Maybe I wasn't clear, but $! solved the problem for me. Again, it was a memory allocation error.

I would have posted the code if I thought it would've helped. But I was essentially looping on a print `$foo` command where $foo was a command execute proprietary software. Furthermore, that command worked for 12 cycles and also worked when I ran it outside of the script so I didn't think it was a syntax problem. I was just looking for more info on the nuances of running system() and commands through backticks. I did read How (Not) To Ask a Question, too.

Anyways, it's been fun. Back to the world of hardware for me.