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lost serial communication with servo I controller

Mark Copper
 

Hello all,

After sitting unused for 3 months (roll-off motor broke followed by unusually persistent monsoon season), my Sitech Servo I Controller does not wake up. Neither the computer nor its settings were changed in the interim.

What works: handpad control appears to be fine; both red LEDs glow steadily

What doesn't work: no response to "\r" sent through serial port.

Thoughts? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks.

Mark
Dan Gray
 

ServoI or II?
Windows or linux?
Do you see the serial port in the device manager of /dev/ttyusb*?
If it's a servoII, does the red LED near the USB cable on the servoII  flicker when you press a key using ServoConfig?
Dan



On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 1:33 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hello all,

After sitting unused for 3 months (roll-off motor broke followed by unusually persistent monsoon season), my Sitech Servo I Controller does not wake up. Neither the computer nor its settings were changed in the interim.

What works: handpad control appears to be fine; both red LEDs glow steadily

What doesn't work: no response to "\r" sent through serial port.

Thoughts? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks.

Mark

Mark Copper
 

Hi Dan,

Servo I

Linux

Thanks

Mark


On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 4:06 PM Dan Gray <grayarea@...> wrote:
ServoI or II?
Windows or linux?
Do you see the serial port in the device manager of /dev/ttyusb*?
If it's a servoII, does the red LED near the USB cable on the servoII  flicker when you press a key using ServoConfig?
Dan



On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 1:33 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hello all,

After sitting unused for 3 months (roll-off motor broke followed by unusually persistent monsoon season), my Sitech Servo I Controller does not wake up. Neither the computer nor its settings were changed in the interim.

What works: handpad control appears to be fine; both red LEDs glow steadily

What doesn't work: no response to "\r" sent through serial port.

Thoughts? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks.

Mark

Dan Gray
 

Do you have a device for the usb to serial port?


On Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 12:14 AM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hi Dan,

Servo I

Linux

Thanks

Mark

On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 4:06 PM Dan Gray <grayarea@...> wrote:
ServoI or II?
Windows or linux?
Do you see the serial port in the device manager of /dev/ttyusb*?
If it's a servoII, does the red LED near the USB cable on the servoII  flicker when you press a key using ServoConfig?
Dan



On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 1:33 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hello all,

After sitting unused for 3 months (roll-off motor broke followed by unusually persistent monsoon season), my Sitech Servo I Controller does not wake up. Neither the computer nor its settings were changed in the interim.

What works: handpad control appears to be fine; both red LEDs glow steadily

What doesn't work: no response to "\r" sent through serial port.

Thoughts? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks.

Mark

Mark Copper
 

Yes, Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port:

No problems with it previously.


On Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 3:36 PM Dan Gray <grayarea@...> wrote:
Do you have a device for the usb to serial port?


On Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 12:14 AM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hi Dan,

Servo I

Linux

Thanks

Mark

On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 4:06 PM Dan Gray <grayarea@...> wrote:
ServoI or II?
Windows or linux?
Do you see the serial port in the device manager of /dev/ttyusb*?
If it's a servoII, does the red LED near the USB cable on the servoII  flicker when you press a key using ServoConfig?
Dan



On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 1:33 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hello all,

After sitting unused for 3 months (roll-off motor broke followed by unusually persistent monsoon season), my Sitech Servo I Controller does not wake up. Neither the computer nor its settings were changed in the interim.

What works: handpad control appears to be fine; both red LEDs glow steadily

What doesn't work: no response to "\r" sent through serial port.

Thoughts? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks.

Mark

Don W
 

Hi Mark,

Your Prolific adapter is the most pirated version of adapter.  Adapters made by FTDI just always work.  Microsoft has employed software (in Windows) to detect pirated Prolific adapters and turn them OFF.  I don't know if that is what happened to you.

Don W
Dan Gray
 

Good point Don, thanks.
Dan


On Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 9:18 PM Don W <westergren@...> wrote:
Hi Mark,

Your Prolific adapter is the most pirated version of adapter.  Adapters made by FTDI just always work.  Microsoft has employed software (in Windows) to detect pirated Prolific adapters and turn them OFF.  I don't know if that is what happened to you.

Don W

Mark Copper
 

Anything is possible, of course, but my Prolific PL2303 adapter has never been in contact with Microsoft.

Today I was able to borrow two more adapters. Unfortunately, they were both Prolific PL2303's. OTOH, that's 3 independent trials with nary a peep back from the controller.

Thank you, Don, for the suggestion. It is important to check the connection.

Mark
Dan Gray
 

Prolifics really have a bad reputation.  They're not fast enough.  SiTech uses really fast communications.
One thing you could try, increase the mSecs in SiTechConfig/changeconfig/Misc/CommLoopTime.
The default is 100, try 250.
Dan


On Sun, Sep 18, 2022 at 3:00 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Anything is possible, of course, but my Prolific PL2303 adapter has never been in contact with Microsoft.

Today I was able to borrow two more adapters. Unfortunately, they were both Prolific PL2303's. OTOH, that's 3 independent trials with nary a peep back from the controller.

Thank you, Don, for the suggestion. It is important to check the connection.

Mark

Mark Copper
 

Hi Dan,

Thank you for thinking about this.



