Monitor - ISSN 1472-0221
The Newsletter for Data Acquisition and Control
Issue 290 April 2023

Welcome to Monitor, thank you for subscribing. This month, using Windows 11 for measurement and control with USB devices.

You can download Monitor as a pdf file from https://www.windmill.co.uk/monitor/monitor290.pdf.

Contents

* Four ways to stop Windows 11 disconnecting USB devices
* Your DAQ Questions Answered: Installing USB data acquisition devices with Windows 11

How to stop Windows 11 disconnecting USB devices

Web link: https://www.windmill.co.uk/usb.html

Occasionally Windows 11 drops the USB connection. USB has no mechanism for recovery when this happens, and you need to unplug the cable and then plug it back in again to re-initialise the Windows USB drivers.

However, there are several ways to prevent disconnection in the first place.

Four ways to prevent USB Disconnection

1. Use a small powered USB port between the system and the Laptop or PC
2. Disable "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" in USB Root Hub.
3. Disable Selective Suspend settings in Advanced Power Options.
4. Use Ethernet connections which, unlike USB, can self-correct after an error

1. Use a Powered USB Port

When you plug your device directly into the computer's USB port, it draws power from the computer battery. You can instead buy a powered usb hub which sits between your computer and your device. This can solve the dropping USB problem.

2. Prevent the Computer from Turning off USB Devices

1. Open Windows Control Panel.
2. Go to: Hardware and Sound, Device Manager.
3. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers entry.
4. Right-click the USB Root Hub and choose Properties.
5. A dialogue box appears: click its Power Management tab.
6. Un-check the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" box.

3. Disable Selective Suspend Settings in Advanced Power Options

1. Open Windows Control Panel.
2. Go to: Hardware and Sound, Power Options.
3. Select "Choose a Power Plan" and "Change plan settings".
4. Select "Change advanced power settings".
5. Find the entry "USB settings" and under this the "USB selective suspend setting"
6. Click "Enabled" and change it to "Disabled".

4. Use Ethernet Data Acquisition Devices

For long-term monitoring and control we would recommend connecting devices to the PC using Ethernet rather than USB. Unlike USB, Ethernet can self-correct after an error. Our Ethernet data acquisition devices are listed at https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/ethernet.html.

Data logger which communicates over MQTT, TCP/IP, Wi-Fi, Internet and Ethernet

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Your DAQ Answered: Installing USB data acquisition devices with Windows 11

Question

Answer

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