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Hardware => Lynx (Old Hardware) => Topic started by: tuppet on November 28, 2008,

Title: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me! Solved: dongle faulty.
Post by: tuppet on November 28, 2008,
yesterday (the problem):
lynx+dongle combination cause errors in vixen.
Reprogramming the dongle resulted in a new set of errors, which seem to imply that the problem now lies with the Lynx units.
I have 4 brand new Lynxes (which I'm calling A, B, C and D), each set up for 240 V on the Board and low voltage lights(appendices B and C done), and 1 brand new Dongle, so I have no previously tested equipment to compare with. To start with, I downloaded a clean version of Vixen, which I have not allowed to update. NONE of the add-ins are selected. I have set up a profile which has 64 channels, and which uses the Entec DMX USB Pro, set up for COM8.

my day so far (attempt at troubleshooting):
1. Restart computer
2. Redownload Driver for dongle (202.04.06 from ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm) to run on Windows XP
3. Attach Dongle
4. Check port number through device manager/ports : USB Serial Port (COM8)
5. Startup Vixen. open test sequence (10 seconds long, using the profile mentioned above). Profiles/manage - home2008/output plugins. select Adjustable Preview and Entec DMX USB PRO. COM8, baud rate 115200, 8 data bits, no parity, one stop bit.
6. Test Channels (DONGLE): NO ERRORS!
7. Plug in standard CAT5 cable to dongle. Test Channels(DONGLE + CAT5 CABLE): NO ERRORS!
8. Plug in Lynx (B) unit. Terminate, set to operate. Connect board to power supply: fan starts up, no magic smoke.
9. Test Channels (DONGLE + LYNX B): ERROR: (Router- plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: A device attached to the system is not functioning. Execution has been stopped.
Select all: ERROR: (Router - plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: access to the port is denied. execution has been stopped.
Done: ERROR: (Router)An output plugin caused the following exception: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the follwoing exception: Access to the port is denied. Execution has been stopped.
10. Disconnect Lynx.
11. Test Channels (DONGLE+CABLE): ERROR: Enttec DMX USB Pro: Access to the port 'COM8' is denied.
Done: ERROR: (Router)An output plugin caused the following exception: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the follwoing exception: Access to the port is denied. Execution has been stopped.
12. Close Vixen. ERROR: Vixen has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Send error report to Microsoft? don't send.
13. Restart Vixen. Open test sequence, check settings in Profile manager for output plugins. They are as set above.
14. Test Channels (DONGLE + CABLE): ERROR: Enttec DMX USB Pro: Access to the port 'COM8' is denied. (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: Access to the port 'COM8' is denied. Execution has been stopped.
15. Close Vixen. Reboot Computer
16. Restart Vixen. Open test sequence. Check plugin setup (as before)
17. Test Channels (DONGLE + CABLE): no errors!
18. connect Lynx A to dongle, set to terminate and operate. connect power to board. Test Channels(DONGLE + LYNX A): no errors!
19. Disconnect lynx A.
20. Connect Lynx D to dongle, set to terminate and operate. connect power to board. Test Channels (DONGLE+ LYNX D): ERROR: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: A device attached to the system is not functioning. execution has been stopped.
Select all: ERROR: (Router - plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: access to the port is denied. execution has been stopped.
Done: ERROR: (Router)An output plugin caused the following exception: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the follwoing exception: Access to the port is denied. Execution has been stopped.
21. Disconnect Lynx D. Close Vixen. ERROR: Vicen has encountered a problem and needs to close. we are sorry for the inconvenience.
22. Reboot Computer.
23. Restart Vixen. Open test sequence, check output plugin settings. All as set before.
24. Test Channels (DONGLE+CABLE): no errors!
25. Connect lynx C. Set to terminate, operate. power to board. Test Channels(DONGLE +LYNX C): no errors!
26. Close Vixen: no errors! Restart Vixen. open test sequence, test Channels (DONGLE + LYNX C): no errors!
27. repeat 26. no errors! also, when moving the slider up and down the frequency of the fan noise changes accordingly.
28. Check soldering on lynx D. resolder some joints. found no bridges, and no joints which were obviously not connecting enough, but resoldered anything that was even a tiny bit cloudy.
29. Connect lynx D to dongle. terminate, operate. power to board.
30. Test channels (DONGLE + LYNX D): ERROR: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: a device attached to the system is not functioning. Execution has been stopped.
Select all: ERROR: (Router - plugins) An output plugin caused the following exception: access to the port is denied. execution has been stopped.
Done: ERROR: (Router)An output plugin caused the following exception: (Router-plugins) An output plugin caused the follwoing exception: Access to the port is denied. Execution has been stopped.
31. Disconnect Lynx D. Close Vixen. ERROR: Vixen has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
32. Restart Computer.
33. Restart Vixen. ... where to now?


