downloading from vyper air fails

[Simeon]

Dear subsurface developers,

thank you very much for this nice divelog software.

I have been using it already for some time with my suunto zoop.

Currently I am at a diving trip with some friends. Unfortunately downloading from a Suunto Vyper Air over usb failes, see attached log.

I tested with 

Subsurface from archlinux repository 4.6.4-2

and

subsurface build from master  571918feaa85fb5dc8ec0cc0c15fcc12d8e155c5

on an archlinux laptop. I can download with the same laptop from my zoop without problems. For my zoop I have to set the pc download mode manually on the divecomputer.

The vyper air automatically switches to download mode when connected with the cable.

Creating a dump file fails when I try to download from the vyper air.

Do you have any suggestions for troubleshooting?

If you need further information please ask.

PS:

I am very happy with the recent progress for the mobile app. I am testing the beta channel on android galaxy S7.

I can even download on the mobile from my zoop :)

Thank you very much.

Best regards

Simeon

Subsurface: v4.6.4-871-g571918feaa85, built with libdivecomputer v0.6.0-devel-Subsurface-branch (c0f025b01920e5189a1e527a1ff995ca10c18d0e)

INFO: Open: name=/dev/ttyUSB0

INFO: Configure: baudrate=9600, databits=8, parity=0, stopbits=0, flowcontrol=0

INFO: Timeout: value=3000

INFO: DTR: value=1

INFO: Sleep: value=100

INFO: Purge: direction=3

INFO: Sleep: value=600

INFO: RTS: value=1

INFO: Write: size=4, data=0F00000F

INFO: RTS: value=0

INFO: Read: size=0, data=

ERROR: Failed to receive the answer. [in ../../src/suunto_vyper2.c:205 (suunto_vyper2_device_packet)]

INFO: Sleep: value=600

INFO: RTS: value=1

INFO: Write: size=4, data=0F00000F

INFO: RTS: value=0

INFO: Read: size=0, data=

ERROR: Failed to receive the answer. [in ../../src/suunto_vyper2.c:205 (suunto_vyper2_device_packet)]

INFO: Sleep: value=600

INFO: RTS: value=1

INFO: Write: size=4, data=0F00000F

INFO: RTS: value=0

INFO: Read: size=0, data=

ERROR: Failed to receive the answer. [in ../../src/suunto_vyper2.c:205 (suunto_vyper2_device_packet)]

ERROR: Failed to read the version info. [in ../../src/suunto_vyper2.c:138 (suunto_vyper2_device_open)]

[Linus Torvalds]

On Sun, Oct 1, 2017 at 12:37 PM, Simeon <sim...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Currently I am at a diving trip with some friends. Unfortunately downloading
> from a Suunto Vyper Air over usb failes, see attached log.

Same cable as the Zoop? So the cable is known good?

Is this a new Vyper Air, or is this a "it used to work, but now doesn't"?

There have been reports of downloading not working well once the
battery level goes down, even if the dive computer itself works ok.

> The vyper air automatically switches to download mode when connected with
> the cable.

Ok, that's certainly a good sign.

> Creating a dump file fails when I try to download from the vyper air.

Your logs seem to imply that it gets no reply at all to the query packets.

If it has never worked for you before, one possibility is that if this
is a *new* Vyper Air, maybe it's actually the new "Vyper Novo"?

The Vyper Novo is roughly a "Vyper Air+", but it's actually different
inside and you wouldn't be able to use the "Vyper Air" model, you
really need to select "Vyper Novo" in the drop-down list.

(The "Novo" dive computers all seem to have the round download cable
connection that the small watch-sized ones have, the older ones have
the traditional two-pin one, but I'm not sure if that pattern holds
100%)

Linus

[Simeon]

Same cable as the Zoop? So the cable is known good?

Yes same cable that works for the Zoop.

There have been reports of downloading not working well once the 
battery level goes down, even if the dive computer itself works ok. 

The divecomputer has no level indicator for the battery, it just states "battery ok".

 

Is this a new Vyper Air, or is this a "it used to work, but now doesn't"?

