NI USB-6002
The NI USB-6002 is the 16-bit, 50 kS/s member of NI’s low-cost USB-600x family, with eight single-ended or four differential ±10 V inputs, two 16-bit analog outputs, 13 digital lines and a 32-bit counter. NI lists it as the replacement for the USB-6009.
Specifications
| Analog inputs | 88 single-ended or 4 differential |
| Resolution | 16-bit |
| Max sample rate | 50 kS/saggregate across scanned channels (one multiplexed SAR ADC) |
| Input ranges | ±10 V |
| Input modes | single-ended, differential |
| Analog outputs | 2 × 16-bit |
| Digital I/O | 13 |
| Counters | 1 |
| Isolation | No |
| Interfaces | USB |
| List price | $715ni.com list price (782606-01), Oct 2026 |
Vendor driver by OS
| Driver | NI-DAQmx (via DAQAtlas Bridge) |
| Windows | Yes |
| macOS | No |
| Linux | No |
Vendor software
| NI-DAQmx | WindowsFree. Driver plus NI MAX configuration utility and test panels; NI-DAQmx for Linux does not list this device |
| FlexLogger | WindowsLite edition free; professional paid. configuration-based logging for NI DAQ hardware |
| LabVIEW | WindowsPaid. Graphical programming with NI-DAQmx VIs; NI-DAQmx has no macOS version |
USB-6002 operating system support
The USB-6002 uses NI-DAQmx, and NI lists support for Windows 11, Windows 10 LTSC and Windows Server 2022 and 2025. NI’s compatibility table marks it “Not Supported” on desktop Linux, which rules out an Ubuntu or RHEL machine with NI’s driver. NI-DAQmx has no macOS version, and NI-DAQmx Base, the old Mac driver, ended at version 15.0 with macOS 10.14. On Windows the usual tools are NI MAX for test panels, FlexLogger for logging, and LabVIEW, C or Python (nidaqmx) for your own programs. DAQAtlas, which is in development, reaches it through DAQAtlas Bridge on that Windows PC. See the NI DAQ on a Mac guide for the setup.
16 bits on a ±10 V range: resolution versus accuracy
The USB-6002 has one input range, ±10 V, so a 16-bit code is about 0.3 mV wide. NI’s specified absolute accuracy at full scale is 26 mV over temperature, the same figure as the 14-bit USB-6001. The extra bits show small changes and smooth noise in a trend, but they do not make a single reading more accurate in absolute terms. The ADC resolution vs accuracy article works through the difference with real numbers.
The 50 kS/s rate is aggregate. One SAR converter is multiplexed across the scan list, so eight channels run at 6.25 kS/s each. The two analog outputs are 16-bit, ±10 V and hardware-timed at up to 5 kS/s per channel. The 13 digital lines are split into ports of 8, 4 and 1 lines, and the single 32-bit counter does edge counting. It is bus powered over USB Full Speed and wires through screw terminals. NI sells it only as an enclosed unit, at a list price of $715 at the time of writing.
Questions
Does the NI USB-6002 work on macOS?
No. There is no NI-DAQmx driver for macOS, so the USB-6002 needs a Windows PC.
Is the USB-6002 supported on Linux?
No. NI’s compatibility table lists the USB-6002 as not supported by NI-DAQmx on desktop Linux.
What is the per-channel sample rate of the USB-6002?
50 kS/s divided by the number of channels in the scan, since the inputs share one multiplexed ADC.
Specifications and prices are taken from the vendor’s published pages at the time of writing and can change. Check the vendor before you buy. Sources: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4