Using a USB-6008 / 6009 / 6501 in MAX, and Switching Firmware Between NI-DAQmx and NI-DAQmx Base

Updated Nov 17, 2022

Environment

Hardware

  • USB-6008
  • USB-6009
  • USB-6501

Driver

  • NI-DAQmx Base 2.2

Note: This document applies to NI-DAQmx Base 2.2 and previous. For more information regarding NI-DAQmx Base 3.0 and later, refer to USB Device Firmware Incompatible with DAQmx Base 3.0 or Later.

The USB-6008, USB-6009, and the USB-6501 ship with installed firmware that allows you to use NI-DAQmx Base 2.2 and earlier. The first time one of these devices is plugged into a Windows machine with NI-DAQmx 7.5 or later installed, the NI-DAQmx driver automatically installs the firmware necessary to use NI-DAQmx, which disables the NI-DAQmx Base firmware. However, you can re-enable the NI-DAQmx Base firmware, and then switch back and forth between the NI-DAQmx Base and the NI-DAQmx firmware versions when using these devices. 

This article addresses the following:
  • How do I know what firmware is installed on my USB device?
  • How can I switch the firmware from NI-DAQmx to NI-DAQmx Base or vice-versa?
  • My USB device does not show up in Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX). It does not show up in LabVIEW under the list of supported devices either.
  • The NI-DAQmx USB Driver Selector Option is missing in Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX).

NI DAQmx 7.5 - 8.3 (Preferred Method)

Switching to NI-DAQmx Base
  1. Open the Windows Device Manager:
    • Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
    • Select the Hardware tab and click on Device Manager.
  2. Find the USB-6008 under Data Acquisition Devices.
  3. Right-click on the USB-6008 and choose Update Driver...
  4. In the popup that appears, select Install from a list or specific location and click on Next. (note: this is not the default selection)
  5. In the next window, choose Don't search. I will choose the driver to install and click on Next. (note: this is not the default selection)
  6. Select NI USB-6008 Multifunction IO and click on Next.
  7. This will put the USB-6008 into a mode for receiving NI-DAQmx Base firmware. The device should now appear in the Device Manager under NI-VISA USB Devices. If it does not show up or shows up with a yellow exclamation point, please unplug the USB cable from the device and plug it back in. This should make the device re-enumerate properly. 

    Note: For NI-DAQmx Base 2.2 and previous, continue reading the following steps to update the firmware on the USB device. For NI-DAQmx Base 3.0 and later, refer to USB Device Firmware Incompatible with DAQmx Base 3.0 or Later for instructions on how to update the firmware on the USB device.

  8. Run the Firmware Switcher executable that is attached to this KB.
  9. You should see an entry for the USB-6008 that you just put into firmware loader mode. To switch this device to NI-DAQmx Base, check the Switch to NI-DAQmx Base button next to it.
  10. Once you've selected to make the device an NI-DAQmx Base device, click the Update button.
  11. Close the application and open up the NI-DAQmx Base List Devices utility (Start » Programs » National Instruments » NI-DAQmx Base » Utilities).
  12. You should now see an entry for the USB-6008 here.
Switching to NI-DAQmx
  1. Open the Windows Device Manager.
    • Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
    • Select the Hardware tab and click on Device Manager.
  2. Find the USB-6008 under NI-VISA USB Devices.
  3. Right-click on the USB-6008 and choose Update Driver...
  4. In the popup that appears, select Install from a list or specific location and click on Next. (note: this is not the default selection)
  5. In the next window, choose Don't search. I will choose the driver to install and click on Next. (note: this is not the default selection)
  6. Select NI USB-6008 and click on Next.
  7. This will put the USB-6008 into a mode for receiving NI-DAQmx firmware. Because NI-DAQmx automatically loads firmware, it is not necessary to run another utility. The device should now appear in the Device Manager under Data Acquisition Devices. If it does not show up or shows up with a yellow exclamation point, please unplug the USB cable from the device and plug it back in. This should make the device re-enumerate properly.
  8. Open up the Measurement and Automation Explorer and expand Devices and Interfaces.
  9. You should now see an entry for the USB-6008 here.

NI-DAQmx Version 7.5 to Version 8.3 (Alternative Method)
  1. Make sure that you have all the USB devices plugged in.
  2. Open Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) (Start >> Programs >> National Instruments >> Measurement and Automation Explorer).
  3. Select Tools >> NI-DAQmx Configuration >> NI-DAQmx USB Driver Selector
  4. Select the USB device for which you want to change the firmware and click switch.
  5. Select the driver that you want to use and click OK.
  6. Perform step 4 and 5 for all available USB devices.
  7. If you switched to:
    • NI-DAQmx, you can now view all the USB devices by refreshing MAX (F5), under DAQmx Devices. You should now see your USB device under "DAQmx Devices" and have access to it both when creating a task in MAX as well as when specifying a physical channel in LabVIEW. The USB device should also appear under the list of compatible hardware in the LabVIEW Example Finder.
    • NI-DAQmx Base, you can open the DAQmx Base Devices Utility (Start >> Programs >> National Instruments >> NI-DAQmx Base >> Utilities >> NI-DAQmx Base List Devices) and check if all the devices show up there. If you have multiple devices and some of them do not show up in the NI-DAQmx Base List of devices then follow these steps.
      1. Close MAX if it is open and disconnect and reconnect any USB Device that did not switch correctly.
      2. Open MAX and verify that the devices are not listed under NI-DAQmx but instead listed as USB Devices.
      3. If this procedure does not work, then use the attached utility (NI-DAQmx Base Firmware Utility.exe) to load the DAQmxBase firmware onto the USB devices.

NI-DAQmx before Version 7.5
USB devices were not supported until DAQmx 7.5. Please install a newer version of DAQmx to be able to use your USB device.

I am unable to switch to NI-DAQmx Firmware or to NI-DAQmx Base Firmware
In order to be able to switch between NI-DAQmx and NI-DAQmx Base, you must have both the NI-DAQmx and NI-DAQmx Base drivers installed on the PC. More specifically, you must have these versions of the DAQ drivers:
  • NI-DAQmx Base 1.4 or later
  • NI-DAQmx 7.5 or later
If you do not have these drivers you will need to install both of them to switch your firmware. See current drivers linked below to download the latest version(s).

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