Logicport owners help - driver issue
eedesi
software it reports -
"The LogicPort hardware may already be in
use by another instance of the software".
It appears to be a software glitch that causes these problems. Our prof is
considering sending it back to Intronix for repairs but we are losing time
on finishing our project. (It appears that the usb interface using
FTDI/eeprom chip on logicport is poorly designed and may need reflashing!
FTDI drivers apparently had some major flaws then) Can someone please let
us know if you have seen this before? Intronix, the maker of Logicport,
appears to be a small company (it appears one product only) and does not
have a forum to share user problems with their product
---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com
D Yuniskis
> Logicport has stopped working in the lab, and now when we start the
> software it reports -
>
> "The LogicPort hardware may already be in
> use by another instance of the software".
>
> It appears to be a software glitch that causes these problems. Our prof is
Are you sure it isn't something as simple as (effectively) a lock file
that wasn't properly deleted the *last* time you used the software?
Have you tried installing it (clean) on another system to rule
out that aspect?
John Kortink
>Logicport has stopped working in the lab, and now when we start the
>software it reports -
>
>"The LogicPort hardware may already be in
>use by another instance of the software".
>
>It appears to be a software glitch that causes these problems. Our prof is
>considering sending it back to Intronix for repairs but we are losing time
>on finishing our project. (It appears that the usb interface using
>FTDI/eeprom chip on logicport is poorly designed and may need reflashing!
>FTDI drivers apparently had some major flaws then) Can someone please let
>us know if you have seen this before? Intronix, the maker of Logicport,
>appears to be a small company (it appears one product only) and does not
>have a forum to share user problems with their product
I get that error only when I start a second copy of the
software.
Are you sure you're not running multiple copies of the
software ? The executable is listed as 'LogicPort.exe'
under 'Processes' in the Windows Task Manager.
John Kortink
--
Email : kor...@inter.nl.net
Homepage : http://www.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink
Those who can, do. Those who can't, manage.
eedesi
eedesi
Thanks for your responses. We are sure that there is no other instance of
software running. The problem began once the LogicPort was moved to a
Windows 7 machine where it was installed correctly (procedure at least) but
did not work. Isn't it compatible with Win 7? Since then it has not
worked on any other computer including the previous XP one where it was ok
earlier. What is puzzling is that it enumerates when connected to USB,
gets bus power because the yellow light comes on and stays on, but the main
app software does not recognize the hardware. May be 'part' of the
EEPROM(93C46) has got corrupted because FTDI chip (245B) is doing its part
to enumerate... the usb device descriptor, etc. Other than the FPGA, there
is not much hardware inside.
Rich Webb
<vindesi2@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>Logicport has stopped working in the lab, and now when we start the
>software it reports -
>
>"The LogicPort hardware may already be in
>use by another instance of the software".
>
>It appears to be a software glitch that causes these problems. Our prof is
>considering sending it back to Intronix for repairs but we are losing time
>on finishing our project. (It appears that the usb interface using
>FTDI/eeprom chip on logicport is poorly designed and may need reflashing!
>FTDI drivers apparently had some major flaws then) Can someone please let
>us know if you have seen this before? Intronix, the maker of Logicport,
>appears to be a small company (it appears one product only) and does not
>have a forum to share user problems with their product
Well, I've never had a problem with the FTDI chips. I did end up having
to replace a Fluke Scopemeter serial-USB cable that used a chip from
another manufacturer <cough>prolific<cough> which wasn't usable after
one of Microsoft's XP service packs. The discussion should still be in
the Fluke support forum archives. Fluke's solution was to issue a new
rev of the cable using an FTDI interface chip.
Could some other app be capturing the LogicPort interface? It uses the
D2XX direct drivers, not via a virtual com port. Try the latest drivers?
