OpenBCI_GUI 5.0 questions
nejemia
argentina
Hi! I am excited about the last version of the GUI.
Just downloaded and installed the stand alone version on my Windows 10.
So far, so good but It does not find the WiFi shield and does not connect with Cyton using the RFDuino dongle neither.
Should I need to do something with the Hub?
If any special consideration for running GUI ver. 5.0 is required, please let me know and will star testings.
All the best.
Nelson
Comments
Nelson, thanks.
You are not seeing the serial port dongle showing up in the available interfaces? Mentioning Richard @retiutut.
Regards, William
Can you clarify, this Cyton and dongle are manufactured by OpenBCI, correct? I know you have done some DIY building as well, can you mention what you have that is DIY and what is OpenBCI manufactured?
The Cyton Dongle is the ONLY thing that will show now in the Radio Configuration box in Control Panel.
Everything major is working, I can assure you. You may need to unplug/plug dongle, turn Cyton on/off, and restart the GUI.
We have completely stopped using the Hub. Simply download GUI v5, and run it!
ALL USERS:
Please refer to this in-depth write-up I just finished on the Community page: https://openbci.com/community/gui-v5-release/
I'm planning on making a new how-to video to address some common pit-falls for new users and highlight some GUI v5 features.
William: I removed my WiFi connection, restarted everything and ver. 5.0 is up and running ha´ppy with the RFduino dongle.
First impression is that the overall performance is notably better than ver 4.20.
So.... CONGRATULATIONS !
Once WiFi becomes available, let me know and will test it.
BTW my NodeMCU version is working fine with GUI 4.20 so far.
Thank you for being one of the first Community members to test GUI v5!!!
WiFi is working! If you can't find it right away, try pressing the "search" button again, or you may need to enter the IP address manually using "Direct" mode in the Control Panel.
I tested GUI v5 mainly using Ganglion+WiFi, since this is more reliable configuration than Cyton+WiFi.
Great. Can you please list what items are OpenBCI manufactured, and what are DIY? Your "Wifi Shield", is your own DIY, based on NodeMCU. Anything else?
Cyton-Original form openBCI. Rfduino dongle-Original from openBCI. WiFi-NodeMCU ver 0.9 flashhed with openBCI firmware. All the stuff runs OK with OpenBCI_GUI 4.20.
I also have a GUI (4.20) version with LSL support for receiving the stream, Cyton connected to Linux using Rfduino dongle at /dev/ttyUSB0 and running Python streamer and works OK.
OpenBCI_GUI ver 5.0 works OK with RFduino dongle on WIndows 10 (COM4)
Any luck with Richard's comment: "...you may need to enter the IP address manually using "Direct" mode in the Control Panel." ?
Will test it and let you know. I will use the WiFi shield in the mode of AP, connect my Windows directly to the NodeMCU and try Richard's suggestion.
OK. Direct mode with WiFi shield default IP 192.168.4.1 works (so far). I need to review why commands from Hardware Setting screen takes so long to execute. Also I have to explore why the stream coming from the WiFi is a little bit "jumpy". Like it stops,, and resume (may be my NodeMCU is getting Parkinsons decease?). With RFduino Dongle is happy.
re: "...Also I have to explore why the stream coming from the WiFi is a little bit "jumpy"..."
How is direct mode using GUI 4.2. WHY do you usually NOT use direct mode previously?
Yes, I did it. But GUI 4.2 scanner function showed the SSID of my WiFi shield and I did not care about the IP address. GUI 5.0 does not show the WiFi SSID but knowing the WiFi address I was able to connect without any problem. This is the only difference. But yes, I used GUI 4.2 with my WiFi shield in direct mode also. So, no problem.
Let me see if I can try the LSL inlet in the new GUI 5.0
Will take some time and some questions for you also.
My question also was asking, was the 'jumpy' wifi stream present in GUI 4.2, with or without wifi direct mode? Are you saying the jumpiness is only with GUI 5, and was not present ever in 4.2?
