Can't connect to 3d printer anymore

Hi,

I wanted to adjust my Z home point and while uploading new firmware to the Melzi I got an error. Apparently I forgot to change the Board setting in Arduino console from Arduino to Melzi.
After that game over. I coudn't get connection anymore trough prnterface. Neither on win 7 and neither on Win XP.

The thing is that in Arduino I have still my COM3 port but I lost my COM5 port wich I should select to transfer the firmware or connect to the printer.
I did'nt find a way to bring that port back.

When I attach the printer , the Melzi is recognized as FT232 USB UART but the driver on the device is not working.

When I added a new COM port with the hardware wizard The system chose COM6. When I wanted to selecr COM5, I t appears that this COM port is still in use.
I used COM5 for the 3D printer so that seems to be ok.
The only problem is that this COM5 can not be selected in Arduino/Marlin, only COM3, wich is used for the Arduino itself is selectable.

How can I get COM5 to reappear in the Arduino<Extra<Serial Ports menu?

You may need to clean out unused COM ports from your computer. Google for that and you will receive instructions on how to go about it. Windows is frustrating in the way it keeps consuming virtual COM ports.

Regards,
Neil Darlow

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I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

To visualise the COM5 port I found some code online.

1. Start, All Programs, Accessories, Right-click “Command Prompt” in Accessories and choose “Run as Administrator”
2. Enter “set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1″ – without the quotes obviously
3. Enter “start devmgmt.msc”
4. In the box that opens, select “Show hidden devices” in the ‘view’ menu.

After that all ports are visible.
I deleted COM5 and reinstalled it with the FTDI drivers.

Here's a good manual for installing drivers for the Melzi: [www.eventorbot.com]

In Marlin the COM5 port is back and can be selected but when uploading firmware to the Melzi I get an error when the uploading is almost done.

"Serial port COM5 is allready in use. Close programs that use this port"
Of course there are no other programs using this port.

Connecting with prntrface to COM 5 at the usual baudrate of 250000 gives a more direct message.
"Could not open Serial port COM 5: Access is denied"

For some reason COM5 is denied access by the system.

That would imply that either you have both Arduino and Pronterface open at the same time or another USB device has been allocated the same port.

I have never needed to manually install Arduino or FTDI drivers. When the device is connected for the first time I let Windows search for the driver on the Windows Update site. It always works for me.

You could attempt to uninstall the drivers and delete the virtual comport again and try as I have done. Definitely do not run both Arduino and Pronterface at the same time.

Regards,
Neil Darlow

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I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

I am aware that I can't have prnterface and arduino open at the same time.
I have also closed as many processes as I could in taskmanager.

I'm on win 7/64bit and windows update does not find anything when installing a virtual COM port.
When I also installed Arduino and the 3D printer 6 months ago, I had to install the USB driver manually. Windows update didn't/doesn't find anything.

I've reset the Melzi a couple of times while troubleshooting.
When uploading the firmware I get the following error.

Binary sketch size: 63,464 bytes (of a 129,024 byte maximum)
processing.app.SerialException: Serial port 'COM5' already in use. Try quiting any programs that may be using it.
at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:171)
at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:77)
at processing.app.debug.Uploader.flushSerialBuffer(Uploader.java:77)
at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadViaBootloader(AvrdudeUploader.java:175)
at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(AvrdudeUploader.java:67)
at processing.app.Sketch.upload(Sketch.java:1671)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1627)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1599)
at processing.app.Editor$DefaultExportHandler.run(Editor.java:2380)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:619)
processing.app.debug.RunnerException: Serial port 'COM5' already in use. Try quiting any programs that may be using it.
at processing.app.debug.Uploader.flushSerialBuffer(Uploader.java:101)
at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadViaBootloader(AvrdudeUploader.java:175)
at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(AvrdudeUploader.java:67)
at processing.app.Sketch.upload(Sketch.java:1671)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1627)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1599)
at processing.app.Editor$DefaultExportHandler.run(Editor.java:2380)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:619)

I do not know if this link will help.

It seems to suggest that Windows 7 64-bit does not need additional FTDI driver installation. If two drivers are being loaded for your COM port that might be the problem.

There is also a reference to using a 32-bit Java Runtime. This is plausible unless Arduino provide both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads and, of course, you are using a 64-bit Arduino with a 64-bit Java Runtime.

A few things for you to look at.

