Electronics Explorer Troubleshooting

[attila]

In case your Electronics Explorer board is not detected by WaveForms application try to do the followings:

 

1. Check if it is properly supplied with 12V and the Red Power LED is on?

    The USB controller is powered by this supply, connecting only the USB cable is not suffice.

 

2. Check if the Yellow USB LED is on when the USB cable is connected?

    Otherwise, try to use another micro USB cable and computer plug.

 

3. Remove the board supply, wait a minute then connect it back.

    Do this, to make sure that all the internal circuits are reset.

 

4. Check the Windows Device Manager if any new device is listed after you supply the board or connect the USB?

    It should appear: Digilent USB Device or Unknown Device.

 

5. In case you see Digilent USB Device but it is not detected by WaveForms:

    restart the computer, reinstall the application including the Adept Runtime section.

 

6. In case you see Unknown Device, verify the Hardware IDs under Properties, Details tab.

    If this is USBVID_04B4&PID_8613... Use this application reprogram the USB EEPROM: DigilentFX2Repair.exe

Edited June 16, 2020 by attila

[attila]

Hi @sask_ranger

The is an on/off switch on the board between the supply and usb. This enables/disables all the device outputs.
In case it is clogged with dust try toggling a few times and blow on it.

[JColvin]

A customer asked the following question on our website:

We have an "Electronics Explorer" that will not power up. Do you provide out of warranty bench repair and or replacement? Please advise.
Thank You.

The response is below.

[JColvin]

Hello,

I would recommend checking out the troubleshooting steps listed in the initial post on this thread. If none of those work, please post back here so that we can direct you further.

Thanks,
JColvin

[Jean-Marc Thouery]

Hello,

I'm a teacher in an adult school in Toulouse (France) and I'm using digilent Explorer boards for years using a debian OS on my computers.

One of these boards is not responding to the Weveforms software.

I've checked the red LEd OK, the yellow Led OK, and the Waveforms2015 software does'nt see any device.

Please, find attached the response to the "lsusb -verbose" command for a board which is communicating well (explorer_ok) and for the explorer which is not seen by the software (explorer_bad). Note that the response is exactly the same (unless the port number and device number but it is normal)

Maybe a power_supply is out? May I get the layout of the board so that I can investigate?

Thanks for your help.

Best regards

Jean-Marc Thouery

explorer_ok

explorer_bad

[Jean-Marc Thouery]

Hello,

Just a precision: I've found Rev:B schematics on the Digilent Documentation folder, and my board is a Rev:F one. Are the schematics the same for revB and revF?

The board identifier is: Rev F PB200-151  D396465

Thanks!

[jpeyron]

Hi @Jean-Marc Thouery,

Thank you for pointing this out to us. I have attached the schematic for the REV F and we have updated the wiki with the REF F and REV H schematics. To confirm you have tried using the non-operational EE board(without any the other EE board connected) on the computer that the operational EE board was on? 

thank you,

Jon 

Electronics Explorer_F_sch.pdf

[attila]

Hi @Jean-Marc Thouery

The USB descriptors look good. It does not seem to be a hardware issue. Probably the identification numbers got altered in USB EEPROM.

Please run the following script to list further information: dmgrenum.py

In case the PDID is not 0x4010040b run the script sent you in private message. Optionally you can edit the device serial number in the fix script.

Let us know what you find.

[attila]

Hi @Jean-Marc Thouery

Did you manage to fix the board?

[Jean-Marc Thouery]

Hello Attila,

Not yet!

Maybe this week i will find enough time to look after this problem!

Thanks for your attention.

[MicahK555]

Hello,

I recently purchased an EE board and I am having the issue attila listed.

"6. In case you see Unknown Device, verify the Hardware IDs under Properties, Details tab.

    If this is USBVID_04B4&PID_8613... ask for USB EEPROM reprogramming application."

 

Specifically my computer list the hardware ID's as:

 

USB\VID_1443&PID_0007&REV_0000
USB\VID_1443&PID_0007
 

However in the waveform software I cannot locate the my board to ask for USB EEPROM; in fact, there is no electronics explorer board option available to select only the digital and analog discoveries. I have checked my Waveform software and it is the latest version of 2015 (3.6.8)

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[attila]

Hi @MicahK555

The "My device is not listed" button in WaveForms is to fix Analog Discovery 1, 2, Digital Discovery.
For EExplorer I could send you the fix application but this is not required since your device USB IDs are correct.

