Troubleshooting

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Device Troubleshooting

Why Doesn't the Device Power On?

Check the power supply by substituting a different adapter.

Why Does USRP2 Appear Instead of the USRP Device in the NI-USRP Configuration Utility?

  • An incorrect IP address on the computer may cause this error. Check the IP address and run the NI-USRP Configuration Utility again.
  • An old FPGA or firmware image on the device may also cause this error. Upgrade the FPGA and firmware using the NI-USRP Configuration Utility.

Should I Update Device Firmware and FPGA Images?

USRP device s ship with firmware and FPGA images compatible with NI-USRP driver software. You may need to update the device for compatibility with the latest version of the software.

When you use the NI-USRP API, a default FPGA loads from persistent storage on the device.

The driver software media also includes the NI-USRP Configuration Utility, which you can use to update the devices.

Updating Device Firmware and FPGA Images (Optional)

The firmware and FPGA images for USRP device s are stored in the device internal memory. You can reload the FPGA image or firmware image using the NI-USRP Configuration Utility and an Ethernet connection, but you cannot create custom FPGA images using the Ethernet connection.

  1. If you have not already done so, connect the host computer to the device using the Ethernet port.
  2. Select Start » All Programs » National Instruments » NI-USRP » NI-USRP Configuration Utility to open the NI-USRP Configuration Utility.
  3. Select the N2xx/NI-29xx Image Updater tab. The utility automatically populates the Firmware Image and FPGA Image fields with the paths to the default firmware and FPGA image files. If you want to use different files, click the Browse button next to the file you want to change, and navigate to the file you want to use.
  4. Verify that the firmware and FPGA image paths are entered correctly.
  5. Click the Refresh Device List button to scan for USRP devices and update the device list.
    If your device does not appear in the list, verify that the device is on and is correctly connected to the computer.
    If your device still does not appear in the list, you can manually add the device to the list. Click the Manually Add Device button, enter the IP address of the device in the dialog box that displays, and click OK.
  6. Select the device to update from the device list and verify that you selected the correct device.
  7. Verify that the version of the FPGA image file matches the board revision for the device you are updating.
  8. To update the device, click the WRITE IMAGES button.
  9. A confirmation dialog box displays. Confirm your selections and click OK to continue.
    A progress bar indicates the status of the update.
  10. When the update completes, a dialog box prompts you to reset the device. A device reset applies the new images to the device. Click OK to reset the device.
    Note The utility is unresponsive while it verifies that the device reset correctly.
  11. Close the utility.

Why Doesn't the USRP Device Appear in MAX?

MAX does not support the USRP device . Use the NI-USRP Configuration Utility instead. Open the NI-USRP Configuration Utility from the Start menu at Start » All Programs » National Instruments » NI-USRP » NI-USRP Configuration Utility.

Why Doesn't the USRP Device Appear in the NI-USRP Configuration Utility?

  1. Check the connection between the USRP device and the computer.
  2. Ensure that the USRP device is connected to a computer with a gigabit-compatible Ethernet adapter.
  3. Ensure that a static IP address of 192.168.10.1 is assigned to the adapter in your computer.
  4. Allow up to 15 seconds for the device to completely start up.

Why Don't NI-USRP Examples Appear in the NI Example Finder in LabVIEW?

NI-USRP does not install examples into the NI Example Finder.

Network Troubleshooting

Why Doesn't the Device Respond to a Ping (ICMP Echo Request)?

The device should reply to an internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo request. To ping the device, open a Windows command prompt and enter ping 192.168.10.2, where 192.168.10.2 is the IP address for your USRP device. If you do not receive a response, verify that the host network interface card is set to a static IP address corresponding to the same subnet as the IP address of the corresponding device. Also verify that the device IP address is set properly.

Why Doesn't the NI-USRP Configuration Utility Return a Listing for My Device?

If the NI-USRP Configuration Utility does not return a listing for your device, search for a specific IP address.
  1. Navigate to <Program Files>\National Instruments\NI-USRP\.
  2. <Shift>-right-click the utilities folder, and select Open command window here from the shortcut menu to open a Windows command prompt.
  3. Enter uhd_find_devices --args=addr=192.168.10.2 in the command prompt, where 192.168.10.2 is the IP address for your USRP device.
  4. Press <Enter>.
    If the uhd_find_devices command does not return the listing for your device, the firewall may be blocking replies to UDP broadcast packets. Windows installs and enables a firewall by default. To allow UDP communication with a device, disable any firewall software associated with the network interface for the device.

Why Doesn't the Device IP Address Reset to the Default?

If you cannot reset the default device IP address, your device may be on a different subnet than the host network adapter. You can power cycle the device in a safe (read-only) image, which sets the device to the default IP address of 192.168.10.2.
  1. Open the device enclosure, making sure to take appropriate static precautions.
  2. Locate the safe-mode button, a push-button switch (S2), inside the enclosure.
  3. Press and hold the safe-mode button while you power cycle the device.
  4. Continue to press the safe-mode button until the front panel LEDs blink and remain solid.
  5. While in safe-mode, run the NI-USRP Configuration Utility to change the IP address from the default, 192.168.10.2, to a new value.
  6. Power cycle the device without holding the safe-mode button to return the normal mode.
    Note NI recommends that you use a dedicated network with no other USRP devices connected to the host computer to avoid the possibility of an IP address conflict. Also, verify that the static IP address of the host network adapter on the computer that runs the NI-USRP Configuration Utility is different from the device default IP address of 192.168.10.2 and different from the new IP address to which you want to set the device.
    Note If the device IP address is on a different subnet from the host network adapter, the host system and configuration utility cannot communicate with and configure the device. For example, the utility recognizes, but cannot configure a device with an IP address of 192.168.11.2 connected to a host network adapter with a static IP address of 192.168.10.1 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. To communicate with and configure the device, change the host network adapter to a static IP address on the same subnet as the device, such as 192.168.11.1, or change the subnet mask of the host network adapter to recognize a wider range of IP addresses, such as 255.255.0.0.

Why Does the Device Not Connect to the Host Interface?

The host Ethernet interface must be a gigabit Ethernet interface to connect to the USRP device.
Ensure the connection between the host network interface card and the device cable connection is valid and both the device and computer are powered on.
A lit green LED in the upper left corner of the gigabit Ethernet connection port on the device front panel indicates a gigabit Ethernet connection.