OK. I understand now. I need to do more testings. This was just a go/no-go primary testings. Again, my WiFi shield with a nodeMCU versio 0.9 is as reliable as a poor quality chinesse of the shelves piece of junk. So, I do not give a dime for it... I am now more interested in checking GUI 5.0 receiving LSL than the WiFi.
re: wifi unreliable. Please quantify.
Are you powering BOTH wifi board and Cyton with separate 6V batteries? Remember the power supply regulation issues. In fact if the wifi board is powered with a '2S' cell (2 * 3.7V lithium cells in series for 7.4V total), it may possibly be even better regulation than with 6V (4 AAs) alone. The ESP8266 makes excessive power demand spikes, that are somehow worse with Cyton than with Ganglion. On the official OpenBCI Wifi Shield board, there are further deficiencies in the power supply filter capacitor, that compound these issues.
https://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/2108/measured-shield-regulated-3-3v-supply-has-6v-dip-at-1-second-intervals-with-resonant-ringing
Hi,
I am an outsider in this thread. I started to use OpenBCI GUI 5.0. When I want to connect my Cyton using OpenBCI BLE dongle, COM port shows but collection not established and pops message as "failed to connect. Check that device is powered and in range". I tested with GUI 4.2 and it connects well in GUI 4.2.
Can you please guide me?
@Iqram, hi. Thanks for the comments on your experience. Did you see Richard @retiutut's comment earlier today in this thread?
Have you tried unplugging replugging the dongle into the same or other usb ports on the same computer? Or another computer? If you are mixing GUI versions, make sure when you are running GUI 5.0 that the earlier GUI Hub process is not running by chance. Windows Task Manager can show active processes.
Regards, William
@wjcroft
Hi, Thank for your reply. I checked with another computer and it works well with GUI 5.0. But for a particular computer, I did unplug/plug dongle, turn Cyton on/off, stoping the Windows Task Manager old processes, and restart the GUI without success. What issue it can be for this computer?
Is the problem computer a recent model, or over 5 years old? Is it running a relatively recent release of Windows 10? I assume your machine is 64-bit processor?
My computer is one of a recent model. A recent release of Windows 10 and 64-bit processor.
I tested with a Ganglion and its working. Do you think that it is a BLE dongle driver problem?
Good point, try to install the VCP driver from the FTDI site,
https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
Although Windows is supposed to install this automatically on new device insertions or clean installs. Perhaps your manufacturer does not have the latest version uploaded to Microsoft product area.
Although the fact that it works ok with the old GUI is really puzzling. The GUI interface to the dongle is completely new software than the Hub version.
William
I installed the FTDI VCP driver, but no success. puzzling issue. I want to continue with GUI 4.0.
It works. I deleted some old COM port from history. With a new COM port number, cyton works with GUI 5.0.
Thanks for your support.
re: "I deleted some old COM port from history."
Do you mean that you used Device Manager to remove COM ports that were not associated with the new FTDI driver?
Yes, but not exactly the same way. I did it in Control panel> Bluetooth Devices. Select a device (also cyton , shown as FT231X USB UART) and remove it. Again unplug and plug cyton dongle. Now cyton got a new COM port (because I deleted some other unused COM ports). Then it works.
[Not sure] I think that some setting of the particular problematic port number had been changed earlier (like Baud rate etc.).
Thanks again.
Interesting, thanks. The Cyton dongle is NOT actually a "Bluetooth device" as far as Windows is concerned. It is only a usb serial port. So I'm not sure why it was in the Bluetooth Devices list. That sounds like a possible glitch to me. Same for the BLED112 used by Ganglion. It appears as a serial port.
Little correction, Actually, Control panel> Bluetooth & other Devices. Cyton BLE dongle is listed in other devices. I think, it makes sense now.
Doing this probably removed the old device driver. And when reinserted, installed a fresh one from Microsoft.
May be, you are right.