EQMOD COM port not found, but showing up in device manager. Works sometimes? [SOLVED]

[aatdalton]

Hi all, hoping to find a once and for all solution to this issue. Essentially I'm having trouble getting my Windows 7 PC to talk to my Atlas EQ-G/ HEQ6. 

I found this similar topic and am having essentially the same issues: 

When I plug in my USB EQ Direct cable that came with my mount (looks possibly home made?) I get the badump noise in Windows and see the USB device showing up as "USB Serial Port (COM3)" in device manager. I have unistalled all other hidden COM ports too. When I plug into the mount, nothing happens. When I run EQMOD setup through the toolbox, with a fresh unconfigured .ini file, I set things to 2000 timeout, retry 2, baud 9600 and search. It seems to pause on COM3 but then always shows a red "Not Found." 

 

Where it's interesting is I have had this work correctly with the same setup two times before, including last night. Plugged the cable in and it just worked. No idea why it works sometimes. Nothing different. I've tried uninstalling FTDI drivers and reinstalling but that doesn't fix it. Tried restarting Windows, no luck. 

What is left for me to test at this point? Thanks for any help!

[Atreta]

One thing you could try is changing the adapter com port on windows device manager  and change under eqmod too to match it, and see if it works by any chance.  Also you could try a different usb port on your computer( remember to check the com port number again) 

Last time i had that error it was because i changed the usual USB port that I plug the adapter and was wondering why it was giving the not found error. 

[aatdalton]

So I changed the COM to COM4 and EQMOD pauses on COM4 now but then moves on and doesn't find it. 

[Atreta]

Can you post screenshots of both windows device manager showing the adapter and eqmod displaying the error? 

[aatdalton]

Sure, here's device manager: 

Driver details: 

COM settings: 

How device appears under Devices and printers: 

Repeat error message from EQMOD Setup: 

 

And bonus Toolbox COM test: 

 

Thanks for helping me out so far. 

[Cornelius Varley]

1 hour ago, aatdalton said:

 

 

In this screen grab the com port in EQMOD is set to com 16, the usb adapter is using com 1.

[stash_old]

if changing the com port in EQMOD as suggested above (DO NOT USE the search button)  (after checking what the actual com port number is displayed in Device Manager - just in case its changed again) does work look at your cable ends and if using DB9 check for bent or missing pins.

To test the adapter you can download Putty from the web - some virus checkers will complain but you should be able to scan the file - then loop rx/tx pins (harder to do if you mount end is  RJ45 ). you then use Putty to talk to itself (hence the looping of TX/RX). Use connection type "Serial" on putty and this will then allow you to change the Com port to whatever your device number is shown in device manager.  Whatever you type should be shown in Putty's window the adapter is working. If its working wiggle the cable in case you have a bad connection and see if the connection is dropped!

If the later all works this would point to the Mount 😞 or the cable is wrongly wired!.  If it fails have you another PC or a Astro friend to test out your cable and mount in case your PC OS software is corrupt!  

You have't displayed an image of the USB Adapter are you sure its a "real" FDTI and the voltage is the correct level (5v or 3.3v) depending on your mount . Plus I am assuming the Atlas Model(and firmware level) is supported by EQMOD - I think they are supposed to be the same as SW!

[Physopto]

1 hour ago, stash_old said:

if changing the com port in EQMOD as suggested above (DO NOT USE the search button)  (after checking what the actual com port number is displayed in Device Manager - just in case its changed again) does work look at your cable ends and if using DB9 check for bent or missing pins.

To test the adapter you can download Putty from the web - some virus checkers will complain but you should be able to scan the file - then loop rx/tx pins (harder to do if you mount end is  RJ45 ). you then use Putty to talk to itself (hence the looping of TX/RX). Use connection type "Serial" on putty and this will then allow you to change the Com port to whatever your device number is shown in device manager.  Whatever you type should be shown in Putty's window the adapter is working. If its working wiggle the cable in case you have a bad connection and see if the connection is dropped!

If the later all works this would point to the Mount 😞 or the cable is wrongly wired!.  If it fails have you another PC or a Astro friend to test out your cable and mount in case your PC OS software is corrupt!  

You have't displayed an image of the USB Adapter are you sure its a "real" FDTI and the voltage is the correct level (5v or 3.3v) depending on your mount . Plus I am assuming the Atlas Model(and firmware level) is supported by EQMOD - I think they are supposed to be the same as SW!

Never heard of Putty sounds good.

