MPSSE (DLP-2232H FT2xx) on 64-bit LabVIEW

[Evan Pallesen]

Hi.

We have switched over completely to 64bit LabView on Windows 10 for the last three years. I want to use the 64 bit versions of FT2XX and MPSSE dlls to control some SPI chips with the DLP-2232H board, and wrote some VIs, but they always produce Error 1=FT_INVALID_HANDLE. Input and output for this parameter are pointer size unsigned integer (USZ on the Call Lib Function Node O/P box), and I am passing the handle pointer parameter through from one of the FT_OPEN_DEVICE functions using U64 indicators and controls. I have the source code for the dlls, but apart from an intro course on C++ in engineering applications for my 2 year degree 20 years ago, and some recent Arduino work, I am no C++ guru to be diving into the source with ease. The only advice I can find in the LabView forums seems to indicate that people have just given up on 64bit LabView and drivers, and stuck with 32bit everything, which doesn’t help me. Any suggestion you can give would be most appreciated.

Thanks
Evan

[Ajay]

Hi Evan,

Historically 64-bit LabVIEW is preferred only when there is an absolute benefit like high memory usage or real dependency on 64-bit drivers etc.  However, I can give a few suggestions like

• Have you used FTDI 64-bit drivers yourselves?
• A few things can go easily wrong in Call Library Function nodes like the pointer and its conversions, please ensure they are covered properly.
• If you have other dependencies in 32-bit support, I would say the quickest trick could, open your project/files in 32-bit LabVIEW and build them.  Since you don’t need a separate license for 32-bit or 64-bit LabVIEW.  However, if your project really needs 64-bit dependencies or 64-bit benefits then the obvious rough route is to build 64-bit dependencies.  FYI: The driver I have here is for the FT4222 device and doesn’t support MPSSE on FT2xx.

Thanks
Ajay

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Ajay.

[Evan Pallesen]

Thanks AJ. I was using some older 64bit drivers that were already in our framework, from a bit-bang application developed about ten years ago using the same DLP board. I’d also tried some others I found in the forums. I’ll try the latest ones you pointed to and see how they work out. I have spent quite a bit of time on understanding the documentation I downloaded from the FTDI website and trying to get the handle passing correctly. Our whole team is working with 64bit LabView 2019 now, and my product must go back into the characterization framework so using 32bit is not really practical at this stage.

Thanks again

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