What Do the LEDs Indicate on the 9881 CANOpen C Series Module?

Updated Dec 23, 2023

Reported In

Hardware

  • NI-9881

Issue Details

I have searched through all of the documentation for the NI-9881 and I have been unable to find any information about what the LEDs on the device indicate.  What are the LEDs used for and what do they indicate?
 

Solution

The hardware status LED 1 definitions are as follows:

 
LEDDescription
Blinks GreenThe CANopen hardware port is stopped.
OffNo application is using the CANopen hardware port. The CANopen port is disconnected from the CANopen network in this state.
Solid GreenThe CANopen hardware port is opened in a normal condition.


The error status LED 2 definitions are as follows: 
 
LEDDescription
OffNo errors are detected.
Blinks RedError occurs when initializing the firmware. The hardware may be problematic.
Solid RedCAN network is bus off. You can clear the bus off error physically and reopen the CANopen interface.

In addition, the following LED indications are protocol independent: 
 
Condition/StateLED 1LED 2
NI-XNET catastrophic errorBlinks redBlinks red
No open session on hardwareOffOff
Open session on hardware, port is missing powerSolid redOff
Open session on hardware, port is properly powered, and hardware is not communicatingSolid greenOff
Port identificationBlinks greenBlinks green


And the following LED indications are specific to CAN: 
 
Condition/StateLED 1LED 2
Firmware is communicating, and controller is in Error Active stateSolid greenActivity green (returns to idle/off one second after last TX or RX)
Firmware is communicating, and controller is in Error Passive stateSolid greenActivity red (returns to idle/off one second after last TX or RX)
Firmware is running, and controller transitioned to bus offSolid greenSolid red

Additional Information

The CANopen boards feature two LEDs to help monitor your hardware and bus status. LED1, the hardware status LED, is used to indicate if the hardware is currently in use. LED 2, the error status LED, is used to indicate if an error has occurred. Each LED can display two colors (red or green), which display the following patterns: 
 
PatternMeaning
OffNo LED illumination
SolidLED fully illuminated
BlinkBlinks in the following pattern: 140 ms on, 140 ms off
ActivityBlinks in the following pattern: 262 ms on, 210 ms off, 210 ms on, 52 ms off, 52 ms on, 52 ms off