Can't find MSP-EXP430F5529 Virtual COM Port (CDC) Driver

The software can be downloaded from the product page.

This EXP board is different from the others as teh 5529 has its own USB controller and does not use the same backchannel technology as some other EXP boards use.
However, the driver for the FET part should be the same as for other FETs. Just be sure to use the correct USB connector on the board. (the other one is not working unless the MSP handles the USB protocol by application software)

Could you provide an URL? I am not sure what is meant by the product page. That may be clear to others but not to me.

Thank you for your help.

Mark

Mark MacNab said:

Could you provide an URL?

Mark MacNab said:

I am not sure what is meant by the product page

It's also usually the first hit if you type the full product name into the search box on top of each forum page.

That software kit (the 5529 experience - which is turning into a nightmare)
does not have a virtual COM port driver, which is the missing piece.
Does anyone know:     where in TI is that driver?

Hi Dennis,

You may want to check out the Descriptor Tool found at:

http://software-dl.ti.com/msp430/msp430_public_sw/mcu/msp430/MSP430_USB_Developers_Package/latest/index_FDS.html

According to what I have read so far, this will generate the .inf file required for the CDC USB interface. I have not tried it as I am attempting to communicate using the HID model as it would not require a driver file.

Unfortunately for me, what is not working is the PC application for the HID Demo. The HidDemo.jar does not work for me, even after I downloaded and installed the Java JRE 1.7.

I used the descriptor tool long before this driver problem.  I inspected its change (actually saved all files and then did a before & after comparison). 

I found that the tool seems to do all the right things - not too surprising.  ...and the .inf file is there too.  There's no description of where to place the .inf file - so I presumed it was into the \windows\inf directory.  Next problem is to make Windows use it (horse-to-water?).  Right click & "load driver" leads nowhere.  The only other alternative is hdwwiz.exe.  Run it and get "cannot find driver".  That's pathetic.  See, .inf's aren't really drivers, they're a list of setup information one bit of which is what file is the driver code ensconced into.  That file has always been missing.  It ought to be referenced by TI for their experimenter board to work "out of the box".  But they don't and it doesn't.
Developers advice from slau330 is to keep changing the PID number so Windows thinks each revision is a new driver.  That doesn't matter because the virtual COM driver is unfindable no matter the VID/PID.   And, I tried this on three different windows computers - -one was XP.  Same result.    Ergo, stuck.   Anybody reach this culdesac also?

These are all supposed to use the Windows built-in driver. This should be found in C:\Windows\system32\drivers\usbser.sys

Are you missing this driver file? It's a MS Windows driver, not a 3rd-party driver, thus why TI does not redistribute.

My understanding [which is suspect as I am trying to figure out HID] with my old MSP430FG4619 with TUSB3410 implementation, was it used a Virtual Com port on a CDC interface. The CDC required a custom .inf file that is now generated by the Descriptor Tool. When the device is plugged it, it will cause the computer to go through the driver install process, where the user will have to point the machine at the specific driver.

Using the HID interface is the USB method for not requiring a separate driver. I have gotten the old HidDemo.exe demo to work, I have my device programmed, but have not been able find any source files for the Visual Studios Windows API.

If anyone has those, I am all ears.

Or if my understanding is wrong, please let me know.

Jim Carlson said:

When the device is plugged it, it will cause the computer to go through the driver install process, where the user will have to point the machine at the specific driver.

Sort of... you point to the .inf file. The .inf file (in this case) tells Windows to use the built-in usbser.sys driver for the specific VID/PID of the board. So I'm not sure why the previous poster is having issues with no driver.

Looking like an HID device makes the .inf unnecessary, but you then have to implement an HID interface opposed to a simpler serial port.

My device has a custom VID / PID, so I think [thinking out loud here so point it out if I am missing something] if I wanted to continue to use the CDC option with the Virtual Com Port, I would have to use the .inf generated by the Descriptor Tool.

