NI PXI-8104 User manual

INSTALLATION GUIDE
NI PXI-8104
This document contains information about installing the NI PXI-8104
controller in a PXI chassis. For complete configuration and troubleshooting
information (including information about BIOS setup, adding RAM, etc.),
refer to the NI PXI-8104 User Manual. The manual is in PDF format on the
recovery CD included with the controller and on the National Instruments
Web site, ni.com.
Installing the NI PXI-8104
This section contains general installation instructions for the NI PXI-8104.
Consult the NI PXI-8104 User Manual for specific instructions and
warnings.
1. Plug in the chassis before installing the NI PXI-8104. The power cord
grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while you
install the module. (Make sure the power switch is turned off.)
Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards, leave the chassis
off until you finish installing the NI PXI-8104 module.
2. Remove any panels blocking access to the system controller slot
(Slot 1) in the chassis.
3. Touch the metal part of the case to discharge any static electricity that
might be on your clothes or body.
4. Remove the protective plastic covers from the four bracket-retaining
screws as shown in Figure 1.
5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position.
Align the NI PXI-8104 with the card guides on the top and bottom of
the system controller slot.

NI PXI-8104 Installation Guide 2 ni.com
Figure 1. Removing Protective Screw Caps
Caution Do not raise the injector/ejector handle as you insert the NI PXI-8104. The
module will not insert properly unless the handle is in its downward position so that it
does not interfere with the injector rail on the chassis.
6. Hold the handle as you slowly slide the module into the chassis until
the handle catches on the injector/ejector rail.
7. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module firmly seats into the
backplane receptacle connectors. The front panel of the NI PXI-8104
should be even with the front of the chassis.
8. Tighten the four bracket-retaining screws on the top and bottom of the
front panel to secure the NI PXI-8104 to the chassis.
9. Check the installation.
10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the USB connectors. If you are
using a PS/2 keyboard and a PS/2 mouse, use USB-to-PS/2 adapters to
connect both to the USB connectors on the front panel. You may use a
Y-splitter adapter to connect both keyboard and mouse to one USB
port, leaving the other USB ports free for other peripherals, such as a
CD-ROM drive, or secondary hard drive. National Instruments offers
a Y-splitter adapter cable, part number 778713-02, available through
the online catalog at ni.com/products.
1 Protective Screw Cap (4X)
1

©National Instruments Corporation 3 NI PXI-8104 Installation Guide
11. Connect the DVI monitor video cable to the DVI connector. If you are
using a VGA monitor, use the DVI-to-VGA adapter included with
your kit.
12. Connect peripherals to ports as required by your system configuration.
13. Power on the display. Refer to the NI PXI-8104 User Manual for
details.
14. Power on the chassis.
15. Verify that the controller boots. If it does not boot, refer to the What If
the NI PXI-8104 Does Not Boot? section later in this guide.
Figure 2 shows an NI PXI-8104 controller installed in the system controller
slot of a National Instruments PXI-1042 chassis. You can place PXI devices
in any other slot.
Figure 2. NI PXI-8104 Controller Installed in a PXI Chassis
1 NI PXI-1042 Chassis 2 NI PXI-8104 Controller 3 Injector/Ejector Rail
1
2
3

NI PXI-8104 Installation Guide 4 ni.com
How to Remove the Controller from the PXI Chassis
The NI PXI-8104 controllers are designed for easy handling. To remove
the unit from the PXI chassis:
1. Turn off power.
2. Remove the cables from the controller front panel.
3. Unscrew the bracket-retaining screws in the front panel.
4. Press the injector/ejector handle down.
5. Slide the unit out of the chassis.
What If the NI PXI-8104 Does Not Boot?
Several problems can cause a controller not to boot. Here are some things
to look for and possible solutions.
Things to Notice
• Which LEDs come on? The Power OK LED should stay lit. The
Drive LED should blink during boot as the disk is accessed.
• What appears on the display? Does it hang at some particular point
(BIOS, Operating System, etc.)? If nothing appears on the screen,
try a different monitor. Does your monitor work with a different PC?
If it hangs, note the last screen output that you saw for reference when
consulting National Instruments technical support.
• What has changed about the system? Did you recently move the
system? Was there electrical storm activity? Did you recently add
a new module, memory chip, or piece of software?
Things to Try
• Make sure the chassis is plugged into a working power source.
• Check any fuses or circuit breakers in the chassis or other power
supply (possibly an uninterruptible power supply).
• Make sure the controller module is firmly seated in the chassis.
• Remove all other modules from the chassis.
• Remove any nonessential cables or devices.
• Try the controller in a different chassis or a similar controller in this
same chassis.
• Clear the CMOS. (Refer to the System CMOS section of the
NI PXI-8104 User Manual.)
• Recover the hard drive on the controller. (Refer to the Hard Drive
Recovery section of the NI PXI-8104 User Manual.)

©National Instruments Corporation 5 NI PXI-8104 Installation Guide
For more troubleshooting information, refer to the NI PXI-8104 User
Manual. The manual is in PDF format on the recovery CD included with
your controller and on the National Instruments Web site, ni.com.
What If I Cannot See the Video?
This problem usually results from having the video card output set past the
limits of the monitor. You will need to boot Windows in Safe Mode. To do
this, reboot the controller. As Windows begins to boot, hold down <F8>.
You should now be able to reset the video driver to lower settings. Try
setting the resolution to 640 × 480 and the refresh rate to 60 Hz. Once you
reboot, you can raise these values again, using the test option in Windows.
These settings are accessible through the Advanced tab of the Display item
in the Control Panel. Alternately, you can try a different monitor,
preferably a newer and larger one.
If the system has been booted to Windows without a monitor attached, the
driver may have defaulted to the video output connector being disabled.
Press <Ctrl-Alt-F1> to re-enable the video display in Windows. Press
<Ctrl-Alt-F4> to re-enable a DVI display. For more information, refer
to KnowledgeBase 3OHCFRD8 at ni.com/support.

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