Geo 2.0 - USB malfunction

[tursiops]

All the PCs I've tested on are running Windows 10. I contacted Oceanic support and they did send me a link to download & install a driver, which I did, but I'm still having the same issue.

The weird thing is that we have used these same dive computers, cables, and PCs together many times in the past. However, we didn't dive between Feb 2020 and April 2021, so something changed in the intervening year and it no longer works. My suspicion is that it's the cable, given that it's the only common denominator.

WIN10 changed many times between Feb 20 and Apr 21. If you want to use that new driver, best to try and completely uninstall any previous drivers, reboot, start over.

 

[divinh]

All the PCs I've tested on are running Windows 10. I contacted Oceanic support and they did send me a link to download & install a driver, which I did, but I'm still having the same issue.

The weird thing is that we have used these same dive computers, cables, and PCs together many times in the past. However, we didn't dive between Feb 2020 and April 2021, so something changed in the intervening year and it no longer works. My suspicion is that it's the cable, given that it's the only common denominator.

Like tursiops said, Windows 10 has updated many times over the last year. The dive computers and cable have not, which is why I was curious about the OS'es on the computers.

I would suggest trying the cable on another computer, not Windows 10, if cleaning out drivers and rebooting don't work. Some other alternatives would be:

- Installing GNU/Linux on a USB stick, booting from it, and use the command dmesg to see if it recognized the cable. (This would only confirm the cable is good and you'll still have to solve the Windows 10 driver problem.)

- Buying a USB OTG adaptor for your phone and installing Subsurface app on the phone. (You'll be able to see if the cable works and if it does, you have another way to download the dives, a more portable way.)

 

[scubadada]

I had a hard disk failure on a 2014 HP laptop. The hard disk was able to be read and I had a new drive installed. I have a 2010 Oceanic VT3 that I have used all those years. I download to OceanLog and had a backup file. I upgraded to Windows 10 from 7 during the service. Pelagic Pressure Systems sent me a new Win 10 driver and a version of Oceanlog.. I was able to load the backup file and have been able to load new dives without problem. I am quite pleased with PPS support.

 

[dmaziuk]

All the PCs I've tested on are running Windows 10. I contacted Oceanic support and they did send me a link to download & install a driver, which I did, but I'm still having the same issue.

The weird thing is that we have used these same dive computers, cables, and PCs together many times in the past. However, we didn't dive between Feb 2020 and April 2021, so something changed in the intervening year and it no longer works. My suspicion is that it's the cable, given that it's the only common denominator.

Since this cable has the usb->serial chip, your suspicion is likely correct. (In a plain usb cable all you could have's a break or a short and neither should cause the "device malfunctioned" error message.) Unfortunately there's only one way you can test that.

 

[anchochile]

They are sending me a replacement cable (it's under warranty), so I'll be able to test that theory pretty soon.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

They are sending me a replacement cable (it's under warranty), so I'll be able to test that theory pretty soon.

Is this a proprietary cable? (i.e., not a standard one)

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw that it is.

EDIT2: I was involved with USB compliance starting in 1996, but haven't been involved for 10 years with the USB-IF.

My guess is that this computer runs at full-speed (12 MHz signaling) as it doesn't have the data requirements to run at high-speed (480 MHz signaling). That said, if you connect a HS or FS device to a USB 2 (EHCI) or USB 1 (OHCI/UHCI), that code base hasn't changed in Windows in any significant way for a very long time (I owned fixing all USB issues for Windows 7 for Microsoft circa 2010). That includes Windows 10.

I won't go into the history, but if a device can only enumerate (be identified) and operate on a UHCI controller, the development team of that product should be dragged naked through a field of poison ivy on a weekly basis for the rest of their lives.

That said, there are a lot of sketchy cable manufacturers (not a problem limited to USB, don't even get me started on Cat 6a ethernet cables and connectors). So proprietary cables are a red flag.

 

[runsongas]

the cable requires a DAC as the pelagic design in the geo 2 is pretty darn old

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

the cable requires a DAC as the pelagic design in the geo 2 is pretty darn old

USB uses differential signaling via D+ and D- pins. What is the actual hardware interface to the Geo 2? Just trying to wrap my head around what silicon is in that cable.

 

[runsongas]

the dive computer uses a 3 pin connection to a 8-bit PIC then FTDI rs232 serial to usb converter in the cable

there is a thread at libdivecomputer with some more info

RTS signal handling for Pelagic data cables · Issue #4 · libdivecomputer/libdivecomputer

@bperrybap can correct me if I am wrong

 

[dmaziuk]

USB uses differential signaling via D+ and D- pins. What is the actual hardware interface to the Geo 2? Just trying to wrap my head around what silicon is in that cable.

I bet it's not the usb, it's the usb to serial chip. My cressi cradle has proliant chip IIRC, this one sounds like it has an ftdi one. (Cressi cradle has ir to usb too.)