Current situation: 2 of the lynxes (A and C) seem to operate, while the other two crash Vixen and require the computer to reboot. I'm off to recheck the soldering on Lynx B, but after that I have no idea what else to try.  
I think I have exhausted the currently available information on this forum, so anyone who can suggest anything, please do!
for managing to read down this far, congratulations  :P
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: RJ on November 28, 2008,
Two questions for you to think about that may seem stupid.
Have you tried a different computer?
And what is different about the two lynxs that do not work and the two that do?

RJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: tuppet on November 28, 2008,
no, I'm not really allowed to use the other home computer (mum's unhappy enough about having me steal this one for so much of the last week :P), and my laptop has been less than stable lately. I got it wiped during the week though, so maybe now would be a good time to get vixen on there.

I can't see any differences between the lynxes. They were all purchased through the same Co-op, so the parts were all puchased at the same time. I was the one who soldered all of them, and they all look to be the same. I've checked that the resistors are the same between all 4 -I will check the values again later, but they are all the same so it seems an unlikely cause of this particular problem. All the chips are in the right way around.  my observational skills may however be suffering as a result of staring at these things for 5 hours now, so I will look again tomorrow.

I also think I will need to reprogram the chips at some point (I suspect I have the currupted firmware that was sent out early on anyway, and then I can rule out one more possible reason for the problem).
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on November 29, 2008,
I'm having the same problem.

After I got my Lynx working, I did a system restore, dl'd Microsoft .NET Framework, dl'd Vixen 2.0.5, dl'd FTDIChip 2.0.4 Drivers, plugged in the Dongle, went through the driver installation, powered up the Lynx, ran a short 4-ch test sequence for my 4-ch Rope Light. 

It ran for about 40 seconds before the dreaded "A device attached to the system is not functioning..." series of messages.  Same as before I went through all the above.

I don't have another computer to try on... this PC is brand new with nothing else running on it.  I have yet to build my 2nd Lynx but don't think that's an issue.  I have another PIC for the Dongle, but doubt that is a factor either.

What now?  I'm 12 hours ahead of yuze guys on the right coast, and nobody's in chat now.

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: wbuehler on November 29, 2008,
I had this same problem until I changed my cable that runs between the dongle and the Lynx.


Bill

Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: RJ on November 29, 2008,
I would look at trying new USB and new cat5 cables. It seems to be a common reason for this.

RJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: tuppet on November 29, 2008,
I am using the same cable and usb port, only changing which lynx is plugged in and having an issue with only 2 of the lynxes (I think), so I don't know that that would be it. It is new cat5 cable, I have a few though so I'll swap them out and see. THe computer randomly opened up a dialog box today while I was doing something else completely unrelated and told me that the usb is 2.0 and high speed, and that apparently there is a device plugged in to this computer via another port which is not high speed, I should consider upgrading. so now I know that it is definitely high speed USB 2.0, but not which device (the dongle wasn't plugged in at the time) it thinks I should upgrade!
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on November 29, 2008,
^I got one of those usb msgs too!

I really think this a PC issue rather than dongle/lynx but what do I know?

Ok, off to buy new cables now...

