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CCS/MSP-EXP430FR5739: Serial Port connectivity issues

Margaret Delano
Prodigy 60 points
Part Number: MSP-EXP430FR5739

Tool/software: Code Composer Studio

Hello all,

I am using the MSP-EXP430FR5739 experimenter board for an embedded systems course I am teaching. I had no trouble getting the serial communication to work on my home windows laptop running Windows 8.1, but have been having considerable issues achieving a consistent serial port connection on our lab computers running Windows 10. They are all running Code Composer 7.2, and have no problem flashing code, but the serial port is inconsistent. I have only been able to get the serial connection to work for a few minutes at a time. At one point I uninstalled code composer and the serial connection worked great. Then I couldn't get it to work again even after reinstalling and uninstalling a second time. I've tried restarting computers/code composer/serial connection/board in various configurations, and no dice. If I have trouble connecting on my windows machine I can always get it to work in one or two resets of the serial terminal. EDIT: I should clarify that on the lab computers, I am able to open the serial port, but the port does not receive characters from the experimenter board. I have confirmed characters are being transmitted with a scope.

I did some digging and I have been trying to research solutions. this thread suggested usb 3.0 ports could be an issue. The computers appear to have usb 3.0 ports (blue), but also what appear to be standard black ports. Is there a way to confirm they are in fact USB 2.0 ports? Could using a computer with any usb 3.0 ports be an issue?

One thing I noticed is that the COM ports are high (21 or so). Could that be an issue?

Are there other things I'm missing?

Students who have installed CCS on their laptops seem to be having fewer issues, but I can't say for sure whether it's only an issue with the lab computers as we've only just started this lab.

Thank you!

  • 0
    Genius 3255 points
    USB3.0 is backwards compatible with USB2.0. So, I doubt that would be the issue.

    You could manually change the COM port number to something else by doing the following:
    * Go to device manager.
    * Locate the current COM port under Ports (COM & LPT).
    * Right-click on the port and select properties.
    * Click the "Port Settings" tab and click the "Advanced" button.
    * From the drop-down list next to "COM Port Number", select the number you want.

    The port you want might be in use. For the purpose of your test, insure all other USB devices are disconnected before you select a used COM port number.
  • 0 in reply to Mike Tooma
    Prodigy 60 points

    Thanks, Mike. I'm at home today and I tried the inverse (changing one of my home laptop COM ports to a COM21), and that didn't seem to affect my serial communication on that machine. Will try changing the COM port on the lab computers, but I suspect some other issue is at play.

    Have antivirus software been an issue for serial communications? I've received no prompt or warning, but that is a difference between those computers and my home laptop, in addition to Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1.

  • 0 in reply to Margaret Delano
    Prodigy 60 points
    As an update to this, I have found that using the USB 2.0 ports on these computers does in fact help. However, some computers are less consistent than others. I can get the serial communication to work, and then it will stop randomly, and I can't tell what makes it work again. Contrasting with my home computer that I can get to work reliably every time.

    I have found that the computers have another communication port on them that may be affecting the communication. This is something I'm going to experiment with next. I tried turning it off and the device happened to work, but I still haven't been able to achieve consistent communication on these computers.

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