GPS Problems with Windows 7

[tonyappuk]

I see a few KeySpan USA-19HS RS232/USB adapters on EBay both here (UK) and elsewhere at reasonable prices. (approx £20)
Tony

[CarCode]

Originally Posted by tonyappuk

I see a few KeySpan USA-19HS RS232/USB adapters on EBay both here (UK) and elsewhere at reasonable prices. (approx £20)
Tony

They are worth this price. Get the latest update (Sept. 2010) from Downloads by Type
for any OS (all Windows versions, Linux and Mac).

Gerhard

[bdbcat]

Hi folks....
Sorry for the problems with BU-353 and Win7.
I do not have the right hardware to duplicate this error, so the debugging and iterative releasing is a bit like pushing on a rope. It is a slow process.

But lets be sure of some basic assumptions first.

1. I assume the BU-353 is really a serial device with an embedded Prolific USB-Serial converter chip. When it is working, that's what it looks like. Maybe (not sure here) it needs 9600 baud?)
2. If that is the case, the BU-353 driver is really nothing more than a Prolific USB-Serial converter driver. The BU353 needs nothing from opencpn to start transmitting generic NMEA positioning data.
3. OK so far?
4. If OK, what is the version or other identification of the BU353 supplied driver that is being used when the problem occurs?
5. On the other hand, has anyone tried the most, most recent Prolific USB-Serial driver setup for this configuration? Does it work at all? Does it display the same behavior?
6. I can run a generic Prolific USB adapter with the latest Prolific driver and a generic serial NMEA GPS on Win7 (VirtualBox, linux host) indefinitely. No problems. Does anyone on Win7 use this configuration or anything like it??
7. Or, another permutation: can anyone run a generic Prolific USB-Serial adapter cable and a generic NMEA Serial GPS with the BU353 standard driver?

Any amplifications and/or corrections to the above may help us debug this problem from first principles.

Otherwise, we shall have to wait until I can get access to the affected hardware, slap some debugging tools together, and figure it out.

Thanks for the help
Dave

[bdbcat]

Hi folks....
Sorry for the problems with BU-353 and Win7.
I do not have the right hardware to duplicate this error, so the debugging and iterative releasing is a bit like pushing on a rope. It is a slow process.

But lets be sure of some basic assumptions first.

1. I assume the BU-353 is really a serial device with an embedded Prolific USB-Serial converter chip. When it is working, that's what it looks like. Maybe (not sure here) it needs 9600 baud?)
2. If that is the case, the BU-353 driver is really nothing more than a Prolific USB-Serial converter driver. The BU353 needs nothing from opencpn to start transmitting generic NMEA positioning data.
3. OK so far?
4. If OK, what is the version or other identification of the BU353 supplied driver that is being used when the problem occurs?
5. On the other hand, has anyone tried the most, most recent Prolific USB-Serial driver setup for this configuration? Does it work at all? Does it display the same behavior?
6. I can run a generic Prolific USB adapter with the latest Prolific driver and a generic serial NMEA GPS on Win7 (VirtualBox, linux host) indefinitely. No problems. Does anyone on Win7 use this configuration or anything like it??
7. Or, another permutation: can anyone run a generic Prolific USB-Serial adapter cable and a generic NMEA Serial GPS with the BU353 standard driver?

Any amplifications and/or corrections to the above may help us debug this problem from first principles.

Otherwise, we shall have to wait until I can get access to the affected hardware, slap some debugging tools together, and figure it out.

Thanks for the help
Dave

[claire]

Dave,

My problem with disappearing GPS on W7 is not related to the BU-353, but involved, in part, the prolific serial adapter as well as an AT&T USB GPS/3Gmodem. For more details, here is my post from another thread ( http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...its-50567.html ) describing my observations:

I thought I had solved the disappearing GPS issue through the following actions:
1. Found a setting in the laptop power scheme (advanced setting) where I was able to completely disable "usb selective suspend"
2. As stated elsewhere, I reinstalled my AT&T option usb GPS driver
3. For the Garmin GPS connected thru a Prolific serial adapter, I installed the latest prolific driver recommended by an earlier post (dated July 2010)

I then ran Opencpn for more than 3 hours with each GPS and had no issue. That was at the anchorage, I just left the laptop alone with the active GPS connection

Today, however, we were sailing all day and the test results were different. The GPS input was shared with AIS. All worked perfectly for 4:30 hours before I lost the GPS input. I didn't notice the loss until I started playing with imported tracks, deleting and importing several different ones.
I strongly suspect that the GPS disappearance was related to my playing with GPXin. Restarting OpenCPN didn't solve the problem, I had to reboot the laptop. Trying to reproduce the issue, I brought back my tracks and deleted them for a few minutes and then, while still connected to the GPS, the laptop crashed! After restart, I imported one track, did not delete it or play around, and all worked fine again until we dropped the anchor over an hour later.

