FlexControl with v1.4.16

Terry K7NY

With v1.4.16 I have to start SmartSDR two times to get the FlexControl to work. I down grade to v1.4.11 and it works like it should. In v1.4.16 this only happens when I shutdown the computer and 6300 and power supply. If I leave the power supply and radio on  the FlexControl works first time when I start the computer. Anyone else seeing this? The FC shows up in Device Manger every time. I double check it before I state SmartSDR for the second time.

Thanks for helping

Terry

K7NY

Jay Nation

Terry
My Flexcontrol had its com port reassigned by windows, when I did the upgrade, once I corrected the assigment It worked, it didn't require a reboot or a reinstall of anything.
See if you port assignment still matches.
73, Jay NO5J  

Jim K4JAF

I am seeing the same as you with the 6500.  Sure Flex will get it figured out soon.  73s Jim K4JAF

Steve N4LQ

No problem here. BTW: I'm using Windows 8.1. What are you guys using that are having trouble with? Win 7?

Jay Nation

Win8.1 here but I solved it.

Neal_K3NC

My first guess would be that you have not turned off power management on the USB hubs inside the device manager. Go to your control panel and look for Device Manager. Then look for USB Controllers. Expand that and double click on each item that is called a hub. See if you are presented with a tab called Power Management. If so, uncheck each checkbox that you see!
73

Terry T

I am using 8.1, the com port is not changing. Like I said it works perfect in 1.4.11.

I will check the power management also.

Terry

Tim - W4TME

We are aware of this issue.  It does not seem to be related to the FlexControl driver or Windows and its crazy interactions with all things USB.  And it is intermittent which makes it hard to find root cause.

We believe it has something to do with how SmartSDR is detecting the presence of a FlexControl that is connected to your PC.  We investigated it yesterday and will continue to look into it next week.  At this point restarting SmartSDR or possibly disabling and re-enabling it in the Setup is how to mitigate the issue.

Tom--W4FAS

Hi Neal,

I followed your advice and it seems to have fixed the problem. I have a Flex 6500 and my computer runs Windows 8.1.

Thanks for your help.

Tom

Terry K7NY

I tried that and it didn't help.

Terry

Clay N9IO

Just got around to updating SSDR yesterday (Sat).

I am running WIN7 Pro 64. Flex control is on com12.
I notice in CAT that com4 / 14 is gone. Windows control panel sees it but not CAT.
I add a comport13 / 23 in CAT, reassign it and it turns to 4/14.
The part that makes no sense is that at this point the flex knob starts working.
Devil if I know, glad you're on the job Tim.
Lemme know what you figure out.

Clay N9IO

Tom--W4FAS

Hi Neal,

The mystery deepens. When I booted up my system this afternoon I had no flex control. When I looked at the eight hub boxes I had unchecked, I found the first box was now checked. I unchecked the first box and my flex control is back.

Who is the mystery box checker? I bet Tim knows.

Tom

Neal_K3NC

Tom, I have seen this happen, even on the computer I am building right now for a customer and I have no idea how these get reset. 

Tom--W4FAS

Hi Neal, One last data point. I lost the Flex Control again, I looked at the eight hub boxes and they all were still unchecked.. Thus ends my career as a trouble shooter. I am really much better at drinking **** anyway. 73, Tom

Jim K4JAF

It must be a very intermittent problem.  I had the same problem with the Flex Control not working on reboot of the computer and 6500 shut down...  Attached it via DDUtil and all fine..  Went back to controlling it on SmartSDR and has worked just fine for 2 days now with reboots, etc..

So not sure myself what is happening, sure flex will get a grip on it.. 

73s Jim K4JAF

Tim - W4TME

This sounds like a different problem.  One where you have "ghosted" virtual com ports that are confusing Windows and any application that uses serial ports.  Here is an article you can use to remove the ghosted com ports

https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/200883925-Removing-Hidden-or-Ghosted-Com-ports

Steve Walker

Yup am seeing this as well in the current version.

If I disable and enable the flex control driver in the device manager MMC then it's detected by SSDR the moment the device becomes active again and becomes usable.

However from power on the Flex control is not seen in SSDR, if you open the FC applet in SSDR it shows that the flex control is not present even when it is working as expected.

However and of interest DDUtil cannot take control of the knob as it says the com port is in use by another program - which I assume is SSDR even though it cannot use the control nor see its presence it has still flagged the port for itself.

No amount of reboots helps only the disable and enable the driver in the hardware MMC.

73 Steve

Tim - W4TME

The mystery box checker is Windows.  It is the USB Selective Suspend feature.

Refer to this article: https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/204290929-How-to-Disable-Power-Management-for-USB-c...

Terry T

I tried this and unchecking all the boxes but it still takes two times to get the FC to work. Maybe  Windows 10 will work better. Everything else works great.

Terry

Bill

Unfortunately, I am getting the same problem with the Flex Control but the software update has cured one problem I was getting and that was losing the Network connection on a regular basis. 1.4.16 seems to have cured that problem.
73, Bill

Burt Fisher

I do not have Flex Control and it happens almost all the time, need to start twice

Reggie-k6xr

Add me to the list. Never had this problem before upgrade to last update to 1.4.16. When booting ssdr flex is not detected and i have to plug and unplug flexcontrol several times to get it to work. Again, this has not been a problem prior to 1.4.16

GM4WCE

I too have this issue. Not critical but a nusience. Hope for a fix soon. Peter GM4WCE

Terry T

I have been playing around with the FC this morning, in my desktop I have DDutil V3 for my amp only nothing else is checked. If I start DDutil before SSDR the FC works first time every time.

I went to my laptop and connected the FC ( no DDutil installed ) and it works first time every time.

I looked in Cat on the desktop and under physical ports /or foreign virtual ports shows com2 and com45 (FC ), on my laptop I don't see any other ports except the virtual com ports on both lap or desk.

Terry 

Steve N4LQ

For only one time over a period of a year, Flex Control died. This happened a few weeks ago with 1.4.16

Turning of/on SSdr had no effect.

Unplugging the FC and replugging fixed it.

This incident happened just recently after I decided to download and play with ddutil for the very first time. The reason I downloaded it was simply to observe the termperature. So I fiddled with ddutil for a while then closed it and haven't used it since. 
Windows 8.1 here...
Happened only one time and not since then. 

Mike W9OJ

Happens every time to me. Switched back to 1.4.11
Windows 7 Pro 64

Mike W9OJ

Reggie-k6xr

Yes yes!! this version does not pick up the flex control.  took me 5 times to get it working. does not happen in prior versions at all.

Bill N3HQB

Here are two screenshots or error messages when trying to connect the Flex Control...

Ken - NM9P

This has happened to me several times now, after turning off SSDR and leaving the rig and computer powered up overnight. If I go I nto the setup/radio tab and turn the flex control off for a few seconds, then enable it again, it comes back to life.

K9SO

I just got my brand new FlexControl yesterday and it has never worked (with 1.4.16 or anything else for that matter). About to send it back for a refund when I read these posts. I'll wait a few more days I guess.

Neal_K3NC

Fred,  I can bet that the Flexcontrol has been assigned a comm port address that is already in use, which is why it doesn't work. Have you looked at the Ports section of the Device Manager?