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on November 30, 2008,
Update:
11:30am... Cat5 cable #2... still get "A device attached to the system..." after 45 seconds

4:00pm... New USB cable... ran for several minutes, then I tried to run a new sequence.  Failure after about 45 seconds

4:30 pm:  Tried new Cat5 cable (#3) and it's been running for 4 hours now with no problem on the very simple 4-ch test sequence.  I'm almost afraid to try a different one.

Ever onward...

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 01, 2008,
More troubleshooting:

My Lynx/Dongle setup with Cat5 cable #3 ran a simple on/off 4-ch looped sequence ran continuously without error for 21 hours.  I stopped it and created a new 4-ch sequence with fades up/down, sparkle and random.  It ran for about 45 seconds before halting at the "A device attached to the system..." message stopped it.  I rebooted and checked the settings for the USB Serial Port (Com3) bitrate 115200/8/1/None/1 and restarted  Vixen and the sequence.  45 seconds again...

I rebooted after disconnecting the Lynx. Checked settings, restarted Vixen, ran for about 2 minutes and stopped.

Try number four:  sequence ran about 15 minutes before I got the Access to the Port has been denied error.

#5:  Swapped the Dongle PIC with a preprogrammed spare.  Checked the FTDI driver 2.4.6.0... ran for about 15 minutes, then access error.

#6:  rebooted , and set bit rate speed in Device Mgr to 15200.  Everytime I reboot it defaults to 9600.  Noticed after about 20 minutes it had stopped and the Access error.

#7:  has been running for about 30 minutes now with no error.  I'll leave it running while I sleep and report again.

Short of taking my Dongle/Lynx/short section of 4-color LED Rope and the Vixen.exe and FTDI driver to the computer repair shop, I'm out of ideas.

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: wbuehler on December 01, 2008,
John

Do you have a Lynx DMX Splitter?
If you have one of these kits can you do me a favor and place the splitter between the Dongle and the Lynx.  I had some odd issues start on my Lynx until I ran it from a splitter.

Bill

Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: bittrix on December 01, 2008,
If it's a slower PC, you could be having a timing problem with the port driver. Try doubling the buffer  in the driver's advanced settings (also try halving it). Also try setting your windows scheduling priority to favor "background services". The port driver is an "extra" layer between your USB port hardware, the windows USB system driver and your application...

You may also have better luck with the newest driver. It's not WHQL, but may have better timing...
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM%202.04.14.zip
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 01, 2008,
Bill, you're the one doing me a favor.  Yes, I have a Splitter, so I inserted it between the Dongle and the Lynx.  The sequence has been running for a lucky 7 minutes already.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

The previous run last night lasted about 45 minutes before I got the "Access" error and went to sleep.

bittrix... it's a new PC with an Intel E2180 processor... but thanks.  I'll keep your advice in mind.

Maybe now I can get back to construction and building controllers

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 01, 2008,
Oh well... the sequence ran 14 minutes and then:  "A device attached to the system is not functioning"

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: wbuehler on December 01, 2008,
mmmmmmm
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: skygodtj on December 01, 2008,
It seems that Access Denied/Com port unavailable is a common problem I was suffering also and apparently quite a few others are too.. It doesn't seem a driver problem as we are removing/reinstalling the drivers repeatedly..  But getting the same result..
I don't have a splitter to put inline.. My PICs are at Todds getting burned with new Hex dump but I have a new set of 2.0 usb cables to try..   

TJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 02, 2008,
When the last attempt (putting the Splitter after the Dongle) also failed to resolve the issue, Bill suggested in chat that I replace the Lynx RS485 chip.  It fixed the problem... for now.  My test sequence #2 ran for an hour with no error message in Vixen.  I then became adventurous and created a new more complex sequence - still only 4 channels - and it's been running continuously now for eight hours.

Wish me luck!

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: skygodtj on December 02, 2008,
Was the RS485 available locally or internet/mail-order?  Just wondering if I can pick it up at Frys Electronics or similar spot to get them in hand quick...  Same goes for some 4467's/847's I think are bad..

teege
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 02, 2008,
TJ... I stole it from my second - as yet unbuilt - Lynx.  When I have time to make the trek I'll check if I can get a replacement at the local Bangkok electronics supermarket.