Of course, if everything worked OK before you made the Arduino/Melzi selection mistake then we might be looking in the wrong area. It could be Arduino settings-related instead of Windows Driver-related.

Regards,
Neil Darlow

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2014 12:15PM by neildarlow.

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I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

Hi Neil,

Thnx for the follow up. It is much appeciated.

I was just following the wiki:

"0 fork of Marlin, although it's based on an earlier version. On Windows, the PC also needs a USB FTDI driver for the serial port to appear. If you don't have firmware, download some and load it according to the instructions page for your board on this wiki. The firmware will need some brief configuration before it will even start up properly - most obviously, defining the type of board you are using and the baud rate in Configuration.h. Note that non-standard baud rates have some problems on Linux, so start with a standard one such as 115200."

I have now abandoned my Win 7 and started using my XP machine wich I always use for printing but not for uploading firmware.
Now that I have installed Arduino-IDE it was clear that there is an USB driver installed during setup.

In the Arduino console I do not have any COM ports to select.
Do I add the port myself?

When connecting the printer I get FT232R USB UART in device manager.
I should have a COM port right?

Are you using the latest Arduino version 1.0.6? There have been some USB related changes which could be causing problems for Marlin.

If that is the case, I would suggest you try version 1.0.5r2 and see if that helps. Arduino should detect the available USB ports without any manual intervention.

Regards,
Neil Darlow

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I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

Yes, I downloaded today and it was version 1.0.6, now I have again 1.0.5r2 like on my win7.
Unfortunately I still not get serial ports to select in the Extra menu.

When I plug in the USB cable I hear a sound so it is recognised by the computer but no serial ports are linked to it.
Starting to fear if the Melzi is still in good condtion...

What does Device Manager say about the COM port your Melzi is attached to? Does it give the "Device is operating correctly" or similar status (sorry to be vague here - I primarily use Linux).

The fact that Windows responds audibly when the device is connected at least indicates the USB-Serial chip is detected which gives some degree of confidence the Melzi is working to some level. Maybe you should check the power-supply connection to the Melzi to ensure you have a good ground connection.

Also, and I think I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, there is a jumper on the Melzi near the power ground terminal which selects between USB and on-board power supply. Is this jumper inserted towards the terminal blocks so that power is derived from the on-board regulator?

Regards,
Neil Darlow

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2014 07:43AM by neildarlow.

---

I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

The board is good I think because of the sound when connecting the USB cable and also because the fan on my hotend is turning full speed.
There is currently no firmware because I have done a reset on the board.

The Device is not working because there are no drivers installed.
When I try to install the driver,windows update does not find anyting and therefore I have no COM port to select in Arduino console.

I think all I need basicaly is to install a driver but I have no idea wich one and where to find it.

If you install Arduino from the Windows Installer it will ask if you want to install the USB drivers towards the end of the installation process.

Regards,
Neil Darlow

---

I try to write with consideration for all nationalities. Please let me know if something is unclear.
Printing with Mendel90 from fedora 25 using Cura, FreeCAD, MeshLab, OpenSCAD, Skeinforge and Slic3r tools.

The drivers are part of the arduino file tree provided on the SD card and can be manually installed from there.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Arduino and USB driver are allready installed, that's the whole problem
I plug in my Arduino Uno, it's immediately recognised and COM4 is assigned to it.
Nothing of that happens when I connect the printer as you could see in the attachment.

Would it help to reinstall the bootloader on the Melzi?
If not I will have to look around on AliBaba where Melzi's are cheap.

Tnx Nophead but I made a custom printer and the printer worked for several months so I have all the necesary software installed.

The bootstrap and the firmware on the Melzi have nothing to do with the comm port showing up or not. That is purely a function of the FTDI chip and the device driver on the PC. If it shows up in the device manager the hardware is working. Right click on it and select update driver. Point it at the drivers provided on the sdcard and it will work.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2014 03:53PM by nophead.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

When I try to update the Driver and point to the folder sdcard/dist/WIndows/arduino1.01/drivers/FTDI USB Drivers and click Next,
I immediately get a screen that says "the hardware was not installed because the wizard can not find the necessary software"

No idea why that would be as I have used those drivers on xp and win 7. You could try downloading the latest ones from the FTDI site.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Have you installed any other virtual com port software recently? I have been messing about with a bunch of other stuff since the previous time I flashed my Melzi and can only surmise that one of those things 'upgraded' my FTDI drivers with a version that doesn't work with my IDE/Melzi combination because when I tried to make some Panelolu menu changes recently it also failed to connect. Luckily I have multiple redundancy in the form of multiple desktops/laptops all configured for the printer, and one of them was still able to connect so I could be sure that the Melzi wasn't fried.

