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Troubleshooting

This guide helps diagnose common issues with devices and experiments in LabStream. Work through the relevant section step by step. If issues persist, note any error messages and your device model when contacting support.

Quick Diagnostics Checklist

  • Power and cabling firmly connected, correct polarity, proper shielding.
  • Correct connection type selected (Serial vs Ethernet) and parameters set.
  • Device appears under My Devices and shows Online.
  • Only necessary devices connected to reduce bus load and bandwidth.

On Windows PowerShell, helpful checks:

# Ping an Ethernet device (replace with your device IP)
ping 192.168.1.50

# Test TCP connectivity to a port (e.g., Modbus TCP 502)
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.1.50 -Port 502

# List serial ports
Get-CimInstance Win32_SerialPort | Select-Object Name, DeviceID

1) Device cannot connect

Symptoms: device fails to connect or repeatedly times out.

  • Verify connection parameters match the device settings:
  • Serial: COM port, baud rate, data bits, parity, stop bits, device address/ID (e.g., Modbus RTU address)
  • Ethernet: IP address, port, protocol, and any required password/keys
  • Use the vendor’s official utility to validate settings and hardware:
  • Example: Advantech devices (e.g., ADAM-4118) can be tested with AdvantechUtility. Confirm you can read/write using the vendor tool with the same parameters.
  • Ensure no other application is locking the port (close vendor tools before connecting in LabStream).
  • Keep fewer than ~3 devices on a single serial bus to maintain the 1-second sampling interval.
  • Remove unused devices from the system to reduce bandwidth/contention.

See device specifics under Devices.

2) Device appears Offline

Symptoms: device previously connected but now shows Offline in My Devices.

  • Check physical connection and power; reseat cables.
  • For Ethernet devices:
  • ping <device-ip> to verify network reachability.
  • Test-NetConnection -ComputerName <device-ip> -Port <port> to test the service port.
  • Click Reconnect in LabStream. If that fails, try: 1) Remove the device from My Devices 2) Add the device again with the verified parameters
  • If the device was re-added, note that the device ID and channel IDs will change. Update charts/controllers to use the new channels.

3) Channel burnout / sensor not detected

Symptoms: device reports a burnout or sensor-not-connected error; readings invalid.

  • Many IO devices can detect open sensor wiring and flag a burnout state (e.g., thermocouple open circuit).
  • Inspect sensor wiring, polarity, and terminal tightness. Check for broken wires.
  • Confirm the channel type (e.g., TC/RTD/Voltage) matches the actual sensor and device configuration.
  • After fixing wiring, clear the error if required by the device and confirm readings return to normal.

4) Cannot start an experiment: channel ID not found

Symptoms: starting an experiment fails with missing channel ID errors.

  • Cause: The device that provided the channel was removed or disconnected, so its channel IDs no longer exist.
  • Fix: 1) Ensure the device is added and Online in My Devices. 2) Open the experiment configuration. 3) Re-select channels for charts and/or controllers from the now-available devices. 4) Save and start the experiment again.
  • Note: Removing and re-adding a device generates new device/channel IDs; always rebind charts and controllers after changes.

5) Chart readings stuck at minimum or maximum

Symptoms: plotted values clamp to min/max, appear frozen or unrealistic.

  • Check device status in My Devices and confirm it is Online.
  • Inspect wiring and sensor health; a faulty sensor often drives readings to extremes.
  • Verify channel configuration (type, scaling, and conversion coefficients) matches the actual sensor.
  • For shared serial buses, reduce the number of devices to keep within the 1-second sampling cycle.

6) Cannot find a device in Device Center

Symptoms: you cannot locate your model in the Device Center.

  • Use the search function by model number and vendor.
  • If still not found, click Request a New Device and submit the form with:
  • Vendor, model, link to datasheet/manual
  • Connection type (Serial/Ethernet) and protocol
  • Desired channels and units
  • We’ll reach out as soon as possible and update the supported list.

Additional tips

  • Keep your workspace clean: remove unused devices before running experiments.
  • Maintain proper grounding/shielding for analog measurements to reduce noise.
  • Document the exact parameters that work in the vendor utility and mirror them in LabStream to avoid mismatches.

For device-specific instructions, see Devices. To set up monitoring and control, see Experiments.