Troubleshooting¶

“Have you tried turning it off and on again?” - The IT Crowd

Below you will find a table with common problems and potential solutions for Qblox Pulsar series instruments. If your problem is not listed or you are not able to fix your problem, please contact support@qblox.com for help.

Problem	Solutions
The status (S) LED is not green or white.	If the LED is red, it indicates a serious error that needs to be resolved. Query `get_system_state()` to see what the problem is.
	If the LED is orange, the LED indicates a critical warning, that an error has occurred but has been resolved. Query `get_system_state()` see what the problem is.
	If the LED is yellow, the device is (trying to) boot. If this state persists for more than 1-2 try power-cycling the device manually.
The reference clock (R) LED is not green.	If the LED is red, no reference clock is found. Most likely you have selected the external input as reference source, but have not connected the reference.
The reference clock (R) LED is not green.	If the LED is blue, the internal reference clock is selected. Use the parameter `reference_source()` to change this if necessary.
The channel (I/O) LEDs are not green.	If the LED is red, an error has occurred in one or more of the connected sequencers. Query `get_sequencer_state()` to see what the problem is.
	If the LED is purple or blue, one or more of the connected sequencers is armed or running. Query `get_sequencer_state()` to see what the sequencers are doing.
	If the LED is orange, one or more of the connected sequencers is causing the output to clip. Query `get_sequencer_state()` to see what the sequencers are doing.
I cannot connect to the instrument.	Make sure that the Ethernet cables are firmly inserted into the instrument and host PC (see section Connecting a Pulsar).
	Make sure that the instrument and host PC are within the same subnet of the same network (see section Connecting a Pulsar).
	Make sure that you are using the IP address of the instrument. If you you do not know the IP address or are not sure you are using the correct one, see section Finding the IP address of a module.
	If all else fails: 1) connect to the instrument with your computer directly, and disconnect everything else (WiFi etc. too), to make sure you’re really only connected to the offending device; 2) set your IP address to 192.168.0.200, with netmask 255.255.255.0 (see section Connecting a Pulsar; 3) run `qblox-pnp recover-device`; 4) the device should now reboot (if it doesn’t come back up within 1-2 minutes, remove and then reapply power); 5) you should now be able to connect to the instrument via its default IP address, namely 192.168.0.2.
When I connect to the instrument, I get an error that the driver and firmware are incompatible.	This indicates that the version of your installed Qblox instruments package and the firmware of the instrument you are trying to connect to are not compatible (see sections Installation and Updating).
	If all else fails, the instrument can be instantiated in debug mode where this error is bypassed. However, this is highly discouraged and no guarantees can be given that the instruments will function properly. Nor can further support be provided. Please see `Pulsar`, `Cluster`.
When I connect a reference clock to REFⁱⁿ and configure the instrument to use an external reference clock, the reference clock LED (R) turns red.	Make sure that the reference clock source is outputting the clock as a 10 MHz, 1 Vpp signal. The REF^out from another Qblox instrument can be used for this (see section Synchronization).
I cannot get the SYNQ to work.	Make sure that you are using a USB-C compliant cable to connect the instruments using the SYNQ connectors (see section Overview).
	Make sure that the SYNQ cables are firmly inserted into the instrument. A distinct click should be felt when inserting them into the instruments.
	Make sure that the SYNQ is enabled by setting the `sequencer#.sync_en()` parameter.
	Make sure that the sequencers are used to play waveforms and start acquisitions and that these sequencers are running the wait_sync instruction (see section Sequencer).
I cannot get the trigger to work.	Make sure the trigger source is connected to the TRIGⁱⁿ SMA connector (see section Overview).
	Make sure that the trigger source is outputting a trigger. This can be easily verified using an oscilloscope.
	Make sure that the sequencers are used to play waveforms and start acquisitions and that these sequencers are running the wait_trigger instruction (see section Sequencer).
The output voltage of the instrument is twice as high as expected.	Make sure that you terminate the output signal with 50 Ω.
I updated the firmware or IP address using the Qblox Configuration Manager and the LEDs turned purple and/or red. Did something go wrong?	No, this is normal behaviour and indicates that the instrument has stopped its internal processes and is trying to reboot. Though, some are not able to and need a manual power cycle (see Updating).
I updated the firmware or IP address using the Qblox Configuration Manager, but the instrument won’t automatically reboot.	Unfortunately, some instruments do not have the the capability to reboot and have to be manually power cycled. Some up to two times to complete an update (see Updating).