The problem we ran into was driver incompatibility with each new release of Windows. The product / initial driver was done with Windows XP and all was right in the world, then the world wanted to use MACs and Linux and Windows 7 and now Windows 8.

I am trying to get ahead of the curve, or at least into the curve by migrating to the HID model.

I am open to suggestions, but I would like a one size fits all answer when I plug in the USB cable. {I recognize this is not going to be achievable, but I would like to get close.}

Hi All,

I had this issue working with MSP430F5529 Experimenter kit with the user experiance examples of Terminal Echo and USB MicroSD.

when I was running these examples I would get in the Device Manager of Windows 7  under: Unknown device  Virtual Com Port (CDC) with yellow !

To solve this issue you need to do few things:

1. download the latest Experimanter Board software from here: http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-exp430f5529

2. connect the board via eZFET and run CCS 5 flashing the latest User Experience software (from MSP430Ware) to your white Experimenter board.

Note that older version of this software will show the issue. (to know that you are in the latest version in the main screen there is in the last line written *S1=Enter S2=Esc* in the older version it wasn't written.

3. Now after flashing the latest User Experience software disconnect the eZFET and connect the USB cable to the second plag make sure you change the switch to supply power from the USB now (it's not a must if you have 2 usb cable just connect the second cable). when you connect the USB cable go to Demo Apps in the menu. and then select Terminal Echo. once you done that you will see that it is not appears as it was looking for the Virtual Com Port (CDC) but for MSP430_F5529_UE_CDC.

4. Do now update driver in the device manager on the MSP430_F5529_UE_CDC select Browse my computer for driver software.

 5. now you will only need to point it to the driver location that should be after installing the Experimenter Board software and installing it in: C:\ti\msp430\MSP-EXP430F5529_UE_1_30_00_00\src\Drivers

6. After the update of the driver it will appear under (COM & LPT) and you will get also COM number for example: MSP430_F5529_UE_CDC (COM7)

Now you all set and you CDC driver is installed on Windows 7

Good luck to all

Shai Aharonov

I do not understand the following step;

/*

2. connect the board via eZFET and run CCS 5 flashing the latest User Experience software (from MSP430Ware) to your white Experimenter board.

*/

Flash what?  How can I flash anything if the USB FET is not found in the first place?

Got my MSP-EXP430F5529 connected on the EZ-FET side.  Win8 device manager will not recognize the vitual com port.

What next?

Thanks,

Ricardo

Hi Ricardo.

Flashing to the MSP-EXP430F5529 the latest UserExperienceDemo open this project from here:

C:\ti\ccsv5\ccs_base\msp430\msp430ware_1_25_00_30\examples\boards\MSP-EXP430F5529\src\UserExperienceDemo

Second option to flash without CCS is use the following:

C:\ti\ccsv5\ccs_base\msp430\msp430ware_1_25_00_30\examples\boards\MSP-EXP430F5529\bin\firmware\MSP430Flasher.bat

that should do the work.

When I connect the EZ-FET (the usb cable only to the eZ USB port and making sure that the power select is in the middle.

the device manager shows me MSP430 Application UART (COM7)

This does not relate to the issue I had with the CDC that was connecting the USB to the other 5529 USB (the second USB that is on the board that works ad USB Device and when a relevant application of USB device  is RUN it will be recognized as MSP430_F5529_UE_CDC (COM7).

Hi Ricardo,

I think there is confusion here - are you having trouble getting the device to program via the eZFET (port on left of board), or are you having trouble getting the 5529 USB com port to show up as CDC in application (port on right of board)? Alternately, are you trying to use the backchannel UART that is also accessible via the eZFET? What does it look like in device manager?

Regards,

Katie

Hi Katie,

Sorry if I confused things.  I cannot get the left eZFET to get properly recognized by Win8.

Device manager shows a problem with Virtual UART.  USB device not being recognized properly.  All my other TI dev kits work just fine and get a COM port assigned right away.  Not sure what the backchannel UART is.

Thanks,

Ricardo