| System Dependencies | |
| Minimum PowerSDR Version: | N/A |
| Applicable Hardware: | FLEX-1500 |
Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering
The FLEX-1500 utilizes a USB driver for communicating with your PC. There are two functional components of this driver; the USB Kernel mode component and the hardware specific component. These are automatically installed using the PowerSDR 2.x Installer program.
You can verify that both driver components have been properly installed by checking for them in the Windows Device Manager.
Use the procedure below to verify that your FlexRadio USB driver for the FLEX-1500 is properly installed.
NOTE: In this example Windows XP is the operating system. The process is the same for Vista and Win7, except some of the screens and the location of the icons may be different.
Before starting this procedure, make sure the FLEX-1500 is connected to the PC and powered up.
Step 1. Click on the START button in the lower left hand corner of your screen. Move your cursor to My Computer and right click your mouse to display the My Computer sub-menu. If using the classic view, right click your mouse on the My Computer icon on the desktop.
Step 2. Move your cursor to the Properties option and right click your mouse to display the System Properties dialog box. 
Step 3. Once the System Properties dialog box is displayed right click your mouse on the Hardware tab to display the System Properties Hardware Option screen.
Step 4. Left click your mouse on the Device Manager button to display the Device Manager dialog box.
Step 5. Look for the hardware category FlexRadio. If this subcategory is not displayed the FlexRadio USB driver has not been installed. If the hardware category FlexRadio is present, expand it by clicking on the [+] to the left of it. 
Step 6. As noted in the picture above taken from an XP Device Manager screen, there are two components listed under the FlexRadio hardware category.
- FLEX-1500 Software Defined Radio
- FlexRadio USB Kernel Driver
The FLEX-1500 Software Defined Radio driver is the low level driver that is responsible for low-latency radio control and with a properly installed driver, will always be displayed even if the FLEX-1500 is not attached and powered up. The FlexRadio USB Kernel Driver is the high level device specific portion of the low-latency radio control driver. Both of these drivers work together to provide hardware control of the radio from the PC.
If both of these driver components are displayed, then the driver is installed correctly and the FLEX-1500 is properly communicating with the PC.
If the FLEX-1500 Software Defined Radio and the FlexRadio USB Kernel Driver entries are not displayed, then the FLEX-1500 driver did not load properly and will have to be reloaded.
If the FlexRadio USB Kernel Driver component is not displayed, then either the FLEX-1500 is not connected to the PC, it is not powered up or there is another issue preventing the radio hardware from communicating with the PC. Check the USB connections and the power on state of the radio. You also may have to connect the FLEX-1500 to a different USB port.
Audio Driver Validation
When verifying the driver installation there is one additional driver that needs to be verified. It is the audio device driver that is enumerated with a properly installed FLEX-1500.
The FLEX-1500 will be displayed as an audio device under the Sound, video and game controllers category. Depending on the version of Windows you are using, the device name is enumerated differently. In the example above under Windows XP, the FLEX-1500 shows up as a USB Audio Device. Under Vista and Windows 7, it is enumerated as a FLEX-1500. See an example of a Win7 Device Manager below.
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