USB-6451 Front Panel

Use the front panel to identify the connectors and LEDs of the USB-6451.

Figure 5. USB-6451 Front Panel


  1. USB PWR LED
  2. AI connector
  3. AO/DIO connector
  4. USER LED

USB PWR LED

The USB PWR LED indicates the power status and communication activity.

Table 7. USB-6451 USB PWR LED Indicator Status
Color Pattern Meaning
Off — The USB-6451 is not powered or not ready
Green Solid The USB-6451 is powered and ready but not actively communicating with the host PC
Blinking USB-6451 is powered on and actively communicating with the host PC

Why Is the USB PWR LED Off?

The USB PWR LED remains off when the USB-6451 is not powered or ready for operation.

This could be caused by the following reasons:

  • The USB cable is not connected.
  • The upstream PC or hub is not connected.
  • The PC has put the USB-6451 into a low-power suspend or sleep state.
  • The PC does not have a version of NI-DAQmx installed that supports the USB-6451.
  • The USB-6451 is busy updating firmware.
Note When you connect the USB-6451 to a computer that has a different version of NI-DAQmx installed than the computer that the USB-6451 was connected to previously, NI-DAQmx checks to see if the USB-6451 requires a firmware update. If it does, the USB-6451 automatically updates the firmware. This update may take several minutes. During this time, the LED will remain off until the USB-6451 is ready. Leave the USB-6451 connected to the computer during this time.

USER LED

You can program the USER LED to communicate status information specific to your application.

The USER LED is off by default. You can configure it to the following settings.

  • Off
  • Solid green
  • Solid yellow
  • Solid red
  • Blinking green
  • Blinking yellow
  • Blinking red

Configuring the User LED in Hardware Configuration Utility

Complete the following steps to configure the USER LED in Hardware Configuration Utility.

  1. Select the USB-6451 from the list of connected devices in the System Pane.
  2. In the Configuration Pane, select an option from the LED Settings drop-down list.