This is too important to not share publicly.

If you own a 4425A scope and receive "Excessive probe power consumption" warnings you need to check to see if your computer is shutting off your USB ports to save power.

In your computer's Device manager you need to open the section Universal Serial Bus Controllers and then right click on the USB Root Hub listings and open their properties. At the top of their properties there is a tab for power management and you need to make sure the option to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is not checked. Then click OK and check the other USB Root Hubs for the same setting.

Keep your eyes peeled for a video showing this process soon.  For now there is a picture

Additionally. If you use USB-C connection you need to use the one with the lightning bolt next to it if you have one.

busjockey wrote on Oct 9^th, 2023 at 3:20pm:


Things are going alright. We're making new training videos and I've started offering in-person training here in Grand Rapids.

I've lead 4 groups through my Learn Scoping from a Nerd class so far this year and I have a 5th one on the schedule in December. I even submitted the concept for Vision 2024, but haven't heard anything back yet.

This thread started as a support email from a client. They have a new HP laptop that they purchased deliberately for use with their new Pico. When they connected the current probes to the scope they were met with the error message.

It makes sense when you step back and think about it. Pico engineered their equipment to operate within the USB standards for available power. which for USB 2.0 is only 500mA. Then you have Microsoft and PC manufactures trying to squeeze every last minute of run time out of their product for sales purposes.

This leaves us (the user) in a position where we have to change the behavior of the PC to fit our needs and the needs of our equipment.

Thanks for posting this.  I just hooked up my Picoscope 4425A for the first time and immediately got the error message.  Going into Device Manager and unchecking the boxes cleared up the problem.