Matlab Student 2014a Instrument Control App exits on scan for devices

I'm trying to use the instrument control app to control a NI-6509 USB, but every time I go to scan for devices in the app, it forces me to exit Matlab due to an internal error. I am using R2014a Student on OSX Yosemite 10.10.1

Answer 1

[Vinod]

This was related to changes Apple made in OS X and is specific to the Mac. This has since been resolved and the app no longer crashes.

[Walter Roberson]

What needed to be updated? Did one of the OS-X 10.10.* fix the problem?

[Vinod]

With Apple updates, the Bluecove library used for bluetooth discovery and communication crashes MATLAB. OS-X updates have not fixed the problem. Bluecove needs to be updated to use the new OS calls, but is no longer being maintained.

[Walter Roberson]

Umm, that doesn't sound like "This has since been resolved and the app no longer crashes", so I am confused?

[Vinod]

Bluetooth is not supported on the Mac as of 15b. This prevents the usage of the Bluecove library, thereby preventing the crash.

[Walter Roberson]

So an upgrade to R2015b is required? Does this affect all use of Instrument Control Toolbox on OS-X Yosemite on pre-R2015b releases, making it not possible to use the toolbox at all on those releases? Or does it only affect if Bluetooth is turned on? If one has Yosemite and a pre-R2015b release with Instrument Control Toolbox, is one SOL or is the crash avoidable?

[Vinod]

The command-line API of the toolbox is functional. When using R2014a TMTOOL crashes on Mac OS 10.9.x and higher when the user hits the "refresh" button on the root node or the Bluetooth node of TMTOOL. Please contact technical support and they may be able to provide a patch for older MATLAB releases if upgrading is not an option.

Note that Bluetooth and TMTOOL were completely functional on Mac OS 10.8.0 and older, which was the current OS at the time of those releases.

[Walter Roberson]

Thank you, Vinod, that is much clearer now.

[Vinod]

Walter: As of R2016a, Bluetooth Serial Port Profile support on the never versions of Mac OS X (including El Capitan, which is the current version at the time of this comment) using the command line API and TMTOOL are fully functional.

Answer 2

[Vinod]

MATLAB R2016a should support your Bluetooth SPP workflows if you are running the newer versions of Mac OS X (such as Yosemite or El Capitan).