Cannot recognize my USB joystick in Query Devices.vi

[tejachil]

I am an engineering student attempting to use LabVIEW to get input from my USB joystick to control other devices. I bought a Saitek Cyborg X joystick and the joystick is recognized by the computer and works on normal applications and is recognized and installed as a HID device. I tried to get it to work with LabVIEW but I was unable to find it in the Query Devices.vi. Can anyone help me out? I am using LabVIEW 2011 (32-bit) on a Windows 7 computer.

[KHartley]

Tejachil,

We are currently using Windows 7 32bit and LabVIEW 32bit at work but we do have several test machines setup. I tried replicating the issue at home (windows 7 64bit LabVIEW 32bit) with just a generic USB joystick. I was surprised that my joystick wasn't showing up in the query joystick devices. I know it works correctly on windows 32bit so once I get a 64bit test machine at work I'll look into the issue a little more. I'll be in and out of the office most of the week so it may take me a few days to get a test machine.

[tejachil]

Thanks I really appreciate it. Just to keep you updated, I went ahead and uninstalled my 32-bit Labview and installed a 64-bit Labview 2011 on my 64-bit Windows computer and I still get the same issue. I havent messed with it much so I will also continue to see what the problem is. I think it is probably a compatability issue with the 64-bit windows.

[KHartley]

Tejachil, 

I found a coworkers computer with windows 64bit and LabVIEW 2011 32bit and my device (USB SNES controller) showed up in the device query and I was able to gather input from it. I have a second one at work so I'll take it home and retry and see if maybe its just a bad controller. Try testing the controller from the device control pane. You can try repairing the labview installation and see if that will fix it. Try a different USB port on the computer. 

Unfortunately I don't have your particular joystick so I don't have any experience interfacing with it.

[tejachil]

Ok so I finally got my joystick to work. Apparently the device index for my joystick is 4 and I had my laptop on a docking station when I was running my VIs. On this dock, I have a wireless mouse which happened to have the same device ID as the joystick so it was showing that and not recognizing the joystick. Once I undock my laptop and then run the query, it shows up and everything works. I am currently running 64 bit LV on 64 bit window 7 so idk if the 32 bit works but I am sure it will. Thanks for all your help by the way!

[KHartley]

Glad to hear you got it working.

[RICK OE]

I had a similar issue when trying to run a joystick query on a 64-bit Laptop running 32-bit Labview.   But rather than it being a conflict with a docking bay or a device plugged into a docking bay, it was conflicting an Interactive whiteboard, from SMART industries.   The smartboard is a model that has USB docks physically installed on it. This occured even though I was not and had not used the SMART board in over a month.   I solved the problem by removing the SMART board drivers and will re install them at another time to see if they still continue to cause a conflict.