Good luck,

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: skygodtj on December 02, 2008,
Thanks John, 'glad those two Lynx's worked out as part places :)

teege
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 02, 2008,
It seems my success was short-lived.  After shutting everything off last night and powering up just now, I got "A device attached..." message 2 times.  This is frustrating, as this Lynx is my first build of a controller and I've got 10 more to do.  But if I can't get beyond problems with the first...

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: RJ on December 02, 2008,
John I am sorry you are having issues. I have seen this problem most often be a usb cable that for what ever reason they do not like. It took rick 3 to find one that worked. I recommend you get a very high quality, high speed v2 usb cable that is 6 to 10 ft long and try it.

RJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: wbuehler on December 02, 2008,
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John I am sorry you are having issues. I have seen this problem most often be a usb cable that for what ever reason they do not like. It took rick 3 to find one that worked. I recommend you get a very high quality, high speed v2 usb cable that is 6 to 10 ft long and try it.

RJ

Also Bagley who was having program problems went out and got a V2 USB printer cable and was then able to program OK.

Bill

Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 03, 2008,
Well... I got the most hefty high quality USB 2.0 A to B cable I could find in Bangkok, and my Dongle/Splitter/Lynx setup has been running flawlessly now for almost three hours.  I even shut down the PC and restarted, plugged in the Dongle and started Vixen.  It's working!  I'm encouraged again.

Thanks RJ for your input, and Bill too for spending many an hour in chat helping me troubleshoot.  I guess it's safe to say I can use that RS485 chip I swapped out from my other Lynx when I start building it tonight. 

Teege I hope you see this.

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: wbuehler on December 03, 2008,
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Well... I got the most hefty high quality USB 2.0 A to B cable I could find in Bangkok, and my Dongle/Splitter/Lynx setup has been running flawlessly now for almost three hours.  I even shut down the PC and restarted, plugged in the Dongle and started Vixen.  It's working!  I'm encouraged again.

Thanks RJ for your input, and Bill too for spending many an hour in chat helping me troubleshoot.  I guess it's safe to say I can use that RS485 chip I swapped out from my other Lynx when I start building it tonight. 

Teege I hope you see this.

John

Awesome glad to hear.

Yes please try that RS485 chip.

Bill

Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: bittrix on December 03, 2008,
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Well... I got the most hefty high quality USB 2.0 A to B cable I could find in Bangkok, and my Dongle/Splitter/Lynx setup has been running flawlessly now for almost three hours.  I even shut down the PC and restarted, plugged in the Dongle and started Vixen.  It's working!  I'm encouraged again.

I did a bit o' searching, and found no authoritative answer. I suspect (without evidence) that incident RF might be inducing an occasional 1 bit error in the cable. The USB port/FTDI chip would self-correct/reset in the space of 1 or 2 packets,  but the FTDI driver might get confused when that happens. It is a known issue that ports don't always get released properly when a device is disconnected. USB was built to hot-swap, com ports were not.

My point is, I'm guessing that adding an RF choke(s) to your USB cable, plus shielding/routing the cable away from transformers/AC inductors or any components that switch... might keep the serial signal intact.

Or it could be gremlins.
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: skygodtj on December 03, 2008,
Yep.. just a sigh of relief..really good that fixed the problem (fingers crossed)
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 03, 2008,
Thanks for that  bittrix... I do have a bunch of ferrite chokes, and was thinking I should add them in my chain.  The thought crossed my mind as I remembered watching those xmus YouTube vids long before I even found DLA.

Teege... fingers crossed but ever so less tightly clenched!