[jlsail]

Hi Dave
Dont know if this will help, was running bet2.2.809 on a tripp 15/8 the tripp was for 24+ hours no problemes . on 24/8 I installed 2.2.823 and gps dropp out problemes arrived on the tripp back (24+ hours).Same setup win7 32bit bu353

changed to mux input (gps from an garmin 128) and have had no more problemes since, well if I have hdg at 10 hz from the mux opencpn behaves like a drunk, two headinglines just moving arround!

Johan

[dehem]

bdbcat,

I can reproduce the bu353 problem under windows7:

1. I assume the BU-353 is really a serial device with an embedded Prolific USB-Serial converter chip. When it is working, that's what it looks like. Maybe (not sure here) it needs 9600 baud?)

When the BU353 is plugged it shows as "prolific usb to serial Comm port" in the devices manager. I've been using it at 4800 bds so far. And will test if anything different happens at 9600. Note however that at 4800, through gpsgate and a virtual port feeding the gps data to openCPN, everything works well.

2. If that is the case, the BU-353 driver is really nothing more than a Prolific USB-Serial converter driver. The BU353 needs nothing from opencpn to start transmitting generic NMEA positioning data.

That is also what I would assume.

3. OK so far?

ok

4. If OK, what is the version or other identification of the BU353 supplied driver that is being used when the problem occurs?

The prolific chip is a PL-2303. The latest driver version available from Globalsat (BU353 brand/manufacturer) is 3.3.10.140 dated 2009-07-17. The latest driver available from Prolific is 3.3.11.152 dated 2010-03-12.The roblem occurs with both drivers.

5. On the other hand, has anyone tried the most, most recent Prolific USB-Serial driver setup for this configuration? Does it work at all? Does it display the same behavior?

I tried. Same behavior.

6. I can run a generic Prolific USB adapter with the latest Prolific driver and a generic serial NMEA GPS on Win7 (VirtualBox, linux host) indefinitely. No problems. Does anyone on Win7 use this configuration or anything like it??
7. Or, another permutation: can anyone run a generic Prolific USB-Serial adapter cable and a generic NMEA Serial GPS with the BU353 standard driver?

I dont have such an adapter cable for test. For now, the only working solution I found to continue using openCPN is still through gpsgate and a virtual com port.

Hope this can help.
Thank you.

[dehem]

bdbcat,

Maybe (not sure here) it needs 9600 baud?)

Tried 9600 baud, and also lost connection with gps after 15 minutes or so.

[franksingleton]

Can anyone give me an idiot's guide to using OpenCPN with Win 7, 64 bits.


The GPS - ND-100 - talks to the computer OK and the COM to Serial driver is OK. I can use the Prolific MiniCDU and see it working.

Under Vista, I had to use XPort to configure the GPS to OpenCPN connection. However, XPort says it only works under 32 bits.

Any sdvice in simple language, please. I am not a computer geek. Just a long retired Met man.

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by franksingleton

Can anyone give me an idiot's guide to using Just a long retired Met man.

C'mon geeks... Help Frank! He has helped many of us for a long time...

http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Home

[CarCode]

Frank,

the actual driver should work also with Windows 7 / 64 bit. Obviously the older firmware of this device might have trouble. Follow this thread:
nd 100 problem..
and upgrade the firmware when not done yet.
Also use the latest driver from:
USGlobalSat Incorporated
After installing the driver and connecting the device go to Windows "System-Settings" (do not know the correct name since I have no english or french Windows), open "System" and open "Device-Manager" there. You should see at "COM & LPT" the device with a COM port number. Note this number.
Go to OpenCPN settings "GPS" and write into the NMEA field above: COMx where x is the number you have seen in the "Device-Manager".
Restart OpenCPN.

I do not know the ND100. If it is a dongle only you might use an extension USB cable between your PC to give it a better sat view perhaps.

Gerhard

[franksingleton]

Many thanks, Gerhard.


I thought that I had done all that. But, I tried again and it worked. I wish that Inunderstood computers.

Frank

[CarCode]

Frank,

another side view: Please always use the same USB connector of your computer if it has more than one. Otherwise you have to do the same procedure again. Windows is very ugly with that.

Gerhard

[franksingleton]

Good point. Thanks for the reminder.