Archived: NI-RFSA 2.4 and 2.4.2 Known Issues

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Overview



This document contains the NI-RFSA 2.4 and 2.4.2 known issues that were discovered before and since the release of NI-RFSA 2.4 and NI-RFSA 2.4.2. Not every issue known to NI appears on this list; it is intended to show the most severe and common issues that can be encountered.

Each issue appears as a row in the table and includes the following fields:

  • Issue ID - The number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.  "N/A" indicates that there is no ID assigned to the issue.
  • Issue Title (in italics) - Describes the issue in one sentence or less.
  • Problem Description - A few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you may want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue, contact NI and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter the KnowledgeBase number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version of NI-RFSA in which the issue was reported. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of NI-RFSA than is reported in this field, report the discrepancy to NI to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Known Issues by Severity

  395826   Scaling coefficients returned can differ by up to 1e-10
  378277   In Spectrum acquisition mode, there is no magnitude only equalization performed when doing in-band retuning
  336698    Calling niRFSA Self Cal VI or the niRFSA_SelfCalibrate function for the NI PXIe-5663E does not self-calibrate the associated digitizer
  330425    EVM and MER measurements are degraded when using RF list mode
  305024    NI-RFSA can falsely report temperature sensor errors for the NI PXIe-5603
  305281    NI PXIe-5603 devices calibrated with a later version of NI-RFSA do not initialize with NI-RFSA 2.4
  304436    Calling the NI-RFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_Commit function before setting the attenuation-related properties results in incorrect gain scaling coefficients on the NI PXIe-5663, NI PXIe-5663E, and NI PXIe-5665
  301761    Calling the NI-RFSA Reset Device VI or the niRFSA_ResetDevice function on the NI PXIe-5622 can cause a blue screen in some instances
  297868    Users may get an undefined warning with code 88000 while using the NI PXI-5600 and changing clocking configurations
  296450    The NI PXIe-5622 digitizer may incorrectly report a warning that the PLL came unlocked or may experience initial accuracy issues
  288143    The NI PXIe-5622 (25 MHz) digitizer in an RT setup does not appear under the chassis in MAX
  287752    Execution times with multiple NI-RFSA sessions is slower than expected
  285185    NI-RFSA, with NI-SCOPE, writes incorrect calibration values to the NI PXIe-5622 during external calibration
  279084    Calling the NI-DAQmx Reset VI after calling the NI-RFSA Commit VI may cause the NI PXI-5600 firmware to return an error
  275798    The NI PXI-5600 may hang at cold temperatures at driver initialization or reset
  258323    Routing signals across segment boundaries on the NI PXIe-1075 chassis can intermittently fail
  224755    Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals in power spectrum data
  258630    Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize multiple VSAs acquiring at different I/Q rates results in misaligned data
  380936    NI-RFSA computes an incorrect temperature corrected gain when the IF gain on the NI PXIe-5603 or the NI PXIe-5605 is nominal
IDKnown Issue
395826

Scaling coefficients returned can differ by up to 1e-10.
For a single record IQ acquisition scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function could be different from the scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Fetch IQ (1D I16) VI or the niRFSA_FetchIQSingleRecordComplexI16 function. Similarly, for a multi-record IQ acquisition scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function could be different from the scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Fetch IQ (2D I16) VI or the niRFSA_FetchIQMultiRecordComplexI16 function. The difference in the scaling coefficients can be up to 1e-10.

Workaround: 

There is no workaround for this issue. However, since the difference in coefficients is rather small, this difference does not affect amplitude accuracy for any of the devices supported by NI-RFSA.

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: Unknown  Added: 03/13/2013
336698

Calling niRFSA Self Cal VI or the niRFSA_SelfCalibrate function for the NI PXIe-5663E does not self-calibrate the associated digitizer.
If you call the niRFSA Self Cal VI and set the steps to omit parameter to an empty array, or if you call the niRFSA_SelfCalibrate function and set the stepsToOmit parameter to 0, the Digitizer Self Cal option is not executed as expected.

Workaround: 

Use the niScope Cal Self Calibrate VI, or the niSCOPE_CalSelfCalibrate function, in the NI-SCOPE API or self-calibrate the NI PXIe-5622 through Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5.2  Added: 02/10/2012
378277

In Spectrum acquisition mode, there is no magnitude only equalization performed when doing in-band retuning.
The 5 MHz and 300 kHz filters do not have any magnitude equalization performed in spectrum acquisition mode on the NI PXIe-5665.

Workaround: 

N/A

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: Unknown  Added: 12/05/2012
336698

Calling niRFSA Self Cal VI or the niRFSA_SelfCalibrate function for the NI PXIe-5663E does not self-calibrate the associated digitizer.
If you call the niRFSA Self Cal VI and set the steps to omit parameter to an empty array, or if you call the niRFSA_SelfCalibrate function and set the stepsToOmit parameter to 0, the Digitizer Self Cal option is not executed as expected.

