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[FAQ] How do I resolve PAMB EVM connectivity and/or driver installation issues

I got the following error message when running an EVM GUI, how do I resolve it?

NOTE: The "SCB" and "PAMB" boards utilize the same USB drivers, so this information is equally applicable to the SCB-based EVMs...

 

 

  • The following USB Drivers are for PAMB and SCB based EVMs.

     

    Download link: http://www.ti.com/lit/zip/sbac253 

    If you are using Windows 10 or later, downloading and installing these drivers is usually not required (Windows should auto-detect the required Serial or Bulk drivers), but if you are experiencing connectivity issues or need to download a firmware update for an EVM, you may need to download and manually install the USB drivers.
      

    BEFORE installing these drivers...

    1. Avoid using long USB cables and USB hubs when connecting to the EVM. If you have another USB cable or another USB port on your machine, try using a different cable and also switching to a different USB port, especially if you have not manually installed the PAMB drivers on your computer before. Automatic driver detection/installation can often be hindered by indirect connections to the EVM.

      NOTE: Some USB ports may be connected to an internal USB hub. If you have a Desktop PC, try connecting to USB ports on the back side to establish a more direct connection between the motherboard and EVM.

    2. Check Windows Device Manager for the following devices:

      1. Under normal operation conditions the PAMB/SCB boards will enumerate as two devices (a serial and bulk device):


         



      2. For firmware updates the PAMB/SCB boards will enumerate as a DFU device:




        NOTE: With older USB device drivers, the device name may appear as "Tiva" or "Stellaris" instead of "MSP432".

     

    Manual Driver installation:
    If you are still having issues connecting to the EVM (for example the above devices are not displayed in Windows Device Manager), you may need to manually associate the device drivers to the connected device. To do this follow the steps below:
     

    1. Open Windows Device Manager and locate the unknown device(s).

      NOTES:
      1. Unknown devices usually have the following symbol on the device icon: 

      2. To check if you have identified the correct device, disconnect and reconnect the PAMB board to your PC...The "Unknown Device" should only be shown when the PAMB board is connected!

      3. To differentiate between the Serial and Bulk devices (for example, if both appear as an "Unknown Device"), right-click on the device to open the device "Properties". Go to the "Details" tab, select the "Device instance path" property, then inspect the value. The BULK device should have "MI_00" in the value string, whereas the Serial device will have "MI_01" in the value string.




    2. Right-click on the device and select "Update driver"

       

    3. Click "Browse my Computer for driver software"
      NOTE: Don't select "Search automatically...".

       

    4. Click "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer"
      NOTE: Don't browse for the driver just yet...

       

    5. Click "Show All Devices" then click next

       

    6. Click "Have Disk"

       

    7. In the pop-up window, click "Browse..."

       

    8. Navigate to C:\Program Files(x86)\Texas Instruments\Drivers\PAMB and select the appropriate INF driver file (see below for additional details).


      1. Use the "boot_usb.inf" file for the DFU device (when attempting to update the EVM firmware)
        (This device has a hardware ID of USB\VID_1CBE&PID_00FF).

      2. Use "usb_dev_bulk_com.inf" file for the WinUSB Generic Bulk device
        (This device has a hardware ID of USB\VID_1CBE&PID_00AB&MI_00).

      3. Use the "usb_dev_serial_com.inf" file for the Serial COM port device
        (This device has a hardware ID of USB\VID_1CBE&PID_00AB&MI_01).
         

    9. Click "OK"

       

    10. Click "Next"

       

    11. NOTE: Windows may display a pop-up message warning you that the device driver is not compatible with this device...This is OK! Windows shows this message when it is unsure of driver compatibility; click to proceed anyways.
       

    12. Finally, click "Close"

    images.zip

  • If the PAMB controller only enumerates as a "DFU" after plugging it in, it will need to be programmed with the correct firmware (usually this can be performed directly from within the GUI and then it will re-enumerate as a serial + bulk device. For example: (+) BOOSTXL-ADS7142-Q1: GUI Initial Setup. PAMB not detected - Data converters forum - Data converters - TI E2E support forums

    More recent GUI Composer applications are able to detect the DFU device and update the PAMB firmware automatically.