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Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9589

Posted: 05:48pm 21 Jul 2014

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Hi all. A few weeks ago I updated to Win 8.1(64-bit), and having jumped through all the hoops to get the bloody SC port driver in and working, MMEDIT still won't see the port(A device attached to the system is unavailable).

Correction - it saw the MM ONCE, but now it just ain't there from the 2nd time I cranked up MMEDIT. MM is on, all cables connected, Device Manager sees SC port driver there with COM5.

MMEDIT keeps insisting it is on COM7 last time, but it never was. When I was able to send the single update to the MM, it was on COM5. Now COM5 is not a valid port in MMEDIT, even though Device Manager shows it as being there.

Any ideas?

I will keep tinkering...

EDIT: TeraTerm also does not see the port, but COM5 is there in Device Manager...
EDIT: TeraTerm is now seeing the port on COM5...
EDIT: MMEDIT now sees COM5, but won't connect to it - A device attached to the system is malfunctioning. I can talk to the MM in TeraTerm.
EDIT: MMEDIT now locks up and reports: #ports - These handles closed by Liberty Basic. Please use the appropriate CLOSE command.

I'll see if I can find an older version of MMEDIT. This one is 3.4.15 OS Ver 6.02

EDIT: MMEDIT does not appear to be closing the port. If I restart MMEDIT, COM5 is there, and I can transfer a file. Once the "All Done!" message comes up and I close the window, if I try to do the same again, COM5 is gone, and I get these messages. Also cannot get TT to see it either. Close MMEDIT. TT now sees COM5 and I can access the command line. Close TT. Open MMEDIT, and you can do ONE file transfer, then the port does not appear to be getting closed - according to what the messages are anyway. I'll leave it with Jim at this point!

EDIT: If you open MMEDIT, but don't do anything in the editing window, go right to file transfer thing, you can transfer more then one file, and everything works fine.

If you type anything new in the editor window, then go to file transfer thing, COM5 is gone, and "A device attached to the system is malfunctioning."

Very odd.

EDIT: No you can't. It does let you move more then one file SOMETIMES. Other times when you try to repeat that exact same concept, you just have no COM5 anymore, and the errors mentioned above flood in.(even though you close MMEDIT between attempts, and restart it)Edited by Grogster 2014-07-23

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

BobDevries

Senior Member

Joined: 08/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 266

Posted: 06:11pm 21 Jul 2014

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Hi Grogster,

I also have a Windows 8.1 computer here. I had not yet tried to install the SC port driver. I's heard that it was fraught with obstacles.

Is there step-by-step documentation on how to install that (and other) driver?

Regards, Bob Devries
Dalby, QLD, Australia

Bob Devries
Dalby, QLD, Australia

Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9589

Posted: 06:36pm 21 Jul 2014

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Oh, it is GREAT fun.

Although, this is NOT a complaint about the SC driver, it is just the way that Win8 has screwed down the lid on unsigned drivers.

Here
is a good link, stolen from an old thread here, showing you how to disable signed drivers so that you can get the SC driver going - just follow your nose - they have plenty of photos on that link.

Quite a few hoops to jump through, IMHO.

I have a feeling that MY issue is that something in the Win8.1 update screwed things down even tighter, and this seems to be stuffing MMEDIT up. I'd love to hear your results, or if others are using MMEDIT on Win8.1, did they/are they having any issues?

It's no big deal - if no simple fix, I will just resurrect an old XP machine(not connected to net), and use that. It could be useful, actually, as I could put MMEDIT, PICAXE editor, MPLAB-X etc all on the one machine - I just thought it would make my life easier, if I could do the MMEDIT on the general-purpose machine I sit at most of the time...Edited by Grogster 2014-07-23

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

TassyJim

Guru

Joined: 07/08/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 6269

Posted: 10:31pm 21 Jul 2014

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A few observations.

I have MMEdit 3.4.15 running OK on W8.1 and the SC Maximite driver.
That doesn't mean that your s will work, just that debugging is more difficult.

COM7 is the default port that MMedit uses. Provided that you set the port in File/Configure Maximite, it should be remembered between sessions.
It is a good idea to let MMEDit 'find' the port.

If you do have a serial problem, it is best to close MMEdit or TeraTerm etc. remove the USB cable. Wait a few seconds for Windows to know it's removed. Replace the USB cable. Wait a few seconds for Windows. Restart you program.

I agree with the instructions referred to by Grogster for installing the driver.

Jim

VK7JH
MMedit

KeepIS

Guru

Joined: 13/10/2014
Location: Australia
Posts: 1868

Posted: 04:36pm 13 Oct 2014

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Glad to see others are having a problems under Windows 8.1 64.

This Silicon Chip Windows Serial Port Driver is causing me all types of issues.

1: I have to close and restart MM EDIT 3.4.15 3 to 4 times before it will finally see the Port.

2: Tera Term will ALWAYS see the port and communicate, don't know what they are doing to accomplish this, I say this because of the following.

I wanted to use the inbuilt port on the Maxi/Mini for basic program coms, however any attempt to access it in a Windows application will fail more often that not.

I wrote a simple app in VB.net to test and access this port. If the port is working and then closed, any attempt to reopen the port most times results in failure.

Resetting the port via device manager (or from within a VB.NET app) will sometimes get it to work, more often not. I have over 10 USB interface modules in the Vehicle computer and desktop PC, this is the only one that gives me grief.

I just bit the bullet an added a small USB interface, of course that is perfect as far as data and Maxi basic application control goes, but leaves me with this annoying 4 to 5 attempts to get MM Edit to even see the Port.

Edited by KeepIS 2014-10-15

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