Why Is the Ready LED Off When My NI USB Data Acquisition Device Is Powered?

Updated Dec 28, 2023

Reported In

Hardware

  • myDAQ Student Data Acquisition Device
  • USB-6353
  • USB-6341
  • USB-6251
  • USB-6259
  • USB DAQ Power Supply
  • USB-6361
  • USB-6363
  • USB-6349
  • USB-4431
  • USB-4432

Issue Details

  • The ready LED does not turn on when I have plugged my USB DAQ device and turned on the power switch.
  • I cannot detect the device in NI Measurement and Automation Explorer. 
  • My USB DAQ device won't turn on.

Solution

There are two main reasons this could be happening: either the device is not powered or it is not able to communicate with the PC. To identify the source of the problem, perform the following steps.
  • If the ready light never turns on, ensure the device is being powered appropriately. Refer to your device's User Manual for instructions on powering your device.
  • If the device is not being powered appropriately, there might be an issue with the power cable. Use a different cable to power the device.
  • Ensure that the USB cable you are using to connect your device to your computer is working and is fully plugged in. Even if connected to an external power supply, the ready light will not turn on until you plug the USB DAQ device into your computer's USB port.
  • Try connecting your USB device to a different USB port on your computer to discard a possible damaged port.
  • If the ready light turns on before blinking off, ensure that you have the correct version of the NI-DAQmx driver installed. (Go to the X Series User Manual on page 2-11 or to the M Series User Manual on page 2-12. to determine which version of the driver you need). You can see which drivers are currently installed by opening up NI MAX and looking under My System»Software. 

Additional Information

The LED behavior for the M Series and X Series DAQ devices is listed below for reference.

X Series USB DAQ Device:
ACTIVE LEDREADY LEDUSB DEVICE STATE
OffOff
 The device is not powered or not connected to the host computer or the host computer does not have the correct version of DAQmx installed.
OffOnThe device is configured, but there is no activity over the bus.
OnOnThe device is configured and there is activity over the bus.
BlinkingOnThe device is configured and there is activity over the bus. 


M Series USB DAQ Device:

Power(+5V) LEDActive LEDReady LEDUSB Device State
OffOffOffThe device is not powered on.
OnOffOffThe device is not powered or not connected to the host computer
OnOffOnThe device is configured, but there is no activity over the bus.
OnOnOnThe device is configured and there is activity over the bus.
OnBlinkingOnThe device is configured and there is activity over the bus.
 

When using Virtual Machines

As detailed in the Are NI Products Supported on Virtual Machines (VMs)? article, NI does not support NI hardware in virtual machines. If you'd like to troubleshoot without NI's assistance you can verify your VM USB settings.

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