Changing over a USB shoestring EQMOD cable should be easy, right?

[swag72]

Here's the thing - The mount was playiing silly B's tonight and so I decided to see if it was the cable. Anyway, I have just purchased a new Shoestring USB interface cable, just incase I need a spare and I cannot live without EQMOD etc now!!

So switched off the mount, unplugged the old shoestring cable, and plugged the new one in - Using the same USB on the hub. Fired CdC back up and told it to connect and it wouldn't. 'Recognising new USB device ' message on the PC and then recommended a restart, did that and still nothing.

So have I missed something. Is it really NOT that simple to switch over between identical cables going into exactly the same holes?

Can someone shed any light on this at all? Seems rather silly to me.

[NickK]

No - the cable probably has a USB-RS232 conversion chip that needs driving (just like EQMOD does). Did you install the driver?

[swag72]

Are the drivers not identical for the same cables?

[GlassWalker]

If it got detected as new hardware, it wasn't identical. As a new instance, it'll probably get assigned a different COM port so you'd need to point to that in settings somewhere.

[swag72]

I was hoping for a simple straightforward swap over!! I'll have a play at a later stage, all is fine at the minute!

[NickK]

Are the drivers not identical for the same cables?

Are the USB vendor Id and Product Id the same?

[swag72]

Same product, bought from the same supplier - Same order number on both bills.

[Stephen]

Just to throw this in there, as you pointed out you had problems before, and problems after .............

Have you considered a problem with your PC?

[chrisshillito]

If it got detected as new hardware, it wasn't identical. As a new instance, it'll probably get assigned a different COM port so you'd need to point to that in settings somewhere.

Yes, the FTDI chip which the shoestring USB2EQ6 uses has a the ability for the COM port number to be retained irrespective of which physical usb port you plug it into. Your new cable will initially be assigned a COM port number that doesn't clash with anything else. Pop into to device manager an override the assifned COM port number to your existing one or use EQASCOM setup to tell EQASCOM to look on whatever the new COM port number is.

Chris.

[swag72]

Brilliant thanks folks - Don't know if it's a problem with the PC Stephen, but based on how difficult it would be for me to set it up back up again on a new one, I'm not about to find out!!!!