Communication with 2412U Hangs! - Fixed!

[pzukowski]

Dear mnsandler, please help!

I have been trying to troubleshoot this for months now and can't figure this bug out, every few days communication with the 2412U hangs with the following error in the Insteon plug-in log:

System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the port is denied.

I tried everything I read in these posts including turning off power management to the USB ports and creating a "heart beat" event to keep traffic going through the 2412U link. Nothing works! I have to reboot the machine for the communication to get restored. Here is my summary:

HS: 2.4.0.3
Insteon Plug-in: 1.4.2
2412U PLM

Thanks,
Paul.

[mnsandler]

Dear mnsandler, please help!

I have been trying to troubleshoot this for months now and can't figure this bug out, every few days communication with the 2412U hangs with the following error in the Insteon plug-in log:

System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the port is denied.

I tried everything I read in these posts including turning off power management to the USB ports and creating a "heart beat" event to keep traffic going through the 2412U link. Nothing works! I have to reboot the machine for the communication to get restored. Here is my summary:

HS: 2.4.0.3
Insteon Plug-in: 1.4.2
2412U PLM

Thanks,
Paul.

have you updated the ftdi chipset drivers to the latest. these drivers are suppose to fix this issue.

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

[pzukowski]

have you updated the ftdi chipset drivers to the latest. these drivers are suppose to fix this issue.

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

Ok, I will give these a try and report back after a few days of testing - this takes a few days sometimes...

[pzukowski]

OK, it has been a few days and the 2412U communication is still up. Updating the drivers helped! Thanks!

[pzukowski]

Still some problems

Mark,

My system became unresponsive today again and here is what was in the Insteon error log:

7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Processing SetIO for device - \8 Cmd: 3 Bright: 0 Data1: 0 Data2: 0
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Setting status and value for device \8. Old status:2 Old Value:100, New Status:3 New Value:0
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Ignoring SetIO for \8 Cmd: 3 Bright: 0 because the device update manager indicated it was an internal update.
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Ignoring SetIO for \8 Cmd: 19 Bright: 0 because the device update manager indicated it was an internal update.
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Checking for keypadlinc button sync on device 05.8A.94 src index 1, SrcIsSyncTarget=False...
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - --KPL Load Sync, Need to turn button 8 ON because load went OFF
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Setting status and value for device \13. Old status:3 Old Value:0, New Status:2 New Value:100
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Ignoring SetIO for \13 Cmd: 2 Bright: 0 because the device update manager indicated it was an internal update.
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Ignoring SetIO for \13 Cmd: 19 Bright: 100 because the device update manager indicated it was an internal update.
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - ResourceMananger::RequestExclusive for Resource 1
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Sending command 02 62 05 8A 94 0A 13 00 to PLM, (Expecting 0 bytes extra back) Pre-Payload ACK:False, NAK is ok:False
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Error writing to the serialport, trying to reinitialize the PLM...
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Error writing to the serialport, trying to reinitialize the PLM...
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - Error writing to the serialport, trying to reinitialize the PLM...
7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM - ***:Error in PLM_SendHex: The port is closed. -- Details System.InvalidOperationException: The port is closed.
at System.IO.Ports.SerialPort.get_BytesToRead()
at HSPI_INSTEON.HSPI.PLM_SendHex(String CmdIn, String Data, Int32 ExtraBytesExpectedBack, Int32& FailCode, Boolean ACKBeforePayload, Boolean NAKIsOk, Int32 iForcedSettleTime)
--------*End Pre-Error Log*--------------
Insteon Plug-in Error Log Generated 7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM
-----------*Error Message*----------------
Error: Error in PLM_SendHex: The port is closed. -- Details System.InvalidOperationException: The port is closed.
at System.IO.Ports.SerialPort.get_BytesToRead()
at HSPI_INSTEON.HSPI.PLM_SendHex(String CmdIn, String Data, Int32 ExtraBytesExpectedBack, Int32& FailCode, Boolean ACKBeforePayload, Boolean NAKIsOk, Int32 iForcedSettleTime) -- 7/22/2010 12:44:52 AM

This is a different error then I was getting when I had the old drivers, but it still looks like it is related to the serial port issue.

Paul.

[mnsandler]

Paul,

the new drivers are clearly behaving better but my attempt to reestablish a connection didn't work (you can see the three attempts in the log).

i can exit the code more gracefully, but i am out of ideas on how to correct this problem on the fly so the plugin recovers. this is a usb problem that i have no control over via the code as i only see the virtual com port.

have you tried putting in a usb hub between the plm and your pc?

keep the usb cables within spec and away from power cords

[pzukowski]

Paul,

the new drivers are clearly behaving better but my attempt to reestablish a connection didn't work (you can see the three attempts in the log).

i can exit the code more gracefully, but i am out of ideas on how to correct this problem on the fly so the plugin recovers. this is a usb problem that i have no control over via the code as i only see the virtual com port.

have you tried putting in a usb hub between the plm and your pc?

keep the usb cables within spec and away from power cords

Mark,

I have not tried a USB hub approach. I am tired of fighting with this thing - the 2412U is obviously not ready for prime time - I doubt I am the only one struggling with this. My guess is this is why Smarthome still makes the serial versions. I am going to buy a PCI serial card for my server and go the good old RS-232 route. Is the 2413S reliable, what is your experience with it? Is there any other interface you would recommend?

Thanks,
Paul.

[mnsandler]

i have been using the 2412s for years and have been very happy with it. i suspect the 2413S is just as good based on the feedback i've seen here.

the problem is with the ftdi chipset from what i can tell. As i have the same disconnect problem with a completely different device for my vista alarm plugin

if you have a usb hub i would give it a try but i wouldn't go buy one just to test the theory.

[pzukowski]

Ok, thanks. I am buying the 2413S then. Will keep you posted...

[Clever1]

mnsandler,

I see this is the second thread where the problem I am having has been posted.

You also recommended a usb hub in this thread. The words you used in both posts lead me to believe that you haven't actually tried the USB hub yourself and found that it improves the results so I'm wondering why you are recommending that approach.

[mnsandler]

mnsandler,

I see this is the second thread where the problem I am having has been posted.

You also recommended a usb hub in this thread. The words you used in both posts lead me to believe that you haven't actually tried the USB hub yourself and found that it improves the results so I'm wondering why you are recommending that approach.

when i first discovered the problem it was with another device that is also based on the ftdi chipset just like the usb plms. at that time i did put a usb hub in place and it fixed the problem.

Here is the reason why it fixed the problem: usb ports are all based on different chipsets and some are more tolerable to noise then others. I found out that the NEC usb chipset fixed my problem so i bought a pci usb expansion card based on the same nec chipset and it continues to work for me.

that said, others have tried nec usb hubs/board with less success. your mileage my vary.

if you really want to fix the problem, return the 2413u and get a 2413s (serial port) version. you may need a serial port expansion card, but with this setup you won't be disappointed.

hope this helps