Workaround: 

Use the niScope Cal Self Calibrate VI, or the niSCOPE_CalSelfCalibrate function, in the NI-SCOPE API or self-calibrate the NI PXIe-5622 through Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5.2  Added: 02/10/2012
330425

EVM and MER measurements are degraded when using RF list mode.
When using NI-RFSA 2.3, 2.4, 2.4.2, or 2.5, EVM and MER measurements are degraded when NI-RFSA executes all RF list mode steps after the first step. NI-RFSA applies calibration corrections incorrectly for RF list mode steps beyond the first step, which leads to greater measurement errors. This issue may be more noticeable if your application uses high symbol rates and/or high-order digital modulation.

Workaround: 

To avoid this issue, you can choose from one of the following options:

  • Avoid using RF list mode in your application.
  • Wait to use list mode until this issue is fixed in the next version of NI-RFSA.
Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: 2.5.2  Added: 01/27/2012
305024
NI-RFSA can falsely report temperature sensor errors for the NI PXIe-5603.
There may be instances in which the temperature sensor on the NI PXIe-5603 incorrectly reports the temperature sensor state when using NI-RFSA 2.4. This error is caused by a temperature sensor data conversion time change that occurred after the device was released.

Workaround: Upgrade to NI-RFSA 2.4.2 or later.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.4.2  Added: 07/7/2011
305281
NI PXIe-5603 devices calibrated with a later version of NI-RFSA do not initialize with NI-RFSA 2.4.
Devices calibrated with later versions of NI-RFSA are incompatible with NI-RFSA 2.4. Devices calibrated with NI-RFSA 2.4 continue to function as expected.

Workaround: Upgrade to NI-RFSA 2.4.2.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.4.2  Added: 07/7/2011
304436
Calling the NI-RFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_Commit function before setting the attenuation-related properties results in incorrect gain scaling coefficients on the NI PXIe-5663, NI PXIe-56653E, and NI PXIe-5665.
If you call the NI-RFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_Commit function before setting any properties or attributes that control attenuation, like the Reference Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_REFERENCE_LEVEL attribute, the RF Attenuation property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_ATTENUATION attribute, and so on, and then call the niRFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function, the resulting coefficients are incorrect.

Workaround: Call the NI-RFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_Commit function after setting all attenuation related properties, then call the NI-RFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function to get the appropriate coefficients.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
301761
Calling the NI-RFSA Reset Device VI or the niRFSA_ResetDevice function on the NI PXIe-5622 can cause a blue screen in some instances.
Using NI-RFSA to self-calibrate the NI PXIe-5622 or resetting the RF vector signal analyzer session using the NI-RFSA Reset Device VI or the niRFSA_ResetDevice function on an NI PXIe-5663 or NI PXIe-5665 may result in a blue screen.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.4.5  Added: 07/7/2011
297868
Users may get an undefined warning with code 88000 while using the NI PXI-5600 and changing clocking configurations.
Using NI-RFSA to set the Sample clock source on the NI PXI-5600 to ClkIn or PXI_STAR may cause an undefined warning with the code 88000.

Workaround: To avoid this error, complete the following steps:
  1. Reset the device in Windows.
  2. Restart the controller in the LabVIEW Real-Time module.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
296450
The NI PXIe-5622 digitizer may incorrectly report a warning that the PLL came unlocked or may experience initial accuracy issues.
When using the NI PXIe-5622 digitizer in a RF vector signal analyzer session with NI-RFSA, you may receive a warning that the PLL came unlocked or that the first measurements may have accuracy issues. This issue appears after a device reset or a clock configuration change.

Workaround: Add a delay of at least 700 ms after a device reset or a clocking configuration change.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
288143
The NI PXIe-5622 (25 MHz) digitizer in an RT setup does not appear under the chassis in MAX.
The PXI Express device registration is missing for the chassis. This registration is required for the device to be assigned a slot number in MAX. The registration enables routing signals through the chassis backplane. The affected applications are NI-TClk, NI-RFSA List Mode, and any routing application using the chassis backplane.

Workaround:
  1. Update the nihsd.ini file in C:\Program Files\National Instruments\RT Images\NI-SCOPE\

    1. Update the children from @tIniManager@Children = "NI PXIe-5142,NI PXIe-5122,NI PXIe-5152,NI PXIe-5105,NI PXIe-5622,NI PXIe-5184,NI PXIe-5185,NI PXIe-5186"
      to
      @tIniManager@Children = "NI PXIe-5142,NI PXIe-5122,NI PXIe-5152,NI PXIe-5105,NI PXIe-5622,NI PXIe-5622 (25MHz DDC),NI PXIe-5184,NI PXIe-5185,NI PXIe-5186"
    2. Add the following entry at the end of the file:
      "[@tIniManager@Root:Peripheral Modules:National Instruments:NI PXIe-5622 (25MHz DDC)] Library = c:\ni-rt\system\pxi\drivers\NIPXIePM.dll Version = 65536"
  2. Reinstall the NI-SCOPE driver on the RT target.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.4.5  Added: 07/7/2011
287752
Execution times with multiple NI-RFSA sessions is slower than expected.
Test execution times with NI-RFSA device applications deteriorates significantly with every additional NI-RFSA session used. Performance degradation of up to 2x has been observed with an additional session.

