I have had this Alesis VI25 MIDI keyboard for years now, used it on several Mac computers with no problem.
Recently I gave it to a friend and they can not even turn on the keyboard on their Windows 10 HP laptop.

The moment they switch it on it just turns itself right off (does not even go through power up procedure where all the lights turn on) .. it just blinks very shortly and turns right off.

The other USB devices on that laptop work fine.

The silly thing is, we even tried to get a AC/DC adapter and plug the keyboard into wall outlet, where it turns on just fine, BUT, as soon as it gets plugged into an USB port on this laptop, it just immediately turns off, even though it is plugged into wall outlet.

(Using MIDI out port is not an option here because the audio interface they use does not have MIDI ports.)

Even tried updating from Win10 to Win11, nothing changed.

My best guess is, something with USB ports on this laptop prevents the keyboard from turning on, question is what and how to solve it.. I tried googling a million ways, could even find anyone with a similar problem.

Hopefully some experts here can help?

 

there are some adapters used for external hard drives that combine a two usb ports into one to support the increased power requirements of those drives. something similar should probably work for your laptop. other than that, a powered usb hub will be a good choice

 

Just a few things to consider...
What .v (2,3, etc.) of USB port(s) is on the devices where you had it working and what .v port(s) is on the device where it doen't work?
Is it plugged into a hub on your friends laptop or directly?
Is there a driver needed and installed on Windows or is it a fully USB Class Compliant device - plug n play? I have have end user devices that require a driver installed for Win10, but on my Mac just plug it in and go.

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2023

It's all USB 2 ports...laptop has some USB 3 ports also....they all act the same. On the laptop it was plugged in directly. There is no driver on the official site, it's plug and play. It seems to me like the laptop sends some kind of shutdown signal to the keyboard, I can not explain it any other way (but I'm not an expert).

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2023

I thought of maybe trying out a USB Hub, but that is really something we can't afford buying right now.

It is a bit silly tho, why buy a USB Hub if this is something that should just work out of the box (as any other MIDI keyboard I ever owned, and I owned quite a few)

 

'Most of the time', it is recommended NOT to use hubs, but always plug a controller in directly.
I just Googled your device and looks like it is a Windows 7 era device.
There were (and maybe still are that were never resolved) known Class Compliant driver issues in WIN10 and if vendor never provided MS info for working with the later OS. You tried WIN11, but not sure if bugs carry over since you said you did an 'upgrade' from WIN10 and not tested on virgin install. I am sure someone else here may have some ideas or things to test-try.

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2023

The first thing I would do is to replace the USB cable with another one. A hub is very unlikely to help.

A powered hub could maybe work, if the computer's usb ports are not putting out enough power to support the keyboard controllers power requirements. But you have pretty much ruled that out by connecting the power supply to it. It is unlikely.

If another PC is available, I would try connecting it to that computer to see if it does the same thing. Also a low percentage chance, but easy to quickly check. After that you are at drivers and all the other normal Windows concerns in Device Manager, etc.

The manual mentions software for it. I would try installing it, even though it shouldn't matter either.

I did not see a Reset mentioned in the manual, someone mentioned this on reddit: power on while holding << & >> keys down

There is a firmware updater for this model for both PC and Mac. You may have to do this from the Mac since it will not power on with the pc:

https://www.alesis.com/products/view/vi25

Ruling out Windows issues:

Method 1: I would suggest you to run Hardware and devices troubleshooter and see if that helps!
a) Open Control Panel.
b) Write Troubleshooting in the search box right up corner and hit enter.
c) Click on Troubleshooting tab.
d) Click on view all option on the upper left corner.
e) Select the Hardware and Device options from the list.
f) Click Next to run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooter.

Method 2: Disable and re-enable all the Universal Serial Bus controllers (USB) controllers.

The USB controllers represent the USB ports in Device Manager.
To disable and re-enable the USB controllers, follow these steps:
a) Open Device Manager.
b) Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
c) Note: You might have to scroll down the list to find this item.
d) Right-click the first USB controller under Universal Serial Bus controllers, and then click Uninstall to remove it.
e) Repeat the above step for each USB controller that is listed under Universal Serial Bus controllers.
f) Restart the computer. After the computer starts, Windows will automatically scan for hardware changes and
g) Reinstall all the USB controllers that you uninstalled.

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2023

Of course, trying out a few different cables was the first thing we did. And you're right, the "not enough power" hypotesis is ruled out by plugging it in the wall. Also, we tried it on my MacBook on battery power (thru a USB-C unpowered hub none the less) and it turned on just normally.

As for the software, it's merely an editor so you can remap the knobs, pads, etc. Even if I installed it couldn'tt even detect the keyboard because it does not turn on (actually it briefly kinda does but it's just a blink). That's also why Device manager doesn't show anything related to the keyboard - it's just as if it is not turned on.

