OpenBCI GUI can't connect to Cyton board, part 2
This is a new post to distinguish the issue I am having from where I orginally posted...
https://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/2422/openbci-gui-cant-connect-to-cyton-board
OpenBCI_GUI version 4.1.7, Virtual COM port driver version 2.12.28 Windows 10 version 10.0.18362.
I am using the standalone application (only).
Full log file... of a fairly repeatable sequence...
- Connect USB dongle, power up ultra-cortex.
- Open GUI (run as Admin, with ports opened on public and private networks on first execution)
- Navigate to: Live (from Cyton) --> Serial (from Dongle) --> Manual
- Choose correct COM Port
- Click AUTOSCAN --> Reports "Success: Host override - Channel number: 1"
- Click Status --> Reports "Cyton dongle could not connect to the board. Perhaps they are on different channels? Try Pressing AUTOSCAN."
- Click AUTOSCAN --> Reports "Success: System is Up"
- Click Status --> Reports "Success: System is Up"
- Click "START SESSION" --> Reports "init Timeout. Verify your serial/COM Port. Power DOWN/UP your OpenBCI Board & Dongle, then retry initialization".
Note: In the actual log attached it did connect on first autoscan, then failed, then succeeded again.
There is a little variablity here... but the bullet points above describe 90% of sequences.
Reproducibility with:
- each of two different dongles (resolving to distinct COM Ports, but otherwise behaving the same).
- each of two different computers (my laptop running Win 10 as stated earlier and a Win 7 VM with USB passed through)
- multiple versions... version 3.4.0 and version 5.0.0 behaved same, for me, as the current release.
(one advantage of standalone application is the ease of testing this... public and private ports opened on each first execution)
If I power down the ultra-cortex and try to autoscan the leds flash for 15 seconds or so and the link fails, as would be expected.
If I power up the ultra-cortex and try to autoscan it always fails on first attempt with a fresh start but always works on second attempt, resolving a link on Channel 2.
Console Log Started at Local Time: 2020-01-23_15-08-32
Screen Resolution: 1536 X 864
Welcome to the Processing-based OpenBCI GUI!
For more information, please visit: https://openbci.github.io/Documentation/docs/06Software/01-OpenBCISoftware/GUIDocs
Launching application from local data dir
OpenBCI_GUI: hubStart: OS Detected: Windows
TopNav: Internet Connection Not Available
OpenBCI_GUI::Setup: Is RX mulitcast: false
OpenBCI_GUI::Setup: Has RX joined multicast: false
OpenBCI_GUI::Setup: Sample Data exists in Documents folder.
ControlP5 2.2.6 infos, comments, questions at http://www.sojamo.de/libraries/controlP5
The file "C:\Users\tim\Documents\OpenBCI_GUI\Settings\UserPlaybackHistory.json" is missing or inaccessible, make sure the URL is valid or that the file has been added to your sketch and is readable.
OpenBCI_GUI::Control Panel: Playback history file not found or other error.
OpenBCI_GUI::Setup: Setup is complete!
Instantiating hub object...
Hub: CheckHubInit: The GUI is connected to the Hub!
sourceList: click!
setInterface: curInterface: -1
channel count set to 8
Setting Latency to 10000
Setting WiFi Internet Protocol to udpBurst
Setting WiFi style to dynamic
[DEFAULT]: Protocol Serial Selected for Cyton
setInterface: curInterface: 0
Setting sample rate for Cyton to 250Hz
sample rate set to: 250
[DEFAULT]: Transfer Protocol set to serial
serialList: click!
[DEFAULT]: OpenBCI Port Name = COM8
Radios_Config: scan_channels
[DEFAULT]: Attempting to open Serial/COM port: COM8
Radios_Config: connect_to_portName: Attempting to open serial port: COM8
Radios_Config: connect_to_portName: Port is open!
Radios_Config: set_ovr_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 1
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Failure: System is Down
[ERROR]: Failed to connect using COM8. Check hardware or try pressing 'Autoscan'.
Radios_Config: set_ovr_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 2
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Success: System is Up
[SUCCESS]: Successfully connected to Cyton using COM8
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Success: System is Up
[SUCCESS]: Successfully connected to Cyton using COM8
Radios_Config: scan_channels
Radios_Config: set_ovr_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 1
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 1
[SUCCESS]: Successfully connected to Cyton using COM8
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Failure: System is Down
[ERROR]: Failed to connect using COM8. Check hardware or try pressing 'Autoscan'.
Radios_Config: scan_channels
Radios_Config: set_ovr_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 1
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Failure: System is Down
[ERROR]: Failed to connect using COM8. Check hardware or try pressing 'Autoscan'.
Radios_Config: set_ovr_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host override - Channel number: 2
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Success: System is Up
[SUCCESS]: Successfully connected to Cyton using COM8
Radios_Config: system_status
Radios_Config: Success: System is Up
[SUCCESS]: Successfully connected to Cyton using COM8
Radios_Config: get_channel
Radios_Config: Success: Host and Device on Channel number: 2
Settings: LogFileMaxDuration = 60 minutes
initButtonPressed: Calling initSystem()
=================================================
|| INITIALIZING SYSTEM ||
=================================================
InitSettings: Saving Default Settings to file!
SoftwareSettings: 3 active widgets saved!
The file "C:\Users\tim\Documents\OpenBCI_GUI\Settings\CytonUserSettings.json" is missing or inaccessible, make sure the URL is valid or that the file has been added to your sketch and is readable.
