this so that I can check whether or not all the software and hardware is fully compatible. Also, along that topic, what driver versions do you have? You can find that information in NI MAX under "Software"