 

Never worked  with subsurface but with the proprietary suunto dive manager on a windows machine.

(The "Novo" dive computers all seem to have the round download cable
connection that the small watch-sized ones have, the older ones have
the traditional two-pin one, but I'm not sure if that pattern holds
100%)

 

rectangular connector with two small pins.

It is not new and it has written Vyper Air on the case. Downloading with selecting "Vyper Novo" fails as well.

Thank you for your suggestions,

Simeon

[Miika Turkia]

On Monday, October 2, 2017 at 8:37:09 AM UTC+3, Simeon wrote:

Same cable as the Zoop? So the cable is known good?

Yes same cable that works for the Zoop.

There have been reports of downloading not working well once the 
battery level goes down, even if the dive computer itself works ok. 

The divecomputer has no level indicator for the battery, it just states "battery ok".

 

Is this a new Vyper Air, or is this a "it used to work, but now doesn't"?

 

Never worked  with subsurface but with the proprietary suunto dive manager on a windows machine.

Downloading from Vyper Air has worked fine for me. Just selecting Suunto and "Vyper Air" as model, and obviously the correct USB device. The only problems I have had were when my cable was broken (poor soldering inside). I have experienced also some trouble with dirty or wet contacts. The DC does not want to go to download mode if the contacts are wet or immediately after they have been dried up. (There must be a nook for the water to hide in as drying the contacts is quite difficult.)

Since the cable works with the Zoop and Vyper Air goes to download mode, the only thing I can think of is low battery. Download uses quite a bit more power than normal operation of the DC so this might be an issue.

Generally, I like to blow the aircontacts clean/dry with compressed air, if available. Then I let the DC sit a few minutes before downloading. Otherwise I try to dry the contacts and especially the space between the contacts and the plastic. And of course make sure there is no dirt in the contacts. If there is trouble with this, the DC does not go to download mode, so I doubt you are facing the same problem as I have had in the past.

[Jef Driesen]

On 2017-10-02 07:56, Miika Turkic wrote:
> Downloading from Vyper Air has worked fine for me. Just selecting
> Suunto
> and "Vyper Air" as model, and obviously the correct USB device. The
> only
> problems I have had were when my cable was broken (poor soldering
> inside).
> I have experienced also some trouble with dirty or wet contacts. The DC
> does not want to go to download mode if the contacts are wet or
> immediately
> after they have been dried up. (There must be a nook for the water to
> hide
> in as drying the contacts is quite difficult.)
>
> Since the cable works with the Zoop and Vyper Air goes to download
> mode,
> the only thing I can think of is low battery. Download uses quite a bit
> more power than normal operation of the DC so this might be an issue.

There is a known issue with the vyper2 backend (e.g. Vyper Air).
Sometimes the download fails the first time you try, but if you retry
immediately again, it usually works. This issue exists for as long as I
can remember, but only some users are having trouble with it, and I
don't know what the root cause is (otherwise I would have fixed it).

@Simeon: Can you check whether the retrying trick works for you?

Jef

[Simeon]

Jef, thank you for the suggestion.

Unfortunately this trick doesn't work

(tried at least 3 times downloading right after each other).

Thank you all for your answers. Seems we keep using the windows

suunto dive manager for the vyper air and export the logbook to subsurface.

Simeon

[Linus Torvalds]

On Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 1:30 PM, Simeon <sim...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you all for your answers. Seems we keep using the windows
> suunto dive manager for the vyper air and export the logbook to subsurface.

Sadly, I flooded my Vyper Air just a couple of months ago, so I can no
longer even test downloading.

I did verify that my HelO2 still downloads fine, and that should be
the same Vyper2 backend (although inexplicably there's _also_ support
for the HelO2 in the D9 parser).

So I don't know what to say. The Vyper Air definitely used to work
fine, but I haven't been diving it for a few years - I moved on to the
Suunto EON Steel, and stopped using the older Suunto dive computers).

My daughter used my old Vyper Air about a year ago, so I do have a
good download from August 2016. I'm really surprised that it would
have broken since.

Linus