Special USB Micro B cables for OpenScope and/or Analog Discovery Kit?

[kwilli_at_ua]

Do OpenScope MZ and Analog Discovery 2 units require special USB Micro B cables? That is, as opposed to charging cables that I pull out of the bowl of cables in my kitchen.

I teach an instrumentation lab for undergraduate mechanical engineers and my students purchased OpenScope MZ units. Most of the students were able to get their units to connect to their PCs, but not all. A number of them received the "Error Connecting To The Digilent Agent. Please Make Sure the Digilent Agent Is Running" message. Two of those students switched USB cables and then had success connecting to their OpenScope units.

On Friday, I had a similar experience with two Analog Discovery 2 units: I was unable to connect them to my PC using two cables, but with a third cable, I was successful.

Is this a known issue with the OpenScope and AD2 units? If so, can anyone tell me a specific USB cable to have my students purchase so that they can better connect their OpenScope units to their PCs?

Thanks,

Keith

Error connecting to openscope.docx

[attila]

Hi @kwilli_at_ua

The cables used in these devices are standard micro-USB-B
The problem is that the cables/connectors are not 100% identical, the wear/oxidation could also lead to contact issues. Some charging cables may only have the GND/VCC wired but not the data lines, so no USB detection/communication can be established with these.

I have many cables, some of them work with some devices but not with the other ones... phones, power banks, headsets, various devices...

As a general rule, the original cables that came with the device should be the best suited for the specific device but others could also.