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Prop BOE can't find any ports — Parallax Forums

Prop BOE can't find any ports

dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
edited 2012-03-24 14:27 in Propeller 1
I just got my Prop BOE today. Installed the Prop Tool (it's version 1.2.6 - I already had 1.3 installed but uninstalled everything before I installed it). When I plug it in to the USB port on my laptop (Dell XPS with Windows 7) and try to "identify hardware" it displays an error "no serial ports found".
I had a Gadget Gangster prop board hooked up to this computer (must be where v 1.3 came from) and it worked fine...
Any ideas?
Don

Comments

  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2012-03-23 17:28
    Can you see the serial port in device manager?

    Is the BOE powered up/tested?
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-03-23 17:31
    I'm curious why you downgraded from 1.3 to 1.2.6. Perhaps the FTDI driver got uninstalled in the process?

    -Phil
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-03-23 18:16
    I can see a bunch of USB ports in Device Manager. In Uninstall Programs I have FTDI and Parallax CDM drivers listed.
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-03-23 18:17
    The Propeller Tool 1.2.6 is the one that downloads from the Prop BOE instructions, so I uninstalled the 1.3 version and installed the one that "came with" the BOE.
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-03-23 18:19
    When I plug the USB cable in, the tx and rx lights on the BOE both flash once. And the BOE has a green light with the switch in position one and two green lights in position two. I don't know how to test it any further without being able to "talk" to it...
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-03-23 18:34
    Going back a version with Windows programs can result in problems because the newer version might leave a shared DLL that the older version isn't compatible with. I would try the software version you had on the system that worked previously.

    This is so common it has earned the moniker DLL Hell and I've been there many times since 1993.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-03-23 19:11
    I agree with Martin. Dump 1.2.6 and go back to 1.3. There's no reason to use an older version.

    -Phil
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-03-24 06:11
    MY BAD!! It turns out I was using the wrong usb cable. I've got so many of them laying around, I was using the one that came with the speaker instead of a "real" one. Everything fine now. AndTnak, I have all of the latest drivers, etc.
    Thanks
  • John AbshierJohn Abshier Posts: 1,116
    edited 2012-03-24 07:22
    That is why my speaker usb cable is in the trash.

    John Abshier
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-03-24 08:15
    Oh Smile! I had no idea the speaker USB cables were different. Now I've got a rogue cable loose on my benchtop, and I don't know which one it is. I guess I'll find out the hard way and -- hopefully -- remember this thread before I waste an entire day chasing a phantom problem.

    -Phil
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-03-24 14:27
    Yup, I think the speaker usb cable is power only. Just to charge the battery.
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