Changing CommLoopTime to 250 had no effect.

It might be believable that the Prolific USB-to-serial adapter which worked previously has now failed. But it seems like a low probability that 3 different adapters should all be defective. Ironically, I have an FTDI adapter on site but the serial end is RJ45. (It's not mine so I'm hesitant to wire it for a RJ9.)

I would submit the problem here lies at a lower level and is independent of sitechexe. The controller should respond to basic ASCII commands, but it neither responds to a request for its serial number nor a plain carriage return. There just isn't anyone home.

I need to leave for a couple weeks and I really want to have my scope working when I get back. Is it possible simply to replace the Servo I with a Servo II? If so, I'll order one today.

Mark
Don W
 

Hi Mark,

What you need to use a friend's FTDI adapter is an adapter cable to plug into the RJ45 with the 4 pin modular plug.  Don't have to rewire an adapter.  Or buy an FTDI with the 9 pin D plug.

The connections for the Servo I and Servo II controllers are VERY different.  The Servo II uses bare wires into screw terminals.

OK, the serial adapter built into the Servo II uses an FTDI adapter to convert the USB.

Don W
Mark Copper
 

Hi Don,

I imagine myself a few years hence wandering the earth like Jacob Marley's ghost. But instead chains, I'll be cocooned in computer cables that no longer connect to anything.
Christopher Erickson
 

Could you have a ESD-blown USB port?

-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer
Waikoloa, HI 96738
www.summitkinetics.com
   

On Mon, Sep 19, 2022, 1:07 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Hi Don,

I imagine myself a few years hence wandering the earth like Jacob Marley's ghost. But instead chains, I'll be cocooned in computer cables that no longer connect to anything.

Mark Copper
 

Thanks for the idea, Christopher.

After all, no component has fessed up.

I have tried connecting to several USB ports, all report a connection to the device like "Bus 001 Device 010: ID 067b:2303 Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port / Mobile Action MA-8910P", all with the same (null) result. Is there another diagnostic?

Mark
Dan Gray
 

Hi Mark,
If you pick up an FTDI usb to serial converter, it would be worth a try.  THey're not expensive.  We have them on our website too.
If it still doesn't work, I'm thinking Christophers idea might be correct, a blown RS232 to TTL driver on the servoI. THis is pretty rare, so that's why I wanted you to test with FTDI.
If you want to replace that chip, that's fine, or you could send it back and Taj could fix it easily.
I'm cc'ing Taj, he can tell you our stock on ServoII's.
Dan


On Mon, Sep 19, 2022 at 5:57 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Thanks for the idea, Christopher.

After all, no component has fessed up.

I have tried connecting to several USB ports, all report a connection to the device like "Bus 001 Device 010: ID 067b:2303 Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port / Mobile Action MA-8910P", all with the same (null) result. Is there another diagnostic?

Mark

Taj Wurl-Koth
 

Hi Mark,

We have Servo II in stock. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks
Taj

On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 8:02 AM Dan Gray <grayarea@...> wrote:
Hi Mark,
If you pick up an FTDI usb to serial converter, it would be worth a try.  THey're not expensive.  We have them on our website too.
If it still doesn't work, I'm thinking Christophers idea might be correct, a blown RS232 to TTL driver on the servoI. THis is pretty rare, so that's why I wanted you to test with FTDI.
If you want to replace that chip, that's fine, or you could send it back and Taj could fix it easily.
I'm cc'ing Taj, he can tell you our stock on ServoII's.
Dan

On Mon, Sep 19, 2022 at 5:57 PM Mark Copper <mlcopper@...> wrote:
Thanks for the idea, Christopher.

After all, no component has fessed up.

I have tried connecting to several USB ports, all report a connection to the device like "Bus 001 Device 010: ID 067b:2303 Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port / Mobile Action MA-8910P", all with the same (null) result. Is there another diagnostic?

Mark

Mark Copper
 

Thank you Dan and Taj,

I have to run back to St Louis for a couple weeks. But I will find an FTDI USB to serial converter and test it when I get back.

Honestly, I have had a little ongoing trouble with "bad scope comm" previously but always a reboot or two solved the problem. If a replacement chip works, I will be happy. But I'm also willing to purchase a Servo II should that be indicated.

Mark
Chris Pagan
 

I have the Mesu 200 MKII and am experiencing the same problem.  Bad weather and a recent hurricane have kept me out of the observatory for 2 months and yesterday I go out and no connection.  USB Serial Port (COM2)  says:  " Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)"

I have tried updating drivers but always get the "Windows has determined that the best driver for this device is already installed"

I have the adapter that Lucas supplies with the mount.

I'm open for suggestions

I'm DOA right now

Chris Pagan
Don W
 

Hi Chris,

Go into device manager/ports and right click your usb-adapter, then Uninstall Device.  Reboot your PC and the adapter will be ready to use.

Don W
Chris Pagan
 

Hi Don,

I uninstalled  USB Serial Port and rebooted to no avail.  I even reran "CDM20830_Setup.exe" to install the FTDI drivers.  My initial suspect is the adapter itself. Win 10 and no response when I plug into USB port (device mgr doesn't recognize a new device). Is it normal for the dongle to heat up because it gets rather warm after being plugged in for a few minutes?

Chris 

 

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