Unable to establish a connection.
The port 'COM16" does not exist.
Being kinda new to this I was using a MP with the 9.0 Mavlink with the 2 APM 2.0 & 2.5 boards I have. But I wasn't getting any HUD on the MP. Using the Mavlink 9.0 I could upload Firmware and Connect via USB & 3DR wireless link. Everything seemed fine. After the software upgrade to MP 1.2.20 it appears that my Com Ports assigned to both boards don't exist.
(I was also able to previously setup a Quad that was pre-programmed to get RC transmitter set up and motors running. To check the board I was hoping to get a HUD as I found should have been available, hence the MP upgrade.)
FYI;
I am using Windows XP 32 Bit with SP2.
I have .NET Frame 3.5 & 4.0 installed.(also removed & re-installed)
FTDI Drivers are installed too.
I have tried 2 different USB leads.
The Red & Blue lights flash, but out of sync. The Green power light is on.
I've tried using the Reset button.
I don't get the Ding that indicates a USB device is plugged in.
The boards show up in the MP Com drop down menu. They also show up in Device Manager under Ports. I am told though that No Driver is installed, yet I get all the Device information in the window. When I try to install the Arduino Mega 2560.inf the Wizard does not allow me to OK the folder in which it is placed. Checking in the Folder - WINDOWS/SYSTEM32/DRIVERS shows the file 'usbser' exists.
I've downloaded USBview off the FTDI website and this shows the board when connected & disconnected.
I'm guessing the problem may lie with the Driver not being installed but I can't get the Wizard to recognise it. I've also tried earlier versions of MP prior to the recent 1.2.20 such as 32-1.2.19, 32-1.2.13 & 32-1.1.92. I'm not sure the version with Mavlink 9.0 as the upgrade overwrote it.
Also, for example, if I connect the APM board and then say plug another USB device in it won't be recognised until the APM board is unplugged. eg. iPhone, USB BT Dongle.
I hope I've given enough information on the problem.
After close to 20 hours working on this problem I'm at a loss and hope someone with more experience may shed some light on the problem, or offer ideas for a fix. It would be really appreciated.
Thank you.
Replies
I had the same problem in WinXP Pro. I reinstalled the driver several times hoping to get it to work by just pointing at the C:\Program Files\APM Planner\Driver folder and it wouldn't work. It seemed to find a driver and be happy but it kept giving my the com port does not exist error.
I finally pointed the driver re-installation directly at the "Arduino MEGA 2560.inf" file and then everything loaded and worked. It kind of looked like it was trying to load a different driver that was signed instead of unsigned. In XP you have to have the device plugged in to re-install the driver and once the process has begun it will "hang" at which point the APM has to be disconnected to allow the installation to complete.
I also tried using the driver directly off of the website but when it downloaded it had a .txt extension added onto it. I wiped the .txt and tried installing that one with no luck also.
I'm pretty well convinced that it is purely a driver issue and does not have anything to do with the hardware. Good luck to all the old XP users out there- I hope this helps. Win7 loaded the software drivers without any problems at all.
The no HUD was on the first MP I used with Mavlink 9.0. All the Mavlink 1.0's I'm using have the HUD. I have downloaded DirectX 9.0 & installed. I will try and re-install it again.
Thanks for the thought.
Is MP 1.2.20 compatible with XP 32 Bit?
Could someone check that in XP their Device Manager shows a Driver installed when an APM is connected?
I think it's getting closer to having to buy a new laptop :-(
Some things may be go beyond an economical effort that's required to solve the problem. I've spent many hours looking through DIY & via Google with nothing useful presenting.
@Warren,
The "no HUD" issue is usually caused by outdated video drivers. I had the same issue and updating to the latest video drivers cured the problem.
Just a thought.
Regards,
TCIII
try uninstalling it in device manager. and then reinstall the mp to let it reload the drivers
please try a diffrent pc. sounds like there might be power issues with the usb port you are plugging into.