FWIW, here's the "template" file for the FTDI chip in the LogicPort, as
captured by FTDI's FT_PROG.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<FT_EEPROM>
<Chip_Details>
<Type>FT232/245BM</Type>
</Chip_Details>
<USB_Device_Descriptor>
<VID_PID>1</VID_PID>
<idVendor>0403</idVendor>
<idProduct>DC48</idProduct>
<bcdUSB>USB 1.1</bcdUSB>
</USB_Device_Descriptor>
<USB_Config_Descriptor>
<bmAttributes>
<RemoteWakeupEnabled>false</RemoteWakeupEnabled>
<SelfPowered>false</SelfPowered>
<BusPowered>true</BusPowered>
</bmAttributes>
<IOpullDown>true</IOpullDown>
<MaxPower>200</MaxPower>
</USB_Config_Descriptor>
<USB_String_Descriptors>
<Manufacturer>Intronix</Manufacturer>
<Product_Description>LogicPort Logic Analyzer</Product_Description>
<SerialNumber_Enabled>true</SerialNumber_Enabled>
<SerialNumber>
</SerialNumber>
<SerialNumberPrefix>13</SerialNumberPrefix>
</USB_String_Descriptors>
</FT_EEPROM>
--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
Rich Webb
<vindesi2@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>Thanks for your responses. We are sure that there is no other instance of
>software running. The problem began once the LogicPort was moved to a
>Windows 7 machine where it was installed correctly (procedure at least) but
>did not work. Isn't it compatible with Win 7?
It may not be, in the sense that its default directory for the ini file
and project files is under c:/program files/logicport. Windows 7 is very
unhappy with apps that write to the "program files" directory tree.
Under the Win 7 model, as you probably know, writable ini files, project
files, and the like are expected to be in the user's home directory tree
vice a system tree.
> Since then it has not
>worked on any other computer including the previous XP one where it was ok
>earlier. What is puzzling is that it enumerates when connected to USB,
>gets bus power because the yellow light comes on and stays on, but the main
>app software does not recognize the hardware. May be 'part' of the
>EEPROM(93C46) has got corrupted because FTDI chip (245B) is doing its part
>to enumerate... the usb device descriptor, etc. Other than the FPGA, there
>is not much hardware inside.
I'd try the latest drivers from FTDI. Perhaps also delete (after backing
up) the existing .ini file; it should be recreated with default values.
DJ Delorie
> The problem began once the LogicPort was moved to a
> Windows 7 machine where it was installed correctly (procedure at least) but
> did not work. Isn't it compatible with Win 7?
I use my logicport on Win7 all the time, works fine.
The FPGA in the logicport is an Altera Cyclone, if its flash is corrupt
(unlikely?) you'll have to send it back for reprogramming.
/me wonders if something reprogrammed the EEPROM in the ftdi chip the
logicport uses. For reference, here's the data from my logicport:
Bus 001 Device 015: ID 0403:dc48 Future Technology Devices
International, Ltd
Device Descriptor:
bLength 18
bDescriptorType 1
bcdUSB 1.10
bDeviceClass 0 (Defined at Interface level)
bDeviceSubClass 0
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 8
idVendor 0x0403 Future Technology Devices International, Ltd
idProduct 0xdc48
bcdDevice 4.00
iManufacturer 1 Intronix
iProduct 2 LogicPort Logic Analyzer
iSerial 3 <hidden>
bNumConfigurations 1
Configuration Descriptor:
bLength 9
bDescriptorType 2
wTotalLength 32
bNumInterfaces 1
bConfigurationValue 1
iConfiguration 0
bmAttributes 0x80
(Bus Powered)
MaxPower 200mA
Device Status: 0x0000
(Bus Powered)
Mark Borgerson
bbe...@mapson.nozirev.ten says...
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:45:14 -0500, "eedesi"
> <vindesi2@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> >Thanks for your responses. We are sure that there is no other instance of
> >software running. The problem began once the LogicPort was moved to a
> >Windows 7 machine where it was installed correctly (procedure at least) but
> >did not work. Isn't it compatible with Win 7?
>
> It may not be, in the sense that its default directory for the ini file
> and project files is under c:/program files/logicport. Windows 7 is very
> unhappy with apps that write to the "program files" directory tree.
> Under the Win 7 model, as you probably know, writable ini files, project
> files, and the like are expected to be in the user's home directory tree
> vice a system tree.
I've had exactly that problem with a terminal emulator that wanted to
save input data to the program file directory. We couldn't find the
data afterwards. I think we solved the problem by specifying an
output path in the documents folder.