Workaround: Install IVI 4.4.0 or later.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
285185
NI-RFSA, with NI-SCOPE, writes incorrect calibration values to the NI PXIe-5622 during external calibration.
Performing an external calibration on an NI 5622 device with NI-SCOPE 3.7 software results in incorrect calibration values written to the device. The calibration procedure completes without any errors but the validation fails.

Workaround: Perform external calibration on the NI 5622 using any other NI-SCOPE driver version other than NI-SCOPE 3.7.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.4.5  Added: 07/7/2011
279084
Calling the NI-DAQmx Reset VI after calling the NI-RFSA Commit VI may cause the NI PXI-5600 firmware to return an error.
When using the niRFSA Commit VI, if you call the DAQmx Reset VI or reset the device in MAX, the NI PXI-5600 firmware may return an error.

Workaround: Perform a reset device through MAX to return the device to the default state.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
275798
The NI PXI-5600 may hang at cold temperatures at driver initialization or reset.
When loading or resetting the NI PXI-5600 at cold temperatures,  the FPGA may hang, causing the device to be unusable.

Workaround: Contact National Instruments to get an updated firmware image with the fix.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: 2.5  Added: 07/7/2011
258323
Routing signals across segment boundaries on the NI PXIe-1075 chassis can intermittently fail.
The NI PXIe-1075 chassis backplane has the following three trigger buses (segments) that you can use to route digital signals:
  • Trigger Bus 1: PXI Slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
  • Trigger Bus 2: PXI Slots 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12
  • Trigger Bus 3: PXI Slots 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18
Backplane signal route requests may sometimes fail if the source and destination devices lie in different segments of the chassis. In that scenario, error -26981 ("A protocol violation was detected.") is returned. This error is intermittent, and its frequency depends on the embedded controller or MXI interface device used in the chassis.

Workaround: There are two possible workarounds for this issue:
  • Change the location of the source and destination devices for the hardware route such that both of them lie in the same trigger bus.
  • Since this error is intermittent, first retry the same route because it may succeed. In LabVIEW, you can retry by conditionally detecting error -26981, clearing the error, and attempting to reserve the same route again.
Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
224755
Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals in power spectrum data.
Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals when performing a power spectrum acquisition. When performing an acquisition narrower than the hardware instantaneous bandwidth, the signals can appear in the lower frequency bins and upper frequency bins of the acquisition. When performing a multispan acquisition, the signals can appear at the boundary of each single span spectral acquisition that makes up the total acquisition.

Workaround: The low-power signals represent the dither signal on the digitizer. Although the dither signal is at a frequency that is outside the bandwidth of the equalized response, the power of the dither signal can leak into the equalized response, depending on the resolution bandwidth and the FFT window type. You can remove the dither from the power spectrum data using one of the following methods:
  • Using a narrower resolution bandwidth.
  • Disabling the dither.
  • Choosing a different FFT window type. This solution may be less effective than the previous solutions, depending on the resolution bandwidth.
Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
258630
Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize multiple devices acquiring at different I/Q rates results in misaligned data.
When using NI-TClk synchronization where two or more NI RF vector signal analyzers acquire at different I/Q rates, the acquired data might be misaligned. The misalignment manifests itself as a skew where the data from one device appears to be leading/lagging the data from the other device. The time delay between the data acquired by the master and a slave is constant for the combination of the hardware settings configured on the two devices. This skew is repeatable and does not vary with time.

Workaround: Since the skew does not vary with time, you can empirically determine the expected misalignment and correct the acquired data manually.

Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
380936
NI-RFSA computes an incorrect temperature corrected gain when the IF gain on the NI PXIe-5603 or the NI PXIe-5605 is nominal.
It is possible for NI-RFSA to report an incorrect value for the Downconverter Gain property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_DOWNCONVERTER_GAIN attribute, the IF Output Power Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_IF_OUTPUT_POWER_LEVEL attribute, or return error -1074118655 when the IF gain on the NI PXIe-5603 or the NI PXIe-5605 is nominal. A nominal IF gain is chosen by NI-RFSA if there is no calibration data present in the device EEPROM for the attenuation configuration that is requested. The computed temperature corrected gain is incorrect only when the configuration requires NI-RFSA to choose a nominal IF gain.

Workaround: Calibrate the requested gain configuration using the NI-RFSA external calibration API.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 12/05/2012

Contacting NI

Contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you contact NI in regards to a specific issue, reference the ID number given in the document. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting NI). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also contact us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document.

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).