InitSettings: C:\Users\tim\Documents\OpenBCI_GUI\Settings\CytonUserSettings.json not found or other error.
[DEFAULT]: The new data source is LIVE (from Cyton ) and NCHAN = [8]. User Settings Error: Default Settings Loaded.
[DEFAULT]: Attempting to establish a connection with your OpenBCI Board...
openBCI_GUI: haltSystem: Halting system for reconfiguration of settings...
Closing any open SD file. Writing 'j' to OpenBCI.
Disconnecting serial...
[DEFAULT]: Init timeout. Verify your Serial/COM Port. Power DOWN/UP your OpenBCI Board & Dongle, then retry Initialization.
The file "C:\Users\tim\Documents\OpenBCI_GUI\Settings\UserPlaybackHistory.json" is missing or inaccessible, make sure the URL is valid or that the file has been added to your sketch and is readable.
OpenBCI_GUI::Control Panel: Playback history file not found or other error.
ConsoleLog: Copying console log to clipboard!
Comments
Screenshots...
Changed out batteries, rebooted PC... all still same...
When did you purchase this Cyton?
Did it ever connect?
I have two Cytons.
Neither have ever connected.
I was an original backer of the Kickstarter.
Long story as to why I hadn't done anything with it until recently... not relevant.
I had thought I had lost the first Cyton and bought a second when I was able to continue working on this project.
That was early of 2018... it took me a year and a half to get around to printing the ultra-cortex... busy times.
That is done.
Both boards look pretty much the same... slightly different silkscreening, but both marked as "V3 32".
Interchanging the dongles is easy, of course, but I have only tried the one Cyton board, which I believe is the 2017 board.
I suppose I could try the older Cyton as well, have tried everything else... including today on Linux... which seems to be falling short of success for other reasons.
Yesterday I purchased the headband rig with the expectation of using one Cyton with that and the other with the ultra-cortex.
Really hope I can get them both going. The older one was boxed in storage the whole time so should be fine, I would think.
Cheers.
@wjcroft What do you think?
Ok, retuitut... some good news... gotta celebrate the wins.
I swapped out the Cytons and was able to start a session on the other one.
I think, now, that I was using the older Cyton... maybe. I am not sure, to be frank.
Perhaps you can tell me for sure... (based on following info)?
There is a distinguishing feature, other than the silk screen "fineness", I had not picked up on... one board has premounted pin headers (2x2pin, 2x4pin, 1x8pin).
So... the boards are distinguished by:
The dongles can be paired with their respective Cytons by the look of the silkscreen (bold vs fine).
So, this is great... I have one Cyton up and running... now I can begin the process of fine tuning the ultra-cortex contact points.
We are moving off square one... awesome.
A new problem has presented with the second dongle.
It still presents in Windows as a COM port but is no longer recognised by OpenBCI_GUI.
When I swapped the Cytons out I started by using the dongle with matching silkscreen.
There was success.
Out of curiosity, and perhaps to feed future troubleshooting of the other Cyton, I tried to swap out the dongle.
After numerous restarts/reinserts I could not get OpenBCI to recognise the device on the COM port.
This may be resolved by a reboot... I have some more things to try here...
This did work previously... and recognition of the device is independent of the Cyton functionality itself.
That said, behaviour seems different with the second dongle since the Cyton session was initiated
This does need to be resolved ultimately, if I am to end up with separate headband and ultra-cortex based units.
The main issue remaining (assuming I resolve the second dongle) is the non-functioning Cyton (bold/darker, witout headers).
(seemingly, at this point... I am not giving up!!!)
I suspect now (and am hoping you will confirm) that this is, in fact, the older Cyton.
If that is the case... perhaps this will inform a strategy for resolution?
Erisian, hi. My guess is that the firmware in the non-working Cyton or non-working dongle is suspect. The later Cyton's did indeed have the headers attached. I would suggest reloading both the dongle firmware and the Cyton firmware. There are two RFduino's, the dongle is one, the other is on the back of the mainboard. Either of these firmwares may be glitched. If you are not getting AUTOSCAN or channel changing to work, that means there is no radio connection between the RFduinos. Implying that one or both of the firmwares is glitched.
Regards, William
Hi William.
Good to write, I am familiar with some of your videos and online publications.
OK... so bold silkscreen is kickstarter, confirmed.
To clarify, until the recent problems (today) with the GUI and the older dongle, I believe the RFduino link was good, between both dongles and the older Cyton.
Note: the GUI can still see the COM port, just seems to fail on locking the COM device... might clear on power cycle... will get to that.
The software (with either dongle) reported a failed link when Cyton was powered off and good when the Cyton was powered on.
That was solidly repeatable... so the radios must be communicating in some fashion.
Things fell over on attempting to establish the session... still... could be a radio firmware corruption - likely, if so, in the Cyton, I suppose, since (at least) one dongle works with the newer Cyton.
I am comfortable with firmware flashing... I will give that a try.
I will first try with just the dongle firmware followed by Cyton radio firmware... and see if that resolves it.
If not, I will move on to the Cyton controller (pic) firmware itself.
I will be unable to progress this for the next two weeks (is why I have been leaning into this hard over the past week).
So, I will give it a try then and report back.
Appreciate the support.
Tim.
Tim, sounds good. If the two RFduinos are talking, then AUTOSCAN or setting a radio channel will work. If those are failing, then one or both RFduinos are suspect.