Power On Empty PXI/PXIe Chassis

Issue Details

• I have two PXIe-1078, and one of them cannot be powered on without any controller module in it while another one can be powered on with the fan turning on and LED lighting up. Which one is having unexpected behavior?
• Why can't I power on my PXI chassis when I don't plug in the controller module?

Solution

Inhibit Mode switch on your PXI/PXIe chassis will control the chassis inhibit mode. 

In its default position (OFF), the PXI Express controller controls the power supply on/off state based on the power switch on the chassis front panel. The Inhibit Mode switch on the backplane must be in the Default position for the system controller to have control of the power supply.

When the switch is on, the backplane controls the power supply on/off state. This allows you to circumvent the controller and turn the chassis on or off manually. When it is on, the power supply turns on when you press the front panel power switch. When the power supply is on, holding down the front panel power switch for about one second turns the power supply off.

Please refer to the user manual of your PXI/PXIe chassis to check the position of inhibit switch.

Additional Information

The power inhibit switch on the chassis has an integrated LED. This LED indicates one of two conditions:

• If the inhibit switch LED is steady green (not flashing), the chassis is powered on and operating normally. 
• If the inhibit switch LED is red, the system fans have failed.