Driver Tips

From OpenECU

Current revision

Introduction

The drivers for the OpenPort 1.2 and 1.3 are included in the EcuFlash installer and installed automatically. This document mainly serves as a reference for developers and to help diagnose or repair OpenPort driver problems in the case that something goes wrong.

About the drivers

The Openport 1.2 and 1.3 use USB interface chips from FTDI as wells as drivers and DLLs also provided by FTDI. 32-bit and 64-bit versions of these drivers for Windows XP and Windows Vista that are customized for the OpenPort Cable are included in the EcuFlash installer and are installed automatically. In the OS X version of EcuFlash, there are no drivers per se, but a FTDI library is utilized. The Windows drivers are actually a pair of drivers - one providing a direct interface to the OpenPort hardware for programs such as EcuFlash and another that creates a virtual COM port on the system with which the OpenPort hardware can be used generically in conjunction with other OBD programs such as data loggers.

Files

Windows XP / Vista 32-bit

• ftd2xx.sys
• ftd2xx.dll
• ftd2xx.ini

• ftser.sys
• ftser.ini

Windows XP / Vista 64-bit

• ftd2xx.sys
• ftd2xx.dll
• ftd2xx.ini

• ftser.sys
• ftser.ini

OSX x86 / x64

• libtfdi.so

Examining and verifying proper driver installation

Aside from running tests with applications which utilize the OpenPort, it is possible to examine and verify the driver installation in Windows using Device Manager. To run Device Manager from the Start Menu, choose Start->Run... and type devmgmt.msc and press enter. In the default "View devices by type" view, the two OpenPort drivers appear in seperate locations, one under "USB serial bus controllers" and the other under COM & LPT ports as shown below.

Alternatively, one can select View->Devices by Connection from within Device Manager and locate the driver pair deep within the USB host controller and hub nodes of your PC as shown below. The exact names and number of instances of these various hardware nodes will vary from computer to computer based on the hardware configuration. The advantage of this method is that it can give you a clearer view of how the OpenPort drivers relate to each other, particularly when more than one OpenPort or other FTDI device is present on the system.

In either case, both drivers should be present, working and have no exclamation points on top of their icons in the tree view.

Repairing the driver installation

If there appears to be a problem with the driver installation, the best course of action is to attempt to re-install the drivers. Try the following solutions one at a time until you are successful. The solutions are ordered in increasing complexity.

1. Reinstall drivers automatically via the EcuFlash installer

This is the easiest solution - just try re-running the EcuFlash and see if the drivers appear properly in Device Manager as described in the previous section.

2.Uninstall drivers and re-install manually

Assuming both drivers are already present but not working, start with the virtual COM port driver in Device Manager (e.g. the node named something like "OpenPort 1.3M (as Serial Port) (COM7)") and right click on it and select "Uninstall". Do the same for the other driver (e.g. the node named something like "OpenPort 1.3M"). Now unplug your OpenPort and then re-plug it in. The OpenPort should be recognized as a new device and you should see a dialog (in Windows XP) like the one below. Proceed as described in the following images:

Select "No, not this time" from this dialog and then choose "Next"

Select "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" from this dialog and then choose "Next"

Select "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install" from this dialog and then choose "Next"

Choose "Have Disk..."

Choose "Browse..."

Browse for the directory

C:\Program Files\OpenECU\EcuFlash\drivers\x86 (for 32-bit OSes)

or

C:\Program Files\OpenECU\EcuFlash\drivers\x64 (for 64-bit OSes)

or to a similar directory if you have installed EcuFlash somewhere else.

Choose "OK"

The driver "OpenPort 1.3 Universal" should now appear in the list - choose "Next"

You now receive a warning which you can ignore - choose "Continue Anyway"

This installation now proceeds...

This is the final completion dialog - choose "Finish"

Once the first driver installation is complete, after a small delay you should see a second driver installation dialog pop up, like the one you just completed. The is the driver installation for the Virtual COM Port driver. Follow the same procedure as the previous driver and the driver installation should be complete.