It's totally weird.

 

Yeah, you do have to rule everything out methodically. But the "Briefly does blink" means that it is seeing it and then disconnecting. It's not exactly the same in manual troubleshooting-speak;

• The Device connects and works briefly but disconnects

It's just extremely briefly. Have you opened Device Manager first, and then watched what it does while you reconnect the usb? Sometimes an issue like this will show a yellow ! but disappear again immediately.

Have you tried connecting it to the wall for power, but with it powered on (and also with it off); before connecting it to the computer via usb?

From this view, you may see the device listed, and have the yellow triangle.You usually remove whatever has the error showing, and have it re-detected by the pc so it rebuilds the driver. But: This is also where a lot of other peripherals turn into a reinstallation loop. Frequently, the device needs some odd connection and driver reinstallation sequence. Like it needs to be off, then the driver removed, then connected with or with either the ! removed...etc. The best is when you have to reboot after each try, thanks Windows..

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2023

I have read the problems , I have read what you've tried and other people's suggestions. I personally would next look into windows updates.. Sometimes catalogues that fix compatibility issues can be the way to go.

 

I see you already tried other cables, but did you try from now on another PC?
If it does the same, then obviously there is something with the keyboard.
If it works, see the above suggestions about control panel, drivers etc.

 

Why not try while in bios. bios detects mouse and keyboard, sticks and usb harddisks. so basic usb is provided. if that works and it turns on its a win problem.

i dnt know whether w10 still has this issue, xp and w7 had a limited amount of allowed usb devices, so introducing too many sticks or whatever led to old ones being recognized, new ones not.
for xp there was a tool to clear all usb history, using it on w7 means reinstalling unfortunately.

 

Thanks for suggestions everyone. We managed to get it working by buying a USB-C to USB-A dongle and that way we connect the keyboard to USB-C port on the laptop. It works fine now and frankly I don't have the patience to troubleshoot why the USB-A ports don't work for this keyboard specifically ...it must be this particular laptop hardware issue, or maybe some BIOS settings... anyway, the dongle is the cheapest and fastest option so we went with that.

 

Some MAudio controllers recommend a powered hub.
I believe Alesis and Maudio are made by the same.
When plugged into the AC/DC - I bet it switches to USB power when plugged into that.
USB-A supports 2.5 watts and 5 volts, USB-C supports 100 watts and 20 volts.
The USB-A on laptop most likely wasn't putting out enough power.
A powered hub would probably solve this.

 

That's what I thought too, not enough power...but every other USB device works...and also, how come any other laptop is outputting enough power for this keyboard?

Powered hub would be a costly and unpractical solution for this annoying problem, and should not be necessary, as any laptop should output enough power for a USB MIDI keyboard by default ( i owned multiple computers and multiple USB MIDI devices and never had a similar problem)

 

I was gonna suggest going into BIOS and changing the power settings for USB ports. It could be set to "power off" or similar whilst it's a good practice to keep USBs on "power on" so they don't turn off when the laptop is in standby or USB is not used. A powered hub, too, would help in this case, if it provides power at all times, even when the USB port tells it to turn off.

Good work anyway! USB-C in this case seem to work differently, or is setup differently in BIOS, and therefore it works properly. Problem solved and that's what matters the most, eh? Cheers!

 

Once my windows update reverted my settings on usb ports to go to "sleep"(or what was it called) and I had lots different problems with usb devices(like losing soundcard connection), before I realised what was causing those

 

The power output of the laptop should have been negated by running the keyboard controller power from the wall, unless it is a very "power dumb" controller and can only accept one power source at a time. One other possible difference is the throughput bandwidth (connection speed) of the usb-A versus usb-c protocol. I run my KK S49 with only power coming from a USB-A and it has all lights and display screens drawing power over that cable.

Those little A to C adapters are never in stock at the stores. I have to use one to connect my Ti2 to my laptop, and they can cause entirely new levels of usb misadventure. You can't use a hub, but try finding a USB-A to Thunderbolt3 15 foot long usb cable! lol. You can order them online, but it will not be what shows up. Pair that up with a Windows driver issue, and you end up with the most dreaded button in the entire IT Kingdom. "Have Disk? " and a reboot loop to add insult to injury.

 

I haven’t read all the posts, sorry, but how about installing the dedicated drivers in legacy mode as I had to do in my case (Windows Vista).

 

Not an expert too, but did u try power management for usb devices, it must be under device manager or some shit, try it as soon as u connect ur device, so open it up b4 hand, so it will show up, there must be some shit that mentions turn off power to save power or some shit like that. Try toggling it.

Edit: https://www.howto-connect.com/windows-10-usb-selective-suspend/

 

Last edited: Jun 21, 2023