Win500 new version, FTDI driver and VMWare

[n5usr]

Aack! I went to update one of my scanners, found I needed to update due to the database change. Okay, that went fine. But when I went to upload the changes, Win500 now says it can't load the FTDI driver.

Problem is, I never used the FTDI drivers in the first place. I'm running Win2K in a VMWare session on Linux. USB port comes into Linux, VMWare just assigns that port to a COM port for Windows.

So I tried installing the FTDI driver anyway. Downloaded the 'setup executable' as instructed, but when I run that a console window opens, it very briefly says "installing..." then goes away. That's it. And Win500 still says it can't load the FTDI driver.

Thoughts? Am I SOL, can't just use a straight COM port anymore?

Also, the Win500 box that says where to go says to get 2.04.06 "the latest", but I only saw 2.04.16. Is that a typo? The release notes in the 2.04.16 zip do mention a 2.04.06 version from last year...

In case this has been covered, I did try a search but didn't find anything. Not that my searching skills are all that great...

 

[bezking]

You must have been using one of the older versions of Win500...
From what I can tell the older versions interfaced with COM ports but the new versions talk directly to the FTDI unit (GRE outsourced the cable production to FTDI), bypassing issues with the drivers. What this means is that if you can't find compatible drivers, yes, you may be SOL.

Depending on your linux version\skills, you may have some luck with this: http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/PSREdit_with_Wine

 

[smason]

I quit using the serial port several versions ago.
I'm using the latest Win500 1.86, ftdi driver 2.02.04 in Win XP SP2 under Vmware Server 2 on a Centos Linux 5.3 host. whew! No problems here at all.

Once you install the FTDI driver (should show up in add/remove programs) disconnect and reconnect the USB in your VMWare config, and XP should detect and set up the port.

 

[n5usr]

Guess I need to figure out how to make the device show up as a USB device in VMware, then! Glad to hear it works.

Next hurdle is the driver, for some reason it doesn't install at all - or so it appears. As I mentioned, all I get is the command prompt window very briefly, I figured I should see something more than that... Have to play with it more later.

Been a long time since I messed with Wine. It was easier to get full functionality with VMware. Might look into that too, not sure how that'll work with needing to also have .NET installed.

 

[DonS]

You must have been using one of the older versions of Win500...
From what I can tell the older versions interfaced with COM ports but the new versions talk directly to the FTDI unit (GRE outsourced the cable production to FTDI),

Not quite. GRE builds the cables, but uses a USB-Serial converter from FTDI.

bypassing issues with the drivers. What this means is that if you can't find compatible drivers, yes, you may be SOL.

The Win500.ZIP file includes "Win500_COM.EXE", which uses the old COM-port method of accessing the cable. There's also a note hear the top of the Win500 web page describing that second executable.

 

[n5usr]

The Win500.ZIP file includes "Win500_COM.EXE", which uses the old COM-port method of accessing the cable. There's also a note hear the top of the Win500 web page describing that second executable.

Well... That's embarrassing! I somehow managed to read the first part of that page, but didn't make it all the way down to the Linux note! Oops...

Thanks for pointing that out, though!

 

[bezking]

Not quite. GRE builds the cables, but uses a USB-Serial converter from FTDI.

Got it.