>
> > Since then it has not
> >worked on any other computer including the previous XP one where it was ok
> >earlier. What is puzzling is that it enumerates when connected to USB,
> >gets bus power because the yellow light comes on and stays on, but the main
> >app software does not recognize the hardware. May be 'part' of the
> >EEPROM(93C46) has got corrupted because FTDI chip (245B) is doing its part
> >to enumerate... the usb device descriptor, etc. Other than the FPGA, there
> >is not much hardware inside.
>
> I'd try the latest drivers from FTDI. Perhaps also delete (after backing
> up) the existing .ini file; it should be recreated with default values.
>
>
Mark Borgerson
Mark Borgerson
d...@delorie.com says...
You might be able to rejuvenate the LogicPort by using the FTDI MPROG
utility to read the charactersistics of a known good LogicPort, then
checking to see if the bad unit is different. If so, you could program
the bad unit EEPROM to match the good unit.
Mark Borgerson
rickman
> Logicport has stopped working in the lab, and now when we start the
> software it reports -
>
> "The LogicPort hardware may already be in
> use by another instance of the software".
>
> It appears to be a software glitch that causes these problems. Our prof is
> considering sending it back to Intronix for repairs but we are losing time
> on finishing our project. (It appears that the usb interface using
> FTDI/eeprom chip on logicport is poorly designed and may need reflashing!
> FTDI drivers apparently had some major flaws then) Can someone please let
> us know if you have seen this before? Intronix, the maker of Logicport,
> appears to be a small company (it appears one product only) and does not
> have a forum to share user problems with their product
Hmmm... have you tried contacting LogicPort? I've talked to them
before and found them response if not cooperative... I was asking
about a Linux port and they didn't seem too interested... they need a
lot of potential customers to request a driver port rather than just
silently not buy the product.
Rick
Rob Gaddi
Yeah, I asked them about the ability to display buses on-screen with a
different bit order than the electrical order on the connector and was
given a serious snow as to why that couldn't happen for technical reasons.
--
Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology
Email address is currently out of order
eedesi
>
>
Thanks Rich, we will give that a try.
eedesi
Thanks for all the help. We lost the unit from the lab for the day :-)
higher powers had to evaluate whether to brick it or repair it. Now it is
back.... well it may go for repair but until then we can try to see what we
can do.
The USBview descriptors look the same as DJ Delorie posted from his. Thats
good news. So the front-end interface hardware looks ok. We tried using
MPROG (actually FT_PROG is newest version we found) to look at the eeprom.
We have saved whatever was on the eeprom in a file , though this file may
be corrupted. Now, we have to find an eeprom image from a working
logicport.
d_s_klein
>
> Hmmm... have you tried contacting LogicPort? I've talked to them
> before and found them response if not cooperative... I was asking
> about a Linux port and they didn't seem too interested... they need a
> lot of potential customers to request a driver port rather than just
> silently not buy the product.
>
> Rick
When I asked them about a Linux port I was told that I was the only
one that had ever asked for one.
RK
eedesi
Mark,
FT_Prog does not seem to write back the last several bytes of the eeprom.
How can we write back the original eeprom image that was copied from the
hardware. Perhaps we should have used MProg instead, even though FT_Prog
seems to be a newer version of MProg? The other alternative is to use an
eeprom programmer that 'may' require pulling the chip out. Thanks for the
help.
(A search in the Altera FPGA forum shows a lot of similar symptoms as we
reported in the original email. Hard to believe that intronix was not aware
of it - they want $$$ (equivalent to what it would take to buy a new 200
MHz logic analyzer these days) to fix it when there are all the signs that
it is a software issue and can be done with some reflashing. In the
interim, we have found an altenative tech-tools Logic analyzer)
Rich Webb
<vindesi2@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>FT_Prog does not seem to write back the last several bytes of the eeprom.
>How can we write back the original eeprom image that was copied from the
>hardware. Perhaps we should have used MProg instead, even though FT_Prog
>seems to be a newer version of MProg? The other alternative is to use an
>eeprom programmer that 'may' require pulling the chip out. Thanks for the
>help.
Is it possible that the external EEPROM itself has a fault? Maybe yours
got hit by a stray cosmic ray or you just got a bad piece of the
original die?
An interesting (possibly related?) app note
<http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/AppNotes/AN232B-01_BitBang.pdf> " The
purpose of this [bit-bang] mode was intended to be used to program FPGA
devices."