Does it appear for you as "unknown device" or "Digilent USB device"?
Do you see yellow exclamation mark for "Digilent USB device"?

In case it is unknown (and USB IDs are correct) or marked it is problem with the driver. Try reinstalling the driver for the device:
- Select Update Driver Software
- Browse to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Digilent\Runtime\UsbDriver\" or "C:\Program Files\Digilent\Runtime\UsbDriver\"
- Next
- Install
or
- Select Update Driver Software
- Browse my computer for driver software
- Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
- Have a disk.
- Browse for "C:\Program Files (x86)\Digilent\Runtime\UsbDriver\" or "C:\Program Files\Digilent\Runtime\UsbDriver\" for 32 bit Windows and install "dmodusb.inf"

[MicahK555]

Thanks @attila,

Updating the driver by following your instructions worked splendidly!

[attila]

Hi @MicahK555

Good to hear that it is working.
Thank you for the feedback.

[NEP]

My Electronic Explorer board is now showing up as UNKNOWN DEVICE. 

"6. In case you see Unknown Device, verify the Hardware IDs under Properties, Details tab.

    If this is USBVID_04B4&PID_8613... ask for USB EEPROM reprogramming application."

 

The Device properties does show USBVID_04B4&PID_8613. How can I get the USB EEPROM reprogramming application?

[jpeyron]

HI @NEP,

I am tagging the engineer that handles this type of issue with the EEPROM( @Bianca ).

thank you,

Jon

[attila]

Hi @NEP

You have the application in private message.

[Bianca]

Hi @NEP,

Please check your private messenger.

Best regards,

Bianca

[JatUD]

Hello, I work at my university and we have a ton of these boards. I have been going through them and checking them out to make sure they all work okay. I got the "device not recognized on one so I went through the trouble shooting above and in my hardware Ids tab I have "USB\VID04B4&PID_8613"&REV_:001" & "USB\VID04B4&PID_8613" where do I go from here? It's only happening on this board the last 30+ have worked fine so I doubt it's a driver issue.

[Bianca]

Hi @JatUD,

You have a private message.

Best regards,

Bianca

 

[sask_ranger]

Hi,

My Electronic Explorer seems to be having some problem. It is detected by my Computer and everything but even when I turn on the board power, waveforms software shows that "Board Power is off". 

I am not able to find solution to it. 

 

Any help is appreciated. 

 

Thank you. 

[sask_ranger]

Hi @attila

Thank you for your quick reply. It is working again today. Although, I tried blowing even then so that there is no dust lying on top of it. 

It happened before as well and it started working again by itself. 

 

[jostikas]

Hi!

The VP+ and VP- supplies have stopped working. Opening a new workspace restores them. Reloading the same one from disk disables them again. Happened after supplies and/or reference and/or scope calibration and/or saving the workspace and/or duplicating the scope display, not necessarily in that order. I've attached the offending workspace file.

Board S/N 210151263040, if it helps.

default.dwf3work

[attila]

Hi @jostikas

I don't see any problem with the project.

On workspace save or load all the instruments are stopped, including the power supplies for which the stop means turn off.

[jostikas]

Okay... Update: After encountering an issue where in a new workspace the positive supply refused to work when current limiting was set to below 200 mA (Output current at the time was 34 mA), I went back to the old workspace (attached in previous post) and tried to see, if the same happens there (ie. does raising the current limit enable the supplies). Well, now in that workspace, the supplies just work, current limiting and all... and returning to the new one, it also, again, works. Whatthe?

Edited November 22, 2018 by jostikas
Clarifying information

[jostikas]

35 minutes ago, attila said:

On workspace save or load all the instruments are stopped, including the power supplies for which the stop means turn off.

The way I tested, was to turn on the power supplies, and check what the display showed me (and then verifying with a multimeter). It wouldn't have shown anything if the supplies were off, so I'm positive that I enabled it. Also: toggling the physical power switch changed the output level between 0 V and 23 mV. Also also:  the problem was apparent in one workspace and not in the other, over several back-and-forth switches.

EDIT: To avoid a triple post: Now all the calibration is gone, my scopes show anywhere from -90 to 90 mV while connected to ground. So it doesn't store it in EEPROM?

Edited November 22, 2018 by jostikas
Avoid triple post