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: gwindman on December 05, 2008,
Tuppet,
I had EXACTLY the same issues.  I had 4 Lynx.  I consistently had the same errors you mention when I started up.  I would crash anywhere from a few minutes out to over an hour.  Never knew how long I would run.  I debugged like you did - first dongle worked by itself.  Then added cat5 cable to lynx (which was not powered on) and it ran pretty much forever.  Then I powered up the lynx and it would crash at various times.   Consulted RJ and tested voltages - everything seemed ok.  So on a whim, I attached my one spare Lynx that wasn't used as the first Lynx down the line from the Dongle.  It works almost all the time now.  The only difference is it is attached with a 25 foot cat5 cable.  The other one was a 50 foot cable.  Maybe the 50 footer has something wrong - draws too much current or something.   Anyway, I now have the 25 foot cable and then the 50 foot cable and then 2 more 25 foot cables.  And as mentioned above, it works almost all the time.  Maybe once every three nights it fails, but otherwise runs for 2.5 to 3 hours straight.
Maybe this will help - at least you know you aren't alone!!!
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 07, 2008,
After spending most of the day yesterday mounting Lynx#2 at the front door and finishing the rope light connections to it and then connecting a new cat5 I made to the Splitter, I fired everything up.  At :45 into the sequence the dreaded "Access" message hit me again.  I spent the next three hours experimenting with another expensive USB cable to the Dongle, switching ports on the Splitter, eliminating the Splitter, trying different turn on steps, adding ferrite chokes to the cabling... all to no avail.

I went back to the #1 expensive USB cable and the Dongle>Lynx#1 ran for two minutes and then the Access error.  Took a break for dinner.

Back from dinner, reboot, check Device Mgr etc, same config as above, start Vixen, start sequence, powered up Lynx#1 at 22:50 and it kept running!  I woke up at 01:50 and it was still on!

One thing I noticed - and I am not a Windoes fan - is that the PC makes a sound when I disconnect or connect the USB cable.  At various times when a sequence was running I would hear a similar sound.  There's nothing else running on this PC.  I have no idea why that sound was happening while the sequence played.

Now, this morning I started Vixen and the sequence, and it's running for 30 mins.  Looks like more experiments in store now to get Lynx #2 up... I think another set of cat5 cables is the next step.  Any other ideas? 

Thanks for your help
John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: rrowan on December 07, 2008,
Hi John,

Something to check on.

In Vixen

go to Tools and then Preferences

click on Sequence Execution and make sure that "Reset Controller at end of sequences" is Unchecked.

Rick R.
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 07, 2008,
Thanks Rick...

It was checked.  I unchecked it and restarted Vixen, ran the sequence for Vixen>Dongle>Lynx#1, and it's continuing.

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: bittrix on December 07, 2008,
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One thing I noticed - and I am not a Windoes fan - is that the PC makes a sound when I disconnect or connect the USB cable.  At various times when a sequence was running I would hear a similar sound.  There's nothing else running on this PC.  I have no idea why that sound was happening while the sequence played.

improper solder joint on the dongles FTDI board?

improper solder joint on the PC's USB port (you did try a different port?)

If the port is not directly attached to the motherboard (that is, if you're using a USB port on the front panel of your computer), try re-seating the connection to the USB header on your motherboard.

If you're by salt water or in a very high-humidity environment you may have contact issues - some contact cleaner and either a pencil eraser or 1500+ grit wet sandpaper on the USB contacts.  (I'm reaching here...)

Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 08, 2008,
Thanks mr b.  I tried the backside port... same issue.  This is a 3-month old Vixen-dedicated PC, and while we do have high humidity here, thanks for reaching...  I've inspected my Dongle with a magnifying glass.

I have verified that the sounds I hear occasionally when a sequence is running are the same sounds (in quick succession) that the PC makes when I unplug and plug in the USB cable.

This afternoon my cables and Dongle>Splitter>Lynx#2>lights ran without a hiccup for an hour on the PC at the computer repair shop.

Tomorrow my CPU goes there with the hardware for further experimentation. I think I've eliminated just about every variable and this is the only other thing I can do.
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: RJ on December 08, 2008,
Man everytime I think you have this fixed it gets you again.

If hear the hot swap sound (noise it makes when plugging in)  Is this when it fails with in a few seconds after that? If so then the computer thinks the dongle has been unplugged.

Can you get you hands on a power usb hub. The kind you hook to the computer and has a wall wart that gives it power? I would suspect if I am correct then plugging this in and using its ports might solve you issue.

RJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: knguyen916 on December 08, 2008,
If your hearing the exact same sound during sequence sounds like your losing the connection between the computer and the USB cord (Probably the Access error your receiving). Depending on your pc case some of the USB ports are made inefficient  (which crappy parts) and lose it's grip on holding the USB steady. Try taping it tight to the computer so it doesn't move at all or try another port or like RJ mention get an external USB port or of course one of those multimedia ports (the 5.25" bay styles that fit into one of your bay drives) and connect the wires to your motherboard for use.

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After spending most of the day yesterday mounting Lynx#2 at the front door and finishing the rope light connections to it and then connecting a new cat5 I made to the Splitter, I fired everything up.  At :45 into the sequence the dreaded "Access" message hit me again.  I spent the next three hours experimenting with another expensive USB cable to the Dongle, switching ports on the Splitter, eliminating the Splitter, trying different turn on steps, adding ferrite chokes to the cabling... all to no avail.

I went back to the #1 expensive USB cable and the Dongle>Lynx#1 ran for two minutes and then the Access error.  Took a break for dinner.

Back from dinner, reboot, check Device Mgr etc, same config as above, start Vixen, start sequence, powered up Lynx#1 at 22:50 and it kept running!  I woke up at 01:50 and it was still on!

One thing I noticed - and I am not a Windoes fan - is that the PC makes a sound when I disconnect or connect the USB cable.  At various times when a sequence was running I would hear a similar sound.  There's nothing else running on this PC.  I have no idea why that sound was happening while the sequence played.

Now, this morning I started Vixen and the sequence, and it's running for 30 mins.  Looks like more experiments in store now to get Lynx #2 up... I think another set of cat5 cables is the next step.  Any other ideas? 

Thanks for your help
John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 08, 2008,
Yes, RJ... I suspected that the "hot swap" sounds indicated I was losing my connection for a few milliseconds, but the sequence would not quit immediately.  It would run for various lengths of time before the Access denied dialogue.

Thanks Ken for your suggestions.  This is an off-brand PC made in TH.  But I still get the error whether using front or back ports on the case.

I'll report back after today's trip to the repair shop... I'm confident with their help my issue will be resolved.  I believe there is nothing wrong with RJ's beautiful hardware nor with my awesome - albeit novice - soldering skills.  This must be a PC issue.

Thanks guys!

John
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: ThaiWay on December 11, 2008,
Update:

Tuesday couldn't get an appointment at the repair shop so I worked on other show elements.

Wednesday... 6 hours at the repair shop:  "It's a software problem."  Reformatted hard drive, reinstalled XP and drivers, ran sequence at shop for 1/2 hour no problem.  Hooked up everything again at home, and within minutes "Access" denied.  At one point the sequence did run for about 20 minutes before execution stopped.

Today am:  sequence ran for 1 hour 48 minutes before Access error.  Took PC/Dongle/Splitter/Lynx#2 back to shop.  Sequence ran fine for over an hour.  Figures, it wouldn't hiccup while I was there.  I kept telling them my problem was a communication error.  They plugged in a USB mouse and said "but USB works fine!"  Further frustration when I asked the tech what he would do IF the error did occur, and couldn't get a clear answer.  Bought a new PCI USB card.  Tested sequence for a few minutes at the shop with Dongle plugged into new card... no problem.  Came home and set everything up again.

I don't want to jinx myself, but various simple sequences have been running fine now for five hours with no Access errors.

John

[edit to fix days... I don't even know the date anymore!]
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: RJ on December 11, 2008,
fingers crossed for you!

RJ
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me!
Post by: tuppet on November 29, 2009,
Problem solved: The dongle was obviously faulty, because by buying the Enttec USB Pro everything started working with relatively little effort. No idea what was wrong with the dongle, but we are throwing it out because it only caused headaches.
Title: Re: Dongle and Lynx are conspiring against me! Solved: dongle faulty.
Post by: ThaiWay on November 30, 2009,
...and 11 months later?   :o