Logicport owners help - driver issue

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?

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

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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 prolific 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.

FT232/245BM 1 0403 DC48 USB 1.1 false false true true 200 Intronix LogicPort Logic Analyzer true 13

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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.

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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'd try the latest drivers from FTDI. Perhaps also delete (after backing up) the existing .ini file; it should be recreated with default values.

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 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)

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.

Mark Borgerson

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

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

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.

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Thanks Rich, we will give that a try.

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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.

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When I asked them about a Linux port I was told that I was the only one that had ever asked for one.

RK

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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)

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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 " The purpose of this [bit-bang] mode was intended to be used to program FPGA devices."