I ended up removing all the VCP/FTDI stuff from the main PC and reinstalling, which eventually worked. I still have no idea what messed up my drivers (or what new stuff I've probably broken as a result of 'fixing' it for the Melzi) but if I had to guess it will be the flight controllers/ESCs for my multi-rotors.

Indeed it should work but there is possible another problem I can not seem to track down.
The problem is identical on my win7 and Xp. Both work with an arduino board but can not install the driver for the printer.

I have installed earlier the FTDI drivers from the site like explained here : [learn.sparkfun.com]
but the driver is never accepted. There has to be an another problem otherwise I do not understand how this is possible.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 06:41AM by Mendel90.

@QuackingPlums

On my win7 I have installed the software for the Kinect wich uses an USB connection. Thats all I can think of.
I lost my connection with the printer after I uploaded firmware to the printer with the wrong board (arduino) selected in Arduino console.

After that I did the same thing like you and connected my win XP wich has only prntrface and slic3r on it but the printer didn't want to connect anymore.
I have uninstalled/reinstalled the FTDI drivers a few times but this didn't help.

The Arduino uno does not use an FTDI chip, which explains why you can connect to that as it will use a different driver.

I don't understand how you can upload firmware compiled for an Arduino. Firstly it should not compile when the board is set to Melzi in the configuration if you don't select Melzi in the ide. Secondly avrdude checks the chip ID, so should not upload code for the wrong chip.

Even if you upload rubbish firmware it should not affect the boot loader.

Even if you trash the bootloader it can not stop the FTDI chip from connecting. That only needs power and the fact device manager correctly identifies it means it is working.

I don't know why you can't install the driver. Have you got administrator permission? Have you got "use sub folders" checked?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 12:36PM by nophead.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Hmm. I just noticed you have a different looking Device Manager screen - it's missing the Ports (COM & LPT) section. Which version of Windows are you using?

If I keep my Device Manager open (Win7 64-bit) with the Ports section expanded then a new COM port appears when I plug in the Melzi. When I had the wrong driver loaded there was actually another COM port in there that the Arduino IDE was trying to use but failing (no idea what that was connected to). Now that I have fixed my drivers the extra COM port will only appear when the Melzi is connected.

It will only appear in the comm port section when a driver is loaded. Before that I don't think windows knows what it is despite showing a human readable description.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:02PM by nophead.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

I'm not saying the firmware loaded. As you sais I received an error when the wrong board was selected but I lost communication with the printer after that event happened.

Now I finally installed the driver again with COM 5 assigned to just like before.
When I try to upload the firmware I get the message the port is allready in use.
I have no other hardware connected on any USB ports at this time.

I have then uninstalled all the software and driver packages for the Kinect sensor, the only new software I have installed recently.
After rebooting I still get the same error when uploading firmware.

I see no other way than completely uninstall Arduino and reinstall it in the hope it will 'forget' program using COM5.

Rebooting the PC should be sufficient to free the port unless you have any programs that load on startup that use comm ports.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Could you please look at the screenshot to see if I have found the problem and what could be done about?
Rebooting and disabling/enabling the COM port didn't solve the issue.

I don't think the line marked in red has any relevance at all. Have a look at the processes in task manager and see if you recognise any that use comm ports.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

I'm pretty sure that Intel ICH8 PCI Express port is something else. Does it come and go when you install your FTDI VCP driver?

You keep mentioning that you install a driver that assigns a COM port, but that doesn't sound like the process I've gone through on any of my machines. I can only imagine that it is different on other versions of Windows? Which version do you use?

All I had to do was install the FTDI driver from here and then connect the Melzi via its USB cable. The driver automatically assigns a new unused COM port at the point when the USB is connected (I check what this is by keeping Device Manager open so that I can see the new port appear). I then fire up my Arduino IDE and select the same one in the serial port menu.

As I said above, I must have installed something in the interim that did something weird because I got similar errors during the most recent attempt to make changes to my firmware, as well as some others - including one that claimed it was connected, allowed me to start uploading a sketch but then complained about a disconnection part-way through the update.