One point about FTDI is that if you do use a different USB socket it can cause problems for EQMOD and the Com port. Easily sorted, but annoying if you have forgotten which USB port you last connected to.

[aatdalton]

4 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

In this screen grab the com port in EQMOD is set to com 16, the usb adapter is using com 1.

Right, this is post-search. The drop down selection starts at COM1, I hit the search button, it spends 2 seconds or so on COM1, COM7, then shows COM16 and the Not Found message. COM16 is just the last port it checks. It doesn't seem to connect if manually match the COM port number from device manager either. 

[aatdalton]

3 hours ago, stash_old said:

if changing the com port in EQMOD as suggested above (DO NOT USE the search button)  (after checking what the actual com port number is displayed in Device Manager - just in case its changed again) does work look at your cable ends and if using DB9 check for bent or missing pins.

To test the adapter you can download Putty from the web - some virus checkers will complain but you should be able to scan the file - then loop rx/tx pins (harder to do if you mount end is  RJ45 ). you then use Putty to talk to itself (hence the looping of TX/RX). Use connection type "Serial" on putty and this will then allow you to change the Com port to whatever your device number is shown in device manager.  Whatever you type should be shown in Putty's window the adapter is working. If its working wiggle the cable in case you have a bad connection and see if the connection is dropped!

If the later all works this would point to the Mount 😞 or the cable is wrongly wired!.  If it fails have you another PC or a Astro friend to test out your cable and mount in case your PC OS software is corrupt!  

You have't displayed an image of the USB Adapter are you sure its a "real" FDTI and the voltage is the correct level (5v or 3.3v) depending on your mount . Plus I am assuming the Atlas Model(and firmware level) is supported by EQMOD - I think they are supposed to be the same as SW!

Thanks! Will try these steps out as best I can. 

[stash_old]

6 hours ago, Physopto said:

One point about FTDI is that if you do use a different USB socket it can cause problems

this shouldn't happen if its a true FDTI chip (as opposed to a clone) as the real chip and driver have a unique serial number which is recognised after you have installed the driver once. Moving USB sockets should not make any difference as it follows the serial number of he USB device. The same goes for Linux. Thats why you pay extra for a real thing. 🙂

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13741853/how-to-get-stable-com-ports-for-usb-serial-dongles-in-windows-xp still applies to Win 10

 

[aatdalton]

1 minute ago, stash_old said:

this shouldn't happen if its a true FDTI chip (as opposed to a clone) as the real chip and driver have a unique serial number which is recognised after you have installed the driver once. Moving USB sockets should not make any difference as it follows the serial number of he USB device. The same goes for Linux. Thats why you pay extra for a real thing. 🙂

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13741853/how-to-get-stable-com-ports-for-usb-serial-dongles-in-windows-xp still applies to Win 10

 

So regardless of which of the 3 USB ports I plug it into on my laptop (Windows 7 64bit), it always shows up as the same COM Port. That sounds good? 

[aatdalton]

So I've tried all the tests I can, but don't have the means with me to build a loop for the TX/RX harness. Problems with living in bush Alaska... Still no dice. 

At this point I'm waiting for a new direct cable from Shoestring Astronomy. That should certainly isolate out the cable and drivers situation. Not super excited to surrender and buy something but I sure would like the mount to work. 

What still gets me is that I don't understand why the mount DID work perfectly a few times. 

[aatdalton]

By the way, the cable is labeled as RoHS TTL232R-5V-WR

[Physopto]

3 hours ago, stash_old said:

this shouldn't happen if its a true FDTI chip (as opposed to a clone) as the real chip and driver have a unique serial number which is recognised after you have installed the driver once. Moving USB sockets should not make any difference as it follows the serial number of he USB device. The same goes for Linux. Thats why you pay extra for a real thing. 🙂

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13741853/how-to-get-stable-com-ports-for-usb-serial-dongles-in-windows-xp still applies to Win 10

 

That is what I thought, but I am using genuine FTDI chips and it has happened when I was using a Win 7 computer. No idea why. I don't use EQMOD anymore, so not able to repeat test it now.

[aatdalton]

Random question: When you power on an Orion Atlas (or equivalent) with the direct cabling connected, no HC, does the mount make any noise? Like will it start tracking at all until given a command by the software? Mine makes no noise at all unless the hand controller initializes. It doesn't begin tracking at that initialization point but it does seem to make a whir noise?

[aatdalton]

SOLVED!

Well, it was the cable. Got a new USBtoEQ6 cable from shoestring astronomy in the mail today, installed fresh drivers (for like the 5th time), plugged it in, everything happy. Woo hoo!